{"id":774,"date":"2013-07-22T09:30:34","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T16:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devinephysiques.com\/blog\/?p=774"},"modified":"2013-07-18T07:56:12","modified_gmt":"2013-07-18T14:56:12","slug":"debunking-carbs-are-killing-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devinephysiques.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/22\/debunking-carbs-are-killing-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Debunking: “Carbs are killing you.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

I usually tell people that “I’ve been there.”\u00a0 My body type is “Endomorph,” which means losing fat is not easy and my body resists as much as possible.\u00a0 I was once a total gym newbie.\u00a0 I sought quick fixes to try and cut down and “tone.”\u00a0 I still tell people that “I’ve been there.”\u00a0 For some time I was eating no carb, tried nutrient timing diets, fasted cardio, and did all of these different things in an effort to lose fat as fast and efficiently as possible.\u00a0 None of it really helped, and after plenty of reading and research, I found that I was getting in the way of my goals.\u00a0 At this point, I eat a great deal of carbohydrates, and am still leaning out at the same rate (if not faster) than I was when I was eating paleo \/ no carb.<\/p>\n

I have officially reduced every aspect of my nutrition and workout program to science–\u00a0 No more pseudoscience involved!<\/p>\n

I now feel as though I have had a huge breakthrough in my life, and I want to do everything I can to spread the word to as many people as possible!<\/p>\n

. . .\u00a0 Most won’t listen, though.\u00a0 So instead, I usually leave a long winded comment in the hope that just one person will do a little research and realize that there is a better way to reach your goals.\u00a0 I can definitely say that I wish someone had done that for me so I could have stopped wasting my time a long time ago.\u00a0 Case in point, this pin on Pinterest<\/a>.\u00a0 This isn’t the first time I’ve debunked something from Pinterest, and it certainly won’t be the last.\u00a0 Protip:\u00a0 If you found the health \/ nutrition advice on Pinterest, there is a 95% chance it’s completely wrong or not helpful.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The

The best collection of fitness myths since 2010!<\/p><\/div>\n

The whole infographic seems like an advertisement for paleo dieting \/ no carb dieting, as the main goal seems to be proving that eating a lot of dietary fat is okay.\u00a0 For the record, eating a lot of dietary fat is not bad;\u00a0 there are drawback to eating fatty foods, such as their high energy (calorie) content, but overall, you need to eat dietary fat.\u00a0 I digress. . .\u00a0 The author’s plan of attack is to demonize carbohydrates so that you’ll think, “The carbs are the reason I haven’t lost weight!”\u00a0 This is absurd, and I can’t let this stand.\u00a0 So, here we go; and I’m warning you. . .\u00a0 This is a long one:<\/p>\n

Debunking “Carbs are killing you!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Claim:<\/strong>\u00a0 Insulin turns off fat burning.<\/em>\u00a0 Debunked:<\/strong>\u00a0 It’s true that insulin turns off fat burning, but that’s perfectly okay.\u00a0 Fat burning (or lipolysis), is the primary metabolic pathway for the body–\u00a0 During periods of exertion, such as exercise, your body burns a combination of fats and carbohydrates for fuel.\u00a0 The rest of the day, and while you’re sleeping, your body is oxidizing fat for fuel;\u00a0 thus, the amount of time spent in a lipolytic state is far more than in a glycolytic (glucose burning) state.\u00a0 Plus, shutting off lipolysis isn’t a bad thing–\u00a0 When insulin levels are elevated, that means you’re fed.\u00a0 Your body is now digesting the food it was given, and is determining where it all needs to go.\u00a0 Insulin binds to different cells as a sort of valet, telling blood glucose to enter if needed.\u00a0 This is important for muscle tissue repair (and growth), for glycogen storage, and for performance, if consuming carbs during a long workout.\u00a0 If your body has any glucose left over, then it is stored as fat.<\/li>\n
  2. Claim:<\/strong>\u00a0 Thinking of eating carbs will stimulate insulin secretion.<\/em>\u00a0 Partially Debunked:<\/strong>\u00a0 Thinking of any food can actually stimulate insulin secretion, whether there are carbs in the dream meal or not. . .\u00a0 This was just another attempt to paint carbs in a bad light.<\/li>\n
  3. Claim:<\/strong>\u00a0 Insulin is bad because it promotes fat storage;\u00a0 you will get leaner if you eat less carbs.<\/em>\u00a0 Debunked:<\/strong>\u00a0 So the whole point of the pin is to show the cycle of how eating carbohydrates can make you “fatter.”\u00a0 They don’t go into detail about all of the great things carbs do, though:\n