Any difference between the first batch, your 0 to 20g of carbs and say, your 20th gram to 100 ?
...is it metabolized differently ?
Everybody is drawing the line at about 20g of carbs or less. Some credible sources advocate for 50g though. Some calculators might point you to keep things under 80. Others claim they are loosing weight on 150g of carbs and mantain ketosis.
So what is it about this number, 20 ?
Is the 21th gram of carb responsible for the first drop of insulin that actually gets you anabolic ?
I bet it isn't.
How is all that insulin that was there before any different ? Why aren't we counting fructose and glucose totally differently - since it's metabolized entirely in the liver. Is it all about spikes ? Where does a catabolic state actually start ?
What about low glycemic foods ? They don't cause a spike, so can I go over 20, 50, 80 or whatever, with those ?
The more I read, the less difference do I see between people calling for 20g or less and those advocating for the existence of the tooth fairy. It's just a number that stuck with the collective and people are throwing around for lack of a better one. People asking for help are pointed towards going as low as possible, since nobody actually knows where the real limit is.
Yet there might not be any benefits to stay in the 0-20 zone.
Can anyone give me some sound advice on all of this not just tell-tale-stories about the mythical 20 ?
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I don't know where the 20 number comes from. It should be a ratio of your total calorie consumption.
As for why 20, why are some school zones 15mph? Why are some school zones 20 miles an hour and others 30 miles an hour? Have they studied the running speed of kids from those schools and determined that they are better able to avoid faster-moving vehicles? Does running over a kid at 15mph do significantly less damage than running them over at 16mph? Of course not. It's just that in order to set a limit, you have to pick a number, and somebody picked the number 20 for carbs. Just like somebody picked a number 5% of your daily calories which is the one that I follow. It's an arbitrary number intended to define the box. If you want to define your box differently, as Dr. Berg does (when he doesn't count healthy carbs from greens, eggs and nuts) or proceed through dietary life without a box, go for it. Perhaps you'll find that the best path for you is an entirely different one than that of the mainstream. I wish you success.
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Moondrake said:
Just like somebody picked a number 5%That might be good enough for starters. That might be good enough for most. That might be good enough if you want to play it safe.
But I have to disagree - this is not about someone somewhere picking a random number. I've seen way too many of those.
This is about someone somewhere having a certain metabolic configuration and finding that magic number on his knobs. It's how bodies work on carbs dictates a certain %.
Anyone else out there that can actually address the question in the title ?
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Moondrake said:
If you want to define your box differently, as Dr. Berg does (when he doesn't count healthy carbs from greens, eggs and nuts)I find this very interesting.
I'd happily take the box that gives me the maximum carbs possible while still reaping the same benefits. Trying to aim at 15 instead of 60 is a loads more difficult and I'm not really keen on putting in 4 times the effort if there's 0 benefit.
I would.
But I can't. It seems that I have to pick between the safe-box and a risky-box. The correct-box-for-me just isn't out there for me to pick. There are way too many calculators with different results and way too many voices.
Any advice ?
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I used the app to tell me what to eat for my activity and weight and loss expectations. It puts me in the under 25 range at all times.
I used the app for my husband, and it put him in a closer to 100 carb range--he still lost weight fast enough. His activity level is wayyyy higher than mine, I expect that's the difference there.
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goplay Plus men have more muscle on their body which increases their metabolism higher than chicks.
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goplay This is gold. Finally someone not thinking in black and white, that is above 20 and under 20, terms. I've met so many people clinging to this that it really really confuses me, because one might assume they have a reason - other than playing it safe.
Do they ?
