View Full Version : What are carbs for?
strivin for more
01-28-09, 4:54 pm
hey fellas. this is gonna sound basic and dumb, but are carbs just for energy? do they help
growth or get nutrients into the body quicker? (why people take em in the morning?) ive
done some research, but all ive found is people using em to pack on pounds or as an
energy source. i currently am on a low carb diet and feel fine, which is why im confused by
people saying it. thanks guys, hope i didnt sound too dumb.
JUGGERNAUT
01-28-09, 5:38 pm
To make this plain and simple, your brain needs carbs to function. Turn off your brain and not a whole heck of a lot of thiings are going to pan out for you. I consider this 1. in a never ending list....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate
Use in living organisms:
Monosaccharides are the major source of fuel for metabolism, being used both as an energy source (glucose being the most important in nature) and in biosynthesis. When monosaccharides are not immediately needed by many cells they are often converted to more space efficient forms, often polysaccharides. In many animals, including humans, this storage form is glycogen, especially in liver and muscle cells. In plants, starch is used for the same purpose
TigerAce01
01-28-09, 6:11 pm
Uh oh. I wonder if Krazy Ass Mexican is gonna get all over this thread...
MELTDOWN
01-28-09, 6:18 pm
Uh oh. I wonder if Krazy Ass Mexican is gonna get all over this thread...
nope....unfortunately, he has a new title under his screen name.
Carbs are for being delicious..oh and that other stuff.
stumblin54
01-28-09, 7:24 pm
ive done some research, but all ive found is people using em to pack on pounds or as an energy source.
Emphasis on the "energy source," you've already found your answer my man.
Stumblin
strivin for more
01-28-09, 7:41 pm
alright. the wiki was informative. thanks all.
Carbs are for being delicious..oh and that other stuff.
Indeed, I thought the same thing.
Carbs = turn crapolla yummy. Precisely why most of them at most times are unnecessary.
SQUAT or DIE!
01-28-09, 9:44 pm
Carbs are for being delicious..oh and that other stuff.
other stuff? i thought thats all they did, was taste delicious....
simpleguy
01-29-09, 1:08 am
whilst not being necessary, they are important for: muscle cell volumizing (which has loads of benefits such as faster recovery etc) and insulin release (which at times can be beneficial and at times it can be your enemy)
Carbs are for being delicious
unless we're talking about oreos, I'm not really too fond of rice/oats etc
prowrestler
01-29-09, 1:57 am
bulking, carbs add up cals fast and are easy to eat.
eat 100 grams carsb? fuckin easy
eat 100 grams protien? kinda hard
they also fill you out fast, you look "full" after a high ass carb loading day
simpleguy
01-29-09, 6:09 am
they also fill you out fast, you look "full" after a high ass carb loading day
I look smooth after that
theharjmann
01-29-09, 6:53 am
I eat carbs, but recently i have been thinking a lot:
We are humans...animals essentially. We have descended from cavemen. We are carnivores. Now lets look at all present day animals...cheetas, lions. We would love to be like them right?
Now what do these animals eat? Other animals only. They will eat a buffalo on its own. They wont add 2 cups of rice and some asparagus! And wouldnt we all like to be like a cheetah...fast, strong, agile. Even my dog....what does he eat....steak steak steak.....protein and fat!
Carbs are something that have been thrown in the diet mix only for the past few thousand years of existence. From this i guess we have evolved to assimilate carbs, but I still dont think we need them, unless it is pre contest and we need to carb up to fill out!
It would be interesting to see if people can bulk on Keto alone....
Humans have evolved to become fat lazy fucks...its the truth...this works against the principles of us animals, but we have to deal with it. Science "attempts" to make humankind easier, but i think in the long run it fucks with us.,...without televisions, fridges, buildings, whey protein, creatine, anabolic steroids we would all live fine....i mean has anybody seen the size of some cavemen! Fuckin huuuuge! They didnt use creatine, whey, aminos, roids......they ate flesh!
theharjmann
01-29-09, 7:14 am
PLEASE NOTE:
I'm not saying carbs dont do shit....every single pro has eaten carbs and has got to where they are today. Im just trying to get people thinking!
simpleguy
01-29-09, 7:22 am
I eat carbs, but recently i have been thinking a lot:
We are humans...animals essentially. We have descended from cavemen. We are carnivores. Now lets look at all present day animals...cheetas, lions. We would love to be like them right?
Now what do these animals eat? Other animals only. They will eat a buffalo on its own. They wont add 2 cups of rice and some asparagus! And wouldnt we all like to be like a cheetah...fast, strong, agile. Even my dog....what does he eat....steak steak steak.....protein and fat!
Carbs are something that have been thrown in the diet mix only for the past few thousand years of existence. From this i guess we have evolved to assimilate carbs, but I still dont think we need them, unless it is pre contest and we need to carb up to fill out!
Humans have evolved to become fat lazy fucks...its the truth...this works against the principles of us animals, but we have to deal with it. Science "attempts" to make humankind easier, but i think in the long run it fucks with us.,...without televisions, fridges, buildings, whey protein, creatine, anabolic steroids we would all live fine....i mean has anybody seen the size of some cavemen! Fuckin huuuuge! They didnt use creatine, whey, aminos, roids......they ate flesh!
sorry but that's not just something you thought of, it's a fact... carbs are not essential
It would be interesting to see if people can bulk on Keto alone....
we already know they can, it's just a tad harder
theharjmann
01-29-09, 7:26 am
sorry but that's not just something you thought of, it's a fact... carbs are not essential
lol i know i didnt invent that idea i was just thinking why all the pros have never adopted this line of thought when bulking. It would be good to get an insight on what the bodybuilders think of this.
simpleguy
01-29-09, 7:29 am
lol i know i didnt invent that idea i was just thinking why all the pros have never adopted this line of thought when bulking. It would be good to get an insight on what the bodybuilders think of this.
from personal experience: it's easier to bulk on carbs... also they know it, so of course they are trying to use all they can in an attempt to gain muscle
but it has become a very popular way of dieting
BaseballMonster
01-29-09, 7:54 am
Are the fucking staple when dieting, you can either have an excess or deficit of them depending on your bulking/dieting stage.......And complex carbs are the shit....
StockRock
01-29-09, 8:05 am
eat carbs.
calcaneous
01-29-09, 8:27 am
I eat carbs, but recently i have been thinking a lot:
We are humans...animals essentially. We have descended from cavemen. We are carnivores. Now lets look at all present day animals...cheetas, lions. We would love to be like them right?
Now what do these animals eat? Other animals only. They will eat a buffalo on its own. They wont add 2 cups of rice and some asparagus! And wouldnt we all like to be like a cheetah...fast, strong, agile. Even my dog....what does he eat....steak steak steak.....protein and fat!
Carbs are something that have been thrown in the diet mix only for the past few thousand years of existence. From this i guess we have evolved to assimilate carbs, but I still dont think we need them, unless it is pre contest and we need to carb up to fill out!
It would be interesting to see if people can bulk on Keto alone....
Humans have evolved to become fat lazy fucks...its the truth...this works against the principles of us animals, but we have to deal with it. Science "attempts" to make humankind easier, but i think in the long run it fucks with us.,...without televisions, fridges, buildings, whey protein, creatine, anabolic steroids we would all live fine....i mean has anybody seen the size of some cavemen! Fuckin huuuuge! They didnt use creatine, whey, aminos, roids......they ate flesh!
what are you talking about? during the paleolithic the human species (ancestors, etc) were Omnivore. We have not YET Evolved to our current day-to-day diet plan, HENCE why people are getting fat. It is only recent that our lifestyles have became this way, evolution does not work that fast. People CRAVE sweet, fatty foods is because what in the day (long time ago) those food sources were scarce so it was a pleasure item if they found them. Yes, our bodies have adapted somewhat, but its more of our cultural flexibility that allows us to do so. Without fridges, we wouldn't have lifespans that last this long, same with buildings, its our cultural adaptations that cause us to have longer lifespans of 35 years. (yes, human evolution major at school)
side note: I also believe any diet referring to "stone age" or "caveman" or "blood type" is a load of shit. Sorry, most of those diet makers have no scientific background or did any research for that matter.
what are you talking about? during the paleolithic the human species (ancestors, etc) were Omnivore. We have not YET Evolved to our current day-to-day diet plan, HENCE why people are getting fat. It is only recent that our lifestyles have became this way, evolution does not work that fast. People CRAVE sweet, fatty foods is because what in the day (long time ago) those food sources were scarce so it was a pleasure item if they found them. Yes, our bodies have adapted somewhat, but its more of our cultural flexibility that allows us to do so. Without fridges, we wouldn't have lifespans that last this long, same with buildings, its our cultural adaptations that cause us to have longer lifespans of 35 years. (yes, human evolution major at school)
side note: I also believe any diet referring to "stone age" or "caveman" or "blood type" is a load of shit. Sorry, most of those diet makers have no scientific background or did any research for that matter.
Great post.
I think many of you guys think a caveman's diet was only meat. FYI, thats the story you see on TV...because our ancestors were hunters AND gatherers...(I have a degree in History/Anthropology..I'm not just pulling this out of my ass). They ate whatever they could find to eat. Meat is harder to come by in nature if it has not been raised in a heard and slaughtered. Dont kid yourself, these people ate what they had to to survive...meat and carbs...many times it was just carbs (roots, various oats, plants, etc).
Just saying, dont quote things as fact just because it fits your agenda.
theharjmann
01-29-09, 8:59 am
Great post.
Dont kid yourself, these people ate what they had to to survive...meat and carbs...many times it was just carbs (roots, various oats, plants, etc).
Carbs it is then!
theharjmann I know what you are getting at. Carbs are not essential for survival, you could never eat another carb again and be alright. This may be ok if youre a 145lb person taking in 2000 calories at most a day. Fact is, we take in excess calories and demand more of our bodies in a day than most Americans do in a week. It would be very very difficult to take in 4-5000 calories in only fat and protein. Im a big advocate of low/no carb diets but I think the amount of fat and protein may put an unhealthy strain on the body at that point. At 4000 calories you would ned about 270 g of fat and 400 g of fat for the avg 200 lb guy. For bulking and just health in general, quality carb sources are essential to the bodybuilder.
theharjmann
01-29-09, 9:25 am
theharjmann I know what you are getting at. Carbs are not essential for survival, you could never eat another carb again and be alright. This may be ok if youre a 145lb person taking in 2000 calories at most a day. Fact is, we take in excess calories and demand more of our bodies in a day than most Americans do in a week. It would be very very difficult to take in 4-5000 calories in only fat and protein. Im a big advocate of low/no carb diets but I think the amount of fat and protein may put an unhealthy strain on the body at that point. At 4000 calories you would ned about 270 g of fat and 400 g of fat for the avg 200 lb guy. For bulking and just health in general, quality carb sources are essential to the bodybuilder.
that makes a lot of sense! thanks gjn.
simpleguy
01-29-09, 2:36 pm
what are you talking about? during the paleolithic the human species (ancestors, etc) were Omnivore. We have not YET Evolved to our current day-to-day diet plan, HENCE why people are getting fat. It is only recent that our lifestyles have became this way, evolution does not work that fast. People CRAVE sweet, fatty foods is because what in the day (long time ago) those food sources were scarce so it was a pleasure item if they found them. Yes, our bodies have adapted somewhat, but its more of our cultural flexibility that allows us to do so. Without fridges, we wouldn't have lifespans that last this long, same with buildings, its our cultural adaptations that cause us to have longer lifespans of 35 years. (yes, human evolution major at school)
side note: I also believe any diet referring to "stone age" or "caveman" or "blood type" is a load of shit. Sorry, most of those diet makers have no scientific background or did any research for that matter.
Great post.
I think many of you guys think a caveman's diet was only meat. FYI, thats the story you see on TV...because our ancestors were hunters AND gatherers...(I have a degree in History/Anthropology..I'm not just pulling this out of my ass). They ate whatever they could find to eat. Meat is harder to come by in nature if it has not been raised in a heard and slaughtered. Dont kid yourself, these people ate what they had to to survive...meat and carbs...many times it was just carbs (roots, various oats, plants, etc).
Just saying, dont quote things as fact just because it fits your agenda.
what about eskimos? they basically live on fish, which is protein and healthy fats
they also live way longer then the average american
calcaneous
01-29-09, 2:53 pm
what about eskimos? they basically live on fish, which is protein and healthy fats
they also live way longer then the average american
so you are basically saying that all us citizen should take up how Eskimo eat? considering they are BIOLOGICALLY different then us? Their bodies had adapted to their lifestyle. Yet again, they are also culturally adapted as well. People migrated down from Alaska down to the Americas. Some stayed there and lived, because of that they have adaptive and changed their lifestyle/bodies to accommodate the harsh weather up there. While a large portion of their dietary energy does come from high protein/high fat, they still eat carbs. Very small amount but they do.
"we were not created for the environment, the environment shapes us"
A very wise quote from my anthropology instructor who teaches my nutrition of the human species class.
Im not saying that EAT fat and protein is bad, i just dont think its something that is great to do for long periods of time. But i dont recommend doing it because some other culture does it, "oh if they do, it must be safe and the right way to do it."
People over think this way to much...carbs, no carbs, high protien, high fat, low fat....whatever happened to just ear a balanced diet?? Yes we eat in excess as lifters and especially to grow but it should still be a balanced diet of good fats, protein, fruits, veggies, whole grains...etc. Now I can understand if competing and getting ready for a show or a meet we have to go to extreme measures to diet down but still it should be of balanced intake of nutrients. My philosophy on everything in life.... KEEP IT SIMPLE.... quit over thinking things and make sure overall your diet is well balanced and your good to go.
eat carbs.
best and most useful line in this entire thread.
simpleguy
01-29-09, 3:35 pm
so you are basically saying that all us citizen should take up how Eskimo eat? considering they are BIOLOGICALLY different then us? Their bodies had adapted to their lifestyle. Yet again, they are also culturally adapted as well. People migrated down from Alaska down to the Americas. Some stayed there and lived, because of that they have adaptive and changed their lifestyle/bodies to accommodate the harsh weather up there. While a large portion of their dietary energy does come from high protein/high fat, they still eat carbs. Very small amount but they do.
"we were not created for the environment, the environment shapes us"
A very wise quote from my anthropology instructor who teaches my nutrition of the human species class.
Im not saying that EAT fat and protein is bad, i just dont think its something that is great to do for long periods of time. But i dont recommend doing it because some other culture does it, "oh if they do, it must be safe and the right way to do it."
you missed my point, you stated above that people are not programmed to live on no carbs, and that they still had carbs in the paleolithic age
I just said that there are people who live on no carbs, and gave you an example
they still eat carbs. Very small amount but they do.
??? where do they get them from anyway???
calcaneous
01-29-09, 3:44 pm
you missed my point, you stated above that people are not programmed to live on no carbs, and that they still had carbs in the paleolithic age
I just said that there are people who live on no carbs, and gave you an example
??? where do they get them from anyway???
I only thing i really stated was that the typical caveman view of them only eating meat is completely false. Of course, we can completely shift our food sources over to just fat, but i feel like us, as Americans, have been surrounded with so much carbs and crappy food that we became way to adaptive to make a switch over to just fat/protein as easily as, let say our ancestors could have.
A traditional Eskimo diet is mostly fat/protein, they do sometimes have some vegetation depending on their location and time of the season. The current Eskimo diet has a lot of process foods thanks for stores and supermarkets, but in the rural areas they depend more on the traditional ways.
***im done with this argument, because i'm too lazy to research anymore on this topic, i have too many lab reports to grade for my students. ***
Eitherway, when not talking about cutting wieght, there is no reason to avoid carbs. They will make your life much easier and make eating more enjoyable. Bodybuilders are not living in igloos or laying on couches all day, we are not average people and we cant use the same nutrition that other groups rely on.
strivin for more
01-29-09, 4:16 pm
guys guys, i didnt start this thread to get into different diet wars. i was curious as to how your body uses them and why everyone has them as a staple to their diets as energy when i feel fine with lower amounts of them. bodies react differently i suppose. i dont want to get into the whole high vs low carb thing. lol.
guys guys, i didnt start this thread to get into different diet wars. i was curious as to how your body uses them and why everyone has them as a staple to their diets as energy when i feel fine with lower amounts of them. bodies react differently i suppose. i dont want to get into the whole high vs low carb thing. lol.
haha, well too bad. Its such a touchy subject around here.
Carbs are for growing, carbs are for energy, carbs are for feeling full and satisfied and carbs are for drinking (beer)
Unless I am dieting and on keto I eat carbs throughout the day with every meal, have a cut off time of 6pm which after I eat pro/fats unless its a workout day in which I eat carbs PWO to restore glycogen stores.
NJC_Manhattan
01-29-09, 6:25 pm
Carbs are for growing, carbs are for energy, carbs are for feeling full and satisfied and carbs are for drinking (beer)
Unless I am dieting and on keto I eat carbs throughout the day with every meal, have a cut off time of 6pm which after I eat pro/fats unless its a workout day in which I eat carbs PWO to restore glycogen stores.
I agree. I normally take in carbs in the morning (oats) and some PWO. But dinner, the only carbs are green veggies and moderate at that.