Can't I Just Eat All My Carbs In One Meal?
Hey everyone, I'm back from vacation--albeit VERY tired right now from an early rise and long drive. But I just had to blog about an e-mail I received from a new low-carber who had some questions about her carb intake that you may find intriguing.
Rather than me explaining the obvious answers, let's see how well my very knowledgeable readers can do to respond to this. There's so much flawed in this person's rationalization of livin' la vida low-carb that it should be pretty easy.
Here's what the reader sent to me in an e-mail:
Hi Jimmy,
I've gotten past the Induction period and have been doing very well with keeping my carb intake below 20 grams per day with the exception of this evening's dinner when I ate 2 1/2 wings, 2 drumsticks and a biscuit from Popeye's which totals about 51 carbs for one meal.
I read the blog post you provided about some people eating 50-60 carbs in a day and still lost weight, but what happens if I eat 51 carbs in a day but all at one meal? Does this kick my body off of ketosis? And will it take 2-3 days to get back to ketosis or 2 weeks more of Induction?
Thanks very much for your help.
I already responded to the reader, but let's have some fun. What say YOU?
Rather than me explaining the obvious answers, let's see how well my very knowledgeable readers can do to respond to this. There's so much flawed in this person's rationalization of livin' la vida low-carb that it should be pretty easy.
Here's what the reader sent to me in an e-mail:
Hi Jimmy,
I've gotten past the Induction period and have been doing very well with keeping my carb intake below 20 grams per day with the exception of this evening's dinner when I ate 2 1/2 wings, 2 drumsticks and a biscuit from Popeye's which totals about 51 carbs for one meal.
I read the blog post you provided about some people eating 50-60 carbs in a day and still lost weight, but what happens if I eat 51 carbs in a day but all at one meal? Does this kick my body off of ketosis? And will it take 2-3 days to get back to ketosis or 2 weeks more of Induction?
Thanks very much for your help.
I already responded to the reader, but let's have some fun. What say YOU?
Labels: carbs, Induction, ketosis, low-carb, weight loss
posted by Jimmy Moore at
8/14/2007 10:21:00 PM
5 Comments:
I say SURE, go ahead, just make sure the rest of your meal is very fatty!
besides that, there's no need to even worry about carb counts-eat what you want from the list of approved foods-meats, fish, eggs, cheese, low sugar/starch fruits and vegetables, and you'll be fine!. If you stop losing for a long time and you want to lose more, find a way to eat less. That's all there is to it!
You ate a no no! I'm not sure how many teaspoons of sugar in the form of flour are in that biscuit but probably three teaspoons of pure sugar. I'm not sure where Popeye's Chicken is on carbs but I love Popeye's? I think Kentucky Fried is ineligible because of the coating. The 50 or 60 carbs mentioned is for 'eligible' carbs not 'ineligible' carbs, you just as well have had a small ice cream cone. Other than that, yes you can have all of your carbs in one meal if you want to is what I believe, others will no doubt disagree. A lot of this stuff is not set in stone and a lot of this stuff is set in stone. You are probably knocked out of ketosis but a bigger problem when we cheat or fall off from the wagon is were we able to sustain our recovery and not 'go for more' a few days later or something. We all do it all the time and we all get back up and learn from our mistake and do it again and we often have to pay the price in the form of stalling or gaining weight. Your learning and doing great. Keep it up!
Welcome back.
I personally think it's best to spread out your carbs. Too many carbs at one meal will cause blood sugar spikes, which are counterproductive. Even the low fat diet advocates tell diabetics to spread out their carbs over the day.
Your reader picked some of the worst carbs to eat for that meal. The white flour in the biscut and chicken batter cause greater blood sugar spikes than carbs from veggies, nuts, or fruits. Plus, the chicken is fried in trans fat and there is trans fat shortening in the biscut. I guess he or she could have done worse with doughnuts, but not by much. :)
I'm no advocate for eating a lot of "complex carbs" as quantity also counts, but if you are going to eat more carbs, quality is important. Eating a high carb meal once in a while probably won't hurt in the long run, but avoid refined carbs like the plague. It's all rat poison.
Well everyone else was so nice with their answers...
I'm kinda along the lines of a food purist nowdays---don't get me wrong--back in the day--Popeye's was my place for fried chicken
But biscuits---you have got to be kidding me---all that white flour--and yes Tom--they do add sugar to their biscuits
If you were in a hurry---I figured you were since you went fast food--you'd have been better off going to walmart and picking up a whole roasted chicken---cheaper too--and you don't get all those BAD TRANS FATS from the fried chicken
as for the carbs all in one meal---no way---your blood sugar spikes dramatically then comes the fast plummet followed by severe hunger once again---spread the carbs out---lessens the insulin response
You all have responded well. I would only add a few more thoughts:
- Why jump to 50+ carbs following Induction? That dramatic rise could bring a halt to your weight loss if your carb equalibrium is lower than that. Mine, for example, is only 35g and I start gaining again. Others may be higher. But going from 20 to 51 overnight is NOT the way to go.
- Wassup with eating at Popeye's? While removing the fried part of the chicken and eating the chicken is permitted (although BamaGal is right--why mess with the trans fat?), I would never think of eating a biscuit while trying to LOSE weight. Maybe if you were splurging for one meal or something, but not as part of your plan. This is a HUGE no-no when you are livin' la vida low-carb.
- Getting kicked out of ketosis is the least of your issues if this is the way you are choosing to eat. Part of this lifestyle change is to begin making better choices for yourself so you can be as healthy as you can possibly be. Nobody is gonna claim Popeye's is a healthy place to eat (except for Popeye's, of course!).
- My advice: Go back on Induction and follow it exactly for two weeks and then transition through the phases of the Atkins/low-carb plan you are on. READ THE BOOK! It is an essential way to do the program as prescribed so you don't end up at Popeye's again. :)
YOU CAN DO IT!!!
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