Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hi all, I have increased my intake of carbs a ton-- I now eat loads of veggies with every meal and usually a sweet potato a day and it has actually curbed my appetite and gotten me less inflamed/bloated. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this? That going high carb again got them more fit?

It is also a positive because of all the variety you get using sweet potatoes and starchy veggies/ dense veggies (squash, beets, etc.).

flag	asked Apr 16 2012 at 22:47 YoungPaleoLover 1,939●1●7●19

	looking good, feeling good. :-) – smartcookie Apr 16 2012 at 22:57
	I too have noticed that adding sweet potatoes daily has helped me with weight loss and strength. – desi Apr 17 2012 at 5:08

Ingenol · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-16 22:55:17Z UTC

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A sweet potato a day with loads of veggies is hardly tons of carbs; probably fewer than an average SAD-dieter would eat in a generous serving of pasta.

Especially if you're active, though, starches can be great for energy, mood, etc.. Recall that the Kitavans eat as much as 70% of their daily calories in the form of "safe starches." I say if you're feeling better then absolutely go for it.

I personally do Leangains and eat about 3 giant sweet potatoes and a full bag of frozen berries on my work-out days.

answered Apr 16 2012 at 22:55

Ingenol
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And.. how is that going for you? – Bill1102inf Apr 17 2012 at 0:11

Going great so far! I was skinny before but I've actually lost bodyfat and all of my lifts have increased. On rest-days I eat fewer calories and pretty low-carb (usually just a few carrots and maybe an onion with my beef, I'd say I stay <50 g CHO on these days). – Ingenol Apr 17 2012 at 0:38

Good to hear since I'm jumping on Leangains myself (I've been doing a 16/8 IF for two months but the results have sort of stalled out as I hit 11 percent body fat) -- I was a little worried about overcoming my carbphobia but it sounds like it's going well for you. Do you strictly count calories or just try to create a moderate deficit on rest days? I'd rather not sit here and way out sweet potatoes, but a lot of people seem to say if you want leangains results you have to count calories strictly. Just curious. Thanks for your input. – Tom_S Apr 17 2012 at 2:02

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You lost bodyfat eating THREE sweet potatoes a day?!? I'm sold. – Phazo Apr 17 2012 at 3:29

Yep! Only on my workout days though. Works out to about +20% maintenance calories on those days, and then -20% on non-workout days. – Ingenol Apr 17 2012 at 3:58

foreveryoung · Answer 2 · 2012-04-16 23:45:38Z UTC

I do better (i.e. get leaner, fitter, feel mentally sharp) when I include some starch and fruit in my diet. I eat mostly just berries for fruit and root veggies for starch. It works very well for me. carbs give you energy to burn so your workouts are more intense and you're quicker mentally. carbs aren't as bad as many people think, and in my opinion, going higher carb and having to burn em off via intense exercise is 1000x healthier than eating high fat and low carb and not having intense workouts.

Rebecca · Answer 3 · 2012-04-16 22:59:06Z UTC

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Sometimes the body can read zero carbs as a stressed and up cortisol…so often having carbs does increase fitness and promote fat loss. Sounds like you are eating "good carbs" and I say do what works for you. Not everyone is identical.

answered Apr 16 2012 at 22:59

Rebecca
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You wouldn't happen to have any literature on this, Rebecca? – April S.♦ Apr 17 2012 at 0:06

I know there was a study done by endocrinologists a few years ago, but there is lots on the internet about this…I'd have to google to point you in the right direction. It's especially bad if someone is already in a "high stress" state and goes too low carb. – Rebecca Apr 17 2012 at 6:30

mzrdnan · Answer 4 · 2012-04-17 09:05:24Z UTC

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I think if you like to train hard. You have to have carbs. If you want to lean out, then do no carbs, but don't expect killer workouts. But which is more effective for weightloss? No carbs and no activity? Or carbs and awesome workouts?

answered Apr 17 2012 at 9:05

mzrdnan
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It's not an if/or. Do 3 low calorie days per week where you do LISS cardio only and no carbs, and then do intense strength training and/or HIIT 4 days a week when you eat carbs. This would be an example of one of those rare occurrences of having your cake and eating it too. – foreveryoung Apr 20 2012 at 0:06

Corbab · Answer 5 · 2012-04-17 00:21:19Z UTC

I was on a low-carb plan while weight training (1-1.5 hours, 4-5 days a week) and it worked fine, but when I moved into my rowing season (2 hours, 5 days a week) I upped the carbs and I feel amazing. I have more energy, recover faster than ever, and am getting leaner (moving below 10% bf) and recovering from cheat meals at a good clip. Low-carb is good if you're looking for extreme fat loss through ketosis, but many people undervalue carbs (starches especially) as a reliable and tasty fuel source.

Eating tons of carbs and getting more fit?!

5 Answers