Mo'Phat

So...you're eating Mexican food (tortilla chips? Doritos? MEXICAN!) and Italian food? Damn those Mexicans and Italians for their contributions to American obesity.

DaveSANYYZ

When I was living at home, my dad would cook things that are similar to the plainer/non-fancy dishes you see in Chinese restaurants (minus the heavy salt, msg, oil dosages). I do eat chips/snacks once in a while, but that's not my normal diet and I'd get yelled at by my dad if he sees me eating those. I don't gain weight even though I did zero exercise.

Now I'm living by myself. I cooked for the first year, continue to do no exercise and didn't gain any weight. These days I don't cook as often and McD's/eating out is much more frequent. I didn't gain weight but I'm also doing exercises (cycling) on weekends; around 50 miles to 100+ miles per weekend. For me, 50 miles is about 1500 calories based on my bike computer.

yamcha

My point is that carbs do not make you fat. I spoke to a skinny Vietnamese man earlier and he said that even at his age, (57) he still eats 3-4 bowls of white rice at every sitting and remembers being able to eat up to 8 bowls when he was a young man. I think low/no carb diets are a marketing scam and completely untrue.

Aerodee80

For me carbs make me fat and im Filipino. I had to stop eating rice for a while and dropped 20lbs with exercise. I resumed to rice and I got back to half of what I lost.

It depends on who..i dont think you can generalize this.

Though what I can say that Western carb diet is mostly off processed food so its alot of simple carbs that can make you fat.

Shnuddy

Carbs don't make you fat. Too many calories ingested, too few calories expended. That is what makes you fat. Carbs and protein have fewer calories per gram than fat, so generally speaking if you eat low fat carb and protein choices, you can eat more than if you choose food with a higher fat content. Rice (especially whole grain so that it does other good things for your body) is good, chips are not so good. Lean chicken/beef is good, high fat hamburger is not so good. And so on.

Plus, athletes, which most of us in this forum are, need carbs for fuel. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains are good for you and help you stay slim. Even American carbs.

ronjon10

White Wonder bread?

yamcha

Shnuddy, do you agree that Asian are on average thinner than us? If so then why do you tink it is so? Diet? Genetics?

ChromeSE5

Thats the problem. You can't say no to Kare Kare.

yamcha

I remember reading somwhere that Filipinos are not Asian but part of the Pacific Islander culture.

1955

Racist.

yamcha

Why?

spingineer

Hey, as long as it's not poisonous ... I'll eat anything

DaveSANYYZ

Most of the Chinese friends that I know from HK don't like Mexican food. They said it has to do with the texture and taste of the bean paste.

DannoXYZ 

My motto used to be, "If it moves, we can eat it!"!!!


That pretty much hits the nail on the head. As long as your carb-intake is less than what it takes to max-out your glycogen-stores, there's no excess to get converted to fat. So if you did a 50-60 mile ride and depleted your glycogen, you can eat about 3.5 lbs of carbs to restore that glycogen. About 3 loaves of bread for dinner and you'll be fine!!! As mentioned, higher calorie-dense foods with fats will pile on more weight for the same volume. The cheese-sauce on a fettucine alfredo can pile on 0.5 lbs of fat while the pasta may contribute only 0.05 lbs.

The myth that carbs is bad comes from the scores of sedentary couch-potatoes who continue to eat when not needed. Their glycogen stores are completely stocked up, and ALL of the carbs they eat will end up getting converted to fat and stored. It's not so much the carbs that's bad, it's eating too much.

spingineer

Yeah, but if you are chinese, and you live near East LA (yours truely), you cannot help but eat Mexican food.

DaveSANYYZ

Hmm, so you get those reactions too? I don't mind Mexican food; just find it a little weird that my group of HK friends have a common reaction to it whenever I suggest Mexican food for lunch/dinner.

yamcha

Probably because of the kind of Mexican food we get in California. Most of the Mexican food in California is peasant food and nothing like the stuff you get if you go deeper into Mexico. It is no wonder why a Chinese would reject it since it is so much inferior to their standard of eating. When I was in Mexico city the food was incredible. It was like European food but a bit spicier. Nothing like what you get just south of the border.

Shnuddy

People from almost every other country and culture (with a few exceptions) are thinner than Americans. We eat more processed food, more fast food, move less (just day to day movement). We eat huge portions, at least twice as much as you would need to fill up. We diet more, which is known, ironically, to (over time) cause you to gain weight. Marketing for diet food, diet books, diet information is so prevalent, that almost everyone is confused about what is healthy to eat. We want a quick fix, one of the reasons "low carb" became popular--it offered quick weight loss without have to deprive yourself.

Basically, staying thin (or getting there) comes down to eating less and exercising. No magic bullets.

spingineer

+1,000

The portions in restaurants in usa are soooooo friggin' huuuuuuge. They should have a separate menu for those of us that don't want to eat a cow. How does everyone have enough room to eat appetizers, main meal, and dessert, all in one sitting? And why is it that junk, unhealthy foods are less expensive, and healthy food, that's good for you, is twice as expensive? "Supersize Me"

GP

If anyone wants to try my diet, PM me. I came up with the diet after several years of testing and research. Everyone who has been on it has not only lost weight, they have leaned down. Not only do you get to eat a lot of food, you can eat pizza, fast food, ice cream or whatever other kind of food you want and still lose weight.

Scootcore

russians are asian....and theyre some BIG folks in that neck o the continent......sorry ovo, its true...

magicant

Does it involve riding 200+ miles per week?

yamcha

I think there are 2 types of Russians, Mongoloids and White Russians.

mateo44

(runs in...)

Did someone say white russian?

GP

No, it's not enough calories.

Edit: I reread my original post and it sounds like an informercial. My diet is pretty simple.
1. Eat small meals so you don't get hungry.
2. Eat more in the morning and then taper off.
3. Periodically reward yourself.