-Diablo's Journal, 23 Mar 21

Oops, I just realized LC meant Laughing Chevre and not low carb. I'll see myself out. You've got this covered, haha. Time for bed anyway. 

I'm done. Not going to waste my time arguing with people who don't understand that a food can be high in both fat and carbs, and that to classify them as "carbs" and then claim that carbs are uniquely fattening is flat-out incorrect. 

We're only saying they shouldn't be called carbs, Marie. They are calorie dense foods that have an almost equal amount of energy from both macros. People vilify carbs because that's what these foods are called when high carb diets are the best for body composition. 

We're only saying they shouldn't be called carbs, Marie. They are calorie dense foods that have an almost equal amount of energy from both macros. People vilify carbs because that's what these foods are called when high carb diets are the best for body composition. 

High fat is relative to low fat, to to carbs. If you eat as many grams of fat as you do carbs, you be eating over twice as much energy you’ll have to burn. Fat is much more calorie dense than carbs and you have to eat a lot less to equate calories. 

When nutrition studies are talking about percentages, they mean the percentage of a given macronutrient (fat, carb, or protein) compared to the energy (the calories), not to the composition of the food itself. It's just like the little pie chart that FS makes for you at the bottom of your diary - how much of your caloric intake for the day is composed of each of those macronutrients. =) Lets use 100 grams vanilla ice cream as an example. I'm on the FS phone app and can't see other comments when I'm responding, so I'm using values from the calorie king database - hopefully they're similar, but the point should still come across. According to this database, 100 grams of generic vanilla ice cream has 207 calories, 11 grams of fat, 23.6 grams of carbs, 0.7 grams of fiber, and 3.7 grams of protein. On a per weight basis, that's 11% fat, 23.6% carbs, 0.7% fiber, and 3.7% protein. But on an ENERGY basis, we have to remember that 1g of fat = 9 calories, 1g of carbs = 4 calories, and 1g of protein = 4 calories. So we have 11*9 = 99 calories coming from fat, 23.6*4 = 94.4 calories coming from carbs, and 3.7*4 = 14.8 calories coming from protein. So on an ENERGY basis, that's 48% calories from fat, 46% calories from carbs, and 6% calories from protein (I'm rounding a bit, here). Hopefully this illustrates a bit why some foods are considered high fat even when compositionally they have more carbs than fat - it's entirely based on what nutrient is contributing to your calories. =)  

Thanks, she_loves. 

Yep— when you do the math, things are not always as they first appear. Thanks. Great explanation. 

My pleasure, I love numbers, haha. Marie - Absolutely to each their own, but understanding the energy density associated with the nutrients is helpful for building sustainable eating habits. Knowing the math behind the nutrition isn't so much holding on to a belief as it understanding a fundamental (but sometimes confusing) concept. And there's a subset of the user base here that are seeking to optimize diet/body comp/etc, and then these details become key. =) Obviously it's doable regardless, but knowing how to manipulate macronutrients within a caloric budget makes it much easier.  

bacon bits sprinkled on buttercream frosting isn't low carb? 

Hmm, that sounds good lol 

lol, would i ever steer you wrong?  

What are ur macros Diablo ?  

I only worry about protein and calories. I guess my diet calendar should show my percentages.  

Currently aiming for 2500 calories and 180-220 grams of protein 

I just checked. For this month here are my macros. Carbohydrate (46%) Fat (29%) Protein (25%) average calories 2414. 

Well explained she_love. I as a bit foggy too but you nailed it. 💡 Time to rethink.... again.  

Glad I could help!  

I appreciate these types of discussions. Thanks!!! 

Great post😊💪🏻🙌