Lately, the “is a carb a carb” debate has come up frequently. In the past, the “a calorie is a calorie” debate was the reason people always argued. Personally, I find the carb vs. most fascinating carbohydrate debate. There’s something about carbohydrates that makes it so much fun to talk about.

So what’s the debate? The debate is whether you can lose the same amount of weight or fat by eating “junk” carbs or “healthy” carbs. Junk carbs are loosely defined as simple carbs, such as pastries and sugary cereals. These are items that are known to rapidly raise blood sugar, which subsequently causes a large amount of insulin to be released to stabilize blood sugar, which can lead to fat storage.

Healthy carbs are the typical oatmeal and brown rice items that you may have been encouraged to eat in the past. These carbohydrates have a lower glycemic index and filter into your bloodstream at a slower rate, which keeps your blood sugar stable and leads to a slower release of insulin, which is less likely to lead to heart attack. fat storage.

In this debate, fat is kept in check when you eat junk carbs. In other words, you’re not eating total junk food, like donuts and cakes, because these items are often high in fat and carbs. For example, 2 Pop-Tarts® with 400 calories, 76 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of fat can be used during the “diet,” but one Cherry Tart with 480 calories, 68 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of fat will be omitted. . Some people like to eat junk carbs with as little fat as possible, while others are more liberal. Some will easily eat a low-fat Pop-Tart® that has 2.5 grams of fat, but they wouldn’t eat a regular Pop-Tart® that has 5 grams of fat. That is another discussion for another day.

So what do I think? First of all, the results speak for themselves. Some people have been able to get incredibly skinny and in great shape by eating junk food while dieting. The reason is that it makes dieting tolerable, so you don’t feel like you’re dieting. My main criticism is that people promoting junk food diets are exposing themselves, so compliance rates are higher than they would be in the average person. If you are telling the world that you are on a junk food diet and are trying to prove a point, then you are more likely to diet on junk food without cheating.

In the real world, people are overweight for a reason and it’s usually due to a lack of willpower or motivation. Most people won’t be able to stop at a cake, especially if they know they aren’t being watched. I know I have a hard time eating just one donut, but I find it easy to eat a serving of oatmeal. This is why I recommend that people make the majority of their diet out of “boring” foods and have one day a week where they can skip the oatmeal for cakes or whatever. This way they can gauge their self-control when eating these foods. Did one cake lead to 3 more on your cheat day? If so, then you can’t possibly diet on junk food because you can’t eat just one. If you can eat a cake and walk away, then you can go on a junk food diet.

You won’t lose more weight if you eat 800 calories of oatmeal a day instead of 800 calories of cake, but you’re more likely to stick to your diet in my opinion. Also, have you ever heard of an oatmeal binge? Now, how about a binge on jelly donuts?