Do you really need to cut carbs to lose weight?

With 54.4% of Malaysian adults classified as overweight or obese according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023, it is understandable that many are searching for a quick solution.

Cutting carbohydrates may seem like the obvious answer. However, carbohydrates are not uniquely responsible for weight gain, and completely removing them is neither necessary nor practical for most people.

Over time, weight loss requires us to consume less energy than our bodies use, creating what is known as a calorie deficit. This can be achieved in different ways: by reducing portions, eating fewer energy-dense foods, cooking with less fat, cutting back on sugary drinks, or becoming more physically active.

Reducing carbohydrates is one approach, but research comparing low-carb diets with balanced-carb diets has generally found little to no difference in weight loss over one to two years.

The best eating plan is not necessarily the most restrictive. It is one that provides good nutrition, manages hunger, and fits comfortably enough into your life to be sustained.

For Malaysians, banning rice, noodles, bread and other familiar foods can make family meals and social occasions unnecessarily difficult. Feeling deprived may also leave people preoccupied with forbidden foods and more likely to abandon the diet.

Why cutting carb appears to work quickly

Very-low-carb diets can produce an impressive drop on the scales during the first week or two – but not all of it is body fat.

Our bodies store carbohydrates as glycogen in the muscles and liver, along with water. When carb intake falls sharply, glycogen stores decrease and some of this water is released.

Once carbs are reintroduced, glycogen and water stores are replenished, so some of the weight may return. This reflects a normal change in body water and does not mean eating carbohydrates has automatically caused body-fat regain.

Also, carbohydrates are not one uniform group. Complex-carbohydrate foods such as whole grains, oats, beans, dhal, chickpeas, corn and sweet potatoes generally retain more fibre and are often digested more slowly, helping you feel satisfied for longer.

Refined-carbohydrate foods have undergone more processing, which may remove much of their natural fibre. Sugar is also a carbohydrate, and sweetened drinks, desserts, confectionery, pastries and biscuits can provide it in concentrated amounts while offering less fullness than fibre-rich foods.

For weight management, the aim is not to avoid all carbohydrates but to choose fibre-rich, minimally processed sources more often, while limiting foods and drinks high in added sugar.

What to do instead of giving up carbs

1. Keep portions in perspective

Use the Malaysian Healthy Plate as a guide: fill a quarter of your plate with rice, noodles, bread or another carbohydrate, a quarter with protein, and half with vegetables and fruit. Your needs will vary depending on your body size, activity level and overall health.

2. Build a balanced meal

Rice or noodles paired with fish, chicken, eggs, tofu or tempeh and plenty of vegetables will usually be more satisfying than a large serving of carbohydrates with little protein or fibre.

3. Choose higher-fibre options where practical

Brown or mixed-grain rice, wholemeal bread, oats, beans, dhal and sweet potatoes can help boost fibre intake. You don’t need to make a direct change overnight; mixing brown rice with white rice, for example, is a good start.

4. Pay attention to drinks

Teh tarik, syrup drinks, bubble tea, soft drinks and other sweetened beverages can add considerable sugar and calories without providing the fullness of a meal. For some people, cutting back on these may help more than eliminating carbs altogether.

5. Be consistent, not extreme

Progress does not require deprivation. A sustainable reduction in portions and energy-dense foods is more valuable than following a strict plan for two weeks and then giving up.

Rice, roti and noodles are not the enemy. How much we eat, what we pair them with and the overall quality of our diet matter far more than whether carbohydrates appear on the plate.

Read more articles by Indra Balaratnam here.

Indra Balaratnam is a consultant dietitian and a fellow of the Malaysian Dietitians’ Association. She runs her own private practice, Indra Balaratnam Nutrition, in Kuala Lumpur. Connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.

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