Low carbers! What do yall eat to only have 20g a day limit???

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jonnie256
jonnie256 Posts: 169 Member
I just don't see how you can consistantly only get 20g everyday. I mean so many foods have carbs even fruits. I have been trying low carbs but I still end up around 50-60g a day. Can yall give me examples of your daily diet?thanks
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  • phabstarr
    phabstarr Posts: 3 Member
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    I usually end up with around 35-40g of carbs on my careful low carb days. When doing low carb, i keep fruits to a minimum. Blueberries and some other lower gi fruits are better than higher gi fruits like bananas, apples.. One way I stay under 50g of carbs a day (I'll find 20g too challenging). I eat more protein and salad when hungry instead of other higher carb fruits. A typical breakfast would consist of bread made with coconut flour, omelette. My breakfast can be around 10g of carbs from eating several slices of coconut bread (6g) and omelette. My lunch would usually be seafood or chicken with salad. Something like white fish with crunchy salad. And fruits such as berries. Dinner usually chicken or meat based. Doing very low carb isn't so easy but what works for me is having meals consisting more of protein and fibre (chicken, fish, coconut flour, hemp seeds..
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Today I had a can of tuna, a serving of protein powder w/ milk, and ~350g of chicken breast. I think the total for the day was 16g of carbs.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Think leaves -- romaine, spinach, kale. Also asparagus, cucumbers, green peas, snow peas, . . . .Almonds are lowish in carbs if you only have a few.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
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    Greek yogurt, cheese, coffee w/ heavy whipping cream, tuna, avocado, olives, tomato, celery, pecans, beef/chicken/pork, spinach, onions, mushrooms, butter, coconut oil, cream cheese, berries, cocoa/chocolate.

    I'm at 22g, and usually I don't come close unless I have yogurt and additional fruit on the same day.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    I aim for 30 or less of NET carbs, which means I may eat up to 50 grams a day.

    I found that as long as I don't eat anything white, it's a lot easier. I eat a lot of green veggies. 2 cups of raw broccoli only has 4.4 net carbs. 1 cup of frozen spinach has 3 grams ...

  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
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    kuranda10 wrote: »
    I aim for 30 or less of NET carbs, which means I may eat up to 50 grams a day.

    I found that as long as I don't eat anything white, it's a lot easier. I eat a lot of green veggies. 2 cups of raw broccoli only has 4.4 net carbs. 1 cup of frozen spinach has 3 grams ...

    Oh, that's a good point. OP, are you including fiber in your carb count? That 20g recommendation is not including the fiber, only what's left after you deduct it (other countries do that up front on their labels).
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    JPW1990 wrote: »
    kuranda10 wrote: »
    I aim for 30 or less of NET carbs, which means I may eat up to 50 grams a day.

    I found that as long as I don't eat anything white, it's a lot easier. I eat a lot of green veggies. 2 cups of raw broccoli only has 4.4 net carbs. 1 cup of frozen spinach has 3 grams ...

    Oh, that's a good point. OP, are you including fiber in your carb count? That 20g recommendation is not including the fiber, only what's left after you deduct it (other countries do that up front on their labels).

    Right, so for me today, I had 60 g of almonds which was 12g of carbs and 7g of fiber, for a net of 5 carbs
  • amitkatz0
    amitkatz0 Posts: 61 Member
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    Why are you eating so few carbs? You need carbs for basic metabolic functions.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
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    amitkatz0 wrote: »
    Why are you eating so few carbs? You need carbs for basic metabolic functions.

    No, you don't.
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
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    Chicken
    Eggs
    Cheese
    Cream cheese
    Leafy greens
    Small amounts of cashew nuts
    Butter
    Brocolli

    I don't eat any fruit and I don't drink milk.
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I eat maybe 40-50 grams of carbs... things like dark leafy greens, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, cabbage, cauliflower, avocado, zucchini, berries, nuts, cheese, protein of all kinds, butter, heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, coconut oil, eggs. There are so many recipes for creating low carb dishes from those ingredients. There's no need to eat just protein and butter.
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
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    jonnie256 wrote: »
    I just don't see how you can consistantly only get 20g everyday. I mean so many foods have carbs even fruits. I have been trying low carbs but I still end up around 50-60g a day. Can yall give me examples of your daily diet?thanks

    The why is because people are trying to get into a ketogenic state. The way to do it is to cut the carbs down dramatically. Once you're in keto you can tinker with the carbs to see up to what level you can increase your carbs and still be in ketosis. I find I can eat 50 grabs of carbs and still not get kicked out of ketosis. I dropped the weight I wanted to by eating low carb.
  • RockstarWilson
    RockstarWilson Posts: 836 Member
    edited March 2015
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    amitkatz0 wrote: »
    Why are you eating so few carbs? You need carbs for basic metabolic functions.

    This is not true at a basic level, so please get informed before you assert yourself. The body can operate efficiently on a diet of 70-80% fat.
    kuranda10 wrote: »
    I aim for 30 or less of NET carbs, which means I may eat up to 50 grams a day.

    I found that as long as I don't eat anything white, it's a lot easier. I eat a lot of green veggies. 2 cups of raw broccoli only has 4.4 net carbs. 1 cup of frozen spinach has 3 grams ...

    Op....my diary is open. I could list some things, but it wont give you a clear picture. I have a high carb tolerance, so please understand that you might not. But most days I log, I am in a ketogenic state. I have not logged consistently for a couple weeks, but most days I do log are ketogenic. I will add you as a friend too!

    But, short and sweet, to save face: avocados, fatty cuts of meat, almondmilk, butter, bacon, nuts, heavy whipping cream, cheese, eggs, and buttermilk ranch that is 95% fat.
  • jonnie256
    jonnie256 Posts: 169 Member
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    Thanks for all the helpful tips! I did low carb(75 and under)diet a couple years ago and it's the only thing that I have found if followed to a T will make me lose weight.

    Also what do yall do as a fiber source other than broccoli? I have been eating blackberries, but if you eat to many the carb count starts to go way up.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    strawberries, kale, spinach, cauliflower, almonds, peanuts ...
    all high(er) fiber foods.
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
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    jonnie256 wrote: »
    Also what do yall do as a fiber source other than broccoli? I have been eating blackberries, but if you eat to many the carb count starts to go way up.

    Avocado is great for fiber. One medium avocado has about 12 grams of fiber. That's more than in a regular serving of broccoli. Swiss chard, collard greens and spinach are also good for fiber, not as good as the avocado though.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
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    jonnie256 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the helpful tips! I did low carb(75 and under)diet a couple years ago and it's the only thing that I have found if followed to a T will make me lose weight.

    Also what do yall do as a fiber source other than broccoli? I have been eating blackberries, but if you eat to many the carb count starts to go way up.

    i.imgur.com/95xl2Te.jpg

    Again, remembering if you're aiming for 20, you should deduct the fiber from the total carbs (use the "net carbs" number on that chart, it's already computed for you). Everything from the top down to plums is 5g net or less for 100g serving. It's unlikely you'll ever eat 100g serving of most of it.

    Avocado and berries will get you the best numbers for the least net carbs.
  • shawnamay590
    shawnamay590 Posts: 12 Member
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    For fruit, stick with berries, especially raspberries. I also go for hard boiled eggs, broccoli, and unsweetened almond milk.
  • jonnie256
    jonnie256 Posts: 169 Member
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    Awesome tips for fiber. I also have been taking the Metamucil capsules just to make sure I'm not shatin marbles b/c of all the protein I eat.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
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    jonnie256 wrote: »
    Awesome tips for fiber. I also have been taking the Metamucil capsules just to make sure I'm not shatin marbles b/c of all the protein I eat.

    Not sure what your macros are, but if you get enough fat, that should help with that problem, too.