How to people stick to lower carbs, I find it impossible...

kmab1985

Hi All

I don't track my food via MFP as I follow weightwatchers but out of curiosity I've just completed yesterday's food diary on MFP and my goodness, was shocked to see all the carbs I ate, was 169g of carbs!! I was only shocked because I've read some people stick to 50g per day - how on earth do you do this!

glevinso

I can't see why anybody would purposely restrict carbs unless there was some illness related to it...

joejccva71

They eat alot of meat and green leafed veggies. It's fine, it's just not necessary. Also 170g of carbs isn't bad as long as you're still eating a calorie deficit. That is, if your goal is to lose weight.

smantha32

Eat mostly protein. Meat, eggs, cheese, etc.
and avoid meats with sauces. Chicken wings are low carb. Chicken wings with barbecue sauce on them aren't.

kmab1985

I'm not restricting carbs but did wonder how people limit theirselves to 50g!! I would find that impossible!

I tried cutting out carbs about a month ago (bad advice from a friend but I didnt know this at the time) I lasted 3 weeks and at the end of that 3 weeks I was lethargic, started getting headaches, was moody and irritable and the last resort came when I wad in Bodypump and literally was so energyless in class I wanted to cry!

canoepug56

I rarely go over 20g

AgentOrangeJuice

What you eat in carbs, I eat in protein. You're probably in the 40-50g of protein range, and I'm like "ermagerd wher ser lertter prertern"

kmab1985

So from that personal experience I wouldnt want to restrict my carbs, it was awful! I upped my protein but restricted carbs!

kmab1985

Yeah my protein from the food diary I did was 67g, still had 17g remaining!

AgentOrangeJuice

kmab1985 wrote: »

So from that personal experience I wouldnt want to restrict my carbs, it was awful! I upped my protein but restricted carbs!

I don't think I restrict my carbs at all. I eat the food that I like and tastes good to me. Without thinking "hey this is carbs, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO." lots of eggs, protein shakes, pork chops, chicken thighs and breast, greens, brussel sprouts, parsnips, fun size snickers, grape tomatoes. I make a hella good balsamic mini meatloaf, speaking of which I need to get the recipe to a friend, thanks for reminding me.

JPW1990

I'm at 22g carbs, it's all fruit and vegetables, no starches. You simply use fat to fill out your calories instead of macros. Bread vs bacon, potatoes vs steak, pop tarts vs chocolate and whipped cream.

kmab1985

Sorry to be thick but what do you mean by "You simply use fat to fill out your calories instead of macros. Bread vs bacon, potatoes vs steak, pop tarts vs chocolate and whipped cream"

What are macros?

Mr_Knight

kmab1985 wrote: »

Yeah my protein from the food diary I did was 67g, still had 17g remaining!

I don't get how people can eat so little protein.

Each to their own...! :drinker:

StaceyJ2008

Don't count your vegetables as carbs unless it is a potato or corn.

kmab1985

Yeah but you never hear "Protein is bad, eat less of it" whereas with carbs you do so I can kinda see why people subconsciously eat less of it...

cat_lady77

Carbs are my BFF. I will never give up on them.

AgentOrangeJuice

kmab1985 wrote: »

Yeah but you never hear "Protein is bad, eat less of it" whereas with carbs you do so I can kinda see why people subconsciously eat less of it...

There's no need to, the only conversation that really needs to be had is "CICO for weight loss."

because greedy marketing firms demonized carbs and fats to sell you the same weight loss programs in new books and videos every year.

Mr_Knight

kmab1985 wrote: »

Yeah but you never hear "Protein is bad, eat less of it" whereas with carbs you do so I can kinda see why people subconsciously eat less of it...

If you have X calories to play with, to increase protein you by definition have to decrease the other macros.

nuttynanners

Carbs get a bad rap lately.

The problem isn't carbs, the problem is convenience-foods and portion control. That being said though, most of these conveniently packaged foods tend to be loaded with carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are not filling, spike your blood sugar, and lead to an energy crash soon afterward, leaving you hungry again. So yes, in large quantities... you wanna avoid ONLY relying on highly refined carbohydrates for energy. You want to add in plenty of fats and protein to keep you satisfied and energized. Plus if you want to repair muscle faster and prevent muscle loss, you're going to need to have protein in your diet.

But carbs are important too... you want to eat carbs before you exercise, for sure... that way you don't end up feeling too fatigued during Bodypump

I try to keep my carbohydrates around the 100 mark. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I try to fill up on protein and fat because it helps me stay full so I can keep my calorie intake down. Because... at the end of the day, weight loss is all about that deficit.

smukkeff

StaceyJ2008 wrote: »

Don't count your vegetables as carbs unless it is a potato or corn.

While it's true that veggies are fabulous for you, I would say you definitely should still count those carbs from the veggies.
A lot of people who are on a low carb or ketogenic type diet will count their net carbs, meaning the take the fiber content into consideration and really are only counting the starches and sugars. (Though I believe the "expert" jury is still out on which is the better practice)
But veggies still have sugars/starches/fiber (of course) and vary along the glycemic index, meaning some affect your blood glucose more than others. White potatoes are actually rather high on the GI list.
So we should still be keeping specific veggie choices in mind (esp. when going very low carb). But probably for general dieting, this is less of an issue.

and I definitely agree with nuttynanners above me here: the bigger issue seems to be the highly processed, pre-packaged "food-like products".

I'm certainly not a nutritionist or anything i just do a wild amount of reading/research. So it's largely opinion

quiksylver296

kmab1985 wrote: »

Sorry to be thick but what do you mean by "You simply use fat to fill out your calories instead of macros. Bread vs bacon, potatoes vs steak, pop tarts vs chocolate and whipped cream"

What are macros?

Macro nutrients = Carbs, protein and fat

cwolfman13

kmab1985 wrote: »

Hi All

I don't track my food via MFP as I follow weightwatchers but out of curiosity I've just completed yesterday's food diary on MFP and my goodness, was shocked to see all the carbs I ate, was 169g of carbs!! I was only shocked because I've read some people stick to 50g per day - how on earth do you do this!

I don't see why anyone without a metabolic or other medical condition would purposely do such a thing...carbs aren't this evil thing to be terrified of...there's all kinds of awesomely nutritious food that is also carb...oats, brown rice, legumes, potatoes, fruit, veg, etc...

kmab1985 wrote: »

Sorry to be thick but what do you mean by "You simply use fat to fill out your calories instead of macros. Bread vs bacon, potatoes vs steak, pop tarts vs chocolate and whipped cream"

What are macros?

Carbs/Protein/Fat...those are your three macro-nutrients.

kmab1985 wrote: »

Yeah but you never hear "Protein is bad, eat less of it" whereas with carbs you do so I can kinda see why people subconsciously eat less of it...

carbs are just the latest and greatest dietary demon...it's just trendy to be afraid of them right now...just like clothing, etc...a lot of diet and fitness industry stuff is just the cycling of fads and trends.

joejccva71

I wouldn't stress over the green leafy vegetables and bother counting those. It's a bit redundant.

smukkeff

also, OP,
"macros" refers to "macronutrients" (Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats) They're the major builders and add up your calories.
(basically "macro" = large, "micro" = small)
There are also "micronutrients", which are the trace elements like iron, iodine, zinc, and also your vitamins and phytochemicals (compounds in plants).
You need a good balance of all of those to optimize your health.

JPW1990

StaceyJ2008 wrote: »

Don't count your vegetables as carbs unless it is a potato or corn.

That's a little extreme. You get carbs from eggs and cheese that count, why wouldn't vegetables? You should be counting all the calories you eat (if you choose to count). The purpose of limiting carbs is breaking up how much of those calories come from carbs vs fats vs protein.

kmab1985 wrote: »

Sorry to be thick but what do you mean by "You simply use fat to fill out your calories instead of macros. Bread vs bacon, potatoes vs steak, pop tarts vs chocolate and whipped cream"

What are macros?

That was me typing faster than my brain works - you use fat to fill out your calories instead of carbs. Bread=carbs, bacon=fat. I choose bacon over bread, same for potatoes and steak, or pop tarts and whipped cream.

If you need 1500 calories a day, you need 1500 a day, it doesn't matter how you divide it up. For a lot of people, more fat, less carbs means they don't get hungry, don't get sugar crashes, and don't get cravings for things like pringles and twinkies. Or you're like me, and the doctors figured out that the more carbs you have, the sicker you get, so you're better off without them.

kmab1985

Ah right I get it now,thanks for explaining to me...think I might give this calorie counting a try from Monday,as I said earlier I do weightwatchers but what I have noticed is something that is low calorie on MFP is higher in points on WW's i.e avacados, somone who swapped to MFP from WW's said she got more out of calorie counting than pointing....its all that weighing that puts me off though :-(

yopeeps025

They do that because they think carbs are evil or they have a medical issue.

Sabine_Stroehm

kmab1985 wrote: »

Hi All

I don't track my food via MFP as I follow weightwatchers but out of curiosity I've just completed yesterday's food diary on MFP and my goodness, was shocked to see all the carbs I ate, was 169g of carbs!! I was only shocked because I've read some people stick to 50g per day - how on earth do you do this!

Some folks would consider 169 lower.

I think that if you're not eating a lot of store bought heavily refined carbs it's not particularly challenging.
I'm not low carb, but do limit my heavily refined carbs and I probably average under 100. Without much effort.
I eat a ton of vegetables. Some fruit every day.

sakibihabibi

Low carb diets are not worth the torture. What's more important is how many calories and grams of protein you eat when we are talking about building muscle and losing fat. Don't follow low carb diets.

pisinbad

I stay under 30 grams of carbs a day, moderate protein and high good fats. This is the easiest and longest I have ever been on a diet. Feeling better than I have in years and my doctor is completely impressed with the improvement in my numbers. Its a ketogenic lifestyle and very healthy. Those that do not understand it usually knock it.

joejccva71

pisinbad wrote: »

I stay under 30 grams of carbs a day, moderate protein and high good fats. This is the easiest and longest I have ever been on a diet. Feeling better than I have in years and my doctor is completely impressed with the improvement in my numbers. Its a ketogenic lifestyle and very healthy. Those that do not understand it usually knock it.

Yea I did keto at one point until I started doing a new training regime that consisted of Squats and Deads in the 3-5 rep range and I couldn't remain focused after a week or so. I had to get off keto and eat some carbs.

But keto is good. I don't recommend it for bodybuilders that even do bulk and cut phases because you lose too much muscle mass when cutting while on it.