Low carb diets - there is no way they can limit of 25 to 50 carbs a day?

245

Replies

  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,213 Member
    edited August 2015
    My soft limit is 30g, although I try to keep it below 20g per day. I'll end today with 9g of net carbs. Granted, my portions right now are about half what they normally would be, so I'd still stay below 30g easily. I feel better without carbs, especially breads and pastas, and limiting those allows me to easily limit my calories without ever being hungry. It's that simple for me.

    "Can't." teehee That's funny right there.

    ETA: Standard disclaimer... No one should eat the way I'm eating without direction and supervision from a doctor specializing in weight loss.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    2Poufs wrote: »
    My soft limit is 30g, although I try to keep it below 20g per day. I'll end today with 9g of net carbs. Granted, my portions right now are about half what they normally would be, so I'd still stay below 30g easily. I feel better without carbs, especially breads and pastas, and limiting those allows me to easily limit my calories without ever being hungry. It's that simple for me.

    "Can't." teehee That's funny right there.

    considering you're barely eating 1000 calories and you are barely eating any vegetables- it's not really a surprise.

    A diet consisting mostly of cheese and meat isn't really carb laden- but no one who actually eats vegetables is going to be able to keep carbs that low. It's not happening.
  • CatShelton
    CatShelton Posts: 147 Member
    I am around 30g per day. On a LCHF for ketosis. After about 3 days you don't really miss starch carbs at all. The high fat content in the diet helps you feel full and not deprived. It also killed my sugar cravings. Fat is not bad...just unfortunately named, it as been demonized and people are afraid of it. But eating healthy fat helps a body burn fat. My macros are set to 10% of my daily calories come from carbs thats about 34g but I am usually around 30.
  • mcpostelle
    mcpostelle Posts: 418 Member
    I'm an odd one I eat VLCHF (very low carb, high fat). I try to keep my intake as close to 0g as possible and no more than 10g of carbs. Absolutely no sugar is allowed due to medical reasons. It's very easy for me and I eat foods that I love to eat.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,213 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    2Poufs wrote: »
    My soft limit is 30g, although I try to keep it below 20g per day. I'll end today with 9g of net carbs. Granted, my portions right now are about half what they normally would be, so I'd still stay below 30g easily. I feel better without carbs, especially breads and pastas, and limiting those allows me to easily limit my calories without ever being hungry. It's that simple for me.

    "Can't." teehee That's funny right there.

    considering you're barely eating 1000 calories and you are barely eating any vegetables- it's not really a surprise.

    A diet consisting mostly of cheese and meat isn't really carb laden- but no one who actually eats vegetables is going to be able to keep carbs that low. It's not happening.

    And right now, that's where my carbs have to be. Once I can eat veggies regularly, I'll get more carbs, but I also subtract the fiber from them, which still will keep me low. It won't keep me as low as I am now, but it'll keep me low and without blood sugar spikes. That's the key long-term. Short term, it's high protein and low carbs!
  • CatShelton
    CatShelton Posts: 147 Member
    A diet consisting mostly of cheese and meat isn't really carb laden- but no one who actually eats vegetables is going to be able to keep carbs that low. It's not happening.

    I do perfectly fine and eat plenty of fruit and veggies. I limit fruit because it has a lot of carbs but I had some strawberries yesterday. Today I had a spinach salad with peppers and other non veggie ingredients for lunch, and dinner is going to be a taco salad with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and other non veggie stuff. I think the total carbs for my dinner including the salsa and sour cream I am topping it with is around 10 carbs. It is absolutely possible to eat veggies and be low carb. You can't eat high sugar fruits like apples and bananas, but berries are fine in small amounts.

  • mcpostelle
    mcpostelle Posts: 418 Member
    Also, I wouldn't be too worried about counting calories, only your macros (fats/carbs/proteins), unless, of course you just started.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    2Poufs wrote: »
    My soft limit is 30g, although I try to keep it below 20g per day. I'll end today with 9g of net carbs. Granted, my portions right now are about half what they normally would be, so I'd still stay below 30g easily. I feel better without carbs, especially breads and pastas, and limiting those allows me to easily limit my calories without ever being hungry. It's that simple for me.

    "Can't." teehee That's funny right there.

    considering you're barely eating 1000 calories and you are barely eating any vegetables- it's not really a surprise.

    A diet consisting mostly of cheese and meat isn't really carb laden- but no one who actually eats vegetables is going to be able to keep carbs that low. It's not happening.

    That's really not true about the vegetables; if it's a priority even the lowest carb diets have room for fruits and vegetables. You -- and anyone else -- can get an idea of what I mean by looking at your own fruits and vegetables. I think it might surprise some how negligible the carb counts are. For example from your diary:

    Sunday: 58g Total | 51g Net
    Bananas, Blackberries

    Monday: 14g Total | 8g Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno

    Tuesday: 38 Total | 25 Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Black Beans, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno,

    Now imagine how many vegetables you could eat if you were mindful of the carb counts and chose more low carb friendly options... it's a lot. Low carb is not low vegetable by necessity.
  • sleepypapa
    sleepypapa Posts: 27 Member
    I have read the Atkins book and Protein Power book years ago. I think a diet that limits cancer fighting fruits and vegetables to be counterintuitive. I think the main thing is to stay away from processed foods.
    I have worked with guys who have done the low carb diets and they do lose weight......then they get moody and weird.......and then they gain all the weight back plus some.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    The milk in my tea I had this morning added up to 15g carbs! :open_mouth:

    To all you low carbers, I really do admire you :+1:
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
    edited August 2015
    Choices in how to lose weight are as personal as why people want to lose weight. This is as it should be. I am following a LCHF diet because my husband's doctor suggested it to him for diabetes control. I am eating vegetables at every meal normally exceeding the recommended daily allowance per Canada's Food Guide, yet I am still eating a low carb diet. I am not eating as much fruit as I normally did and choosing low sugared fruit when we do eat fruit. The high sugar fruits, we view as we would dessert or candy; a treat to be savoured occasionally and in small doses. And the best news, my husband's diabetes is in really good control.

    Each to their own choice.
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    edited August 2015
    My question:
    In the real world, what is low carb to you?

    I do "lower" carb, not low carb.

    I aim for 35% of my daily input calories (which vary depending on my activity level) simply as a guideline. On average this works out to just over 100g daily. I'll frequently be over 100g but am usually under 200 even on a long run day (or the day before).

    I generally run between 10 and 25km daily, five to seven days a week. In that context 200g for many people would still be considered lower carb. Eating lower, not low, carb doesn't appear to affect my running. Here's the day before a medium length run:

    Saturday 0km - 27% carb | 88g
    Sunday 17km run - 24% carb | 98g

    I felt great, and ran a little faster than my usual slower training pace.

    If I really wanted to reduce carbs further I could; all I've done is largely eliminated bread / bagels / and most cereals as they use up too many calories in my deficit oriented diet. At the same time I don't feel the need to reduce carbs further. I'd done so originally because when I was 78 pounds heavier I had been for some time consuming 75% of my diet as carbs. Cutting out low nutrition carb heavy foods was an easy win, and it stuck with me and feels good.

    When I get to the point where I'm maintaining I suppose I'll get to have bread again once in a while. Also if given the choice I'd rather have a refreshing beer in the summer than a hunk of bread. :smiley:
  • Merrysix
    Merrysix Posts: 336 Member
    I eat about 100 to 120 g carbs per day and a little higher for protein (125 to 152). This feels good to me. Generally though it is about 1 to 1 more or less. I am upping my carbs a little on days with weight lifting and crossfit. I do that by eating 1/2 or 1 cup oatmeal or an apple, or quinoa or brown rice on my salad. I'm curious how it will work out.
  • RockstarWilson
    RockstarWilson Posts: 836 Member
    edited August 2015
    If I have a hard time.....bacon and cheese are my friend. They are with me through thick...and thin :D

    I am about to experiment with my macros. I am going to aim for 60% F, 30% P ( about 125-150 g) and 10% carbs. I will be eating at maintenance while conditioning for a Spartan Beast.

    The big three: fatty meat, cheese, and eggs. I won't have ANY problems staying low carb. And I...will emerge...a SUPERHERO!!! :#
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    Bacon wrapped cheese is pretty good.
  • RockstarWilson
    RockstarWilson Posts: 836 Member
    mwyvr wrote: »
    Bacon wrapped cheese is pretty good.

    And then smother it in cheese, and add more bacon!
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    Cheese covered bacon wrapped scallops stuffed into a turducken?
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    mwyvr wrote: »
    Cheese covered bacon wrapped scallops stuffed into a turducken?

    Deep fried in bacon lard?

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    OMG!! I'm forcefully removing myself from this thread.
    I wasn't hungry until reading the deliciousness of the last few posts :dizzy:
  • BlendaBrenda
    BlendaBrenda Posts: 75 Member
    OMG!! I'm forcefully removing myself from this thread.
    I wasn't hungry until reading the deliciousness of the last few posts :dizzy:

  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    I could not limit my carbs until I stopped eating < 50 grams of carbs daily. It was hellish for two week then the cravings just faded fast.
  • Kexessa
    Kexessa Posts: 346 Member
    I pay zero attention to carbs and have never been on a low carb lifestyle.

    But.

    I do notice since I've been on MFP and with calories set for .5lb a week loss that I have been sort of naturally eating less carb sources. No pasta. For what a serving of pasta is I can have a huge spinach salad with lots of veggies. The pasta serving would leave me hungry but not the salad. So yes I get carbs from veggies but not pasta, bread etc. like I used to, it's definitely a lower number.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    OMG!! I'm forcefully removing myself from this thread.
    I wasn't hungry until reading the deliciousness of the last few posts :dizzy:

    heheheheh. . . . .jut do it. Eat a piece of bacon . . .go on. . . . .

  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    Bacon's only downfall is sodium. Makes me sad.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Bacon's only downfall is sodium. Makes me sad.

    Ah! But the beauty of a very LCHF diet is that you need to up your sodium. Bacon is still your friend. ;)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    2Poufs wrote: »
    My soft limit is 30g, although I try to keep it below 20g per day. I'll end today with 9g of net carbs. Granted, my portions right now are about half what they normally would be, so I'd still stay below 30g easily. I feel better without carbs, especially breads and pastas, and limiting those allows me to easily limit my calories without ever being hungry. It's that simple for me.

    "Can't." teehee That's funny right there.

    considering you're barely eating 1000 calories and you are barely eating any vegetables- it's not really a surprise.

    A diet consisting mostly of cheese and meat isn't really carb laden- but no one who actually eats vegetables is going to be able to keep carbs that low. It's not happening.

    That's really not true about the vegetables; if it's a priority even the lowest carb diets have room for fruits and vegetables. You -- and anyone else -- can get an idea of what I mean by looking at your own fruits and vegetables. I think it might surprise some how negligible the carb counts are. For example from your diary:

    Sunday: 58g Total | 51g Net
    Bananas, Blackberries

    Monday: 14g Total | 8g Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno

    Tuesday: 38 Total | 25 Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Black Beans, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno,

    Now imagine how many vegetables you could eat if you were mindful of the carb counts and chose more low carb friendly options... it's a lot. Low carb is not low vegetable by necessity.

    my veggie counts have been insufferably low- I normally eat 2-3 times that in a day. I've been on a hellova budget.
    There is no way you can eat that many servings of veggies and stay under 20 grams- my black beans alone spiked me to 24. A banana? super high (thankfully I'm only eating them this week b/c of weird calf issues I'm not sure are strain or cramps)

    I regularly eat a whole bag of steamables that are "3.5 servings"- (three point five servings- HA).

    I'm not saying you can't do low-ish carb- but there isn't any world in which you live where if you eat a decent amount of veggie you're staying low carb.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    2Poufs wrote: »
    My soft limit is 30g, although I try to keep it below 20g per day. I'll end today with 9g of net carbs. Granted, my portions right now are about half what they normally would be, so I'd still stay below 30g easily. I feel better without carbs, especially breads and pastas, and limiting those allows me to easily limit my calories without ever being hungry. It's that simple for me.

    "Can't." teehee That's funny right there.

    considering you're barely eating 1000 calories and you are barely eating any vegetables- it's not really a surprise.

    A diet consisting mostly of cheese and meat isn't really carb laden- but no one who actually eats vegetables is going to be able to keep carbs that low. It's not happening.

    That's really not true about the vegetables; if it's a priority even the lowest carb diets have room for fruits and vegetables. You -- and anyone else -- can get an idea of what I mean by looking at your own fruits and vegetables. I think it might surprise some how negligible the carb counts are. For example from your diary:

    Sunday: 58g Total | 51g Net
    Bananas, Blackberries

    Monday: 14g Total | 8g Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno

    Tuesday: 38 Total | 25 Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Black Beans, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno,

    Now imagine how many vegetables you could eat if you were mindful of the carb counts and chose more low carb friendly options... it's a lot. Low carb is not low vegetable by necessity.

    my veggie counts have been insufferably low- I normally eat 2-3 times that in a day. I've been on a hellova budget.
    There is no way you can eat that many servings of veggies and stay under 20 grams- my black beans alone spiked me to 24. A banana? super high (thankfully I'm only eating them this week b/c of weird calf issues I'm not sure are strain or cramps)

    I regularly eat a whole bag of steamables that are "3.5 servings"- (three point five servings- HA).

    I'm not saying you can't do low-ish carb- but there isn't any world in which you live where if you eat a decent amount of veggie you're staying low carb.

    Ok, I'll try this one more time since this seems to be a common misconception here. We can use my diary this time -- I picked out a couple of the higher days from last week.

    Wednesday: 30 Total | 20 Net
    684g or 1.5 pounds or 8.55 servings of: Cabbage, Onions, Garlic, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Peppers, and Tomatoes

    Saturday: 42g Total | 27g Net
    842g or 1.85 pounds or 10.25 servings of: Cucumber, Bananas, Onions, Peppers, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Green Beans

    These are not low-ish levels of carbs; this is considered a very low, ketogenic level of carbohydrate. Low carb does not mean low vegetable -- that's a personal choice just like with any other macro split.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    2Poufs wrote: »
    My soft limit is 30g, although I try to keep it below 20g per day. I'll end today with 9g of net carbs. Granted, my portions right now are about half what they normally would be, so I'd still stay below 30g easily. I feel better without carbs, especially breads and pastas, and limiting those allows me to easily limit my calories without ever being hungry. It's that simple for me.

    "Can't." teehee That's funny right there.

    considering you're barely eating 1000 calories and you are barely eating any vegetables- it's not really a surprise.

    A diet consisting mostly of cheese and meat isn't really carb laden- but no one who actually eats vegetables is going to be able to keep carbs that low. It's not happening.

    I eat vegetables every day. My 3 month average total carbs is 38g. Since the veg have a fair amount of fiber my net carb average is around 20. It's insanely simple. That's the part people don't realize. Once you rid yourself of carbs, your body stops craving them. And someone else mentioned dairy as if it wouldn't fit into a low carb plan. That's true with some because many brands add sugar unnecessarily. You just don't buy those brands. I used to think it was crazy too... When I still ate carbs.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    2Poufs wrote: »
    My soft limit is 30g, although I try to keep it below 20g per day. I'll end today with 9g of net carbs. Granted, my portions right now are about half what they normally would be, so I'd still stay below 30g easily. I feel better without carbs, especially breads and pastas, and limiting those allows me to easily limit my calories without ever being hungry. It's that simple for me.

    "Can't." teehee That's funny right there.

    considering you're barely eating 1000 calories and you are barely eating any vegetables- it's not really a surprise.

    A diet consisting mostly of cheese and meat isn't really carb laden- but no one who actually eats vegetables is going to be able to keep carbs that low. It's not happening.

    That's really not true about the vegetables; if it's a priority even the lowest carb diets have room for fruits and vegetables. You -- and anyone else -- can get an idea of what I mean by looking at your own fruits and vegetables. I think it might surprise some how negligible the carb counts are. For example from your diary:

    Sunday: 58g Total | 51g Net
    Bananas, Blackberries

    Monday: 14g Total | 8g Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno

    Tuesday: 38 Total | 25 Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Black Beans, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno,

    Now imagine how many vegetables you could eat if you were mindful of the carb counts and chose more low carb friendly options... it's a lot. Low carb is not low vegetable by necessity.

    my veggie counts have been insufferably low- I normally eat 2-3 times that in a day. I've been on a hellova budget.
    There is no way you can eat that many servings of veggies and stay under 20 grams- my black beans alone spiked me to 24. A banana? super high (thankfully I'm only eating them this week b/c of weird calf issues I'm not sure are strain or cramps)

    I regularly eat a whole bag of steamables that are "3.5 servings"- (three point five servings- HA).

    I'm not saying you can't do low-ish carb- but there isn't any world in which you live where if you eat a decent amount of veggie you're staying low carb.

    Ok, I'll try this one more time since this seems to be a common misconception here. We can use my diary this time -- I picked out a couple of the higher days from last week.

    Wednesday: 30 Total | 20 Net
    684g or 1.5 pounds or 8.55 servings of: Cabbage, Onions, Garlic, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Peppers, and Tomatoes

    Saturday: 42g Total | 27g Net
    842g or 1.85 pounds or 10.25 servings of: Cucumber, Bananas, Onions, Peppers, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Green Beans

    These are not low-ish levels of carbs; this is considered a very low, ketogenic level of carbohydrate. Low carb does not mean low vegetable -- that's a personal choice just like with any other macro split.

    That must have been a very sad salad of almost entirely lettuce.
  • harlequin0318
    harlequin0318 Posts: 415 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    2Poufs wrote: »
    My soft limit is 30g, although I try to keep it below 20g per day. I'll end today with 9g of net carbs. Granted, my portions right now are about half what they normally would be, so I'd still stay below 30g easily. I feel better without carbs, especially breads and pastas, and limiting those allows me to easily limit my calories without ever being hungry. It's that simple for me.

    "Can't." teehee That's funny right there.

    considering you're barely eating 1000 calories and you are barely eating any vegetables- it's not really a surprise.

    A diet consisting mostly of cheese and meat isn't really carb laden- but no one who actually eats vegetables is going to be able to keep carbs that low. It's not happening.

    That's really not true about the vegetables; if it's a priority even the lowest carb diets have room for fruits and vegetables. You -- and anyone else -- can get an idea of what I mean by looking at your own fruits and vegetables. I think it might surprise some how negligible the carb counts are. For example from your diary:

    Sunday: 58g Total | 51g Net
    Bananas, Blackberries

    Monday: 14g Total | 8g Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno

    Tuesday: 38 Total | 25 Net
    Stir-fry Veggies, Black Beans, Blackberries, Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Jalepeno,

    Now imagine how many vegetables you could eat if you were mindful of the carb counts and chose more low carb friendly options... it's a lot. Low carb is not low vegetable by necessity.

    my veggie counts have been insufferably low- I normally eat 2-3 times that in a day. I've been on a hellova budget.
    There is no way you can eat that many servings of veggies and stay under 20 grams- my black beans alone spiked me to 24. A banana? super high (thankfully I'm only eating them this week b/c of weird calf issues I'm not sure are strain or cramps)

    I regularly eat a whole bag of steamables that are "3.5 servings"- (three point five servings- HA).

    I'm not saying you can't do low-ish carb- but there isn't any world in which you live where if you eat a decent amount of veggie you're staying low carb.

    Ok, I'll try this one more time since this seems to be a common misconception here. We can use my diary this time -- I picked out a couple of the higher days from last week.

    Wednesday: 30 Total | 20 Net
    684g or 1.5 pounds or 8.55 servings of: Cabbage, Onions, Garlic, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Peppers, and Tomatoes

    Saturday: 42g Total | 27g Net
    842g or 1.85 pounds or 10.25 servings of: Cucumber, Bananas, Onions, Peppers, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Green Beans

    These are not low-ish levels of carbs; this is considered a very low, ketogenic level of carbohydrate. Low carb does not mean low vegetable -- that's a personal choice just like with any other macro split.

    So I just peeked through the last few days of your diary, out of keto-curiosity :) .....and that really is a small amount of vegetables (compared to what I normally eat ie. 400grams of cabbage in one serving). I've been interested in keto for its anti-inflammatory effects, so my question is, can a person that likes to eat for volume progressively switch to a keto diet where portion sizes are inevitably much smaller?

    I mean obviously people here have successfully done that, but are you really reaching satiety and feeling full for hours? If so, how long did it take for you to adjust (I'm sure it's different for everyone, so anyone can chime in with experiences)