Low carb question

holderh1

Low carb questions

holderh1holderh1
May 10, 2016 4:50PM in General Diet and Weight Loss Help
Hi, I have been a member of this site for a long time and I have found if you put in the work, it works. However, I've not paid attention to consistently logging in my foods, and watching what I eat for about a year 1/2 now. I have gained about 20 pounds. I am a believer in the all foods in moderation, but I feel like in order to get back on track I need to stay away from the sweets I love so dearly. I've decided to try low carb for a few weeks to jump start my weight loss and hopefully help me not crave my sweets as much.

I've looked up the Atkins diet and wow 20 carbs a day is hard to do when I'm eating fruits and vegetables... So what are your opinions? What is a good range to stay in and still be low carb?
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KetoLady86

I have been doing ketosis...look up some videos on youtube..they have some good stuff!

holderh1

Thanks everyone!

spkout2005

Yeah i deff have more energy eating low carb and cutting most sugars helps alot too

Adah_m

I also do a keto diet. I stay between 20-50g/day. If you're dedicated to low carb you really have to cut out most fruits and most high carb vegetables, but keep in mind that with low carb diets you only count NET carbs (which means you subtract the fiber.)

So if you have something with 5g carbs and 3g dietary fiber, the net g carbs are only 2! This is important and will really open up what you can eat.
Fiber is a carbohydrate but isn't absorbed by the body so you get to subtract it. This allows some high-fiber fruit and veggies in moderation, but be careful about really sugary veggies like carrots or starchy ones like potato or plantain.

Just do your homework. There are probably hundreds of sites that can explain what foods have low carbs and low glycemic impact.

holderh1

Wow! That makes me feel better about the net carbs... I thought it was carbs in general. How do you keep up with the net carb amount on mfp? Do you take your total carbs for the day and subtract total fiber or do you try to individually keep up with each meal?

kirstinethornburg

I am doing low carb and keep my carbs 50 grams or lower most days range in the mid 30's to mid 40's

ralostaz2000

Adah_m wrote: »

I also do a keto diet. I stay between 20-50g/day. If you're dedicated to low carb you really have to cut out most fruits and most high carb vegetables, but keep in mind that with low carb diets you only count NET carbs (which means you subtract the fiber.)

So if you have something with 5g carbs and 3g dietary fiber, the net g carbs are only 2! This is important and will really open up what you can eat.
Fiber is a carbohydrate but isn't absorbed by the body so you get to subtract it. This allows some high-fiber fruit and veggies in moderation, but be careful about really sugary veggies like carrots or starchy ones like potato or plantain.

Just do your homework. There are probably hundreds of sites that can explain what foods have low carbs and low glycemic impact.

And what about fats in low carb diets? Is
there a recommended ratio or quantity to stick to?
Can I send you a FR to see how you manage ur diet?

vingogly

The low carb diets I'm familiar with, Atkins and South Beach, start with an initial very low carb phase (called induction in Atkins, Phase 1 in South Beach) that lasts a couple of weeks. After that you start adding more carbs in on a weekly basis, including fruit. A lot of people read the induction phase and think that's what their life is going to be like from then on.

These days, I mostly avoid added sugar and choose high-fiber, high-protein, good fats, and whole-grain options more often than not, though I've done what I'd call "South Beach Lite" in the past and found it helpful in controlling my desire for sugary treats.

There's a low carb group here on MFP by the way (probably more than one); you might want to consider joining it.

Adah_m

holderh1 wrote: »

Wow! That makes me feel better about the net carbs... I thought it was carbs in general. How do you keep up with the net carb amount on mfp? Do you take your total carbs for the day and subtract total fiber or do you try to individually keep up with each meal?

What I do is subtract the fiber from my daily total as I go, but I would recommend you keep track of it on a meal by meal basis too. If you eat 50 carbs in one sitting you are going to crash afterward and feel extremely hungry later (due to insulin spike and drop) rather than if you eat 50g slowly over the course of a day, if that makes sense. So you don't want to inadvertently cram too many carbs into one meal since you've been super low the rest of the day. Better to be under your carb goal than to cram them in at the end of the day. Any spike in insulin is going to be detrimental to your goals.

As far as fat content is concerned, fats are good! I don't limit them at all. Fats and protein help me feel full and I've noticed that even with eating full fat foods, (butter, heavy whipping cream, avocados, olives, sour cream, cream cheese, fatty meats) I still eat less calories overall per day and am more satisfied than I was before I went low-carb. I think it's because my blood sugar isn't all over the board. Before I went low carb I was eating like 200-300g of carbs per day and felt awful and was barely staying under my calorie goals. Also, fats are good for your brain, skin, hair, et cetera. You need fat. Fat doesn't make you fat.

holderh1

Thank you all so much!

ralostaz2000

Adah_m wrote: »

holderh1 wrote: »

Wow! That makes me feel better about the net carbs... I thought it was carbs in general. How do you keep up with the net carb amount on mfp? Do you take your total carbs for the day and subtract total fiber or do you try to individually keep up with each meal?

What I do is subtract the fiber from my daily total as I go, but I would recommend you keep track of it on a meal by meal basis too. If you eat 50 carbs in one sitting you are going to crash afterward and feel extremely hungry later (due to insulin spike and drop) rather than if you eat 50g slowly over the course of a day, if that makes sense. So you don't want to inadvertently cram too many carbs into one meal since you've been super low the rest of the day. Better to be under your carb goal than to cram them in at the end of the day. Any spike in insulin is going to be detrimental to your goals.

As far as fat content is concerned, fats are good! I don't limit them at all. Fats and protein help me feel full and I've noticed that even with eating full fat foods, (butter, heavy whipping cream, avocados, olives, sour cream, cream cheese, fatty meats) I still eat less calories overall per day and am more satisfied than I was before I went low-carb. I think it's because my blood sugar isn't all over the board. Before I went low carb I was eating like 200-300g of carbs per day and felt awful and was barely staying under my calorie goals. Also, fats are good for your brain, skin, hair, et cetera. You need fat. Fat doesn't make you fat.

Are u still losing with Full Fat Products? I mean dairies?

msemotan

I think doing low carb really helps kick off a healthy lifestyle. It helps you take out all the processed foods but still helps you stay full due to fat and protein. I did atkins (traditional) also called atkins 20 for about 9 months and lost 75 lbs. I stayed between the 20-25 nets carb range and make sure to stay within the dairy boundaries also (if I went to high on dairy I would stop losing). I love that all the info you need for atkins is right there on their website! Good luck. The first few days making a big change are challenging, but it is worth it! Good luck to you.

hassankarimi82

Read up on Banting.

Ominu

Where do I find my fibre total and carb total in order for me to subtract?

jessiethe3rd

Lo-carb and paleo is pretty much my life style.
I don't do net carbs... I just carb court and stay between 20-50. This app doesn't do a great job with fiber or easily helping you determine net carbs...

Grassfed, free range, organic, local, wild

You are what you eat so I put only good fats in:
Avocado oil, walnut oil, macadamia nut oil, olive oil

You can easily make you numbers with fat.

I don't eat nuts, legumes, or any wheat or corn.
I eat a lot of sardines, wild salmon, grassfed red meats (bison from Minnesota... Small family farm cows) I believe in the power of omega-3 in the diet

60/35/5 fat/protein/crabs

rerez2015

I count total carbs except I count net for low carb vegetables, flax meal and oat fiber which I allow once or twice a week. I keep myself at 20 or less carbs and 1350 calories. I have been very successful.

VNZ123

Adah_m wrote: »

I also do a keto diet. I stay between 20-50g/day. If you're dedicated to low carb you really have to cut out most fruits and most high carb vegetables, but keep in mind that with low carb diets you only count NET carbs (which means you subtract the fiber.)

So if you have something with 5g carbs and 3g dietary fiber, the net g carbs are only 2! This is important and will really open up what you can eat.
Fiber is a carbohydrate but isn't absorbed by the body so you get to subtract it. This allows some high-fiber fruit and veggies in moderation, but be careful about really sugary veggies like carrots or starchy ones like potato or plantain.

Just do your homework. There are probably hundreds of sites that can explain what foods have low carbs and low glycemic impact.

please advise how do I tag/activate net carbs on myfitnesspal. I am not on premium. Many thanks, appreciated