150g carbs per day
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natalieellender5385
Posts: 1 Member
Hi
When i put in my goals - the system automatically calculated 150g carbs per day? This seems really high. I also went by the highest drop down to lose 2 pounds per week and the results once calculated stipulates 1.2 per week. Any advice here will be helpful especially on the carbs? Thanks
Natalie
When i put in my goals - the system automatically calculated 150g carbs per day? This seems really high. I also went by the highest drop down to lose 2 pounds per week and the results once calculated stipulates 1.2 per week. Any advice here will be helpful especially on the carbs? Thanks
Natalie
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Replies
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The system is just a calculator, you can tweak it however you wish.
Calories first:
If you're in this group, I'm assuming you don't have a lot to lose. You should NOT be putting in 2 lbs a week - that's only for those who are 75+ lbs overweight. If you've got less than 15 lbs to lose, set it for 0.5 lbs a week. If you've got 15-30 lbs to lose, set it for 1 lb a week. You're just going to hurt your body and eat into your muscle mass if your calorie deficit is too aggressive.
Carbs next:
Low-carb is not a magical weight loss bullet. The reason it's suggested so much is a lot of people find protein and fat more satiating, plus eating low-carb means you lose more water weight in the first couple of weeks. 150g seems reasonable to me. Mine are set to 140 right now, and it really helps my workouts. I also find carbs to be filling, but some people don't. The important part is to find a macro balance that's right for you.
I believe MFP's default macros are 50%,C, 20%P, 30%F. This is a good default for people eating at maintenance, but when you're losing, it's a good idea to have more protein. I would suggest 1) raising your calorie goal according to what I've said above and 2) adjusting your macros to 40C/30P/30F as a starting point. If you're really hungry or lacking energy, tweak them until you find a balance where you're not.
Other rule of thumb on protein: while losing weight, eating at least 1g of protein per 1lb of lean body mass helps preserve muscle. So if you're 125 lbs and 25% body fat, you want to get 94g of protein a day. When setting your macros, keep this in mind and adjust as needed.0 -
Like Chocolate Owl says, it's all trial and error when it comes to percentages because everyone is different. For me 40-50C/20F/20-30P works the best. In actual grams, I have to have 150g of carbs or I get headaches, become irritable and feel like poop. On training days I can go up to as much as 250g of carbs because my body requires a lot of energy to get through 2 hours of kickboxing. I just wouldn't recommend cutting carbs to a dangerously low level. Yes, that works for some people but it's not really sustainable in the long term because your body needs carbs to function. Play around with the calculator, eat high one day, low the next, see what works for you.
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