Carbs

thejaime102

I just started going on for a week now. I don't know exactly what I'm doing, when it comes to counting my macros. It says I need 50% carbs, I feel that's a bit high I think but I don't know if thats normal or not?

kommodevaran

Unless you have to for real medical reasons, macro counting is optional. It may be a good idea to keep things simple is the beginning, just log your intake, pay attention to how you feel and how easy it is to stick to allotted calories, and if you don't feel okay and/or it's difficult to hit your goal, then look at what you eat.

50% of your energy intake from carbs is normal, but the normal range of human diets is wide and we can thrive on lots of different compositions of foods. We have a basic need for protein and fat that stays mostly the same whether we want to lose, gain or maintain weight. Protein and carbs are 4 calories per gram, fat is 9. So when losing weight, when calorie need is less, protein and fat percentages should ideally go up and carb percentage go down; if you are very active and need lots of energy every day, a big chunk of this can come fram carbs. Aside from this, it's basically up to taste preference and how eating certain things/combos makes you feel.

amusedmonkey

If it feels too high for your food and macro preferences (you like or want to be eating more fat/protein) you can always change the percentage to something more comfortable. If you need to reduce your carbs due to blood sugar concerns, you can always change the percentage to what the doctor wants you to eat. If this is a comfortable level for you but you believe that it would affect your weight loss negatively for some reason, don't worry, it won't. This is not set in stone either way, if after experimenting with food you find yourself wanting to reduce your carbs you will always have the option to do that.

Just in case you are wondering, I always eat about 40-60% of my calories in carbs and have lost a lot of weight just fine.

malibu927

I lost 60+ pounds eating 50% carbs, so it's definitely not too high if you remain in your calorie deficit

Tried30UserNames

I'm happier with a smaller amount of carbs, but I don't choose to do low carbs. You can change your macros from the preset amount if it doesn't feel right to you. Experiment with different amounts and see how you feel best.