Carbs??

bri_fitnessjourney

Hello Everyone!

I am at 1200 calories a day and I usually eat 70-90 of protein. But i was wondering ifiI stay at no more than 100 carbs a day will i be able to still loose weight? Im new to this, and i always heard carbs can keep on fat. So idk if i should eat lesser than 100 grams a day maybe 80 or 60? Thanks for the help and advice! ☺

3bambi3

A calorie deficit is what is needed for weight loss. Macro breakdown is individual and will vary by person based on satiety and goals, etc. If you like carbs, eat them. Just make sure you are hitting your nutrient goals.

bri_fitnessjourney

Thank you! So I basically should just stay in my calorie deficit and not go over MFP suggestions for carbs, proteins, fat etc. I'm slowly getting it ☺

batorkin

The only reason you should need to monitor carbs/sugar/etc is if you have a health condition. All that matters for weight loss is calories, you could even eat 1200 calories of chocolate a day and still lose weight just as fast as someone eating 1200 calories of fruits/veggies.

I'd still make an effort to eat protein in every meal though, it'll keep you feeling full and help you retain your muscles.

bri_fitnessjourney

Thank you for all the help! I just want to make sure i'm on the right track with my life style change also goal to loose some pounds

3bambi3

bri_fitnessjourney wrote: »

Thank you! So I basically should just stay in my calorie deficit and not go over MFP suggestions for carbs, proteins, fat etc. I'm slowly getting it ☺

Yep! But if you find you aren't feeling satiated (full) from your current targets, you can play around. For example, I feel fuller when I eat a little more fat and a little less carbs than MFP suggests, so I went in and set custom goals. But I'd use MFP settings for about 4 weeks and then assess how you're feeling.

janejellyroll

Weight loss is created by a calorie deficit. That's it, that's all you need to do. You could eat 100% carbohydrates and lose weight if that was your only goal.

Macronutrient goals are for nutrition. Your body needs a certain amount of fat and protein to survive so you want to make sure you're getting enough of those.

Some people also find that hitting certain macronutrient goals makes it easier for them to be in a deficit because they aren't as hungry. For some people this is protein, others find fat to be the most satisfying. Some people even find that carbohydrates do this for them. It's nice to be as full as possible while in a deficit, so paying attention to how different ranges make you feel will be useful for long-term success.

cwolfman13

weight management is about calories. A calorie is a unit of energy...all of us have certain energy requirements to exist, go about our day to day, exercise, etc. When you consume a balance of calories...meaning the calories coming in are roughly the same as calories going out, you maintain weight. When you consume energy (calories) in excess of what your body needs to maintain the status quo, that surplus energy is stored as body fat...body fat is just stored energy and basically your backup generator. When you consume less energy than your body requires, that energy deficiency has to be made up...so your backup generator kicks on and you burn body fat to cover the energy deficiency.

You can't store fat in a calorie deficit, regardless of carbs. Carbohydrates are also the body's primary energy source, so they aren't readily stored as fat...

Low carb is just one of many ways of helping people create a calorie deficit...when you substantially restrict an entire macro-nutrient, you are also restricting a lot of calories...for many people, that will result in a calorie deficit without having to log or necessarily track calories.

bri_fitnessjourney

3bambi3 wrote: »

bri_fitnessjourney wrote: »

Thank you! So I basically should just stay in my calorie deficit and not go over MFP suggestions for carbs, proteins, fat etc. I'm slowly getting it ☺

Yep! But if you find you aren't feeling satiated (full) from your current targets, you can play around. For example, I feel fuller when I eat a little more fat and a little less carbs than MFP suggests, so I went in and set custom goals. But I'd use MFP settings for about 4 weeks and then assess how you're feeling.

Sweet! Thank you so much! I will continue with what MFP suggested til i hit my month mark and if i still feel hungry i will play with it.

fb47

Carbs alone don't make you fat, the total of (Protein + Carbs + Fats) > Maintenance will make you fat. Carbs have been demonized by the media, it's not even funny anymore. They will take one study and attribute a weight gain because a study shows somebody drank soda, but they didn't take into account the other crappy food that people ate.

ladyhusker39

bri_fitnessjourney wrote: »

Hello Everyone!

I am at 1200 calories a day and I usually eat 70-90 of protein. But i was wondering ifiI stay at no more than 100 carbs a day will i be able to still loose weight? Im new to this, and i always heard carbs can keep on fat. So idk if i should eat lesser than 100 grams a day maybe 80 or 60? Thanks for the help and advice! ☺

The only thing that can keep you fat is eating more than you burn over time.

Read that sentence again...

rheddmobile

Original Poster, this is not targeted at you - I just get so angry at how much bad information is out there. No, carbs will not keep you from losing weight, as many others have already said.

But no one has pointed out yet that the 100 carbs / day which you were worried about is already a low number. The majority of people, unless their systems have already adapted to a low-carb diet, are going to be much more comfortable and have more energy for working out at 150 g / day or more. Heck, I'm a diabetic with a low carb tolerance, I have to check my blood glucose to be sure I'm not eating too many carbs, and even I can eat more than 100g/day!

If you could share where you got this bad information about carbs so others would know which sites to ignore/avoid, that would be great.

Unknown

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erickirb

It is fine to go over any macro on any given day for weight loss, what is important is your total calories, not individual macros. when it comes to satiety, muscle preservation, etc. macros will matter

kshama2001

Up here in Massachusetts, I feel fuller on more protein and less carbs than the MFP defaults.

However, when I was in tropical Costa Rico for 6 weeks, I lost a size without even trying while eating tons of fruit, and a lot of veggies, rice, and beans.

FitRican

Calories Matter: Calories in vs calories out overtime determines your weight loss.

Sunna_W

You don't give your height / weight and weight goals. What is the calorie allowance / maintenance for your goal weight? I think that 1200 calories might be too restrictive / not sustainable? If you keep your calories too restrictive (fat / carbs especially) you body can go into survival mode and not lose as easily.

It takes 3500 calories to make up 1 lb of fat / weight -

(For me it's between 1300 / 1500 if I don't exercise and just still still and exist.) I found that amount is workable for me. I try to stay around 105 g carbs / 70 g fat / 88 g protein and that works for me most days.

I went "low" and slow to lose .5 lbs a week. (approximately a 250 calorie a day deficit and well within my maintenance weight limit) and while I didn't feel like I was losing fast enough, over time it did add up and I was able to develop an eating style that is sustainable.

Check out the Weston A Price Foundation and their article on carbohydrates and fats:

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/why-we-need-carbs/
https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/know-your-fats/the-skinny-on-fats/#summary

3bambi3

Sunna_W wrote: »

You don't give your height / weight and weight goals. What is the calorie allowance / maintenance for your goal weight? I think that 1200 calories might be too restrictive / not sustainable? If you keep your calories too restrictive (fat / carbs especially) you body can go into survival mode and not lose as easily.

It takes 3500 calories to make up 1 lb of fat / weight -

(For me it's between 1300 / 1500 if I don't exercise and just still still and exist.) I found that amount is workable for me. I try to stay around 105 g carbs / 70 g fat / 88 g protein and that works for me most days.

I went "low" and slow to lose .5 lbs a week. (approximately a 250 calorie a day deficit and well within my maintenance weight limit) and while I didn't feel like I was losing fast enough, over time it did add up and I was able to develop an eating style that is sustainable.

Check out the Weston A Price Foundation and their article on carbohydrates and fats:

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/why-we-need-carbs/
https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/know-your-fats/the-skinny-on-fats/#summary

The Weston Price Foundation, you say?

I wonder what Mr. Price thinks about nutrition? I pulled this from the website. I couldn't make this up if I tried.

Dr. Weston A. Price (1870-1948), a Cleveland dentist, has been called the “Isaac Newton of Nutrition.” In his search for the causes of dental decay and physical degeneration that he observed in his dental practice, he turned from test tubes and microscopes to unstudied evidence among human beings. Dr. Price sought the factors responsible for fine teeth among the people who had them–isolated nonindustrialized people.

The world became his laboratory. As he traveled, his findings led him to the belief that dental caries and deformed dental arches resulting in crowded, crooked teeth and unattractive appearance were merely a sign of physical degeneration, resulting from what he had suspected–nutritional deficiencies.

Price traveled the world over in order to study isolated human groups, including sequestered villages in Switzerland, Gaelic communities in the Outer Hebrides, Eskimos and Indians of North America, Melanesian and Polynesian South Sea Islanders, African tribes, Australian Aborigines, New Zealand Maori and the Indians of South America. Wherever he went, Dr. Price found that beautiful straight teeth, freedom from decay, stalwart bodies, resistance to disease and fine characters were typical of primitives on their traditional diets, rich in essential food factors.