Carbs vs. calories
alexmose
Posts: 792 Member
Hi this may be a dumb question, but how important is it to remain within your carb limit? I stay within my calorie limit. Has anyone had success ignoring their carbs and paying attention to only calories and vice versa? I am not interested in Keto or fad diets. I obviously like carbs a bit too much.
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Replies
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If your goal is weight loss, calories are most important. Specifically, having a calorie deficit.14
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Yes for weight loss, it doesn't matter where you get your calories from, as long as you stay within your calorie goal. Lots of carbs, not a lot of carbs, doesn't matter. I've lost 22 pounds so far eating basically whatever I want within moderation, which at times includes plenty of carbs.7
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My split is basically 50% carbs, 30% fats and 20% protein. I go over my carb goal pretty frequently and it hasn't affected my weight loss because calories are what matter for that.2
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Calories for weight loss, carbs to whatever works best for you with your lifestyle, food preferences and satiety, assuming no underlying medical condition. People have successfully lost weight with 5% or less of their diet being carbs and others with over 60% coming from carbs. As long as you are getting adequate levels of protein and fat then it doesn't really matter.9
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I like carbs too.
When I lost my excess weight I set minimum goals in grams for protein and fat and the rest of my daily calorie allowance could come from whatever macro I wanted or needed on any particular day within the context of an overall healthy diet.
As a long distance cyclist I have some spectacularly high carb days but my weight tracks my long term calorie intake.4 -
I don't restrict my carbs at all, just make sure they fit into my calories. Down 26 pounds so far. A calorie is a calorie.
The caveat being that some types of carbs (GARLIC BREAD UGH) can make you hold on to some water weight and make the scale look higher than it should be. Don't mistake water weight for fat gain, as long as you are sure of your food weighing etc you should be fine.3 -
I've lost over 40pds ignoring carbs. I just watch overall calories and keep an eye on say protein, sugar and fat. (I tend to eat too much sugar and not enough fat so that's more a health thing than a weight loss thing)1
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Back during my active weight loss phase I didn't track macros at all-only my calorie intake (did the fancy paper/pencil tracking method lol). Lost the extra weight and improved all my health markers.
Fast forward to now, I'm in a small weight loss cut to get rid of some vanity maintenance pounds. At this point in the process (7ish years), I've got a good handle on what foods are more filling for me etc. Tracking my intake right now and I'm eating over 200 carbs most days. Still losing weight right on schedule, because I'm hitting my calorie targets.1 -
I got at least 60% of my calories from carbohydrates when I was losing weight, it didn't seem to cause any problems for me. As long as you're getting sufficient protein and fat, how many carbohydrates to eat is just a matter of personal preference.2
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I lost 80 pounds last year and never worried about carbs. If you manage a consistent calorie deficit you'll lose weight. I'm a cyclist and runner as well - some days I eat loads of carbs. The only macro I pay attention to is protein. Fat and Carbs fluctuate depending on what I eat.2
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I pay attention to the calories mostly for my overall day.
I'm not low carb but I do have better results by delaying the bulk of my carb intake until afternoon or evening. I found if I have a carb heavy breakfast without much protein or fat that I am hungrier more often through the day. Balancing carb/protein/fat at breakfast does improve my hunger/cravings, but I still end up wanting to eat more than normal.
With that in mind, different people have different results. Some people can eat carbs all day long and not trigger extra hunger and easily stay within calorie limits.0 -
I should have been more specific. I am in recomp, not loss.0
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Depends on the person.
Interestingly I saw a BBC doco last night called The Truth About Carbs and they showed a quick test anyone can do to see if they are the type of person who can eat loads of carbs, should minimise them, or eat in moderation:
Time this: Chew a plain unsalted unsweetened cracker (don’t swallow). If it starts to taste sweet in under 15 seconds, your body metabolises carbs well and you can eat plenty of carbs, if it takes 15-30 seconds to taste sweet, you can eat a moderate amount of carbs but not too much, and if it doesn’t taste sweet for you in 30 seconds, you should consider eating a lower carb diet because your body doesn’t handle carbs as well.
Some people have more enzymes for carbs than others, and the breakdown process begins with saliva.
Crackers never taste “sweet” to me, and this confirms what I already found with my own trial and error that I can’t lose weight on a moderate carb diet even if in calorie deficiet because the effect on my blood sugar affects my metabolism etc.
It’ll be a completely different story for someone else.29 -
Yes. I also ignore carbs, but not fiber. My goal is a minimum 25g fiber, 50g fat & 100g protein (within calorie goal). This will keep me full regardless of what I eat after these minimums are met. It’s a bit more fat & protein than the formulas say I technically *need* but it’s the key to satiety for me. Some days I’m 50% calories from carbs, some days only 30% carbs. There’s a broad range that works for me.Has anyone had success ignoring their carbs and paying attention to only calories and vice versa?
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Hi this may be a dumb question, but how important is it to remain within your carb limit? I stay within my calorie limit. Has anyone had success ignoring their carbs and paying attention to only calories and vice versa? I am not interested in Keto or fad diets. I obviously like carbs a bit too much.
Macros affect satiety, not weight loss directly. I lost weight and have been maintaining eating @ 200g carbs daily.
It's all about your own personal appetite - some people find carbs leave them hungry, others (like me) find them quite filling. Compare your food log to your appetite cues and tweak your diet towards which foods satiate you at the right amount of calories. Because calories determine weight loss/gain/maintenance.7 -
I should have been more specific. I am in recomp, not loss.
If you are weight training for recomp (which is what I assume you mean) you want to get .8 to 1 gram of protein per lb of lean body mass to support muscle growth. What you do for carbs after that doesn't really matter. Whatever is your preference.6 -
Hi this may be a dumb question, but how important is it to remain within your carb limit? I stay within my calorie limit. Has anyone had success ignoring their carbs and paying attention to only calories and vice versa? I am not interested in Keto or fad diets. I obviously like carbs a bit too much.
I lost 75 pounds eating as many carbs as I could fit into my calories. Literally paid no attention to them. Lost weight because I was in an energy balance.
I ate too low carb for a while and was not able to perform at a high level on a road bike or cross country skiing.
"Blue zones" are places where people live much longer and healthier than average. They're also places where people get most of their calories from carbs.3 -
As kimny72 said, individual satiety is key. I started avoiding carbs for breakfast (like HeretoLose) because it spiked my blood sugar up too high and really made me hungry. I eat bacon and eggs instead, and then for a midmorning snack, I have veggies like carrots and tomatoes instead of the Cutie mandarins.
However, I do not pay attention to carbs when hiking and I simply eat whatever my body tells me it needs.4 -
I should have been more specific. I am in recomp, not loss.
There isn't a specific diet for recomp. I'd suggest putting effort into hitting a suitable protein goal (grams not percentages) for someone exercising but that's about it as long as your overall diet is "healthy", enjoyable and sustainable.
Focus on macros is as a generalisation less important when you are eating at or around maintenance levels as it's easier to hit your necessary dietary minimums with a larger calorie allowance and that larger allowance gives you greater freedom.
Not really seeing the basis for your concern TBH unless you feel carbs are crowding something out of your diet?
Humans are very adaptable and can thrive with wildly different macros preferences and food choices.5 -
I don't know what other people think, I have tried low carb vs low calorie, both work, but I feel healthier on low calorie. It does not seem healthy to eat huge amounts of cheese, fats, bacon, cream etc cutting out good food like fruit, wholegrains and a range of vegetables. Low calorie for me 5
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You will only lose weight if you eat low calorie - low enough to be less than you burn. That is regardless of whether you eat high carb, low carb, pay no attention to carbs.
I doubt anyone recommends eating huge quantities of cheese, bacon etc or cutting out fruit and veg - but that is a separate issue to low calorie.1 -
paperpudding wrote: »You will only lose weight if you eat low calorie - low enough to be less than you burn. That is regardless of whether you eat high carb, low carb, pay no attention to carbs.
I doubt anyone recommends eating huge quantities of cheese, bacon etc or cutting out fruit and veg - but that is a separate issue to low calorie.
I wish you were correct, but there are people who argue we will be better off eliminating fruits and vegetables from our diet.8 -
Depends on the person.
Interestingly I saw a BBC doco last night called The Truth About Carbs and they showed a quick test anyone can do to see if they are the type of person who can eat loads of carbs, should minimise them, or eat in moderation:
Time this: Chew a plain unsalted unsweetened cracker (don’t swallow). If it starts to taste sweet in under 15 seconds, your body metabolises carbs well and you can eat plenty of carbs, if it takes 15-30 seconds to taste sweet, you can eat a moderate amount of carbs but not too much, and if it doesn’t taste sweet for you in 30 seconds, you should consider eating a lower carb diet because your body doesn’t handle carbs as well.
Some people have more enzymes for carbs than others, and the breakdown process begins with saliva.
Crackers never taste “sweet” to me, and this confirms what I already found with my own trial and error that I can’t lose weight on a moderate carb diet even if in calorie deficiet because the effect on my blood sugar affects my metabolism etc.
It’ll be a completely different story for someone else.
I'm not vouching for the scientific validity of this, but did the same test with raw potato years ago. (I would never have unsalted crackers in the house, lol.)
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/cracker-test-carbs-how-many-should-you-eat-calculator-a7377231.html1 -
Just my personal experience.
Last year at work we did a Biggest Loser Challenge. I've lost weight before (even getting down to my goal weight) so I know what works for me. I counted every calorie that went into my mouth.
My friend also participated and decided to try Keto but very loosely counted her calories.
Guess who won. . .
(Spoiler alert)
It was me. I beat her by 4%.
Neither of us really stuck to our diets over the last year and I gained about 5 lbs back of the 25lbs I lost. She gained all of her weight back.
We are doing another biggest loser challenge this year. She's doing the keto thing again. And I'm counting my calories again. I'm fairly confident I'm going to win again, at least between the two of us.
Ultimately it is whatever works for you but I'll stand by calorie counting over worrying about carbs any day.6 -
Just my personal experience.
Last year at work we did a Biggest Loser Challenge. I've lost weight before (even getting down to my goal weight) so I know what works for me. I counted every calorie that went into my mouth.
My friend also participated and decided to try Keto but very loosely counted her calories.
Guess who won. . .
(Spoiler alert)
It was me. I beat her by 4%.
Neither of us really stuck to our diets over the last year and I gained about 5 lbs back of the 25lbs I lost. She gained all of her weight back.
We are doing another biggest loser challenge this year. She's doing the keto thing again. And I'm counting my calories again. I'm fairly confident I'm going to win again, at least between the two of us.
Ultimately it is whatever works for you but I'll stand by calorie counting over worrying about carbs any day.
For some people, keto can be a perfectly valid way to eat. The key is sustainability for that individual. If it fits their preferences and they are happy and satisfied on it, it can work fine over time.
If someone is just using as a quick fix, like it sounds like you coworker was/is, the likelihood of regaining and essentially yoyo-ing is high.1 -
Eat all the food groups, but just stay within your calories (either by burning more, eating less, or a combination of both).
If you are exercising regularly, you need more carbs to fuel your workouts. Good carbs (veggies), not bad carbs (pizza).
But if you exercise a lot like me there is certainly nothing wrong with have "some" pizza.7 -
Hi this may be a dumb question, but how important is it to remain within your carb limit? I stay within my calorie limit. Has anyone had success ignoring their carbs and paying attention to only calories and vice versa? I am not interested in Keto or fad diets. I obviously like carbs a bit too much.
Calories drive weight management...they are the unit of energy that fuels your body. Carbs are just one of three macro-nutrients...outside of certain medical conditions, they don't really matter for weight management.3 -
OldAssDude wrote: »Eat all the food groups, but just stay within your calories (either by burning more, eating less, or a combination of both).
If you are exercising regularly, you need more carbs to fuel your workouts. Good carbs (veggies), not bad carbs (pizza).
But if you exercise a lot like me there is certainly nothing wrong with have "some" pizza.
I think defining “good” carbs as veggies only is really short-sighted. Plenty of good carbs in whole grains, beans, legumes and even dairy products. And pizza is mostly fat (think cheese).
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OldAssDude wrote: »Eat all the food groups, but just stay within your calories (either by burning more, eating less, or a combination of both).
If you are exercising regularly, you need more carbs to fuel your workouts. Good carbs (veggies), not bad carbs (pizza).
But if you exercise a lot like me there is certainly nothing wrong with have "some" pizza.
I think defining “good” carbs as veggies only is really short-sighted. Plenty of good carbs in whole grains, beans, legumes and even dairy products. And pizza is mostly fat (think cheese).
Plus pizza is great workout fuel.
(Source: Myself, the person who eats lots of pizza the night before long runs).5 -
Bad carbs are things I don't like to eat. Cake is a bad carb. Pie is a good carb.
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