Carbs with lowest calories?

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Manso2019
Manso2019 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, am only new to this and as I am T1 diabetic I need a certain amount of carbs with my insulin but this is coming up that am going over my carbs for the days though still have calories left? And advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Replies

  • meganpettigrew86
    meganpettigrew86 Posts: 349 Member
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    Don't stress about the carb vs protein balance it's not right for everyone. Calorie in vs calorie out is key.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,944 Member
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    All carbs are four calories per gram.

    You may have been using some food database entries that are incorrectly entered. The database is user/crowd-sourced. If you are hitting all your macros but have calories left, that is likely why.

    Here, this will help you vet your choices:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10621050/how-to-use-the-usda-food-database-mfp-food-database-for-accurate-logging/p1

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,944 Member
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    If your question is how to eat fewer carbs in general? Less grains, less fruit, low sugar, unsweetened yogurts, eat lots of non-starchy vegetables and lean protein.

    Maybe go to Diabetes.org and check out their food suggestions, they have all kinds of good stuff on their website. Otherwise it's just education and practice.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
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    meganpettigrew86 wrote: »
    Don't stress about the carb vs protein balance it's not right for everyone. Calorie in vs calorie out is key.

    Except she said she is diabetic.

    OP - are you under calories as well as fat and protein? cmriverside gave some good advice about finding foods that are higher in the other macros which could help you reach your goals.
  • nooboots
    nooboots Posts: 480 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    All carbs are four calories per gram.

    You may have been using some food database entries that are incorrectly entered. The database is user/crowd-sourced. If you are hitting all your macros but have calories left, that is likely why.

    Here, this will help you vet your choices:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10621050/how-to-use-the-usda-food-database-mfp-food-database-for-accurate-logging/p1

    Im interested in what you've said here, can you explain a bit more. I thought the 'macros' were the percentages not the grams per se of what you have eaten, have I misunderstood this?

    I often have carbs left and calories left at the end of a day but always go over my fat levels. Does this indicate the data is wrong?
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited May 2019
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    Macronutrient = carbs, fat, and protein. You can track them for gram goals or percentages (I care about grams, not the percentages personally, but I also don't care about carbs vs. fat, only protein).

    It's certainly possible to have carbs and calories left and be over fat. What should not happen is hitting or exceeding all the macros and being under calories, as the macros make up the calories.

    The percentages don't matter much unless you were told to eat in a particular way. For OP specifically, if you are worried about going over carbs just because of the default setting and weight loss, then it's not an issue. One benefit of focusing on grams, not percentages, is that the percentages aren't going to say how much you've consumed if you go way over or under the planned calories. People with T2D (I know you have type 1) may be told to eat no more than a certain number of carbs per meal.

    Are you concerned about being over carbs due to medical advice, or just because MFP is telling you you are over?
  • nooboots
    nooboots Posts: 480 Member
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    Ok, that makes sense, I thought you were saying that any of the macros that were left over meant the data was wrong. I see mine are set to grams anyway.
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    Manso2019 wrote: »
    Hi, am only new to this and as I am T1 diabetic I need a certain amount of carbs with my insulin but this is coming up that am going over my carbs for the days though still have calories left? And advice would be greatly appreciated.

    What about Celery, lettuce etc? Low carbs, low calories
  • zeejane4
    zeejane4 Posts: 230 Member
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    OP will your insurance cover an appointment with a dietitian? That might be a good place to start.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    T2 diabetic here. You have to replace some of your carb choices with protein. It is easier to balance your day by including protein in every meal, every snack.

    I found that an egg in the morning gave me stellar blood sugar numbers all day. Another breakfast choice might be Greek yogurt.

    Snack choices might include half a protein bar, edamame beans, peanuts, apple with PB or hard cheese, or a cottage cheese cup.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited May 2019
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    I could be wrong, but I'm not reading OP (who is T1) as saying she needs to reduce carbs for medical reasons. I'm understanding her as saying that based on her diet she needs to eat a certain amount of carbs with insulin, and that is causing her to go over the MFP default goal. If it's a medical issue that she hasn't already received help with a dietitian is a good idea, but I think she's just worried about the default goal.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Good point @lemurcat2 . If going over calories while sticking to the minimum carbs is making her go over, then there are a few alternatives.

    1. Reduce the insulin (under supervision)
    2. Reduce fats or proteins to stay under goal.
    3. Set a less ambitious calorie target so there is more room

    Bottom line, enough carbs are needed to keep the blood sugars in balance. That trumps any calorie goal.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    All carbs are four calories per gram.

    You may have been using some food database entries that are incorrectly entered. The database is user/crowd-sourced. If you are hitting all your macros but have calories left, that is likely why.

    Here, this will help you vet your choices:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10621050/how-to-use-the-usda-food-database-mfp-food-database-for-accurate-logging/p1

    Some labels will count fiber as only 2 carbs I thought. Not sure if it is specific countries or what.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Fiber is essentially indigestible carbs. So they can’t be counted by an insulin dependent diabetic because they need a minimum number of carbs to match their insulin intake.
  • Manso2019
    Manso2019 Posts: 3 Member
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    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Macronutrient = carbs, fat, and protein. You can track them for gram goals or percentages (I care about grams, not the percentages personally, but I also don't care about carbs vs. fat, only protein).

    It's certainly possible to have carbs and calories left and be over fat. What should not happen is hitting or exceeding all the macros and being under calories, as the macros make up the calories.

    The percentages don't matter much unless you were told to eat in a particular way. For OP specifically, if you are worried about going over carbs just because of the default setting and weight loss, then it's not an issue. One benefit of focusing on grams, not percentages, is that the percentages aren't going to say how much you've consumed if you go way over or under the planned calories. People with T2D (I know you have type 1) may be told to eat no more than a certain number of carbs per meal.

    Are you concerned about being over carbs due to medical advice, or just because MFP is telling you you are over?

    Mfp is telling me am over but I need to eat more carbs with my insulin. I mite try reducing my insulin a bit so that not need as many carbs and see how I get on thanks.
  • Manso2019
    Manso2019 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks everyone, learning curve lol.
  • clayelliott847
    clayelliott847 Posts: 125 Member
    edited May 2019
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    I am Type 2 with a recent A1C of 10.5. The endocrinologist put me Insulin and that has lowered my glucose a lot. For low carb learn to avoid things like pasta, Mac and cheese, bread, potatoes and soda. Starchy and sugary things.

    Things to eat that are low carb, are meat, chicken, green vegetables.

    You may have to pay for an MFP membership to change it to a carb goal.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    Manso2019 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Macronutrient = carbs, fat, and protein. You can track them for gram goals or percentages (I care about grams, not the percentages personally, but I also don't care about carbs vs. fat, only protein).

    It's certainly possible to have carbs and calories left and be over fat. What should not happen is hitting or exceeding all the macros and being under calories, as the macros make up the calories.

    The percentages don't matter much unless you were told to eat in a particular way. For OP specifically, if you are worried about going over carbs just because of the default setting and weight loss, then it's not an issue. One benefit of focusing on grams, not percentages, is that the percentages aren't going to say how much you've consumed if you go way over or under the planned calories. People with T2D (I know you have type 1) may be told to eat no more than a certain number of carbs per meal.

    Are you concerned about being over carbs due to medical advice, or just because MFP is telling you you are over?

    Mfp is telling me am over but I need to eat more carbs with my insulin. I mite try reducing my insulin a bit so that not need as many carbs and see how I get on thanks.

    Assuming that's fine with your doctor, I think that's a totally reasonable approach, but I'll say again that MFP's default macro settings (particularly carbs and fat) are not a real nutrition recommendation or relevant to weight loss, unless they cause you to go over calories.

    If you stick to the cals and get enough protein, it's okay to be lower in fat and higher in carbs or vice versa for weight loss. It's basically just a starting point. (I used to go over my fat every day and just changed the fat goal.)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,606 Member
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    Actually for glycemic purposes you can reduce the effect of starchy carbs by cooking and cooling. The carbs change structure and behave like a resistant starch which reduces digestability so that for all intents and purposes only 2 kcal per gram are actually absorbed by the body.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29629761
    https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritionscience/nutrients-food-and-ingredients/resistant-starch.html
    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/resistant-starch-101#health-benefits

    For pasta, potatoes and rice the key is cooking, cooling, then reheating to create resistant starch. For bread, freeze then toast for the same effect.

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