MFP says to eat 300g of carbs a day

Stronger_Diva · August 2013

I just read through all of the posts... wow some are so down to the penny. I don't have enough time to pull out my algebra scales just to eat at every meal.

I do not eat sugary foods, ever. But that's just me because I cannot control the cravings that come with them. Simple enough, but I do eat carbohydrates. Most are healthy, some aren't as much. But, so what?

I guess in all the years I've been "dieting" (which I never do anymore) when I get to do all or nothing I end up going off the deep end. Carbs aren't the enemy. Fats aren't the enemy. Too many calories is.

Good luck to us all!

fatfudgery · August 2013

Yes, for everyone. Every. One. Your mouth is not a trans-dimensional vortex past which the laws of thermodynamics magically cease to apply.

paleojoe · August 2013

I am not disputing the laws of thermodynamics. Any "diet", when it works, works because it creates a calorie deficit... we know this. Calories matter, hormones matter as well. At 370lbs, there is a lot of metabolic damage that needs to be undone first. 300 grams of carbs for someone who has about 200lbs to lose is not metabolized the same way as 300 grams of carbs for someone with say 10lbs to lose.

tmpecus78 · August 2013

Dr. OZ hahahahahaha what a complete joke!

CyberEd312 · August 2013

I don't agree and I am basing this totally of personal experience here but that 370 lb. person was probably consuming a heck of a lot more than 300 grams of carbs at that weight... I was consuming over 10,000 calories a day at 560 lbs. and my Dietician did the math based of what I told her my daily food intake was and at that time I was consuming over 1200 grams of carbs a day (easily) so dropping my carb intake (once I started my 2500 calories meal plan and a 40/30/30 macro split) down to 250 grams a day was essentially Low carbing from a stand point of where I was coming down from... I never ate below that amount of carbs and as my exercise increased (I couldn't even walk back then) so increased my carb intake.. I ate over 300 grams of carbs through the majority of my weight loss...

paleojoe · August 2013

Hey that's a great transformation! Also a great point, from where you were starting from it was in a sense a low carb diet. That said, I don't think we are too far off from each other on this.

LAW_714 · August 2013

^ This.

^This

People want a simple, pat answer. But, sorry, bodies aren't simple.

If you are carrying a substantial amount of excess weight over a protracted period of time, guess what. There's a good chance that you've screwed up your metabolism. You've very likely exposed your body to very high levels of insulin for a long time. Over time this causes both insulin resistance and leptin resistance, both of which mess with a number of things in your body and if unaddressed for a yet longer extended period of time can lead to even worse metabolic problems including Type II diabetes. In such cases, weight loss in general helps. Also helpful is lowering blood suger loads/demands for insulin. You quite possibly need to reduce the amount of insulin circulating in your blood stream and to do that you either need to regularly deplete your glycogen stores through exercise or reduce your demand for insulin (and given the insulin resistence it may take a substantial reduction to cause a real change... that needs to occur). It works better if you can do both of these things.

On the other hand, if you're lean and regularly depleting your glycogen stores, you're most probably not dealing with having your leptin and insulin out of whack and you need to replenish your glycogen stores. Carbs are the most efficient way to do that. Protein can, but it's more complicated to do so and is less efficient. Depending on protein to do so will reduce athletic performance. So if you're doing high loads of exercise you need more carbohydrates than a sedentary person. You're body is actively using.

Everyone needs to maintain balance. If you're using your carbs efficiently, you need to consume them such that they maintain balance with your demands for them. High exercise needs more carbs. On the other hand an overweight, sedentary person who does not efficiently deplete energy and glycogen stores, needs to lower their insulin production, and to do so most probably needs to reduce carbs and increase exercise until they've restored balance (if they still can. Diet and exercise can (in some cases) reverse insulin resistance, but if it's gone too far such that you're dealing with type II diabetes, that's a more extensive problem)

Basically these two different scenarios need different solutions. There are nuances involved.

Balance is what you need either way, but the way to achieve that balance differs based on where you're beginning and what you are doing.

If your metabolism is already screwed up, you may have somewhat different needs than an active person trying to lean, bulk-up, or lose 10lbs.

Sounds like that should be obvious, but people continue to want simple, ubiquitous answers when the truth is that answers will vary based on individual needs -- including their medical history, their weight, their age, their hormones, and their activity level/exercise routine.

scottaworley · August 2013

Dr. Oz is a reliable source. Did you go to medical school? Do you have a television show? Are you a gazillionaire? Didn't think so.

tmpecus78 · August 2013

Not posting nonsense. 30g of carbs a day? Weight loss should not be FAST. You don't get fat over night, so you should attempt to loose fat FAST.

scottaworley · August 2013

I gained 5 pounds in one day once, so yes I did get fat over night.

paleojoe · August 2013

You did not gain 5 pounds of fat overnight...

tmpecus78 · August 2013

Do I have a tv show? lol Extremely weak argument man. The whole good carb/bad carb debate is a utter joke. While some carbs have a higher glycemic index numbers then others, they are still just carbs and eat them for energy. In fact you will get the same amount of energy from eating 1g of white rice that you will get from eating 1g of oats. The truth if the matter is not in what type of carb you eat, but more in HOW much you eat.

tmpecus78 · August 2013

THIS ^^

tworthen79 · August 2013

Gaining 5 lbs over night is consuming 17, 500 cals over your maintenance. Yeah, not likely.

tmpecus78 · August 2013

You gained 5 pound of FAT overnight? No way in hell.

pittdan77 · August 2013

If you're able to see a dietician, they can help you with what your targets should be. Especially if you have a health problem that needs to be addressed.

It's also worth noting that the quality of the carbs you eat is important too.

scottaworley · August 2013

Come on guys... This is really way too easy.

lilRicki · August 2013

can we please stop quoting, it's starting to get on my nerves...just quote the last statement, we all get the joke

landodewd · August 2013

I live in the "boonies" and we have a garden and raise or have friends that raise the cows, pigs etc. I also hunt so I mostly eat deer, elk, duck , pheasant and fish caught out of the stream. But fast food came into my little town a few years back and destroyed my life. I drink only water now and gave up the junk food (Chips, cookies, pie, etc) and try to only eat homegrown when I can. I still eat processed foods but I "try" to stay away. I usually workout twice a day for 30 minutes at a time. I have had 4 heart surgeries since birth so I have to kind of take it easy.

paleojoe · August 2013

Absolutely take it easy. For exercise, I would just walk as much as you can. Stick to whole real food that you can trace back to it's source. Judging by what you posted that should not be too hard. Just do your best and as Tony Horton says... forget the rest.

MFP says to eat 300g of carbs a day

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