BMI Loss

CourtneyChap3202

What foods can i eat to lower my BMI, ive been told by my nurse to stay away from Carbs?

yirara

In order to lose weight you need to eat less calories than your body needs to stay on the same weight. Doesn't matter whether you eat less carbs, fats or protein or a mix of all. The magic happens easiest when you manage to eat food that keeps you fullest and happiest while being in a calorie deficit. What makes you happy and full is something you need to figure out.

AnnPT77

Are you diabetic or insulin resistant? If so, it may be important to manage your carb intake. If that applies, I'd recommend you find specific guidance on managing that, such as from a credentialed diabetes educator or registered dietitian.

Other than that, carbs aren't the devil. I eat lots of carbs. I quite high carb even when losing weight, but the carbs were mostly nutrient dense carb sources like veggies, fruits, nonfat dairy foods without added sugar, whole grains, and that sort of thing.

Many people do reduce carbs in order to eat fewer calories. That's because many high-calorie, low-nutrient, not very filling foods are high in carbs (and often high in fats, too). I'm talking about things like sugary drinks (pop, sweet tea, sweetened coffee drinks, etc.); baked goods; candy; chips; etc.

There are research studies showing that people lose weight at about the same pace on either high carb or high fat diets, as long as protein intake is equated. (Why does protein need to be equated? Because protein is important, and because protein requires more calories to digest/metabolize than either carbs or fats. Different amounts of protein distort the weight loss results when comparing carbs vs. fats.)

It's calories that directly affect weight gain, loss or maintenance. Nutrition - including carbs - can affect weight indirectly. Sub-ideal nutrition can cause fatigue, so we burn fewer calories than we would with better nutrition. Sub-ideal nutrition can spike appetite, so we can't stick to a reasonable calorie goal. The direct effect is still via calories.

Some people find that higher carbs spike their appetite. They may do better with a lower carb eating routine. Other people find that low carbs tank their energy level. They may do better with a higher carb eating routine.

Apart from the comment above about diabetes/insulin resistance, what I'd suggest as foods to eat would be anything you enjoy eating, that keeps you mostly full and happy much of the time, ideally contributes to good overall nutrition on average, and adds up to a reasonable calorie level for your goals on average over a week.

For many people, foods like meat, fish, dairy, eggs, veggies, fruit and whole grains will be useful candidate foods. That doesn't mean "never eat treats", it means reasonable portions and frequencies for treat foods, making them "sometimes foods" not a large part of routine eating.

Best wishes!

Jthanmyfitnesspal

BMI is just (weight in kg) divided by (height in meters) squared. Since you can't really change your height, lowering BMI just means losing weight. This means eating fewer calories than you burn. The whole point of MFP— and we've all been through this— is to log everything you eat in order to get your intake below your burn. It works!

The guidelines for BMI are very broad. Higher BMIs (even above 25) do increase risk of various diseases, but if you are otherwise healthy, non-smoker, modest or no alcohol, and active, some of those risks are mitigated unless your BMI gets above 30, where increased BMI starts to have a clear risk. I write this (for the 100th time) to say that you don't need to get to a BMI of 20. Shoot for something reasonable and sustainable for you.

Best of luck!