Confused about Carbs

xomellyxo

Hi everyone, just wondering if someone could give me some advice about carbs?

I'm using mfp to get healthier, and secondarily to lose weight. I want to reap the benefits of fresh produce like good skin, increased energy and a healthy mind. I don't want to drop lots of weight quickly, nor do I want to restrict my diet.

I have done research and so try to stick to complex carbs, fruit and vegetables. (Although I've read that fruit counts as carbs too?!)
However, I almost always go over the amount mfp recommend (as shown in the pie-chart on the diary app). I'm wondering whether this is something I should address by maybe cutting out a portion of obvious carbs a day (pasta etc.)
Or, if it's perhaps fruit or something else which is upping the amount?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Mel x

Ps. Today's diary is probably a bad example of this as I know I've had a lot of 'obvious' carbs!
PPs. Sorry if this topic has been posted x

GauchoMark

first off, carbs aren't "bad" - even simple sugars are OK in moderation.

yes, fruit definitely counts as carbs!

that said, your body really doesn't NEED carbs from a nutrients standpoint. It needs a complete protein profile and some healthy fat.

So, if you set up your macronutrient goals so you get plenty of protein and fat and then set up the balance of your calories as carbs, you can pretty much eat whatever carbs you want until you run out of calories.

Also, MFP's protein goal is WAY low for maintaining muscle mass on a calorie deficit, so that needs to be changed if you haven't already.

melmckay99

There's a way to manually adjust your carb/fat/protein ratios in your settings on MFP. I think something around 40/30/30 is ideal for weight loss and is pretty sustainable. That being said, everyone is different and it's best not to stress out too much abuot it. If you are eating at a calorie deficit, you should be losing weight, no matter what the food type is. If you have other fitness/strength goals, then you might want to look into better optimization of your macros.

FindingMyPerfection

Your diary is closed, but many people don't realize how many carbs they regularly eat till they start tracking them. Carbs are a quick source of energy for the body and are burned up and used quickly. Protein is where we get our amino acids, these are the building blocks of our body and important. My suggestion to you is focus on hitting or exceeding your protein and fat requirements and as you do that your carb intake should go down to compensate.

xomellyxo

I absolutely need to up my protein, that's something I find difficult to work into my day. (I just aren't a massive fan of meat/eggs etc.) But I do try & eat at least one portion of lean meat or 'quorn' a day.

Macronutrient goals…? I don't even know what that means.
(Help!.. & thank you for your advice!)

xomellyxo

Ok, thank you, that sounds like something I can realistcally work on, I often go over the 'fat' amount anyway (I think from using olive oil in cook & snacking on seeds etc.)

FindingMyPerfection

Macronutrients are protein, fat, & carbs. All foods can be broken down into these 3 groups.
Protein & fat are considered essential and you should eat
~protein min 0.8g per lb of body weight (4cal per gram)
~fat min 0.45g per lb of body weight (9cal per gram)
~carbs as they fit in your leftover cal allowance (4 per gram)

GauchoMark

macronutrients, aka "macros" = carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

So you can figure that carbs and protein have about 4 cal/gram and fat has about 9 cal/gram. If you target a 1500 calorie diet weighing 150 lbs with a 25% BF (as an example) and you want to eat 1 gram protein/lb lean body mass and 0.35 g fat/lb BW with the remainder carbs, you would set your protein to 112g [BW*(1-%BF) = 150*(1-.25) = 112.5], fat to 53g [BW*.35 = 150*.35 = 52.5], and carbs at 145g [Calories - 4*Protein - 9* fat = 1500 - 4*112 - 9*53 = 145 ].

In MFP, they do it by percentage, so you have to monkey around with the percentages a little until you get close.

xomellyxo

Thank you FindingMyPerfection & GauchoMark. I'll have a look on my settings & see how I can alter it to fit better.

GauchoMark

by the way, meats aren't the only things that have protein. Dairy has quite a bit of good quality protein. Non fat Greek yogurt has about as much protein/calorie as most protein powders do.

brimin101

Your macros are protein, fat and carbs. Based off your BMR you should be getting at least .75-1g of protein per pound of body weight. at least 30% of your total daily calories should be fat, and the rest should be carbs. It's totally ok to go over on protein and fat; just don't get too crazy restrictive on the carbs. They are your body's main source of energy. Also add a cheat meal in every so often to let your body know it isn't being starved.

Focus on getting good complex carbs in your diet with a good amount of fiber; fruit which contains fructose, a simple sugar, is good for first waking up and right before a work out because the body doesn't need to break it down for use. Even after a workout fruit or some other simple sugar is beneficial to replace they glycogen used during the workout.

xomellyxo

I've opened a massive can of maths-based worms here havent I?!

Thank goodness for these forums cause I would never have known any of this!

GauchoMark

or just go here!
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

xomellyxo

Brilliant, thank you so much!