CARBS!!!!

Sid1988
Sid1988 Posts: 170 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am so confused about carbs, they are starting to be the bain of my diet life!

Daily i am averaging between 80 - 130 grams per day, I have been told i should only stick to 20grams and others have said what I am eating is absolutely fine. I mix them up, one day i could have a slice of brown bread, the next i will avoid it and get my carbs only from fruit. I like to say its fairly balanced.

I am averaging around 1400 calories per day, I am doing the 30 day shred daily with a brisk walk for 30 minutes each day - i understand you need carbs to fuel your workout...

So could other share their experiences with carbs; what has and hasn't worked for you and how many grams do you usually get per day?

Thank you! :)
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Replies

  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
    I don't think you have anything to worry about. As long as you get some exercise, the macros aren't that important (though Sat. Fat and Fructose have been shown in a negative light in a lot of studies).

    ETA: Yesterday I had 614 grams of carbs, and the day before I had 518, according to MFP reckoning, which is 66% and 63% of my calories on those days.
  • Jkn921
    Jkn921 Posts: 309 Member
    Moderation, if you're not able to see yourself maintaining a certain level of carbs for the remainder of your life - don't start.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Who told you to aim for 20g? That sounds like the induction phase of Atkins, which is VERY extreme.

    Carb sensitivity varies from one person to the next, so you will have to do some experimentation and see what works best for you.
    Around 100g per day would still be regarded by many as "low carb" - are you satisfied with the way things are? Are you losing weight? Do you find you have enough fuel for workouts?
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Has your GP, any NHS staff, a member of the British Dietetics Association or anyone with any nutritional qualifications whatsoever, ever said or written something that says you should be eating such a low carb diet?
  • bluetuesday5
    bluetuesday5 Posts: 99 Member
    The amount of carbs you need is proportional to how much intense exercise you are going to be doing. So I eat low carb (~100g) on my rest days and slightly higher (~200g) on weight training days.
  • gypsyone96
    gypsyone96 Posts: 61 Member
    It's different with everybody. Some do carb cycling (low and high carb days) and swear by that. I mean, there are so many different kinds of diets out there. I would just go with the carb intake MFP gives you, 20 grams sound a bit on the low side.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
    Make sure you hit your proteine daily intake... the rest is a funfest of carbs and fat!
    Carbs are not evil little things that make you fat nor do they make you loose weight if you don't eat any... (actually they do but it's fictional weight loss...). Knowledge is key - that's all.
  • supadeliux
    supadeliux Posts: 49 Member
    Personnally, I feel tired if I dont consume carbs. Carbs from bread, or corn flakes (breakfast), or 150 to 200gr of carbs at lunch!! your body need carbs!!! The best way to lose weight is doing sport and eating well! but having such low amount of carbs per day, wont help at all, Your body will absorb more when you will eat a high amount of carbs!!
    Good luck! ^^
  • dez_yaoichan
    dez_yaoichan Posts: 454
    You need to do what feels best for you. Your body knows better then any if us
    Who told you to aim for 20g? That sounds like the induction phase of Atkins, which is VERY extreme.

    Actually its not a flat 20g
    An Atkins smack bar has say 17g crabs total. From that number you subtract dietary fiber (6g) and sugar alcoholics (9g). Which makes you net carbs 2g.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Carbs are fuel.
    I want to fuel my body.

    To my mind low-carb is just another fad.

    Lots of protein is important when eating at a deficit - it helps ensure you don't lose too much muscle.
    Having enough fat is also important.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03t8r4h

    The macros in your diary look reasonable. I'd probably aim for a bit more protein at the expense of a bit less carbs if you're sticking to that calorie limit personally, but wouldn't go as far as 20g.

    On low calorie days I do have very little carbs, but that's only because I'm trying to have lots of protein as I've got a reasonable bit of weight, some of it even muscle to maintain :).
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    i like carbs... i eat lots, every day... i am eating a sandwich as i type this...

    i get around 180-200g of carbs per day on 1800 cals (40%)
  • butlersoft
    butlersoft Posts: 219 Member
    Who told you to aim for 20g? That sounds like the induction phase of Atkins, which is VERY extreme.

    Carb sensitivity varies from one person to the next, so you will have to do some experimentation and see what works best for you.
    Around 100g per day would still be regarded by many as "low carb" - are you satisfied with the way things are? Are you losing weight? Do you find you have enough fuel for workouts?


    ^^^ this. I'm currently reducing my carbs. 100g-150g is ideal from a fat burning perspective (have a look at "Marks Daily Apple") ... and anything lower than 50g is going to be atkins like and possibly put the body into ketosis if sustained for a long period.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Who told you to aim for 20g? That sounds like the induction phase of Atkins, which is VERY extreme.

    Carb sensitivity varies from one person to the next, so you will have to do some experimentation and see what works best for you.
    Around 100g per day would still be regarded by many as "low carb" - are you satisfied with the way things are? Are you losing weight? Do you find you have enough fuel for workouts?


    ^^^ this. I'm currently reducing my carbs. 100g-150g is ideal from a fat burning perspective (have a look at "Marks Daily Apple") ... and anything lower than 50g is going to be atkins like and possibly put the body into ketosis if sustained for a long period.

    Did Mark say if this was applicable to both a competitive endurance cyclist and the sedentary quadriplegic obese?
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    I love my carbs - Especially bread!

    God if I lower my carbs too much, I would be weak, tired, and there is NO WAY I would be able to have any energy for a workout at the gym!


    I would be snoozing in bed hahaha!

    Up to 200g is good, I probably go over that every day........Oh well!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    The more important goals are protein and fats. Protein for muscle retention, fats for vitamin absorption and both for satiety. Ideally, you want to aim for around 1g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass and the rest can be carbs. The only time this should differ is when a medical condition is present, for example: women with PCOS tend to do well with carbs around 80-120g (might vary a little by the person).
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
    Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but when they suggest 20 g carbs, it's NET carbs, right? That's total carbs minus fiber?

    I've been struggling to get my net carbs under 100, and I didn't even think I was a carb nut.
  • Synamin
    Synamin Posts: 80 Member
    There are benefits to controlling carbs. If I eat simple carbs, I get blood sugar fluctuations and I am constantly hungry. Eating moderately low carbs and making sure those are the kind that come with fiber (apples, fiber cereal) helps balance my cravings and my crashes. I'm certain that I could not loss weight successfully without adopting this principle.

    A really good guide to see if carbs are a problem is to eat simple carbs first thing in the morning. If you are irritable and starving in two hours, you might need to avoid simple carbs, especially if you do not eat them combined with fiber and protein.
  • fboab
    fboab Posts: 4
    I'm a competetive endurance cyclist and I lose weight more consistently if I eat fewer carbs.
    Your carb consumption should match your exertion- you need very little once you're acclimitised to doing without. The biggest benefit for me of limiting carb consumption is that it reduces my hunger pangs, it's much easier to go hours without food- even while riding relatively hard. I lose weight with a higher calorie intake if that intake is mostly fat- and that's mostly saturated fat. I aim for 100g of protein a day and less than 60g of carbs, with the remaining calories coming from fat. Training yourself to burn fat for fuel is a skill that many endurance athletes are learning. You do that by limiting carbs and forcing your body into nutritional ketosis. This isn't 'new' and it's certainly not undisputed and but it probably isn't necessary or desirable for everyone.
    We're all an experiment of 1, after all. Unless you have an identical twin there's no one else with exactly your genes. We don't all grow to the same height, we wont all settle at the same weight, we wont all 'need' the same level of fat/carb/protein.
  • bradXdale
    bradXdale Posts: 399
    Carbs are fuel.
    I want to fuel my body.

    To my mind low-carb is just another fad.

    Lots of protein is important when eating at a deficit - it helps ensure you don't lose too much muscle.
    Having enough fat is also important.

    This

    Poor carbohydrates, they have gotten such a bad rep :(
  • staveshabr
    staveshabr Posts: 74 Member
    when i first seen this my mind read CRABS!!!!
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    On Carbs, my usual link:
    http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-science-of-nutrition-is-a-carb-a-carb.html
    >> Low glycemic load diets are good for your health if you’re initially unhealthy (like obese or diabetic), but in healthy populations there was no effect. This is an example of a ceiling effect. You can’t fix what isn’t broken, so if you’re already healthy, eating ‘healthy’ foods at some point stops making you even healthier.<<
    when i first seen this my mind read CRABS!!!!
    Me too.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Who told you to aim for 20g? That sounds like the induction phase of Atkins, which is VERY extreme.

    Carb sensitivity varies from one person to the next, so you will have to do some experimentation and see what works best for you.
    Around 100g per day would still be regarded by many as "low carb" - are you satisfied with the way things are? Are you losing weight? Do you find you have enough fuel for workouts?


    ^^^ this. I'm currently reducing my carbs. 100g-150g is ideal from a fat burning perspective (have a look at "Marks Daily Apple") ... and anything lower than 50g is going to be atkins like and possibly put the body into ketosis if sustained for a long period.

    A deficit is the only thing ideal for fat loss. You can eat 100-150g of carbs a day, but if you are in a surplus, you won't be losing fat... you will be gaining new fat. Now from a diet adherence standpoint, it may be beneficial as it increases ones consumption of protein and fats which increase satiety and help with muscle retention, but from a purely weight loss perspective, lowering carbs just decrease glycogen/water storage.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    I hear ya. I have read countless posts about Carbs...and I am told not to worry about them, but it is hard when I feel like I eat way too many. Yesterday I ate 200g (1400 calorie a day). But some days I don't eat a lot.

    So what has helped me is looking at my weekly totals. I'm usually right around my weekly totals for Carbs when I look at the 7 day week as a whole.
  • vslnrunner
    vslnrunner Posts: 164 Member
    I do not eat a lot of carbs because I have found this is what works best for me. I'm happiest, healthiest and least ravenous when I eat higher amounts of fat and protein than carbs.
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but when they suggest 20 g carbs, it's NET carbs, right? That's total carbs minus fiber?

    I've been struggling to get my net carbs under 100, and I didn't even think I was a carb nut.

    New Atkins and in general, yes, NET carbs (which is carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols). Old school Atkins was total carbs. I wouldn't consider 100 net carbs, or even 125 net carbs to be someone who is a carb nut. Percentage wise, let's say you're eating 1500 cals a day and consuming 100 net carbs, that's only about 26% of your daily calories from net carbs (which, obviously, using total carbs it would up that percentage, but even so I don't consider that to be very high at all)
  • EJsMummy26
    EJsMummy26 Posts: 101 Member
    I keep my refined carbs down because it seems to make me more hungry and have cravings. When I do I try to choose whole grain pasta, brown rice, whole grain bread, crackers, etc. I do eat bananas and fruit as well. I stick with protein to keep me full most of the time.

    I'm attempting to eat clean, to avoid processed food, there are not tons of options out there for those less healthy carbs.
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    Carbs deserve their bad rap. Look around you at the size of the people who eat a lot of them.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Carbs deserve their bad rap. Look around you at the size of the people who eat a lot of them.

    Thats a very gross generalization that doesn't hold any merit. People don't get obese from carbs, they get obese from too much food... that includes fats protein and carbs. In fact, many of us on the forums are rather fit and eat 200g+ of carbs each day. I am 15% body fat and still losing weight and I average 280gs.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Presuming a troll, but...
    Carbs deserve their bad rap. Look around you at the size of the people who eat a lot of them.
    u32_G2G-start.jpg
    Yea. Bloody weirdos.

    Me; 232 today and on over 1000 calorie deficit still with 188 protein. 372 yesterday with a small deficit. Losing weight steadily AND getting fitter.
  • MissMollyMN
    MissMollyMN Posts: 74

    Actually its not a flat 20g
    An Atkins smack bar has say 17g crabs total. From that number you subtract dietary fiber (6g) and sugar alcoholics (9g). Which makes you net carbs 2g.

    I didn't know Atkins bars had crabs. Heheehee

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