Carbs

Dragonwolf

Thanks Amylg05. I do eat brown rice but unfortunately my tastebuds have a definite aversion to most vegetables...especially green ones!lol

I am going to try the sweet potato wedges tho...thanks again

Keep trying new veggies.....cook them differently. Tastes change. Veggies will help you lower carbs if you need to.

One example.....there is a world of difference from canned green beans and fresh (steamed) ones. Try roasting veggies in the oven, add a little olive oil & garlic. Cauliflower is really good roasted. Grill asparagus. Grate carrots into sauces (chili, spaghetti) ....you'll hardly notice. Different methods will change flavors and textures.

Grilled asparagus = heaven.

skrlec70

Im allowed 150 a day, which is awesome for me as I rarely ate them, I go rather low during the day, a kashi bar or a slice of toast as im hungry at night, I still have 50 left after dinner, all the good stuff unfortunately has a lot in them, and I always go over my protein also which annoys me, I had ground turkey today 1 cup, and now tonight 2 turkey sausages, some yogurt and poof im over my protein are you kidding me ??!?! lol

Anonycatgirl

Im allowed 150 a day, which is awesome for me as I rarely ate them, I go rather low during the day, a kashi bar or a slice of toast as im hungry at night, I still have 50 left after dinner, all the good stuff unfortunately has a lot in them, and I always go over my protein also which annoys me, I had ground turkey today 1 cup, and now tonight 2 turkey sausages, some yogurt and poof im over my protein are you kidding me ??!?! lol

It's fine to be over your protein--it's a goal, not a limit. A lot of people here would tell you it's set pretty low anyway. I usually have a hard time getting to my protein goal rather than over it, but I'm not all that fond of slabs of meat--and I can't afford lots of slabs of fish.

Dragonwolf

Why restrict carbs? Carbs just so happen to be the main calorie source found in human food.

People who restrict those foods have higher risk of all cause mortality. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1240623-fruit-n-veg-more-reduced-risk-or-all-cause-mortality

Carbs are delicious!!!

Ok does anyone else just want to eat this whole thing?

Glad I'm not the only one!

Definitely not the only one. Save for the blackberries, that's a bowl full of my favorite fruits. Provided they've been obtained in season (seriously, ever have any of those out of season? ick).

marcusriedner

I don't have too hard a time finding low carb foods. Here's a primer list:

Butter, bacon, cheese, coconut oil, steak, chicken thighs, pork rinds, lard, ground beef, ground pork, lettuce, kale, chard, spinach, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, green beans, bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, eggs, duck breast, lamb, snow peas, mushrooms, dandelion greens, collard greens, bok choi...

I avoid food in a box, processed foods are always made with filler (cheap grains and corn based carbohydrates). I don't eat potatoes/rice/pasta/bread. Though I do find that when I eat a lot of nuts and seeds that it is pretty tough to stay below the 50g/day line.

hmaddpear

Why restrict carbs? Carbs just so happen to be the main calorie source found in human food.

People who restrict those foods have higher risk of all cause mortality. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1240623-fruit-n-veg-more-reduced-risk-or-all-cause-mortality

Carbs are delicious!!!

Ok does anyone else just want to eat this whole thing?

Just pass me the bucket of natural greek yogurt and I'm set!!! (So's the yogurt...)

Dragonwolf

The reason for limiting carbs is only because I am trying to stay within the limits that the MFP calculated that I should eat.

I'm not averse to carbs...on reading my diary it's clear that I like them rather a lot!lol

Everyday my carbs and protein are maxed out...so can't add anymore meat either!

I like home made oven chips with steak, mushrooms and onions, I love wholewheat pasta with a homemade tomato based sauce.

I take salad wraps (love salad!) in whole wheat tortilla wraps to work...so I don't think my diet is unhealthy?

Its just that they add up and take me over my limit of carbs. Healthy eating, fruit...natures Skittles would be about my all time favourite desert/snack but yet the sugar is massively high!

However, reading this makes me think that ppl are just using the MFP calculated amounts as a guideline rather than a limit to not go above...I may adopt that approach and see how it goes.

1200 calories is what MFP stated and this is my first time of counting calories so am attempting to follow what it states. I actually thought that 1.6 lbs was a small amount??

I will look at the calorie amount again and read up a little more...don't want to be slim and unhealthy...my lack of fitness is down to illnesses, meds and a sedentary lifestyle. I'm on here to help myself be healthier, not to make myself worse.

Thanks everyone btw...interesting reading on here

Try the 1lb/week goal. At 5'9"ish you should be able to eat far more than 1200, even sedentary, and still lose weight. Don't worry, it's a common newbie mistake on here, in part because the media perpetuates an unrealistic weight loss rate expectation with all its talk of "lose 10lbs in just one week!" and other garbage. You didn't put the weight on overnight, so don't expect it to come off overnight, either. Yeah, it seems like a long time, but 50lbs at 1lb/week means you'll be down to your goal weight in just about a year. That's not really a long time in the grand scheme of things.

As a couple of others mentioned, you can easily stay under 150g of carbs by avoiding/limiting things that are high in sugar or made with grains. So the spaghetti, for example, you have a couple of options - make the spaghetti a side dish to something like fish or steak, or use spaghetti squash for the noodles (this is all kinds of awesome, btw). In either case, you not only lower your carbs, but you increase the (per calorie) nutrient density of the meal.

Yes, that means less fruit....kind of. Berries are low sugar nutritional powerhouses. You'd be surprised how many of them you can eat without overdoing the carbs.

As for macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein), a lot of veteran users do it this way:

Protein - about 1g/lb (.5g/kg) of lean body mass, try to get at least your goal.
Fat - at least .35g/lb of total bodyweight, try to get at least that
Carbs - depends on individual needs. If you don't have any reasons for restricting carbs, then fill in the remaining calories with carbs and fat as you see fit. If you're looking to restrict carbs, most restrictions are set gram amounts, so however many grams you're limited to and fill the rest in with fat. In carb restricted scenarios, this is an upper limit that you try to not exceed. If you're not restricting, then the limit doesn't matter as long as the conditions for fat and protein are met.

If you're not restricting carbs and you do it the "fill in as fit" method, keep an eye on your hunger levels. If you find yourself struggling to stay under your calorie goal, make sure you're not getting too much sugar, and consider lowering your carb goal and increasing fat. A lot of people find that by doing that, they can control their hunger a lot better.

JoT2013

I changed my weight loss target this morning to 1lb a week and my calorie goal has gone up by 300 cals a day, which I am going to use for Natures Skittles...unfortunately I don't think that the pic shown is less than 300 cals but I can't have everything! Lol ;-D

Thanks everyone...my true newbie self has come out in all it's glory and the advice given has been very helpful.

In regards to a post saying no pasta/bread/potatoes etc...seriously?!! I would be heartbroken and sobbing in a corner but each to their own lol

Veg...still evil...sorry lol

Time2LoseWeightNOW

Neenmfp

I'm having the same problem.... Breakfast today after an 80 minute fast walk was 2 poached eggs on two very small slices of wholemeal bread and 2 large vine tomatoes having had 1 small banana before my walk to give me energy so far today my carb intake is 59%..... 9% over my daily target

HELP!

Onedayslimmfp

Why restrict carbs? Carbs just so happen to be the main calorie source found in human food.

People who restrict those foods have higher risk of all cause mortality. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1240623-fruit-n-veg-more-reduced-risk-or-all-cause-mortality

Carbs are delicious!!!

Ok does anyone else just want to eat this whole thing?

Just pass me the bucket of natural greek yogurt and I'm set!!! (So's the yogurt...)

Just thinking the same thing, delicious!

RHachicho

From my experience there is no reason to freak out about total carb intake. Just be careful not to spike your system with too many carbs faster than you can burn them off. Having a decent amount of carbs after a workout is actually a pretty decent idea. Because your system will burn them almost immidiateley. However if your going to eat donuts and then sit around afterwards expect it to go straight to your waistline. Same for anything really. I'm not advocating some robot diet. But understand the worst mistakes you can make and avoid them and you wont go far wrong. My advice ..

Try to schedule your treats after or one hour before exercise. A long walk totally counts.

Do not eat carbs or anything else if you can avoid it 1 - 2 hours before your sleep.

Try not to eat carbs on their own. They burn too fast and you will soon be hungry again. This is why people often get hungry again soon after eating Asian food which is usually served with lots of noodles or rice and high carb sauces and batters.

Try to keep carb amounts in a single sitting under 50g, 30g if you can. This will help but is not the end of the world.

If you are constantly tired trying to exercise .. eat something with carbs in it .. and protein. Milk is great.

All that said I don't even obey those rules ALL the time. In the end an overall calorie deficit will result in weight loss. But following these rules can help it happen faster.

QuietBloom

My general strategy is to focus on reaching my protein goal (1g/kg body weight), next I try to hit my fat macro and fiber. This means I must make careful choices about what I choose to eat. It is extremely difficult with only 1200 calories to play around with. Are you sure you need to be that low to lose weight?

QuietBloom

I'm having the same problem.... Breakfast today after an 80 minute fast walk was 2 poached eggs on two very small slices of wholemeal bread and 2 large vine tomatoes having had 1 small banana before my walk to give me energy so far today my carb intake is 59%..... 9% over my daily target

HELP!

What are your stats? Are you eating your exercise calories back?

GingerPeachLass

I am insulin resistant and can not eat a lot of carbs per day, I use diabetic exchanges most of the time. Also, check the Atkins website, they have a food list on phase 1 that gives all vegetables that are low in carbs. Phase 2 and 3 slowly add carbs back into the diet until you find the amount your body can handle without gaining. You do need some carbs in your diet though. Also, I eat around 1800 calories on average active days and around 2300 calories on the days I am sparring or in the ring boxing.

Sabine_Stroehm

If it were me: I'd aim to eat a bit more, you want to be able to do this for a while, and would try for 40% carbs (unless you're diabetic, insulin resistant, in menopause, or have PCOS, or some other medical condition whereby you're attempting to limit the amount or type of carbs).

start here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

dejamom

I have the same problems I think its the calories limit at 1200 I seem to do better at 1300-1400 with excercise....I just started this week at 173 and am down to 169 so far will keep at it plan on eating bacon eggs and pork skins

Unknown

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Neenmfp

I weigh 14 stone at the moment I'm exercising once a day (a fast long walk), loosing about 532 calories in the 80 minutes it takes. Yes I'm eating the calories back - shouldn't I be....?

Dragonwolf

I'm having the same problem.... Breakfast today after an 80 minute fast walk was 2 poached eggs on two very small slices of wholemeal bread and 2 large vine tomatoes having had 1 small banana before my walk to give me energy so far today my carb intake is 59%..... 9% over my daily target

HELP!

So eat more fat and protein at your other meals. The percentages can balance out over the course of a day (or even week), even if your per-meal percentages are off. A lot of people eat meals that are a different macro balance throughout the day, such as more carbs or protein in the meal immediately prior to or following a workout, and higher-fat meals the rest of the day for steady energy.

That said, I am in the camp with some of the others that have said to limit or eliminate breads and such if you're looking to limit carbs. They're quite a bit of carbs for not a lot of other nutrients (that you can't get more readily from other sources). Try turning those poached eggs into an omelet and cut the tomato into it, maybe add a little cheese and other veggies (such as peppers, spinach, mushrooms, etc), and only have one piece of toast with some high-quality butter on it. Also, keep mind that tomatoes are kind of sugary as far as vegetables go, so perhaps trade one in for a different vegetable, even if you don't go the omelet route.

TR0berts

Yeah, lazy American here too early for math

Carbs = not bad

1200 calories = not enough

1 stone = 14lb so that is about 50lbs
1cm = appx 2.5 inches so 174cm is about 5 ft 8 or 9

1.6lbs a week is to fast try for 1lb a week...

1200 calories is not enough and it's not about the types of food you eat it's about the quantity.

Eat at a reasonable deficet...

ETA: Canadian and it's mid morning so my brain is functioning.

You sure about that? :laugh:

1 inch = 2.54 cm, so pretty close 174/2.54 = 68.5 inches, so 5'8.5"

Not sure how I missed this for so long. But she got the units backwards. Hence, I was asking if she was sure her brain was functioning properly.

bethcondon

Once you become more aware of how many carbs things have (and how many CALORIES!), you can start replacing high carb items with smarter choices. Try "light" bread (pepperidge farm light wheat bread is 45 cal/slice), and low-carb tortillas to make wraps (half the calories of regular tortillas). Try having one slice of toast with more eggs, rather than 2 slices of toast. I agree with the person who said put less grain/pasta on your plate and more meat/veggies. I try to limit myself to 1/2 cup of pasta or rice with mostly chunky homemade sauce or stir fry with lots of protein & veggies.

The brand of yogurt you eat matters, too. Fage Greek yogurt has twice the protein of other brands. Add your own fruit & a little honey and it will have a lot less carbs than sweetened yogurt.