CARBS???
LaurieJ68
Posts: 22 Member
I would like to go to a low (not a NO) carb diet and would like to know how many grams of carbs I should shoot for in a day? I weight about 230. I want to eat fruits and veggies and maybe a small amount of carbs at dinner so I don't feel deprived completely of carbs. I need some advice! Again, not trying to get rid of carbs altogether. Just want to cut back on bread, rice and pasta, those kinds of carbs. I know there are many healthy whole grain carbs that I will use at dinner to satisfy my carb craving but want to know how much of that I should shoot for. Thanks!
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Replies
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That's really going to depend on your personal needs. I try to eat around 125 grams of carb a day, but I don't sweat it if I go over...or under. If I go too low I feel like garbage, if I go much higher than 175 on a regular basis I don't feel real well either.0
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My understanding is that if you eat very very little carbs (like barely touch them) your body will adopt a ketogenic metabolism and you will derive your energy from fat. If, however, you just eat very little carbs your body will still rely on carbs as its primary energy source and you will just feel deprived. I don't actually like or recommend ketogenic diets and I think people over-demonize carbs for no good reason.
Personally I'd say maybe replace some carbs with protein for satiation but I wouldn't go drastically low with your carbs or you will likely feel very lethargic and low energy and it will be hard to maintain.
If you are exercising at all low carb will make that very difficult to continue.0 -
30%-40% carbs is a great place to start for reducing body fat %. I've done 50/30/20 and 40/40/20 macros (protein/carb/fat) and they both work great.
Allan0 -
Seeing as how you are asking strangers on an internet forum - as opposed to your doctor/dietician - I'm going to assume that you aren't under a doctor's care/instructions to do this and don't have a medical need to go low-carb.
As such, it doesn't really matter. Pick a number. There's your answer.
If, however, you are under care to go low-carb, then ask your doctor/dietician.0 -
Play with your macros and find a number that works for you. There's no specific target for carbs like there is for, say, protein. If you're looking to do a ketogenic diet, there are stricter boundaries on your macros, but that's a bit beside the point since it doesn't sound like that's your plan. Set a target and see how that works out for a few weeks, then adjust as needed.0
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Cutting back on carbs ins't a bad idea but you have to make sure that you see the reduction in carbs as part of a broader alignment of how you approach food rather than just cut back on those evil, evil carbs and replace those calories with other unhealthy foods.
The first step is to have a good idea of the calories you need to meet your target. One of the best ways is to start with a TDEE calculator (a google search should get you a pretty decent sized list of them). Once you have that information, try to stick to this number for a week and see if you gain/lose/maintain your weight. If you're gaining weight, reduce the calories and try that for a week. If you are maintaining weight, then reduce the calories by 500 and use that as your bench mark. If you're losing weight then stick to that number and use it as your benchmark. Remember... there will never be a precise number and that number will change as your body and activity levels evolve. Also, trying to cut your calories TOO FAST will send your body into starvation mode which will actually slow down your weight loss efforts while making you weaker and slower.
Once you have your caloric estimate, start by estimating how much protein you should be consuming. A good rule of thumb is 1 g/lb. Assume that 1 gram of protein = 4 calories. Now, if you're 230 lb, you should have about 230 g of protein a day. If you're keeping track, that means that 920 of your calories should come from protein.
Next, you need to calculate your fat intake. Fats are actually really useful for weight reduction (though they are more dense from a caloric perspective). A good rule of thumb is to have 0.4 g per lb of body weight. That means that you should be having about 92g of fat a day. Assuming that each gram of fat - 9 calories, 828 of your daily calories will come from fats.
If you've calculated correctly, you still have a gap between how many calories you can eat and how many you'll fill with proteins and fats. THAT is your daily allowance for carbs. To calculate the grams of carbs you can eat, just divide the number of calories by 4 (the estimate for calories/g of carb).
Hope this helps.0 -
Why no carbs?
No carbs means no fun0 -
I do have a medical need to stay away from carbs. I have been still eating plenty of fruits and veggies every day. I also have the occasional grain but I'm gluten intolerant so it's easier to just stay away from bread and such when I'm out. I have been doing really well loosing consistently between 100-120g of carbs a day. I was a sugar/carb addict and a few months ago they were a huge part of my life but now I really don't even crave simple carbs. You really have to find the balance that's right for you and adjust. My macros were 40/30/30 for awhile and then 35/35/30 and recently changed to 30/35/35. I don't plan on lowering my carbs much more unless I have a long stall.0
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You could try www.marksdailyapple.com for advice on low carb diets.
I shoot for about 10 - 20% carbs.
Good luck0 -
Set a reasonable calorie deficit. Set your protein at ~1 g/lb lean body mass, and fat at ~0.4 g/lb LBM. The rest can be carbs or more fat/protein.
Losing weight is about a calorie deficit. Cutting carbs (like bread and pasta, soda etc) is usually a fairly simple way to help achieve that deficit.0 -
Cutting back on carbs ins't a bad idea but you have to make sure that you see the reduction in carbs as part of a broader alignment of how you approach food rather than just cut back on those evil, evil carbs and replace those calories with other unhealthy foods.
The first step is to have a good idea of the calories you need to meet your target. One of the best ways is to start with a TDEE calculator (a google search should get you a pretty decent sized list of them). Once you have that information, try to stick to this number for a week and see if you gain/lose/maintain your weight. If you're gaining weight, reduce the calories and try that for a week. If you are maintaining weight, then reduce the calories by 500 and use that as your bench mark. If you're losing weight then stick to that number and use it as your benchmark. Remember... there will never be a precise number and that number will change as your body and activity levels evolve. Also, trying to cut your calories TOO FAST will send your body into starvation mode which will actually slow down your weight loss efforts while making you weaker and slower.
Once you have your caloric estimate, start by estimating how much protein you should be consuming. A good rule of thumb is 1 g/lb. Assume that 1 gram of protein = 4 calories. Now, if you're 230 lb, you should have about 230 g of protein a day. If you're keeping track, that means that 920 of your calories should come from protein.
Next, you need to calculate your fat intake. Fats are actually really useful for weight reduction (though they are more dense from a caloric perspective). A good rule of thumb is to have 0.4 g per lb of body weight. That means that you should be having about 92g of fat a day. Assuming that each gram of fat - 9 calories, 828 of your daily calories will come from fats.
If you've calculated correctly, you still have a gap between how many calories you can eat and how many you'll fill with proteins and fats. THAT is your daily allowance for carbs. To calculate the grams of carbs you can eat, just divide the number of calories by 4 (the estimate for calories/g of carb).
Hope this helps.
+1
I do not eat rice/bread/pasta but still consume around 100-125g of carbs a day in my fruit and vegetable intake.0 -
Cutting back on carbs ins't a bad idea but you have to make sure that you see the reduction in carbs as part of a broader alignment of how you approach food rather than just cut back on those evil, evil carbs and replace those calories with other unhealthy foods.
The first step is to have a good idea of the calories you need to meet your target. One of the best ways is to start with a TDEE calculator (a google search should get you a pretty decent sized list of them). Once you have that information, try to stick to this number for a week and see if you gain/lose/maintain your weight. If you're gaining weight, reduce the calories and try that for a week. If you are maintaining weight, then reduce the calories by 500 and use that as your bench mark. If you're losing weight then stick to that number and use it as your benchmark. Remember... there will never be a precise number and that number will change as your body and activity levels evolve. Also, trying to cut your calories TOO FAST will send your body into starvation mode which will actually slow down your weight loss efforts while making you weaker and slower.
Once you have your caloric estimate, start by estimating how much protein you should be consuming. A good rule of thumb is 1 g/lb. Assume that 1 gram of protein = 4 calories. Now, if you're 230 lb, you should have about 230 g of protein a day. If you're keeping track, that means that 920 of your calories should come from protein.
Next, you need to calculate your fat intake. Fats are actually really useful for weight reduction (though they are more dense from a caloric perspective). A good rule of thumb is to have 0.4 g per lb of body weight. That means that you should be having about 92g of fat a day. Assuming that each gram of fat - 9 calories, 828 of your daily calories will come from fats.
If you've calculated correctly, you still have a gap between how many calories you can eat and how many you'll fill with proteins and fats. THAT is your daily allowance for carbs. To calculate the grams of carbs you can eat, just divide the number of calories by 4 (the estimate for calories/g of carb).
Hope this helps.
Psst - that's 1 g/lb lean body mass, or about 0.8 g/lb total body weight if you are not obese for protein (likewise for fat - lbm not total weight). 230 g protein is almost certainly more than enough protein! Using your numbers, she'd be getting 1748 cals just from protein + fat. Other than, yeah, I agree!
(eta: except about starvation mode. It's a myth. Your BMR will slow, but not that much).0 -
I use this calculator to decide on my carbs. Great website also! http://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/0
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I found this article really helpful http://authoritynutrition.com/how-many-carbs-per-day-to-lose-weight/
If you don't have time to click on it, it said you should eat 100-150 carbs if you want to maintain your weight, 50-100 for moderate weight loss and 20-50 if you want to loose weight quick.
Additionally, I found a list of low carb foods here http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/whatveg.htm
Best of luck!0 -
I try to stay under 200g of carbs-I had gestational diabetes and I keep to a close approximation of the diet I was on for that. I don't know if 200g is really considered low or not, but I would go crazy if I did any less, and I HAVE to plan my days in advance to even keep to this.
If you don't have a medical reason to go low carb, its not really necessary. I only do it because I'm at higher risk of developing Type 2.0 -
30%-40% carbs is a great place to start for reducing body fat %. I've done 50/30/20 and 40/40/20 macros (protein/carb/fat) and they both work great.
Allan
I agree. Start slowly and keep adjusting your macros as you adjust to eating fewer carbs. I am currently 30, 40,30 and want to get to 35, 35, 30. Start by changing protein snacks for carb snacks. When you have a meal, increase the meat and veg and forget the starch, you'll feel just as full.0 -
Cutting back on carbs ins't a bad idea but you have to make sure that you see the reduction in carbs as part of a broader alignment of how you approach food rather than just cut back on those evil, evil carbs and replace those calories with other unhealthy foods.
The first step is to have a good idea of the calories you need to meet your target. One of the best ways is to start with a TDEE calculator (a google search should get you a pretty decent sized list of them). Once you have that information, try to stick to this number for a week and see if you gain/lose/maintain your weight. If you're gaining weight, reduce the calories and try that for a week. If you are maintaining weight, then reduce the calories by 500 and use that as your bench mark. If you're losing weight then stick to that number and use it as your benchmark. Remember... there will never be a precise number and that number will change as your body and activity levels evolve. Also, trying to cut your calories TOO FAST will send your body into starvation mode which will actually slow down your weight loss efforts while making you weaker and slower.
Once you have your caloric estimate, start by estimating how much protein you should be consuming. A good rule of thumb is 1 g/lb. Assume that 1 gram of protein = 4 calories. Now, if you're 230 lb, you should have about 230 g of protein a day. If you're keeping track, that means that 920 of your calories should come from protein.
Next, you need to calculate your fat intake. Fats are actually really useful for weight reduction (though they are more dense from a caloric perspective). A good rule of thumb is to have 0.4 g per lb of body weight. That means that you should be having about 92g of fat a day. Assuming that each gram of fat - 9 calories, 828 of your daily calories will come from fats.
If you've calculated correctly, you still have a gap between how many calories you can eat and how many you'll fill with proteins and fats. THAT is your daily allowance for carbs. To calculate the grams of carbs you can eat, just divide the number of calories by 4 (the estimate for calories/g of carb).
Hope this helps.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say there's no way in hell she needs 230g of protein per day. Even 1g/lb of LEAN mass is on the high side for what you "need" and given that the OP hasn't said anything about a heavy lifting routine, her needs are likely more like 0.7g/lb of LEAN mass or less. Going over your target a bit won't hurt assuming calories stay in check, but 230g as a target? That's laughably wrong.0 -
Not all carbs are created equal. Your body may respond to some better than others. So.... "How much" of "what kind" of carb placed "when" throughout the day should be your question. The internet will not answer this for you. Calculate your numbers and give it a whirl. IMO low carb = crappy workouts. But if you must.....
Getting light headed? Eat more carbs.
Gaining weight? Cut back on carbs.
Somewhere in the middle is your answer.0 -
I consume about 200 grams of carbs per day and that was advised by my nutritionist. In her words " Carbs are a great source of fuel for the body ".
She did however stress the importance of using the majority of my 200 grams on Fruits, Veggies, and yes...even Pasta.
Before I was eating about 500 grams of carbs per day.....mostly coming from Pepsi and Sweet Treats. I'm down 10 pounds in less than a month. So the carbs aren't hurting my results.
I actually did a low carb diet and lost 40 pounds, however when I tried to raise my carbs back to a normal level ( yes, healthy carbs ) the weight poured back on. I guess i'm just not a fan of no/low carb lifestyle changes. It may work for you, but I must have the carbs _0 -
I opt for keeping my carbs under 100g/day, but I do so for insulin resistance. I also get those carbs primarily from vegetables, occasional fruit and nuts. I stay away from grains generally as I find that I feel a whole lot better without them.
But, this is really going to come down to a personal decision. Some folks can tolerate high carbs and grains rather well. Others of us can't (and often didn't know it until we but them out). So, I'd suggest you cut them out for a while and see how you feel, then add them back in if you don't notice a difference. Play with your carb number until you find a balance that works for you.0 -
I suggest you read the Primal Blueprint (by the same author that writes MarksDailyApple.com). This book mostly promotes a paleo lifestyle, but I'm recommending it because he does a good job explaining what carbs have to do with weight management.
In the back, he recommends a diet approach that makes sense (I've seen similar advice on MFP, but I can't find it right now):
1) Determine your calorie budget. There are perfectly good resources on MFP to help you with this.
2) Determine how much protein you need. I've read 0.7 g - 1.0 g per lb of LEAN body weight (not total weight). You calculate your body fat, subtract it from 1, and multiply that answer by your weight to find your lean body weight.
This article might be of some help: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-much-protein-should-you-be-eating/#axzz32ICAsmce
3) Decide how many carbs you'll eat. I reference this article to choose: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-succeed-with-the-primal-blueprint/#axzz32ID389FV
Bear in mind, the ranges provided are going to be higher if you are very active. And I'm not sure the statement that you will gain weight if you eat more than 150 g is completely true. I think what really happens is that if you eat less than 150 g/day, your body can burn all of the glucose and does not need to store it as fat. More than 150 g/day and you are storing some of the glucose as fat. If you're eating at a deficit, you can still lose weight. But you'll be producing new fat cells at the same time that you're trying to burn the old fat cells, making weight loss or maintenance harder. That's just my interpretation, I may be wrong.
4) Calculate how many calories you'll be consuming from protein and carbs, and allot the remaining calories to fat.
Example:
Assume someone is 230 lbs, 40% fat. Further assume they've already determined a calorie limit of 1500 per day
Protein: 230 x (1 - 0.4) x 1.0 = 138 g protein. @ 4 calories/gram, this is 552 calories
Carbs: Per the carbohydrate curve, pick 90 grams/day. @ 4 calories/gram this is 360 calories
Fat: That leaves 588 calories for fat. At 9 calories/gram, this means 65 grams of fat per day.
Converting this to percentages: This will be about 35% from Protein; 25% from carbs; 40% from fat
Edit: I think somebody else already mentioned this, but it's important. 1 g/lb lean body weight protein is the high end, and that's more for body builders. If you're just trying to lose weight, you need closer to 0.7 g/lb lean body weight.0 -
I suggest you read the Primal Blueprint (by the same author that writes MarksDailyApple.com). This book mostly promotes a paleo lifestyle, but I'm recommending it because he does a good job explaining what carbs have to do with weight management.
0 -
I suggest you read the Primal Blueprint (by the same author that writes MarksDailyApple.com). This book mostly promotes a paleo lifestyle, but I'm recommending it because he does a good job explaining what carbs have to do with weight management.
Very helpful reply.0 -
I suggest you read the Primal Blueprint (by the same author that writes MarksDailyApple.com). This book mostly promotes a paleo lifestyle, but I'm recommending it because he does a good job explaining what carbs have to do with weight management.
Thank you for a useless response. So supportive and helpful.
Really, this thread was actually doing very well at just offering advice and not putting down people's opinions. It's a good thing you're around to screw that all up0 -
I suggest you read the Primal Blueprint (by the same author that writes MarksDailyApple.com). This book mostly promotes a paleo lifestyle, but I'm recommending it because he does a good job explaining what carbs have to do with weight management.
Thank you for a useless response. So supportive and helpful.
Really, this thread was actually doing very well at just offering advice and not putting down people's opinions. It's a good thing you're around to screw that all up
+10 -
I went for on Atkins for a week which meant 15-20g of carbs per day, MAX! I felt horrible the entire time, who knows, that may have gone away with time, but I decided it was not for me.
Just a warning before you head in to that. Trying new things are never wrong, aslong as you are still feeling good.0 -
I suggest you read the Primal Blueprint (by the same author that writes MarksDailyApple.com). This book mostly promotes a paleo lifestyle, but I'm recommending it because he does a good job explaining what carbs have to do with weight management.
Thank you for a useless response. So supportive and helpful.
Really, this thread was actually doing very well at just offering advice and not putting down people's opinions. It's a good thing you're around to screw that all up
About as useful as relying on Sisson's ridiculous carbohydrate curve.
Weight loss is about calories in vs calories out. Period. If you are in a caloric deficit you will lose weight, regardless of whether or not you restrict carbs.0 -
I suggest you read the Primal Blueprint (by the same author that writes MarksDailyApple.com). This book mostly promotes a paleo lifestyle, but I'm recommending it because he does a good job explaining what carbs have to do with weight management.
Thank you for a useless response. So supportive and helpful.
Really, this thread was actually doing very well at just offering advice and not putting down people's opinions. It's a good thing you're around to screw that all up
About as useful as relying on Sisson's ridiculous carbohydrate curve.
Weight loss is about calories in vs calories out. Period. If you are in a caloric deficit you will lose weight, regardless of whether or not you restrict carbs.
Not always true, especially for those with glucose metabolism issues. And restricting carbs for many actually helps them maintain a caloric deficit more easily because fat and protein are highly satiating and they aren't eating as many food with empty calories (often found in high carb foods).
So, you may not like the source of the material, but there are solid reasons for the advice. Can't say the same for your completely empty ridicule.0 -
Why do you feel you need to cut out carbs? Is it to lose bodyfat? Is it to go paleo?
If you need to cut bodyfat all you need is a calorie deficit. In men (not sure on the percentage in women) only when you reach really low fat levels (i.e. single digit bodyfat) do you need to play with lower carbs.0 -
I suggest you read the Primal Blueprint (by the same author that writes MarksDailyApple.com). This book mostly promotes a paleo lifestyle, but I'm recommending it because he does a good job explaining what carbs have to do with weight management.
Thank you for a useless response. So supportive and helpful.
Really, this thread was actually doing very well at just offering advice and not putting down people's opinions. It's a good thing you're around to screw that all up
About as useful as relying on Sisson's ridiculous carbohydrate curve.
Weight loss is about calories in vs calories out. Period. If you are in a caloric deficit you will lose weight, regardless of whether or not you restrict carbs.
Not always true, especially for those with glucose metabolism issues. And restricting carbs for many actually helps them maintain a caloric deficit more easily because fat and protein are highly satiating and they aren't eating as many food with empty calories (often found in high carb foods).
Protein is satiating. Fat much less so. Many carbs rank much higher on the satiety scale than fats (potatoes for example).
Nothing wrong with restricting carbs if you find it easier to adhere to, but Sisson's graph is utter nonsense. Plenty have lost significant weight while consuming levels of carbs that he claims will result in "insidious weight gain".0
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