Carb counting

hanansk16

I've come into dieting by just focusing on my calorie intake. Should I be counting my carbs as well? I tend to find that I can be a few over pretty much every day but is that going to hamper my dieting?
Confused!

ChrisWag

Carbs = fat.....eating healthy carbs like veggies, fruit and whole grains....watch the sugar carbs is the best bet

hanansk16

So if I went over my carb allowance by eating a ton of veg that'd be ok?

hannahgibbs91

I personally watch the amount of carbs i eat! I was never able to lose weight very well yet i rarely ate chocolate bars or packets of crisps, yet my diet mostly consisted of breads and pasta, and lacked fruit and vegetables!

I find a rule of thumb is to eat no more than 2 slices of bread a day and try to avoid having many high carb meals in one day (such as loads of toast for breakfast, then pasta for lunch, then loads of potatoes for dinner).

Hope that helps

Hannah

joehempel

I don't really watch them...they give me energy for my workouts. Especially if you are doing intense workouts.

MFP does set the carb in take pretty high though in my opinion.

It's all about balance.

LilMissStrawberry

One of my main rules in weightloss is to limit my carbs, particularly in the evening. For example, I don't eat potatoes or bread with dinner and when I do have rice or noodles in a stirfry, I only have a small amount, and definitely try to eat before 7. In saying this, I don't know if this is something that is a good idea or will work for you, but I've lost 45 pounds so far so I seem to be doing something right!

Although if you are counting calories, I'm not too sure it matters if your calories are made up of carbs, as long as you are under the amount of calories you are burning. For example, say your target calories for the day are 1250. If you ate bread, rice and potatos to total 1250, it wouldn't be much difference for your weight loss as eating 1250 calories worth of veges and protein.

Atlantique

I've come into dieting by just focusing on my calorie intake. Should I be counting my carbs as well? I tend to find that I can be a few over pretty much every day but is that going to hamper my dieting?
Confused!

Yes, you should keep an eye on your macronutrients too.

MFP sets the carb target pretty high, around 55%. If you're eating a lot of simple carbs (processed foods, white pasta, breads, white rice, etc.) you are basically eating sugar. If most of your carbs are coming from veggies and/or fiber, it's not as worrisome.

However, if you're over on carbs but on target for calories, then you're skimping on protein or fat. MFP has a really low target for protein, and most people who are working out should be getting about 1 gram of protein per pound of goal weight per day. If you're working out regularly and skimping on proteins, you're going to lose more muscle than you wanted while losing weight.

So yes, watch the macronutrients too. The compooisition of your diet can aid your weight loss and can help you stay healthier and better-nourished on reduced calories.

Emma1903

I tend to only have one carbs source a day that is made of grains, usually a wrap, or I have potato for dinner, but only on workout days and after a workout, otherwise I keep carbs below 100g a day and just eat veggies and no more than 2 servings of fruit a day

hanansk16

Sound advice guys, thank you for your help

Atlantique

One of my main rules in weightloss is to limit my carbs, particularly in the evening. For example, I don't eat potatoes or bread with dinner and when I do have rice or noodles in a stirfry, I only have a small amount, and definitely try to eat before 7. In saying this, I don't know if this is something that is a good idea or will work for you, but I've lost 45 pounds so far so I seem to be doing something right!

Although if you are counting calories, I'm not too sure it matters if your calories are made up of carbs, as long as you are under the amount of calories you are burning. For example, say your target calories for the day are 1250. If you ate bread, rice and potatos to total 1250, it wouldn't be much difference for your weight loss as eating 1250 calories worth of veges and protein.

While that may be true in terms of weight lost, what you eat can significantly influence what comprises the weight you lose. If you eat a diet that's mainly simple carbs but stay at your calorie goal, you'll lose a lot of muscle along with some fat. If you eat a healthier diet of complex carbs and sufficient protein, you'll retain more of your muscle as you lose weight and also find it easier to maintain your goal weight when you reach it.

Most of us don't want to be smaller, flabbier versions of our starting selves. We want to be leaner, firmer, smaller versions of our starting selves. The composition of your diet and of your exercise program make the difference.

FatGirlSlim89

I eat a high carb diet, abeit a healthy one, not 'carb od' (lol) and I find I loose the most weight when I up my carb intake. I however love intense workouts that require a lot of energy. If you are into that too then I wouldn't worry about it, however if you're not then YES make sure to keep check on your intake.

andy_gilfrin

Although if you are counting calories, I'm not too sure it matters if your calories are made up of carbs, as long as you are under the amount of calories you are burning. For example, say your target calories for the day are 1250. If you ate bread, rice and potatos to total 1250, it wouldn't be much difference for your weight loss as eating 1250 calories worth of veges and protein.

Actually it would be a different, eating (complex) carbs makes your blood sugar peak quickly this means insulin production is increased and any excess energy available is stored as fat*. What you need is low GI carbs, mainly from vegetables as these will breakdown slower and therefore release the energy slower.

I don't think it's the same in the US but here in the Europe carbs are split in nutritional information, into carbs from sugar and carbs from fibre, what you want is food higher in the fibre based carbs, these are the ones which have a lower GI index.

Just to take you analogy further if you eat 1250 calories but just east donuts and candy that would be the same as eating 1250 calories of fruit and vegetables.

As mentioned above one size does not fit all, so you need to work at a level which works for you.

* This of course depends on your activity levels.

krystonite

So if I went over my carb allowance by eating a ton of veg that'd be ok?

Eating a ton of anything is never okay. Moderation.

LilMissStrawberry

I stand corrected. Learn something new everyday!