Attn: Low Carbers! How many a day?

joannepapas

Hi any of you that watch your carbs due to either diabetes, insulin resistence or just cause you feel better or lose weight faster or able to stay on longer, or whatever the reason.

I was wondering from those of you that have had success with this type of lifestyle....how many carbs a day do you try to stick to, and any advice you can give for someone to stick it out thick or thin. It's rough with certain social events...

Thanks!

MissMaryMac33

I just chaged my goals to 45% protein, 25% carbs, 30% fat...andI rarely hit the carb limit.
I just get them all from things like quinoa, greek yogurt, whole grains, bagel thins... no more cake/pie/white bread/rice/donuts...

CoCoMa

Hiya,
I'm a type 2 diabetic, and I'm consuming about 21g cabs right now, but I'll never, ever go over 50g. It depends on which low carb plan you are on.

QueenHanifa

Hi any of you that watch your carbs due to either diabetes, insulin resistence or just cause you feel better or lose weight faster or able to stay on longer, or whatever the reason.

I was wondering from those of you that have had success with this type of lifestyle....how many carbs a day do you try to stick to, and any advice you can give for someone to stick it out thick or thin. It's rough with certain social events...

Thanks!

you can check out my dairy,its open I also record my blood sugar level in my notes.It works well for me.I went from taking insulin 4 times a day to 1 time daily..you can friend me if you like

katheern

I mostly avoid high starch stuff and stick to tons of veggies and some whole grains for my carbs. I do 35% protein, 35% fat, 30% carbs and I never go over on carbs (my max is 120g and I usually intake between 70-110g)

Edit: to clarify I intake 1600 calories/day

winneau

Bump, because I'm interested in these numbers, too! I'm new to watching carbs, and so far I'm sticking to around 50g to 70g a day.

darrcn5

I do 30 net for 5 days, then I have two days where I try to keep it under 100 (most of the time on the weekend, but sometimes I'll do 3 days of 30, 1 day at 100, 2 days at 30, 1 day at 100).

Becca_007

bump...interesting...
Appreciating all the tips, I've been eating less than stellar the last couple days and it's scaring me enough to want to change it. I was told to eat 200 a day which is way too crazy high for me, I never get that many in. I set my goal for around 140g or so but even then, never get that close either.

Seriously? Some of you are doing OK on 20g. carbs a day? So what are you eating? Also are you eating a ton of protein and fat to make up for it or eating low calories? Just trying to wrap my head around this amount.

Thanks for any feedback ♥

ETA: Just read a couple more posts, yes maintaining the lost weight at 20g carbs a day seems near impossible. Has anyone actually kept off the extra weight for years? I'm looking for long term ideas, I've reached my goal but need to cut out some crap I've eaten lately to stay there. Crap = simple carbs

mlbroad1

GREAT CARB RECIPES
http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/lowcarb-entrees.html

inlander

I've had great success with low carbing in the past for weight loss, but not with maintaining. Anyway, I followed the Atkins program so I started with 20 carbohydrates a day and increased after the induction phase. I tried Atkins again more recently and it no longer provided results for me, so I'm counting calories. (For me, personally, I feel like I do better when I'm allowed to eat whatever I want as long as I track it and keep bad foods to a minimum). I actually still watch my carbs since I'm such a sucker for them .... blah!

Because I had success with the lifestyle before, here's the advice I will offer:

(1) Once you lose the weight (because you will), find a way to maintain it and DO IT. That's the hardest part of any lifestyle, but for me, low carbing is especially hard because I love booze. You will probably top out at a daily carb intake of 60-80g per day depending on your body/processing of carbohydrates so if you can live with that many carbohydrates, low carb would be good for you.
(2) Make sure you low-carb the RIGHT way - eat whole and unprocessed foods, don't ingest tons of red meat, watch the cheese (HUGE staller for me).
(3) Make sure you're following an actual program (like Atkins) rather than just choosing a number of carbs to eat and sticking with it. It's easier to lose weight and do well when you have a structured program to guide you, especially if you aren't great at managing your own nutrition like I am.

Oh man, I have so much advice for the program but I think you'll have success. It doesn't work for me, although I *do* need to watch my carbs to lose weight, I have much better results with calorie counting and it makes more sense for me to count calories and then burn calories at the gym. If low carbing works for you, you will definitely see results. I had a blood analysis after low carbing for a few months and I my HDL was super high (my doctor even commented on how awesome it was), low LDL, and my cholesterol/triglycerides/blood sugar were all normal.

As a result of years of abusing Atkins (before I did it the "right" way) I did have to have my gallbladder removed though. I don't know for sure that it's actually linked but I'm pretty sure it is ... so be careful! I recommend eating moderate fat rather than high fat, in case you're tracking fat grams too.

Hope this helped!

joannepapas

Thanks! I think I have been to that site before years ago. I will check it out!

AdAstra47

Seriously? Some of you are doing OK on 20g. carbs a day? So what are you eating? Also are you eating a ton of protein and fat to make up for it or eating low calories? Just trying to wrap my head around this amount.

Thanks for any feedback ♥

ETA: Just read a couple more posts, yes maintaining the lost weight at 20g carbs a day seems near impossible. Has anyone actually kept off the extra weight for years? I'm looking for long term ideas, I've reached my goal but need to cut out some crap I've eaten lately to stay there. Crap = simple carbs

Per my doctor's orders, I am on 30 or fewer carbs a day. It's been 4 1/2 months so far for me, and I'm finding it pretty easy now. When I first started this, I was introduced to people who have been on this low-carb diet for over 10 years and are still doing fine ... in fact, some who were type 2 diabetics have been off insulin now for many years. It has effectively cured them. The key seems to be two things: eating regularly, at least every 3 or 4 hours, so you never let your metabolism crash; and eating plenty of protein, which in combination with fat, takes the place of carbs (as the energy-producer).

You just have to figure out what works with your body & your lifestyle. For me, I have a sweet tooth, so I buy a lot of chocolate and fruit flavored protein powders and drink a shake with every meal. And I live alone and am lazy when it comes to food prep, so I prepare a lot of stuff on the weekends (hard-boiled eggs, spinach quiche in cupcake tins, grilled chicken breasts) that I can just freeze or refrigerate, then on weekdays when I'm in a hurry I always have something to grab & go.

I've also discovered the wonders of spices. I can have a grilled chicken breast every night of the week and never get bored as long as I use a different spice combination each night. They add no carbs or calories. Cumin & red chili powder one night, maybe italian spices the next night, lemon pepper, etc. Know your spices & keep the spice rack stocked, and you can have flavorful food that's still healthy & low-carb.

Check out these videos for more information:
http://www.diabetesnewsstand.com/vissue/vernon/titlepage.html
the documentary "Fat Head," available instantly on Netflix or Hulu.
the Canadian documentary "My Big Fat Diet."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3M75cYpx2w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/ketones-and-ketosis/metabolism-and-ketosis/

CoCoMa

I know a few people who have maintained low carb long term. I do a low cal/low carb version. Here is a sample of my low carb lunch (10g net carbs):

Lunch
F & E - Fresh & Easy Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (Raw), 4 oz
California Sun Dry - Garlic With Sun Dried Tomatoes, 2 TBS
Athenos - Natural Crumbled Feta Cheese, 1/4 cup (34g)
Fresh Express - Spring Mix (Tender Whole Leaf Baby Lettuces), 3 Cups
Avocados - Raw, 0.5 avocado, NS as to Florida or California


And a couple of low carb snacks (1.6g net carbs):

Raspberries - Raw, 10 raspberries 10
Eggs - Hard-boiled (whole egg), 1 large

joannepapas

AdAstra...would you mind sharing your spinach quiche recipe? Sounds wonderful!

AdAstra47

No problem! One of my secrets is cooking everything, from quiche to meatloaf, in muffin tins. Helps with calculating nutrition per serving, and helps with portion control, too.

Mini-quiche: Makes 6.
6 large eggs
Pepper (to taste; optional)
A few shakes of hot sauce (optional)
Salsa (try to find one with no sugar or corn syrup)
Frozen leafy greens or frozen spinach, 10 oz box.
Parmesan cheese (or shredded cheese of your choice)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or spray muffin pan.
Blend the eggs, pepper and hot sauce.
Drop about a tablespoon of frozen leafy greens into each cup (I just use a 10-oz and divide it more-or-less evenly).
Add a half tablespoon of salsa into each.
Fill with the egg mixture, then top with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Bake at 350 about 35-40 minutes.
Let them cool for about 15 minutes and they pop right out.
These can also be individually wrapped & refrigerated or frozen for later, they microwave well.
Nutrition per serving: this info was compiled using Best Choice frozen spinach and Kirkland’s organic salsa.
Cal: 99 carbs: 3g fat: 6g protein: 9g sugar: 1g sodium: 206 mg

You can also make it with fresh greens instead of frozen, just don't bake as long. I do about 25 minutes and then start checking whether they're done (with a toothpick; if it comes out clean, it's done).

joannepapas

Thanks! That sounds really yummy! I will have to try it! I have a great low carb recipe for a low carb quiche that I do with breakfast sausage and spinach. Or you can do as a cheeseburger quiche, but I like to do it with the veggies in it. I'll have to dig it out and post for you. You can always just fill the cups. Would probably make like 12 of them instead of 6. I'll work it up in the recipes and get the #'s squared away too. Will see how many cups it would make. I will post sometime this weekend!

Becca_007

I know a few people who have maintained low carb long term. I do a low cal/low carb version. Here is a sample of my low carb lunch (10g net carbs):

Lunch
F & E - Fresh & Easy Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (Raw), 4 oz
California Sun Dry - Garlic With Sun Dried Tomatoes, 2 TBS
Athenos - Natural Crumbled Feta Cheese, 1/4 cup (34g)
Fresh Express - Spring Mix (Tender Whole Leaf Baby Lettuces), 3 Cups
Avocados - Raw, 0.5 avocado, NS as to Florida or California


And a couple of low carb snacks (1.6g net carbs):

Raspberries - Raw, 10 raspberries 10
Eggs - Hard-boiled (whole egg), 1 large

WOW, that's an awesome lunch, healthy, got all the components, protein/fat/carbs. Thanks for sharing Hon )

Julianna_gets_fit

very interesting. I'm going to have to cut carbs thanks to PCOS/Thyroid issues. Thanks for the recipe and information!

Qarol

I'm at a 10% carb, 50% fat, 40% protein ratio. My daily net carbs are around 30g.

melaniecheeks

I try to stick to 100-150g per day. That's fairly easy, but I find it enough of a restriction or at least drop from what I ate before, to get results.

It's been great fun discovering new foods to try! Sweet potato mash and quinoa pilaf feature regularly on my menus these days :-)

Elle408

I'm at a 10% carb, 50% fat, 40% protein ratio. My daily net carbs are around 30g.

How long have you been at that split, if you don't mind me asking? For the past couple of days I've been eating about the same and finding that I have quite a lot of energy and get a decent amount of veggies and find it quite maintainable, just curious as to how long other people have kept it up!

(although had a cookie incident today and am at 99g, which I'm actually quite pleased about, don't want to break that 100g barrier!)

joannepapas

Thanks mlbroad! Its been awhile since I've been on that website. I am feeling so amazingly positive about this! I know the combo of MFP, the lower carb lifestyle, tracking, support network, light excercise and not feeling like I have to have an all or nothing attitude will be the key! I'm going to go check this out, because I am actually doing all my shopping today to start on the low carb eating. I've been watching a bit more...but wasn't prepared yet to go gung ho. As of tonight...I will be prepared!

joannepapas

Congrats on reaching your goal!

Soozcat

I've been following the strategy of eating to my meter. I watch what happens to my blood sugar after meals; if a particular food kicks the numbers up too high, I greatly reduce or eliminate it. Not tracking carefully, but I've probably been eating around 60g carbs a day. My doctor also has me on the maximum dose of metformin right now; without that I would probably limit my carb intake even more strictly, but I like the option of having a little more flexibility in my diet.

BR1986FB

<50g's on light cardio (60 minute walks in a weighted vest) days and around 100g's (mostly from sweet potatos) on heavy lifting days. Strictly vegetables, occasional fruits and sweet potatos...no grains, flours, etc.

joannepapas

<50g's on light cardio (60 minute walks in a weighted vest) days and around 100g's (mostly from sweet potatos) on heavy lifting days. Strictly vegetables, occasional fruits and sweet potatos...no grains, flours, etc.

Wow...and you have seen a nice success on weight loss too! This is very encouraging for me. Thanks so much for sharing, and keep up your great work!

BR1986FB

<50g's on light cardio (60 minute walks in a weighted vest) days and around 100g's (mostly from sweet potatos) on heavy lifting days. Strictly vegetables, occasional fruits and sweet potatos...no grains, flours, etc.

Wow...and you have seen a nice success on weight loss too! This is very encouraging for me. Thanks so much for sharing, and keep up your great work!

I eat Paleo and not all of the 71 lbs has been since dropping grains, flours, etc. Since I started Paleo in January I've dropped about 50 of those lbs. So it does work.

Best of luck to you !

joannepapas

<50g's on light cardio (60 minute walks in a weighted vest) days and around 100g's (mostly from sweet potatos) on heavy lifting days. Strictly vegetables, occasional fruits and sweet potatos...no grains, flours, etc.

Wow...and you have seen a nice success on weight loss too! This is very encouraging for me. Thanks so much for sharing, and keep up your great work!

I eat Paleo and not all of the 71 lbs has been since dropping grains, flours, etc. Since I started Paleo in January I've dropped about 50 of those lbs. So it does work.

Best of luck to you !

Thanks! We're friends now, so please feel free to chime in to me with any suggestions! I have a few other low carbers...and I value their feedback immensely. And 50 lbs since January is amazinb! Keep up the great work. You're an inspiration to many on this website I'm sure.