Is it okay to go over on carbs?

UsedToBeHusky

Let me start by saying that I am obese. Initially, I was not eating back exercise calories, and I saw a significant loss. That loss has since slowed down and I have been experimenting with the idea of eating back my calories. So far, so good. It's more opportunity to ensure that I get the protein that I need. Except, that I keep going over in carbs too. How detrimental is it to manage that particular macro?

Acg67

Let me start by saying that I am obese. Initially, I was not eating back exercise calories, and I saw a significant loss. That loss has since slowed down and I have been experimenting with the idea of eating back my calories. So far, so good. It's more opportunity to ensure that I get the protein that I need. Except, that I keep going over in carbs too. How detrimental is it to manage that particular macro?

It would only be detrimental per se if you have some metabolic disorder requiring you to limit your carbs or you are eating so many that it is causing you not be to be able to get in adequate amounts of protein and fats each day.

HMonsterX

As long as you have no medical conditions, its largely irrelevant. I never really worry about mine in the slightest. Just make that calorie deficit, get enough fat and protein, and its all good.

UsedToBeHusky

Thanks. I was worried I wouldn't get an answer. My threads seem to get lost in the shuffle these days. This helps alot! :flowerforyou:

AdAstra47

Depends. The carb settings on MFP are based on the US RDA, which is heavily influenced by the corn and wheat lobbies and is therefore a bit carb-heavy to start with.

Everyone's body is different, and some people's bodies process carbs better than others. It is estimated that as many as one in four women has some type of carbohydrate sensitivity. If you carry a lot of weight in your belly (figure shaped like an apple rather than a pear) that's one possible sign. If you have mood swings (or a period of high energy followed by fatigue) when you eat a large amount of carbs, that's another indication. If you suspect that you might be carb sensitive, you can have your doctor do a three-hour blood glucose test to see exactly how efficiently (or inefficiently) your body processes sugars & carbs, and use those results to establish your own personal limit. Or you can just experiment on your own, lower it a bit at a time & see how you feel after each adjustment.

Again, depending on the speed of your metabolism, timing might or might not be an issue. Some people can eat all their calories, carbs included, at one sitting & feel no adverse affects. I, on the other hand, need to carefully split my calories (and especially my carbs) among six meals a day to prevent my metabolism from spiking & crashing.

Biochemically, the reaction that burns fatty acids in your body also requires amino acids (like a fire that requires both fuel and oxygen). Amino acids are obtained from protein. The ratio is roughly three parts fat to one part protein. So if you're trying to burn fat and lose weight, do make sure to eat plenty of protein. Many doctors recommend eating a gram of protein for every pound of total body weight (I started out weighing 300 lb, so I ate 300g protein a day). So you could start by setting your protein goal in MFP, and then see how many carbs that leaves you with.

Sorry that there's no hard-and-fast answer, but people's bodies are very diverse and there are a lot of variables that can affect your metabolism. So there's really no way to answer this, you have to figure it out for yourself. Good luck!