How many carbs should you have a day

teamflatbelly

How much carbs, fat, and sodium should you have a day or should be in one meal??? I am 5'5 275 trying to see when I go to the store I know what to look for

lstnlondry

Your responses will be great! I know that its suggested you dont go over 2500 in sodium but in reality it should be more like 1700 ish. I doubled that today so Im making sure to finish my gallon of water!

sarah44254

Try to stay under calorie goal every day. Then after a while, once that becomes a second nature (or at least a lot easier) you can start focusing more closely on macronutrients, which are carb, protein, fats.

As for sodium, try not to exceed 2,500 mg a day.

jessicajoy87

I hear that between 75- 100 carbs a day is good. But the thing is you can have carbs and fats and not really worry about how much as long as you stay in your calorie limit and buy the healthy carbs and fats. 100% whole wheats and grains, olive oil, and fats from fish are really good for you. Its like cholestrol there is good and bad you need to get the good. What I do when I am going to go grocery shopping I put down my favorite meals then I either look online of just use common sense and turn into a healthier dish. But watch your sodium!

ElPumaMex

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_c.pdf

Page 27 shows some guidelines for a Low Calorie Diet:

Nutrient Recommended Intake

Calories: Approximately 500 to 1,000 kcal/day reduction from usual intake

:smokin: Total fat: 30 percent or less of total calories

Saturated fatty acids: 8 to 10 percent of total calories
Monounsaturated fatty acids: Up to 15 percent of total calories
Polyunsaturated fatty acids: Up to 10 percent of total calories
Cholesterol: <300 mg/day
Protein: Approximately 15 percent of total calories

:smokin: Carbohydrate: 55 percent or more of total calories

:smokin: Sodium 2400m g

Calcium: 1,000 to 1,500 mg/day
Fiber: 20 to 30 g/day

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goodigirl2

This is a great website for helping sort through some of that stuff. It shows how many grams of each macronutrient based on which type of "eating plan" you want to use. Eating plan is used loosely meaning are you looking for low carb, low fat, low cal, Paleo, etc. It also has a couple listed as "moderate" which is what most people do. You can play around with the numbers, but I agree with Sarah--first focus on staying under your calorie goal.

funkycamper

The recommendations I see that make the most sense to me are to eat about 0.75 grams/protein for every # you weigh, 0.50 grams/fat for every # you weigh, and then fill in the rest of your calories with carbs. The protein helps you retain your muscle mass when you're losing which is very important for keeping your metabolism burning well and is more satiating. Also good to add strength training, preferably lifting heavy.

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SalishSea

I try to get 65 grams of carbs a day. But carbs are everywhere! It is hard to stay away from them. But 65g works for me. I can still have some.

I try to really get more protein than carbs. About 90 grams of protein a day for me is perfect right now.

Captain_Tightpants

Carbs are actually the one macronutrient that is not essential for survival. If you don't eat them your body will eventually start to convert ketones to glucose for fuel. You'll feel like crap, but you'll still be alive.

So when it comes to carbs it's really a case of educating yourself and adjusting how many you eat to whatever belief you end up subscribing to regarding them. Ketogenic diets like Atkins can go as low as 10-15% of your daily cals from carbs, more moderate diets may have you at 33-40% of cals from carbs. I think the Paleo diet (very popular around these parts) puts you at 25%. The US government recommendation is 50%.

Sodium is easier - get as little as you can because the required amount for survival is very low and it's incredibly hard to be sodium deficient on any western diet. The government rec for sodium is 2500mg per day, but if you are in the small subset of the population who are sodium sensitive (your doctor will tell you if you are) then it's recommended that you try to get under 1500mg a day. This is INCREDIBLY difficult, basically if you have any tinned, packaged, fast, or restaurant food, you'll blow through that in no time.

Fat - eh, the answer is equally as open to interpretation as carbs. Low fat diets will put you at about 25% of cals from fats, then on the other side of the spectrum you've got the folks who believe fat has been unfairly demonized over the past 3 decades and that it's not harmful to get 65% of your cals from it (although there is broad consensus that you should avoid trans fats altogether)

All that said, ditto on what Sarah advised - forget about macro ratios until eating at calorie goal becomes a second habit.

teamflatbelly

Thank you all so much this helped a lot

Dayna154

If you really want to do something serious go see a nutritionist/your doc to set limits specifically for you..
Mine set them for me as well as a calorie limit to stay under. I didn't have as much to lose as you do but it has worked wonders for me.. It could change your life.
Its up to you to make healthy choices and decisions, if you want to make the best ones its also up to you where you will get your information. Not everything works the same for every one.
I had underlying medical issues and if I'd followed the advice of many here I'd have been dead in a few years. So seek professional advice tailored to you and then go for it..

LorinaLynn

I aimed to go over on protein (or at least 110g), get close to my fat goal, and let the carbs fall where they may.

chevy88grl

Honestly? This is going to vary from person to person.

I don't have issues with carbs or sodium, so I can honestly push both of these VERY high and still maintain my weight. Other people have to watch both of these very carefully. On an average day (when I was logging), I was usually around 250-300g of carbs. I've never really tracked sodium, but when I go back and look through my diary - I usually averaged 3000-4000mg. Since I don't have issues with either one of these, I always just focused on calories.

The best thing to do? Play around with the numbers until you find what works best for you.

MichelleRenee13

I am a carb addict and don't restrict. I am eating within my calorie range I have lost 20lbs since January. I am not going to restrict to lose because I will never be able to maintain.

jennifer52484

I try to get 65 grams of carbs a day. But carbs are everywhere! It is hard to stay away from them. But 65g works for me. I can still have some.

I try to really get more protein than carbs. About 90 grams of protein a day for me is perfect right now.

65g is fairly low. What do you usually eat for the day to stay within your numbers? When I have my 50g carb day I always struggle to find items that will fit in that day. Maybe you will have some suggestions.

BrendaLee

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about carbs as long as you're meeting your calorie goal. Sodium, on the other hand, should definitely be monitored. MFP's default is on the high end. If you aim to keep it below 2000 (and better below 1500), you'll probably see fewer daily fluctuations due to fluid retention, and 1500 is the recommendation if you have high blood pressure and some other health issues.

spngebobmyhero

Not conventional wisdom, but i do 25% carbs, 25% protein and 50% fat. Works well for me! My fat comes from healthy and natural sources.

teamflatbelly

Thanks everyone

goodigirl2

This is a great website for helping sort through some of that stuff. It shows how many grams of each macronutrient based on which type of "eating plan" you want to use. Eating plan is used loosely meaning are you looking for low carb, low fat, low cal, Paleo, etc. It also has a couple listed as "moderate" which is what most people do. You can play around with the numbers, but I agree with Sarah--first focus on staying under your calorie goal.

I JUST realized I didn't attach the website. Sorry!

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/nutrient_calculator.htm