A life without carbs?

shelbynicole32

I am so lost and confused about carbs.
Everyone speaks of carbs as if they are the devil, and they are my biggest weakness!!!!
My MFP goal for carbs is 165, but that still seems too high. I know that if I could cut back on carbs my weight loss rate would increase, but I dont know where to start. I love pasta and bread and I know that by cutting them out it would help, but is that really a long term & maintainable lifestyle? I brought stouffers lasagna & broccoli today. THATS 52 CARBS RIGHT THERE. WOW. I try not to eat carbs at night but rather during lunch.

I want to hear from you low carb eaters. What do you do to make it work?

What do you eat that is maintable and long term?
How has it really affected your weight loss?
What is a reasonable "goal" for carbs per day?
SUGGESTIONS on living without carbs???

impyimpyaj

Carbs are not evil. They're actually good for you, as long as you're eating complex carbs. Good brain food. Too many carbs at the expense of protein isn't good for you though. Low-carb diets work for a lot of people, but unless you'er planning to eat that way for the rest of your life, it's probable that you'll put the weight right back on when you start eating the carbs again. So rather than focusing on carbs, try increasing your protein intake, eating your fruits and veggies, drinking more water instead of sugary drinks, and exercise.

contingencyplan

your carb intake should be relative to your activity level. carbs are a necessity for an active lifestyle or someone who hits their workouts with a beastly intensity, and if you are such a person, then the more the better. but if you're relatively sedentary and trying to lose weight entirely on nutrition and low intensity cardio then yeah, lower it.

getting in lots of carbs can mean the difference between having to take a day off in your workouts or being able to hit it just as hard the next day, based on my personal experience.

ak_in_ak

I have PCOS, so lowering carbs is a must for me, reguardless I feel a lot better since reducing them. I reasonable goal is 100g, it can be hard at first, but once you cut it out it is just second nature. At this point, eating a hunk of French bread is gross, it is so heavy and just not good tasting. On that note, I still have cereal every morning, but I weigh out a serving and it is high in fiber. I also love Thai food and have rice with that, just not very much. A great book to check out is Wheat Belly and I just watched this last night and found it interesting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d_wxJageqw.

I am nowhere near a crazy lo-carber at only 20g a day, but I have made an effort to cut out processed bread and it makes a huge difference.

yarwell

you can live a low carb high fat lifestyle (LCHF as the Swedes call it) with lots of meat, dairy, vegetables, berries, nuts etc. Protein is also reasonably high, 80- 120g per day perhaps. <40g of carbs, more than 50g of fat.

Plenty of things you can't fit in - pasta, bread, cake, cookies, sweet fruits, etc etc

So yes it can be done. Fat is the bodies true fuel, carbs are limited to 2000 calories of storage and after that you burn fat, so a low carb diet can be an extension of that - staying low carb allows you to burn fat efficiently but you can't flip in and out of that mode.

littlepinkhearts

I also love pasta, bread, bananas, potatoes and I manage to work them into my daily menu when I feel like i've been missing them for too long. I tried cutting back on them once and I was just miserable and seemed to have no energy for my workouts. So I figure as long as i'm under on my overall calorie goal then i'm good to go. So far that strategy has been working.

minkakross

1. I substitute low carb options, for example for bread I use Sara Lee 45 cal wheat, two slices equal 15 grams of carbs, significantly lower than other bread options. If I want pasta I use a soy noodle available at my local grocery store for no carbs or I use spaghetti squash. 2. I make my lunches because buying frozen dinners is a hit and miss thing when it comes to carb count. if I have to eat out I go have a taco or chicken sandwich with no or half bun. If I have to buy something to heat up I take any number of soups and just keep a bowl and spoon I can wash in my desk. 3. with regard to sustainability that is a personal question that only you can answer but if you don't want to say give up the potato or bread or pasta completely, don't, just remember to balance the plate, protein, non starch veg, then fruit or starch carbs. 4. unless you're a diabetic (which I am so this doesn't apply to me) it doesn't matter how many carbs you get in one setting. If your goal is 165 per day and you plan to use 100 of them for lunch just include very low carb breakfasts which are easy and light carb dinners; so really enjoy the lasagna if you want to just think about how it fits into the day as a whole.