So What's Low Carb?

foranagirl

I'm trying to figure out whether or not I"m consuming too many carbs.

First, when folks talk about their carbs are they really referring to net carbs? For example, when I back out the fiber I will net 83 g of carbs--from oatmeal, ff dairy, fruits and vegetables. (I have MFP set at 1411 net calories. I know that to maintain/gain muscle I need to up the protein, so that means I have to lower the fats to the minimum and have only a balance left for carbs.)

I'm new to the MFP family, and I watched my carbs while on WW (lost a little over 20 lbs since May 1 but now stalled) but didn't eliminate them. I don't eat bread, but I do eat oatmeal or another whole grain cereal almost every morning and have whole wheat pasta at least once a week. Do I need to cut them out? I know that everyone is different but I'm just curious whether 83 g of net carbs a day sounds excessive for a 46 year old obese woman. Thanks.

FireBrand80

I believe that advocates of a low carb diet subtract the carbs from fiber.

ctroxell2011

subtract fiber from carbs to get net carbs. if something says it is 27 carbs, but has 7 grams of fiber, count 20 carbs.

I try to keep around 60-80 net carbs for the day, but they are not sugar carbs. my sugar intake is usually below 10 grams per day. the carbs you do eat need to come from unprocessed, low sugar sources, or you'll be eating too much sugar and won't lose as efficiently. you need to also eat more whole fats (olive oil, butter, foods that are not fat-free), and more lean protein. The point is to find foods that have some carbohydrate but that do not impact your blood sugar dramatically, which triggers insulin release, which triggers fat storage.

hope this helps.