CARBS (lower)

llpaq

I'm in the beginning phases of my new healthier lifestyle and my focus at the moment is losing weight- like 10 more pounds- and then I don't care what the scale says- I just want to tone up.
For right now can you all share with me what "lower" carbs are to you? - I've basically took breads out of my diet and noodles, pretty much rice. I just want a goal of how many carbs per meal or per day I should have. I haven't seen a dietician or nutrionist yet but I'm hearing everything from 20-70 carbs daily. I'm working out (cardio) every day for at least 35 minutes.
Any suggestions/advice will be appreciated.

thank you

neanderthin

I'm consuming around 200-250 carbs a day and because it represents about 25% of my diet, that is considered a low carb diet, of course some people consume a lot less.

MaraDiaz

You could try shaving some off every day until you hit a point that seems right for you. I started just by giving up bread, then I went Atkins when I saw good results.

But be warned, if you do Atkins Induction-style low carb working out can be very rough, especially the first couple of weeks, but I found it rough even a couple months in. Now I'm used to it, though. The way I do it is low enough carbs to stay in ketosis but not everyone wants to be in ketosis or needs to be. For some just giving up bread and pasta is probably enough.

ratts82

HI, I am trying to do low carbs too to shed about 10 pounds in total as I was a total carb junkie! I have been advised to cut out the usual rubbish - bread, biscuits, crisps, rice, pasta - anything with carbs and I did feel rough for while. I have heard the general rule is to evenutally be eating a gram of carb per kilo of body weight, ie if you weigh 70kg, then 70g of carbs a day. I find it really hard and workout when I can to burn it off. Having said that I do feel better, less bloated and lost 4 pounds in weight in my first week - am now on week 2 and so far so good. I have found the less carbs I eat, the less I want and I get fuller quicker Oh and cut out sugar as much as you can - if it's not used it stores as fat! Hope this helps! :-)

whenday

I have my macros set to 25% carbs 30% protein 45% fat. It figures out to be a bit over 100g of carbs. I feel better with a smaller amount of carbs.

chrisdavey

I would recommend that you focus on getting enough P&F and then making the remainder of your calorie target from carbs.

caribougal

General rule of thumb (obviously varies by person) is 50-100g/day for weight loss, 100-150g/day for maintenance. Many people go higher if they're into endurance sports or are at goal and maintaining easily. Doesn't matter how that shakes out in terms of your meals. Lots of people save their heavier carbs like sweet potatoes for post-workout to help recover.

chrisdavey

General rule of thumb (obviously varies by person) is 50-100g/day for weight loss, 100-150g/day for maintenance. Many people go higher if they're into endurance sports or are at goal and maintaining easily. Doesn't matter how that shakes out in terms of your meals. Lots of people save their heavier carbs like sweet potatoes for post-workout to help recover.

you cannot give a recommended level of carbs for weight loss when you don't know A) the person's weight their exercise and NEAT C) how much P&F they are consuming.

monty619

I would recommend that you focus on getting enough P&F and then making the remainder of your calorie target from carbs.

^^yerp

KarenisPaleo

General rule of thumb (obviously varies by person) is 50-100g/day for weight loss, 100-150g/day for maintenance. Many people go higher if they're into endurance sports or are at goal and maintaining easily. Doesn't matter how that shakes out in terms of your meals. Lots of people save their heavier carbs like sweet potatoes for post-workout to help recover.

you cannot give a recommended level of carbs for weight loss when you don't know A) the person's weight their exercise and NEAT C) how much P&F they are consuming.

Yes, you can.
She's right. It works.

lilRicki

I would rather lift weights then run a marathon, so I low carb between 100 and 150g a day. Focus on protein and whole fats and that should take care of a lot of your macros. I've cut out fruit (never was a big fruit eater) but I've tripled my veggie intake because that's where I'm getting my carbs from. I keep reading that high carbs are for high cardio, and i don't do high cardio lol

caribougal

General rule of thumb (obviously varies by person) is 50-100g/day for weight loss, 100-150g/day for maintenance. Many people go higher if they're into endurance sports or are at goal and maintaining easily. Doesn't matter how that shakes out in terms of your meals. Lots of people save their heavier carbs like sweet potatoes for post-workout to help recover.

you cannot give a recommended level of carbs for weight loss when you don't know A) the person's weight their exercise and NEAT C) how much P&F they are consuming.

That's why I said "general rule of thumb" and "varies by person". And I also said that carbs might be higher for those doing endurance sports. What I put was a simplified version of Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Carbohydrate Curve.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/press/the-primal-blueprint-diagrams/#axzz2I5OtvWoa

llpaq

Thank you all this helps..... I'm a little slower when it comes to this stuff ...so please forgive me but on MFP it has my GOAL as 233 (g) that is just too much for me I think- can we adjust this in anyway- does anyone know ?
And though I'm trying not to eat any breads/noodles/the junk- I am at 51% carbs today and I've had a smoothie (mango,strawberry, whey protein), a small bowl of chili with 2 crackers and an apple..... I'm not too hungry today (because I'm a bit under the weather) but that seems like a lot of carbs for what I've had! I feel like I'm obssessing but at the same time I don't want to be defeating the purpose and keeping fat on me when I'm trying to get it off.
I think I'm going to have a breakfast and lunch with minimal "whole" carbs (I don't know what you call them but the carbs like whole wheat toast, raw oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, fruits (cause I love them) and then dinner no carbs, or just a tinnnny small bit of carbs because I love brown rice!
Opinions (or facts) pleaseee :ohwell:

llpaq

I would rather lift weights then run a marathon, so I low carb between 100 and 150g a day. Focus on protein and whole fats and that should take care of a lot of your macros. I've cut out fruit (never was a big fruit eater) but I've tripled my veggie intake because that's where I'm getting my carbs from. I keep reading that high carbs are for high cardio, and i don't do high cardio lol

Eventually this will be me! Just now I have to get at least another few pounds off so I'm doing a lot of cardio.......and I'm a total fruit person....which sucks when it comes to carbs. I love fruits and potatoes

llpaq

General rule of thumb (obviously varies by person) is 50-100g/day for weight loss, 100-150g/day for maintenance. Many people go higher if they're into endurance sports or are at goal and maintaining easily. Doesn't matter how that shakes out in terms of your meals. Lots of people save their heavier carbs like sweet potatoes for post-workout to help recover.

you cannot give a recommended level of carbs for weight loss when you don't know A) the person's weight their exercise and NEAT C) how much P&F they are consuming.

That's why I said "general rule of thumb" and "varies by person". And I also said that carbs might be higher for those doing endurance sports. What I put was a simplified version of Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Carbohydrate Curve.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/press/the-primal-blueprint-diagrams/#axzz2I5OtvWoa

I'm going to take a look at this Mark Sissons thing! THANK YOU! ........

lilRicki

Thank you all this helps..... I'm a little slower when it comes to this stuff ...so please forgive me but on MFP it has my GOAL as 233 (g) that is just too much for me I think- can we adjust this in anyway- does anyone know ?
And though I'm trying not to eat any breads/noodles/the junk- I am at 51% carbs today and I've had a smoothie (mango,strawberry, whey protein), a small bowl of chili with 2 crackers and an apple..... I'm not too hungry today (because I'm a bit under the weather) but that seems like a lot of carbs for what I've had! I feel like I'm obssessing but at the same time I don't want to be defeating the purpose and keeping fat on me when I'm trying to get it off.
I think I'm going to have a breakfast and lunch with minimal "whole" carbs (I don't know what you call them but the carbs like whole wheat toast, raw oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, fruits (cause I love them) and then dinner no carbs, or just a tinnnny small bit of carbs because I love brown rice!
Opinions (or facts) pleaseee :ohwell:

remember there's a difference between good carbs and bad...and subtract your fiber from your carbs. Fruit is high in carbs, but it's "good" carbs. White rice, white potatoes, white noodles, those are "bad" carbs. Cut those out. Whole wheat and natural grain EVERYTHING. Anything with sugar is going to kill your carb count. If you want to binge on fruit and have more then half a cup of whole wheat pasta, have at 'er...focus on bad white carbs.

avakathryn

I find that my macros sit around 40/40/20 (carbs/protein/fat)
I'm not "trying" to be low-carb, but it's kind of happening on its own. I have one major carb for the day and that's a bowl of steel cut oatmeal in the morning. I have protein/veggie heavy snacks and lunch, and then for dinner I'll have a sweet potato, some squash, or mashed cauliflower as my "carb" along with a veggie and a lean protein source. I'm finding that making substitutions and having "fake" carbs (ie: spaghetti squash "noodles" instead of pasta, mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, etc..) really does the trick for me. I feel like I'm getting carbs but my macros are showing that they are still being kept relatively low.

caribougal

Thank you all this helps..... I'm a little slower when it comes to this stuff ...so please forgive me but on MFP it has my GOAL as 233 (g) that is just too much for me I think- can we adjust this in anyway- does anyone know ?

Yes, you can manually set your targets in MFP. Go to Goals / Change Goals / Custom

What I did was figure out my TDEE. You can learn how to do this here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Then subtract 10-20%, and that gives you your cal goal.

Then, you can set your custom macros. I have mine set at 60% fat, 25% protein, 15% carbs. For me, that comes out to be 93g of fat, 88g protein, 53g carbs. I eat Primal, so my carbs come mostly from veggies, fruit, and my daily dark chocolate. I track at the end of the day and see how things shake out.

And though I'm trying not to eat any breads/noodles/the junk- I am at 51% carbs today and I've had a smoothie (mango,strawberry, whey protein), a small bowl of chili with 2 crackers and an apple..... I'm not too hungry today (because I'm a bit under the weather) but that seems like a lot of carbs for what I've had! I feel like I'm obssessing but at the same time I don't want to be defeating the purpose and keeping fat on me when I'm trying to get it off.

Carbs add up quick with smoothies and fruit. I generally eat one serving of fruit a day. Berries are best, but I'm an apple fanatic. I try not to drink my calories in smoothies, but that's a personal preference. Maybe try smoothies made more of veggies than fruit. And if your chilli had beans.... heavy carb load there.

I think I'm going to have a breakfast and lunch with minimal "whole" carbs (I don't know what you call them but the carbs like whole wheat toast, raw oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, fruits (cause I love them) and then dinner no carbs, or just a tinnnny small bit of carbs because I love brown rice!
Opinions (or facts) pleaseee :ohwell:

Ultimately carbs are carbs, even if you're eating the "whole" kind. Best way to lower them is to replace as much of them as you can with protein and veggies. Swap out the pasta for julienned zucchini - it tastes even better than the cardboard whole wheat pasta. Make cauliflower rice instead of brown rice.

Good luck!

chrisdavey

General rule of thumb (obviously varies by person) is 50-100g/day for weight loss, 100-150g/day for maintenance. Many people go higher if they're into endurance sports or are at goal and maintaining easily. Doesn't matter how that shakes out in terms of your meals. Lots of people save their heavier carbs like sweet potatoes for post-workout to help recover.

you cannot give a recommended level of carbs for weight loss when you don't know A) the person's weight their exercise and NEAT C) how much P&F they are consuming.

Yes, you can.
She's right. It works.

Thank you for your wisdom.

Did you ever think that reducing your carbs reduced your total daily intake below your TDEE hence losing weight?

Do you know that you can put on weight while "low" carbing?

bcklee

bump for later

llpaq

I would recommend that you focus on getting enough P&F and then making the remainder of your calorie target from carbs.

Hi! How do you on know I'm getting enough P&F's? Is there a scale/ website, or a way to figure that out? (I warned you that I'm slow on this stuff :frown: )...... Or would it be best if I just get to a nutritionist and not keep this going on and on?
The whole reason I bring this up is because I LOVE carbs (well potatoes/ brown rice/fruits) not HUGE on meats (I know, I know, I need it) and LOVE Fruits...... I swear I could survive the rest of my life on fish, rice and mangos! (maybe not all together but you know what I'm saying) and if I didn't like them so much this wouldn't be a HUGE problem I would just maxx out on meats and veggies all the time. I just like to be "in the know" and it seems like the "know' is different wherever I turn.

ClaireTrev

If you try to add extra protein to your diet, you'll minimise carbs by default. ie if you have protein at every meal, you wont have any calories left to be eating carbs!

The thing to watch out for is that "carbs" aren't limited to bread and pasta. Fruit is mostly carbs (sugar and fibre). lots of veggies are carb-heavy (not saying you shouldnt eat them! just choose wisely and don't base your whole meal on the starchy ones, ie potato).

I find that if I eat lots of healthy fats I can happily go without a lot of carbs. Fats make you satisfied and taste goooood!

It also takes a while to get used to eating low-carb. give yourself time to adjust. And don't be disheartened if it makes you grumpy for a while - "atkins attitude"! It will pass.

chrisdavey

I would recommend that you focus on getting enough P&F and then making the remainder of your calorie target from carbs.

Hi! How do you on know I'm getting enough P&F's? Is there a scale/ website, or a way to figure that out? (I warned you that I'm slow on this stuff :frown: )...... Or would it be best if I just get to a nutritionist and not keep this going on and on?
The whole reason I bring this up is because I LOVE carbs (well potatoes/ brown rice/fruits) not HUGE on meats (I know, I know, I need it) and LOVE Fruits...... I swear I could survive the rest of my life on fish, rice and mangos! (maybe not all together but you know what I'm saying) and if I didn't like them so much this wouldn't be a HUGE problem I would just maxx out on meats and veggies all the time. I just like to be "in the know" and it seems like the "know' is different wherever I turn.

Protein depends on your exercise mainly. If exercising regularly then I'd aim for 1g/lb of lean body mass. If you don't exercise, (you should ) then you can get away with less than this.

Fat should be around .4g/lb of body weight.

caribougal

General rule of thumb (obviously varies by person) is 50-100g/day for weight loss, 100-150g/day for maintenance. Many people go higher if they're into endurance sports or are at goal and maintaining easily. Doesn't matter how that shakes out in terms of your meals. Lots of people save their heavier carbs like sweet potatoes for post-workout to help recover.

you cannot give a recommended level of carbs for weight loss when you don't know A) the person's weight their exercise and NEAT C) how much P&F they are consuming.

Yes, you can.
She's right. It works.

Thank you for your wisdom.

Did you ever think that reducing your carbs reduced your total daily intake below your TDEE hence losing weight?

Do you know that you can put on weight while "low" carbing?

I'm not sure if that's directed at me, but I'll respond anyway. I'm absolutely eating below TDEE and that's driving my weight loss. No doubt about it. But I choose to do that with a high fat / low carb approach. I have found that in this way, I eat foods that are nutrient-dense, very filling, and the fats make everything tasty. I could achieve weight loss with low fat, high carb too, but when I've done that, I've found I'm constantly hungry, obsessing about my "diet", and I found it very hard to moderate the carbs. By switching to low carb, I feel in control of my diet. It's pretty hard for me to over eat veggies and meat. I get too full. I personally don't miss any foods I've eliminated. When I want them, I eat them, but they're in the context of my overall low carb diet.

AnvilHead

I would recommend that you focus on getting enough P&F and then making the remainder of your calorie target from carbs.

^ This. There is no "metabolic advantage" to a low-carb diet. If it helps with adherence or satiation, that's an advantage - but it still comes down to calories in < calories out.

llpaq

If you try to add extra protein to your diet, you'll minimise carbs by default. ie if you have protein at every meal, you wont have any calories left to be eating carbs!

The thing to watch out for is that "carbs" aren't limited to bread and pasta. Fruit is mostly carbs (sugar and fibre). lots of veggies are carb-heavy (not saying you shouldnt eat them! just choose wisely and don't base your whole meal on the starchy ones, ie potato).

I find that if I eat lots of healthy fats I can happily go without a lot of carbs. Fats make you satisfied and taste goooood!

It also takes a while to get used to eating low-carb. give yourself time to adjust. And don't be disheartened if it makes you grumpy for a while - "atkins attitude"! It will pass.

THANK YOU- I think I have a bit of the "atkins attitude" I don't know how much I love this....LOL! I am so new and I don't want to get too disheartened. I'm just a little confused- and that gets me a little frustrated. I won't give up though- and I just have to choose wisely like you said. I just want RESULTS......NOW. And I know that's my first step to success is being patient, so I shall be THANK YOU AGAIN....... I'm going to try more protein tomorrow and see how it all pans out.

chrisdavey

General rule of thumb (obviously varies by person) is 50-100g/day for weight loss, 100-150g/day for maintenance. Many people go higher if they're into endurance sports or are at goal and maintaining easily. Doesn't matter how that shakes out in terms of your meals. Lots of people save their heavier carbs like sweet potatoes for post-workout to help recover.

you cannot give a recommended level of carbs for weight loss when you don't know A) the person's weight their exercise and NEAT C) how much P&F they are consuming.

Yes, you can.
She's right. It works.

Thank you for your wisdom.

Did you ever think that reducing your carbs reduced your total daily intake below your TDEE hence losing weight?

Do you know that you can put on weight while "low" carbing?

I'm not sure if that's directed at me, but I'll respond anyway. I'm absolutely eating below TDEE and that's driving my weight loss. No doubt about it. But I choose to do that with a high fat / low carb approach. I have found that in this way, I eat foods that are nutrient-dense, very filling, and the fats make everything tasty. I could achieve weight loss with low fat, high carb too, but when I've done that, I've found I'm constantly hungry, obsessing about my "diet", and I found it very hard to moderate the carbs. By switching to low carb, I feel in control of my diet. It's pretty hard for me to over eat veggies and meat. I get too full. I personally don't miss any foods I've eliminated. When I want them, I eat them, but they're in the context of my overall low carb diet.

If that's what works for you then stick with it. But automatically saying that a certain level of carbs creates weight loss is just wrong. And I'm the exact opposite, carbs fill me up and fats do nothing.

Also, people need to think about what type of exercise they are doing. If you are predominantly doing anaerobic work then you will be using stored glycogen as your main energy source. What happens if you are on a low carb diet? Glycogen stores are depleted and performance suffers. If you are just doing aerobic work then the main source of energy will be from fats.

caribougal

General rule of thumb (obviously varies by person) is 50-100g/day for weight loss, 100-150g/day for maintenance. Many people go higher if they're into endurance sports or are at goal and maintaining easily. Doesn't matter how that shakes out in terms of your meals. Lots of people save their heavier carbs like sweet potatoes for post-workout to help recover.

you cannot give a recommended level of carbs for weight loss when you don't know A) the person's weight their exercise and NEAT C) how much P&F they are consuming.

Yes, you can.
She's right. It works.

Thank you for your wisdom.

Did you ever think that reducing your carbs reduced your total daily intake below your TDEE hence losing weight?

Do you know that you can put on weight while "low" carbing?

I'm not sure if that's directed at me, but I'll respond anyway. I'm absolutely eating below TDEE and that's driving my weight loss. No doubt about it. But I choose to do that with a high fat / low carb approach. I have found that in this way, I eat foods that are nutrient-dense, very filling, and the fats make everything tasty. I could achieve weight loss with low fat, high carb too, but when I've done that, I've found I'm constantly hungry, obsessing about my "diet", and I found it very hard to moderate the carbs. By switching to low carb, I feel in control of my diet. It's pretty hard for me to over eat veggies and meat. I get too full. I personally don't miss any foods I've eliminated. When I want them, I eat them, but they're in the context of my overall low carb diet.

If that's what works for you then stick with it. But automatically saying that a certain level of carbs creates weight loss is just wrong. And I'm the exact opposite, carbs fill me up and fats do nothing.

Also, people need to think about what type of exercise they are doing. If you are predominantly doing anaerobic work then you will be using stored glycogen as your main energy source. What happens if you are on a low carb diet? Glycogen stores are depleted and performance suffers. If you are just doing aerobic work then the main source of energy will be from fats.

I don't disagree with you but I think you're not reading what I wrote in response to the OP.

She asked "For right now can you all share with me what "lower" carbs are to you?"

I answered with a general rule of thumb for low carb eating. The reason those values work is that for most people, eating within those ranges will create a cal deficit pretty effortlessly. I also said that if you are doing endurance sports (highly aerobic) you might want to increase carbs. This is saying the same thing you said. By the way, the OP said she does 35 min cardio daily. I don't think she's at risk of depleting her stored glycogen if she's doing that on 50-150g/day.

caribougal

You probably won't read this link or you'll discount it because you don't like low carb. But it explains the rationale behind the "rule of thumb" values I gave. Bottom line... For most people who live regularly on a low carb high fat diet who are not endurance athletes like triathletes or marathoners, almost no one "needs" more than 150g daily to support general daily activity and even your run of the mill daily 60 min cardio or HIIT.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-metabolic-paradigm-shift-fat-carbs-human-body-metabolism/#axzz2I9Td2W4a

I'm guessing the OP is an average female wanting to drop a few pounds, and she asked about how to do that via low carb. She's not running for 2 hours a day every day. So those carb values i gave will enable her to eat a lot of nutrient-dense foods for whatever her calorie goal is, and most likely she'll lose some weight.

iSarahMay

That's is exactly what I aim for 25% carbs, 30% protein and 45% fat and I also feel great and do lots of running :happy:

kkshipley

So are the percentages below of the total caloric intake you give yourself per day?