Can I lose weight with 50 carbs a day?

EstiloPanama

I have thought about the Atkins, and even Paleo diet. But really, I want to eat reasonably without huge limitations as to all foods...I can do without grains, honestly. But is 50 carbs a day good for weight loss? I'm 247 and need to get down to 150.

EricCowperthwaite

If the 50 carbs a day are "good carbs", you should be able to. This is assuming that you are not diabetic, overly insulin resistant, etc. But you'll need more "good fats", since your body won't have all those carbs in it for brain fuel.

By good carbs, we usually mean fruits and vegetables that have a reasonable amount of fiber. You can subtract each fiber gram from the total carb grams in a serving to come up with net carbs. I look for fruits and veggies to be 5 grams of net carbs per serving, or less. Bump your protein intake up a bit, bump your good fat intake up a lot.

By good fats, we mean fats that have lots of saturated fat. No trans fats and limit the mono and poly unsaturated. Butter, olive oil, grapeseed oil are great choices for cooking, for making salads with, etc. Coconut oil, which I've just started experimenting with, is supposed to be even better for you. Rice oil, I have read, is a great fat. Animal fats, in general, are good for you. No need to take the skin off your chicken or carve tiny slivers of fat off your steak.

Resources:

http://www.garytaubes.com/ and his books, also: "Good Calories, Bad Calories" and "Why We Get Fat"

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ - read this first: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/press/the-primal-blueprint-diagrams/#axzz2IkHKFYKD

I am just starting to figure out some of the Bulletproof Exec ideas, not sure yet how good they are, but worth a look.

http://www.bulletproofexec.com/ - especially this on good/okay/avoid foods: http://www.bulletproofexec.com/the-complete-illustrated-one-page-bulletproof-diet/

And disclaimer: this is based on my experience so far and those folks I talk to regularly here and on Livestrong and in real life. I am not a doctor, nutritionist, dietician, etc. If you have any health issues other than the weight, talk to your doctor. :-)

AdAstra47

Unfortunately, no one can answer this for you. The fact is that everyone's metabolism is different. You've noticed that some people can eat whatever they want and still stay thin, right? While others have to work really hard just to keep from gaining? That's why 95% of diets fail: people try something that worked for someone else, but it's not the right strategy for them 'cause their body works differently. There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. The human genome is just too diverse.

If you have (or can find) a doctor who is willing to do it, you can get a three-hour blood glucose test that will tell you how efficiently your body processes sugars and carbs. This gives you an idea of how many carbs you can eat each day and still lose weight.

Personally, my doctor has told me that I need to eat at least my body weight in protein grams each day, and I'm not supposed to eat more than 10 carbs in a single sitting and no more than 25 carbs per day. But that's just my own personal limit, based on the results of my tests. Your limit may be much higher.

If you can't find or can't afford a doctor, you'll just have to experiment and figure it out for yourself. I think the Atkins Diet has a pretty good technique, you do very very low-carb for a while and then gradually raise the amount you allow yourself, and when you stop losing weight you know you've reached your carb limit. Takes a while, but it's worth it.

Good luck to you!

EricCowperthwaite

The fact is that everyone's metabolism is different.

Yes, like AdAstra47 says, everybody is different. My wife can eat fruit and ice cream and drink light beer no problem. I just can't, or I start ballooning up again.

I highly recommend understanding the science behind how your body metabolizes carbs, fat and protein, how insulin and other hormones work in the body (ghrelin, for example), and what ketones are and how they work.

Once you understand those things, you can start figuring out how your body works and that it is somewhat different from my body. Just as a Toyota Camry and a Ford F150 pickup truck are conceptually similar, but use different amounts of gas to go the same speed, for example.

EstiloPanama

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated..

JaceyMarieS

I lost and am still losing at somewhat above that level. I don't eat grains, but do have small servings of legumes and fruits (mainly small apples, berries or melon)

AdAstra47

Just as a Toyota Camry and a Ford F150 pickup truck are conceptually similar, but use different amounts of gas to go the same speed, for example.

That is the best analogy I've seen on this subject! Mind if I borrow it in future discussions with people?

One of my pet peeves is people bullying others because "It's simple, all you have to do is...." and then they proceed to elaborate on what worked for *them.* And because *they* succeeded, they feel entitled to look down on the people who are still struggling to figure it out, and judge them for being stupid or lazy or undisciplined. Sorry, but some of us were born with a Yugo, not a Porsche! :laugh:

EricCowperthwaite

That is the best analogy I've seen on this subject! Mind if I borrow it in future discussions with people?

Totally feel free to steal it! I just came up with it yesterday anyhow ;-)

One of my pet peeves is people bullying others because "It's simple, all you have to do is...." and then they proceed to elaborate on what worked for *them.* And because *they* succeeded, they feel entitled to look down on the people who are still struggling to figure it out, and judge them for being stupid or lazy or undisciplined.

Yeah, the main MFP forums bug me because there are so many CICO snobs who refuse to admit that macro nutrient intake is as important as calories. In fact, more important.

Sorry, but some of us were born with a Yugo, not a Porsche! :laugh:

My wife and I have been low carb and exercise the same amount of time. I've lost about 22 lbs, she's lost 20. She started at 165, I started at 218. She now looks stunning, I clearly still need to get rid of another 20 lbs. How unfair is that???