i am new and i have a few questions about calories/carbs

jennibabi8929

hi everyone,
at first i didn't think i would join the community and be able to talk to other people about my weight( who likes to talk about their weight issues?), however all of the posts i have seen thus far were not only helpful but motivating! i have dieted on and off for a long time and never seem to keep the lbs off. i want to change my body and be able to maintain it. 20 lbs is my end goal!
as for my issue with calories/carbs, due to a family history of high cholesterol i do not eat meats, and rarely eat dairy. i guess that makes me a vegetarian. i eat a lot of veggies, fruits and whole grains. all these things are good for me but i am always under my calories and over my carbs by the end of the day. i also eat Beans and such for protein (also high in calories and carbs) but i cannot seem to strike a balance just yet. i am afraid that by consuming too few calories and too many carbs i still won't be able to shed any weight because my body will be storing it. any advice is welcomed, Thanks!

kniclo

Welcome! I'm new here too, and so far I'm really enjoying it. I know what you mean, I didn't eat a lot of meat either for awhile, specifically red meat and pork. If you want to, white fish (tilapia, halibut, etc.) and salmon are excellent sources of protein, and there's so many great and different ways to make them. However, if you're not interested in any meat, tofu is a great alternative. I'm coming around to tofu. It can be made in so many variations that it's a great ingredient to explore with. Nuts are also a great way to add protein. A handful of almonds over yogurt, sunflower seeds on a salad, or peanut butter on celery. Hope this helps!

coold

Welcome!!!
I'm new also. I wish I could help with the calorie/carb thing, but i think if you track everything and u see the carb level go into the - red zone (lol) take that food off and don't eat it. I find myself adding a food to the track before I eat it just to see what it will do to my counts.

The other night, i had enough calories left to get a small fry from Mc Donalds but it made my fat grams go way over for the day, so i skipped out on it. Putting the foods in ahead of time helps you see the numbers and may help keep things balanced!!

kris2600

I took a Nutrition class in college and learned that carbs are the very important to have. Also it shouldn't effect your weight loss if you eat too many carbs as long as you are eating the recommended amount of calories. I have been focusing only on my calorie intake for over a month and have lost over 15lbs. I have gone over my carb, fat, and protein recommendations several times but it hasn't effected me. I know that everyone's body reacts differently to diet plans so I may not be much help I plan on trying to even out my diet after I have reached my desired weight. As for now, I am just eating healthy foods and trying to stay within my calorie intake.

jennibabi8929

thanks! that does help! i forgot to mention that i love fish and i eat nuts too. peanut butter and celery or an apple is one my favorite snacks. i also plan out my day ahead of time, i often don't add in the food item that puts me over my carbs but then i have hundred of calories left. it is tougher than i anticipated! i am in college and i have a meal plan to use, which although convienent, it a pain because then i have to find the closest match to what i ate. i am still only partial to tofu, but i am still trying! i am glad that the carbs thing shouldn't prohibit my weight loss, i do work out too so i figured i needed them but with many failed weight loss attempts i thought some information would help. good luck ladies and thanks again!

megancav

Total calories are all you need to worry about. 1 calorie is viewed by your body the same way regardless of where it comes from: carbs, fat, protein, or even alcohol. Carbs have gotten a bad rap because they are very dense and abundant in certain foods, and can easily be overeaten, which leads to excess calories. Carbs, however, have less calories per gram than fats. Carbs have 4 calories per gram, whereas fats have 9.

shannalx

What you have to worry about are simple and refined carbohydrates (sugar, bread, pasta, most packaged cereal, candy, fruit juice, sodas, etc.), not complex carbohydrates (beans, lentils, veggies, fruits). Your body uses complex carbs for energy and they are crucial in sustaining your mind (your brain can only use carbs for energy) and body; they also add fiber to your diet which helps with digestion. If you stick with consuming complex carbs only, you don't have much to worry about..

I also disagree with some of the comments where it says that 1 calorie is viewed the same way by the body. You have to be careful with that, I too used to think that weight loss is all about simple math, you raise your expenditure over consumption and voila!! But it's really not that easy, a small piece of chocolate full of sugar will spike your insulin levels in such a way that a low gi fruit with the same calorie amount would not, and it has been proven through research that insulin and weight gain go hand in hand.

Here's an excerpt from http://www.tbfinc.com/insulin.htm: "Insulin is responsible for the storage of all the foods we eat: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. However, high glycemic carbohydrates cause blood sugars to rise very rapidly, therefore causing the pancreas to release insulin very rapidly. In some people the body overcompensates and releases too much. The insulin will store these carbohydrates/sugars very quickly. The good side is you get a quick burst of energy; the bad side is most of what is eaten will be stored as fat. "

kwardklinck

Well, I usually go over on something. I just keep slightly under on calories. It really hasn't kept me from losing weight. You can drive yourself crazy trying to balance all of that out. If you notice you don't lose when you go over on carbs, then just add more protein. I usually go over on protein and under on carbs but sometimes I have a lot of fiber one day and the carbs will be up too. I think I go way over on sugar most days but I still lost weight.