How low is your Low Carb ?

fantasticelastic

Just wondering do you have a carb number that you aim for daily ? I started low carb bout 4/5 weeks ago and lost 1 stone so Im 1lb away from my goal weight (yipeee)..not I wouldnt be complaining if I lost a little more.

I try and keep under 100g of carbs daily...this has been putting me at half a pound loss a week.
I feel 100% better from when I started..especially with my energy levels.

So, just wondering how low do you go

Lupercalia

I go anywhere from 30g to 130g. But for the most part, I think I stay around 60-70g/day.

Cr01502

300 grams

Any lower than that I'd rather shoot myself.

pds06

15 grams per serving, no more then 45 in a meal, plus 15 for each of 2 snacks.
I was told by a Diabetic Nutritionist.

A daily limit of less than 150 g of carbohydrates is typically considered a low-carb diet. Some low-carb diet plans, however, encourage the consumption of a very low amount of carbohydrates to facilitate weight loss or help correct metabolic derangements such as diabetes or insulin resistance. Very low-carb diets may include less than 20 g of carbohydrates a day, which corresponds to less than 4 percent of your daily calorie intake.

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Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/426550-what-is-considered-a-low-carb-diet/#ixzz2OJ3135Qd

jjrichard83

To say that your weight loss has come from your reduction of carbs is missing the picture and possibly failure to give credit to the real cause - healthier decisions due to trying to keep carbs down. The source of your carb is just as important I think.

I have done under 100g of carbs, but because a large portion of my meals come from beans & lentils, it's hard to get under. For example, a days worth of beans for me (1.5 cups) is close to 140 carbs right there...

I am now at 200-250 carbs a day. I believe that if you are looking for QUCK weight loss, then cutting carbs is great, but long term keeping it off is bad when you are taking carbs into account.

I eat more beans b/c it makes me not crave carbs in other things - pasta, breads, etc. the later I believe to be worse carbs than that of the healthy beans.

jjrichard83

A number of "vegetarian" & nutrition books claim that 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of simple carbs to protein is optimal for muscle glycogen re-synthesis than delayed consumption of carbs later on - after intense activities.

I am neither one to confirm or deny, and unless you have done extensive research on this matter, neither are you. I do know many athletes consume food in this ratio after workouts, so there might be something to it.

If that were true, after your workout you'd need a min of 60 carbs to go with your 20g of protein.

I think all carbs are getting a bad rap, when it's starchy or processed carbs that are the real culprits.

Citrislazer

I try not to have anymore than 20g net per a meal and I shoot for 40-50g net in a day. I steadily lose about 1-2lbs a week. I absolutely never go over 100g net in a day when trying to lose weight. If you're going low carb, you should join the low carb group on MFP. Everyone is very friendly and helpful.

ijrichard does make a good point. Low carbing does not mean I get to eat bacon all the time. Eating healthier foods is one of the things low carbers strive for, so it's important to track your fiber also. My net consumed may be 50g, but in actuality I've consumed 70-80 carbs. I find tracking carbs is an easier way to make healthy food choices without having to think to much about it.

Citrislazer

A number of "vegetarian" & nutrition books claim that 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of simple carbs to protein is optimal for muscle glycogen re-synthesis than delayed consumption of carbs later on - after intense activities.

I am neither one to confirm or deny, and unless you have done extensive research on this matter, neither are you. I do know many athletes consume food in this ratio after workouts, so there might be something to it.

If that were true, after your workout you'd need a min of 60 carbs to go with your 20g of protein.

I think all carbs are getting a bad rap, when it's starchy or processed carbs that are the real culprits.

To counter ijrichard83's point on athletes: Human bodies are only capable of storing up to 2,000 calories of glycogen. Glycogen comes from carbs and is a quick fuel source for our bodies. So there is a limit to how many carbs are bodies need for essential function.

For example, when marathoners "hit the wall" it means they have depleted their quick fuel source and their bodies are in the process of switching over to fat burning mode for fuel. This is why you see many marathoners eating sugary goo packets during the race, because switching from carb & glycogen burning to fat burning isn't easy under physical stress. It's easier to continue feeding the need for carbs during the race. So it's very common for marathoners to suffer from GI stress from consuming so much sugar during a race. On the flip side, marathoners who train to run in fat burning mode the whole time typically never experience "hitting the wall", and recover more quickly after a race as their muscles where not put under additional stress from a major glycogen depletion suddenly. They also don't need to carb back up. So perhaps there is something to cutting out the crappy carbs in our lives and eating carbs that are high in fiber.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

I lose weight sooooo much faster when I stay below 50g but I like ice cream too much so I usually end up at 60-100g a day.

MonicaT1972

I have PCOS and have to eat low carb to lose. I was not losing on 100g per day so my trainer lowered it to 75g a day and I am losing again. My carbs only come from non-wheat whole grains and fruit and vegetables.

MartinaNYC

Lol, carbs represent 55%-60% of my diet

StheK

I hover around 100 carbs per day. But the ONLY reason I do this is because I have PCOS. If I didn't, and just wanted to lose weight, I wouldn't bother.

brendaschmitt1

I try to stay under 100 but sometimes go over. When I am under 50 i usually see fast results.

Warchortle

on normal days I feel like I'm around 200, but if it's only vegetable carbs that day it's pretty low.

BadAzzBea

50 -100.. Its perfect for me!

bearii

My target is 35-40 net carbs/day (net carbs = carbs - fiber). Has been working very well for me. I work hard at trying to include veggies but watch not to pick high carb ones. I'm missing fruits but realize this is temporary as I lose the weights. I do plan to not go back to "empty" carbs when I've reached my goal weight. I'll focus more on a Paleo lifestyle at that point. Lots of fruits, veggies, healthy meats, etc., no breads, chips, processed foods.

treenuh_x

Anywhere from 25 to 100.

memitre

I usually stay below 20g of carbs per day. I've tried varying amounts, anywhere from 150-20, and I've found that for me staying below 20 works best for not only my weight loss but also for keeping my blood sugars in the range of a non-diabetic, without the use of medications.

skinnyslacks7

I have dropped 30-40ibs in the past very quickly by eating less than 30; however, like others have said, you can't stay that low long term and will gain back again.. at least in my experiance. I stay under a 100 a day. 150 if we go out to dinner.

martinah4

I'm at 20-25 net carbs a day, for the last 2 years. Very easy to maintain, and plenty of energy to spare.

fantasticelastic

its a pity that the fibre count is not included in mfp..would make getting the net carb so much easier

markdavy1982

its a pity that the fibre count is not included in mfp..would make getting the net carb so much easier

You can add fiber to you diary buy going to settings>Diary settings>Nutrients Tracked.

Asterie

its a pity that the fibre count is not included in mfp..would make getting the net carb so much easier

If you go to your food settings, you can choose fiber as one of your options. Then you could check your net carbs manually! (:

As for me, I'm currently only doing 20 net carbs (it's been a week now)--I'm FULL of energy and finally back to a normal sleeping schedule without the grogginess. In a week or two I'll up it by 5 grams per week to see how I feel; hopefully I'll be like most of you and can still feel energetic with 60-100 g in me!

fantasticelastic

Really ? Oh thats brillient thanks so much

fantasticelastic

yipeee it worked thats great..its made my day (must get out more, lol)

pinkraynedropjacki

Well lets see.... mine is at 188 now.

My rice had 0 carbs.

fantasticelastic

Ah feck doesnt seem to work properly..its saying that my nut loaf has 0 fibre !!

Asterie

Ah feck doesnt seem to work properly..its saying that my nut loaf has 0 fibre !!

Yeah, I've come to find that MFP isn't too accurate for the low carbers. However, it does help give you a rough approximation of the fibers (rather than writing it all down on paper)! It's probably counting it as 0 because it's only 0.5 carbs or something; that's what it does for my pepperoni sticks. I just try to keep it in mind when I'm calculating my net carbs and remember that I still have a carb or two to eat.

Unknown

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366to266

I set myself 20g a day, but I always end up having 30g to 60g <sigh>

Mimoki

Ohh boy, I can sure eat carbs. I am always over in my carbs, I mean today I got like 350. Lol I live in Bangladesh, in the country side and I dont do the grocery shopping and man do they love rice here. I hope it doesn't impede on my diet too much but worst case I will wait it out until I am back in the States and in charge of my own food!