Low Carbs - 80 to 100?

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  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
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    I lose weight easily under 100g, and as long as I don't eat breads and pasta, can lose with even more than that. I'm currently in maintenance (and have been since October), and I still keep my eye on my carbs, but there are days that I eat 300g, and I'm not gaining, altho I don't feel good when I eat that many, particularly when they are processed (and if I get that high, it's because I ate something I don't normally eat).

    I think it's different for everyone, but no one needs to eat a lot of carbs, and certainly not a lot of processed carbs. If you get your carbs from leafy greens and other veggies, plus some legumes, you will get plenty, and if you balance those calories with plenty of protein and healthy fats, you will lose weight. Try lowering them little by little until you find your own sweet spot unless you are in a hurry. If you want to lose fast, going really low works (20-50g), but remember if you go that low to add them back slowly or you will ruin your progress.

    Good luck!
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
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    Just wondering how many carbs are considered as low carbing.
    I just find it so hard to keep to less than 80 a day.

    What do you think please?

    Personally, I wouldn't recommend low-carb diets; they all tend to make participants tired and moody. In addition, many low-carb diet participants are encouraged to supplement their lack of carbs by consuming almost unlimited amounts of high-fat, cholesterol-laden foods like bacon. It's not a healthy lifestyle.

    Personally, I try to eat between 120g-150g (sometimes more) of carbs/day. I'm pretty active with walking/cycling so I need the fuel.

    this so annoys me - please do not comment on something you haven't tried
    I have been low carb /high fat since Christmas - I have lost weigh; reduced my blood pressue;cholesterol levels and blood sugars - so what's not healthy?
    I have not felt so well in years - went out last night and was the first on the dance floor and last to leave it (at 54 I was also the oldest person there) I was driving to work the other day and found myself laughing out load for no apparant reason - strange possibley, but definitely not tired and moody.
    I do not think this is a diet for everyone - but as a T2 diabetic it is the only one to work for me. I do not feel hungry or deprived of food - I do not see this as a temporary diet to lose a bit of weigh - this is it for life. The benefits in how I feel and look far outweigh any restrictions.

    Oh and I have been dieting on and off for years - and I always put the weight back on regardless of whichever plan I was following.

    Try it - if it works for you, great, if not then try something else - But please don't knock what you don't know about

    The person gave their opinion and said "personally" twice in order to not offend. And someone still got offended.

    I love the Internet.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    According to the nutritionist I saw the "Carb Curve" is:

    0-50 is considered Ketosis
    50-100 is the weight loss sweet spot
    100-150 - effortless weight maintenance
    150-300 - Insidious Weight Gain
    300-300+ danger zone

    probably the most ridiculous thing I've seen
    I've lost weight in the supposed "danger zone".


    2 words: Nutrient Timing
  • blizzisme
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    Its amazing the misinformation that some people put out... you need to be careful who you take advice from.

    For example "ketones (partially broken-down fats) in your blood."
    Ketones are not partially broken down fats... Ketones are an end product of fat metabolism used as a primary energy source. They are more efficient than sugar at powering pretty much any cell in your body(other than cancer cells).

    A buildup of ketones in your blood (called ketosis) can cause your body to produce high levels of uric acid.
    Actually, no. Common myth that breaks down if you actually look at the biochemistry.
    Uric acid is a result of purine metabolism. Purine appears in most foods and is particularly dense in meats... This is because we need purine. If you have excessive levels of uric acid, it indicates a problem with your purine metabolism. Put it simply, you aren't processing it properly. Purine metabolism is disturbed/inhibited by sugar/cards, and the most extreme offender is fructose.
    Another problem is people thinking that dietary sources of something and concentrations of that thing in your blood correlate. This is pattently false (a good example of this is cholesterol, where more than 99% of your cholesterol is manufactured in your body, and dietary sources of cholesterol have been shown repeatedly in RCTs to have almost no impact on serum cholesterol). Going really high dietary purines or really low dietary purines will give you a serum difference of maybe 1mg/dl in their urate levels. Not only this, but dietary purines actually assist with uric acid excretion.

    Looked at the RCTs and the things that you will see exacerbate serum uric acid levels are alcohol, sugar(particularly fructose), and vitamin C.



    As for this being safe for athletes or anyone else, here are some links to some performance athletes(the Lakers) who have switched over:
    http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/24373097/nutrition-in-the-nba-part-ii-paleo-diet-taking-hold-for-variety-of-reasons
    http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/24370760/nutrition-in-the-nba-part-i-dwight-howard-qa


    They actually talk about the low energy and the moodiness that some people have mentioned, and I've experienced it myself. It is called withdrawal, and what you experience depends on the depth of your addiction to sugar/carbs. In my case it took about 2 weeks to get over it. I know some people who took as long as a month and others who were over it in days. Sugar is a highly addictive substance. Google the terms sugar, addiction, trial... You can add other keywords like neurochemical or behavioral also. You will find articles from all the major journals on RCTs for it, cohort studies, medical analyses(Seem to recall a couple of them with MRIs of people seeing their response to sugar as compared to the responses of addicts to other drugs)...
  • lolbemad
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    Sure you can eat 400 carbs a day and lose weight with a deficit but high carb foods tend to have higher calories, cake, bread, muffins, lets not get into the nutritional voidness of this all.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I try and keep my carbs around 100g a day. I've been at this for 3 years and couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing weight. I was an avid gym goer and I logged all my food. Then I started looking at my macros. I don't eat dairy at all (allergies) and I have cut my carbs. I don't feel gross, and I've finally started to see the weight drop. I had to mentally prepare myself for this step, and usually during PMS I carb load, but after awhile you don't want to because you feel so bad after pounding back a huge bowl of pasta. I get my carbs through veggies and I have a starch at supper if I can "afford it". I also work out in the evenings so I know I'm going to burn the carbs. I have also found that I could eat an entire loaf of bread and not be satisfied, but if I eat 6oz of chicken, I'm full. Like everyone else said "to each their own" "do what works for you" etc...but FINALLY I've found something that works for me, and it's not that hard to maintain.

    Edit to add: After cutting my carbs, it's way easier to keep within my calorie goals as well. I can eat a lot more food, which is the bonus ;)
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Delete.
  • amyllu
    amyllu Posts: 432 Member
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    Gosh! This topic certainly has stirred up somewhat of a hornets nest in some regards!
    Personally... I have found 90-100 carbs a day quite sufficient to meet my dietary needs and help the weight to shift too.
    I had kept it to 60 for some time but due to health issues decided to increase it slightly.

    I do think that it each and every one of us has a different need and what suits one will not suit another! Those that make these rather knowledgeable and lengthy posts may indeed have some learning behind their pronouncements although I note that no person has actually made a point of stating what their qualifications are...lol!
    In the meantime there are plenty that have their own tried and tested theories which have been very helpful and to which I thank you very much for your time in letting us/me know.

    Whatever we choose to do let us make sure we have done some type of investigations into it so we do not end up harming ourselves.
    :drinker:
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    According to the nutritionist I saw the "Carb Curve" is:

    0-50 is considered Ketosis
    50-100 is the weight loss sweet spot
    100-150 - effortless weight maintenance
    150-300 - Insidious Weight Gain
    300-300+ danger zone

    probably the most ridiculous thing I've seen
    I've lost weight in the supposed "danger zone".

    Yep... me too.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Ketosis is not a bad awful thing- lots of people function just fine in a state of ketosis.

    Most people need to be under 50/40 for that to occur.

    also low carb is relative- it isn't an exact number- I much MUCH prefer % in defining the macro split:
    The term "low-carbohydrate diet" is generally applied to diets that restrict carbohydrates to less than 20% of caloric intake, but can also refer to diets that simply restrict or limit carbohydrates.[4]
  • Steve339to162
    Steve339to162 Posts: 2 Member
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    The term "low-carbohydrate diet" is generally applied to diets that restrict carbohydrates to less than 20% of caloric intake, but can also refer to diets that simply restrict or limit carbohydrates.[4]
    [/quote]

    Best post yet in this thread! Managing the percentages of the macros carb/fat/protein is key. Experiment with them and find the percentage that works best for you.. Have fun with it and be patient... the percentage that works for you will fall into place like magic!
  • amyllu
    amyllu Posts: 432 Member
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    Sue2328
    I have been low carb /high fat since Christmas - I have lost weigh; reduced my blood pressue;cholesterol levels and blood sugars - so what's not healthy?
    I have not felt so well in years - went out last night and was the first on the dance floor and last to leave it (at 54 I was also the oldest person there) I was driving to work the other day and found myself laughing out load for no apparant reason - strange possibley, but definitely not tired and moody.
    I do not think this is a diet for everyone - but as a T2 diabetic it is the only one to work for me. I do not feel hungry or deprived of food - I do not see this as a temporary diet to lose a bit of weigh - this is it for life. The benefits in how I feel and look far outweigh any restrictions.

    Oh and I have been dieting on and off for years - and I always put the weight back on regardless of whichever plan I was following.

    Very much my own pattern of things so I totally agree with this lady!
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    According to the nutritionist I saw the "Carb Curve" is:

    0-50 is considered Ketosis
    50-100 is the weight loss sweet spot
    100-150 - effortless weight maintenance
    150-300 - Insidious Weight Gain
    300-300+ danger zone

    This is all taken frm Mark's Daily Apple/The Primal Blueprint. She also suggested reading "New Atkins, New You". http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-book/the-primal-blueprint/#axzz2S2HjrxO4

    After meeting with this woman I realized that this is not something I could do for the long haul and put it all in my drawer, where I have only used it this one time to answer you post. :o)

    I can beleive that, and I'm going to pin that up in front of me. its true for me. i do about 100 a day and that chart proves that. I know 50 is ketosis, but so far I have not wanted to go that low. i might lose one more pound a week but it would not be such an enjoyable diet.
  • buntingk
    buntingk Posts: 1
    edited October 2014
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    a
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
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    rhogr000 wrote: »
    Just wondering how many carbs are considered as low carbing.
    I just find it so hard to keep to less than 80 a day.

    What do you think please?

    Personally, I wouldn't recommend low-carb diets; they all tend to make participants tired and moody. In addition, many low-carb diet participants are encouraged to supplement their lack of carbs by consuming almost unlimited amounts of high-fat, cholesterol-laden foods like bacon. It's not a healthy lifestyle.

    Personally, I try to eat between 120g-150g (sometimes more) of carbs/day. I'm pretty active with walking/cycling so I need the fuel.

    Before you post, its generally recommended you actually know what you are talking about.

    Oh wait, since I eat low carb will that comment be considered moody and I should eat more carbs?

    Why is it not a healthy lifestyle? Why do you think its UNLIMITED amounts of fat? You seem to just be so full of information, explaining those statements would be a good idea.

  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
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    OP- It really is different for everyone. I eat low carb/keto, so I would consider 80g lowER carb but not low carb. It would also depend on your ratio of fats/protein/carbs than the actual grams.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
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    blizzisme wrote: »
    Its amazing the misinformation that some people put out... you need to be careful who you take advice from.

    For example "ketones (partially broken-down fats) in your blood."
    Ketones are not partially broken down fats... Ketones are an end product of fat metabolism used as a primary energy source. They are more efficient than sugar at powering pretty much any cell in your body(other than cancer cells).

    A buildup of ketones in your blood (called ketosis) can cause your body to produce high levels of uric acid.
    Actually, no. Common myth that breaks down if you actually look at the biochemistry.
    Uric acid is a result of purine metabolism. Purine appears in most foods and is particularly dense in meats... This is because we need purine. If you have excessive levels of uric acid, it indicates a problem with your purine metabolism. Put it simply, you aren't processing it properly. Purine metabolism is disturbed/inhibited by sugar/cards, and the most extreme offender is fructose.
    Another problem is people thinking that dietary sources of something and concentrations of that thing in your blood correlate. This is pattently false (a good example of this is cholesterol, where more than 99% of your cholesterol is manufactured in your body, and dietary sources of cholesterol have been shown repeatedly in RCTs to have almost no impact on serum cholesterol). Going really high dietary purines or really low dietary purines will give you a serum difference of maybe 1mg/dl in their urate levels. Not only this, but dietary purines actually assist with uric acid excretion.

    Looked at the RCTs and the things that you will see exacerbate serum uric acid levels are alcohol, sugar(particularly fructose), and vitamin C.



    As for this being safe for athletes or anyone else, here are some links to some performance athletes(the Lakers) who have switched over:
    http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/24373097/nutrition-in-the-nba-part-ii-paleo-diet-taking-hold-for-variety-of-reasons
    http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/24370760/nutrition-in-the-nba-part-i-dwight-howard-qa


    They actually talk about the low energy and the moodiness that some people have mentioned, and I've experienced it myself. It is called withdrawal, and what you experience depends on the depth of your addiction to sugar/carbs. In my case it took about 2 weeks to get over it. I know some people who took as long as a month and others who were over it in days. Sugar is a highly addictive substance. Google the terms sugar, addiction, trial... You can add other keywords like neurochemical or behavioral also. You will find articles from all the major journals on RCTs for it, cohort studies, medical analyses(Seem to recall a couple of them with MRIs of people seeing their response to sugar as compared to the responses of addicts to other drugs)...

    Yep ^^^
    I lost weight with low carb <60, and low fat at the same time. Maintaining easily at 100-150 NET carbs (carb grams minus fibre grams).
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    edited October 2014
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    Oh good. An old resurrected thread.
  • EMTFreakGirl
    EMTFreakGirl Posts: 597 Member
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    I have a very active job and tend toward hypoglycemia. I find that protein tides me over without experiencing the "crash." I don't claim low carb...I prefer the term moderate carb. It's not that I am really limiting my carbs, I just choose my foods wisely to keep my blood sugars (and energy) up and my calories down. Too many carbs = too many calories for me. My sweet spot is in the sweet spot range. 85-100 works for me. Jealous of those that can go higher...but it IS important to know and understand why what works for you does work for you. No quackery here.
  • Basilin
    Basilin Posts: 360 Member
    edited October 2014
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    blizzisme wrote: »
    Its amazing the misinformation that some people put out... you need to be careful who you take advice from.

    For example "ketones (partially broken-down fats) in your blood."
    Ketones are not partially broken down fats... Ketones are an end product of fat metabolism used as a primary energy source. They are more efficient than sugar at powering pretty much any cell in your body(other than cancer cells).

    Ketone bodies aren't a primary energy source, they're a "backup" energy source when glucose is scarce, i.e. during starvation. If you want to force your body into starvation mode all the time, that's your choice.

    I'm going to trust evolution on this one and say that if ketolysis was the best way to get energy, it would be our primary source. I think the biggest reason it's not is because ketone bodies are not readily available or easily consumed, but are produced as a byproduct of fatty acid degradation (which also provides energy). Efficiency isn't just kJ of energy per unit.