How low is it?

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moechi
moechi Posts: 18 Member
Hi! :)
I am still new in low-carb world and want to know more about it.
How much carbs is considered low-carbs? <50? <100? <200?
I am 5'4. How many gram/day do you recommnd?

Thanks!

Replies

  • moechi
    moechi Posts: 18 Member
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    I am living in Asia (Malaysia to be precised), so it's kind a hard to be a low carber. But I am up to the Challenge!! :wink:
    So, if anybody here is living in Asia, maybe we can share tips. :happy:
  • Laura_beau
    Laura_beau Posts: 1,029 Member
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    Hello & Welcome

    Low carb is subjective- each person is different. Some people on this site eat 20g a day, some eat 100g a day.

    My advice would be to drop to 100g, then see how your body responds. If you do not lose weight drop it down to 80g, then 60g...etc.

    I am following an Atkins style approach and eat 20g NET carbs, I am not Asian but I do adore Asian cuisine and cook Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Japansese and malaysian foods quite a lot! Keep a look out on this site for recipes & inspiration- in particular the daily menu thread.
  • shar140
    shar140 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    Like Laura_beau said, it is subjective. It really depends on the person. Some can tolerate more than others. I scale mine to my activity level and cycle my carbs a bit (so I don't always have a set number, it varies).

    I used to be able to lose on 150g a day or less, but that was probably 8 years ago (and I was 80lb heavier and a lot more unhealthy!). Now, when I'm not as active I keep it around 50. High activity days I go as high as 80-100, but I generally try to keep it as low as I can. And when I do eat higher carb foods, I am more selective about what foods (some fruits, veggies, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rice. I avoid grains as much as possible).

    I'd recommend Jonny Bowden's book, "Living Low Carb", it will explain how your carb level depends on the person. It also gives an overview of over 30 different 'low carb' diets. Basically, his philosophy is, anything lower than the conventional way of eating carb level (which can be upwards of 300g of carbs) could be considered 'low carb'.
    http://www.amazon.com/Living-Low-Carb-Controlled-Carbohydrate-Long-Term/dp/1402768257/ref=la_B001ITRM1M_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345639338&sr=1-2
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    It varies for everyone. Anything under 100 grams is low carb since most people are eating 200g and up. I aim for around 20 grams after fibre is subtracted. On my goals I have 41 grams so that gives me lots of room for all my veggies and fibre. I have my macros set at 65 fat, 25 protein, and 10 carb. It works well for me. I can eat delicious food and not feel hungry, unless I really am. Most importantly, I eat healthy food. I don't eat artificial sweeteners or use any replacement for bread products. My diet is based on fat so I try to incorporate coconut oil every day. I do use dairy (for now) but I avoid grains, legumes, starches, sugars (maple sugar/syrup and honey in tiny amounts for special treat ingredients), and limit fruit. Once at a healthy weight, I will slowly reintroduce things like yams and more fruit. However, for my body, I plan to avoid grains and legumes permanently.
  • moechi
    moechi Posts: 18 Member
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    Thanks for the insights!
    I think I will go to <100.
    <20 or <50 seems inapplicable for me, I love fruits and veggies!!

    Just wondering, if I stop doing low-carb, will all the weight come back?
  • Laura_beau
    Laura_beau Posts: 1,029 Member
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    Thanks for the insights!
    I think I will go to <100.
    <20 or <50 seems inapplicable for me, I love fruits and veggies!!

    Just wondering, if I stop doing low-carb, will all the weight come back?

    Like any way of eating, if you go back to an unhealthy diet the weight will come back.

    The key is to slowly re-introduce foods back into your diet once you are at your goal weight. ie: start adding back more fruits, higher carb veggies and test what your body will maintain on.

    Once I am at goal I will allow myself more 'treat meals' but will always be mindful of my eating, and will continue to exercise etc..
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    it's funny. before joining this site, i would have never though anything other than less than 50 grams a day is low carb, haha.

    the goal for me is ketosis. (fat burning)
    and most people can get that by restricting carbs to less than 20-50 grams a day.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    Thanks for the insights!
    I think I will go to <100.
    <20 or <50 seems inapplicable for me, I love fruits and veggies!!

    Just wondering, if I stop doing low-carb, will all the weight come back?

    It's actually not hard to be under 50 and still eat lots of produce and some fruit. Remember, you don't have to "count" fibre. So I get around 20-25 carb grams per day. I eat veggies every day, usually 4 cups of salad and other stuff. I eat berries, nuts and seeds occasionally.

    However, just eliminating grains would likely be enough to win you over. You'll be amazed at how good you feel after a few days. Personally, I can't be above 50 grams of carbs or I start craving grains/sugar, binging, and feeling hungry all the time.

    Well, if you see a healthy eating plan as temporary, then, yes, all the weight will come back.
  • moechi
    moechi Posts: 18 Member
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    Alrite!
    Will try my best.

    Wish me luck :wink:
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Thanks for the insights!
    I think I will go to <100.
    <20 or <50 seems inapplicable for me, I love fruits and veggies!!

    Just wondering, if I stop doing low-carb, will all the weight come back?

    If you are dedicated to the research of vegetables and fruits, you will be able to determine what fills your plate better. The majority of fruits are not carb-friendly. About the only variety you can consider a reasonable amount of carbohydrates would be from berries.

    If you were to chop up 4oz of Romaine, Im going to tell you right now - that amount of Romaine FILLS a large dinner plate. On average its one whole Romaine, and in some cases 1 plus a couple of chops from another Romaine-head.

    Measuring 2oz of cucumber is actually alot, visually speaking, for a salad.

    When I have italian, I use zucchini/summer squash threads for my 'pasta' and 8 oz FILLS the plate when raw. Its HUGE! If I do a quick three-minute saute, it still retains its bulky-appearance, put some homemade sauce on, chicken, shrimp, freshly shaved parmesan... you would be amazed at how carb-conscious this meal is and its HUGE. I dont always finish it.

    Measuring ties in with the accountability factor of being more aware of servings, portion sizes and actually seeing the difference between one and the other.

    People who are 20g-50g can still have very much a complete meal, but it requires the person to do the legwork of finding the vegetables/fruits/cheeses they can incorporate and how to build a meal from there.

    I hate the MFP food database, its horrible. Too many errors are there and I spent probably my first three days on MFP just building up my own individual food list from Calorieking.com just so I could make sure all of my numbers are 100% accurate.
  • moechi
    moechi Posts: 18 Member
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    :noway:
    Nice info!!

    Thanks!
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    Thanks for the insights!
    I think I will go to <100.
    <20 or <50 seems inapplicable for me, I love fruits and veggies!!

    Just wondering, if I stop doing low-carb, will all the weight come back?


    I hate the MFP food database, its horrible. Too many errors are there and I spent probably my first three days on MFP just building up my own individual food list from Calorieking.com just so I could make sure all of my numbers are 100% accurate.

    I have to agree about problems with the MFP database, though I still like it for the most part. Too many people are entering personal foods without macro-nutrient values (just keep them in your own food/recipe lists!) or just plain entering things wrong. It makes searching very time consuming and frustrating. It would be easier if people didn't share incomplete personal foods in the database. Also, incorrect spelling and entering the same products repeatedly are things that are annoying me too.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Hi! :)
    I am still new in low-carb world and want to know more about it.
    How much carbs is considered low-carbs? <50? <100? <200?
    I am 5'4. How many gram/day do you recommnd?

    Thanks!
    I think cutting out grains, starchy vegetables and sugar and concentrating on eating whole foods (not low-carb packaged diet foods) is a great place for anyone to start and you'll see your carb intake fall well below 100g which is great for your health and for losing weight. If you have a problem with hunger or binge eating you'll want to limit your fruit intake as well. Don't forget to up your fat intake with butter, olive oil, coconut oil and saturated animal fats as well since that's what you'll use for energy -- avoid the polyunsaturated vegetable oils, spreads and sprays.

    I think this is a great (completely free) beginners guide:
    http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

    What's considered low carb is a common question and I came across this the other day and posted it:
    A small snippet from, What Is A Low-Carb Diet? Researchers Have Now Defined It! People are always asking what's low carb so I thought this was interesting.
    So, we have three distinct and practical terms and definitions to use now:

    Low-carb ketogenic diet (LCKD): less than 50g carbs and 10% calories daily
    Low-carb diet (LCD): 50-130g carbs daily and between 10-26% of calories
    Moderate-carb diet (MCD): 130-225g carbs daily and between 26-45% of calories

    http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/what-is-a-low-carb-diet-researchers-have-now-defined-it/6648