Why should I track carbs?

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acogg
acogg Posts: 1,871 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have carbs on my tracking report, but I don't know why I should. MFP suggested it so I allowed the default. I am fairly certain my diet is a good one, but I am still not confident. I am at my goal weight, feel good and have plenty of energy. The nutrients I track are, in order: calories, protein, sodium, potassium, calcium and the carbohydrates. I never pay attention to the carbs and wonder if I should replace their report with something more that I am missing? Ahem, cough, cough, I had a rare treat day today, I ate at Wendy's. Most days don't look like today. Please help me dial this in!

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  • dr3wman
    dr3wman Posts: 205
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    If you are already tracking calories, you might as well track carbs as well. Its a macronutrient which is just as important as protein and fat. In this case, the more information you have, the better
  • Cinflo58
    Cinflo58 Posts: 326 Member
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    I think carbs are only important if you are diabetic or have some other medical problem. I also track iron - a d I am usually deficient so I take a vitamin with minerals and just track calories and protein.
  • daxazo
    daxazo Posts: 37 Member
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    I track carbs because they raise my blood sugar. I also feel a million times better when cutting carbs. I have so much energy, and I no longer crave bread and sugar.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    How about add fat in? I always try to get a minimum of 200g protein and 50g fat (prefer 75g). I don't really care about carbs either but the other two are important.
  • mahonia_repens
    mahonia_repens Posts: 10 Member
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    Some people find that eating a high carbohydrate diet leads to decreased satiety and increased daily calories. If you are tracking your carbs, you can see if this is true for you. If you have insulin resistance, PCOS, or are pregnant, it is a good idea to eat fewer carbs. If none of this applies to you, then you really don't need to track carbs at all.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,871 Member
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    I have never exceeded my MFP carb suggestion. I am always under. Only excess carbs are the problem? Really, I am that ignorant. I like the idea of tracking fats because I don't think I get enough fats. Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! This is why MFP works!
  • mahanaibu
    mahanaibu Posts: 505 Member
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    It's such an individual thing. For people with insulin problems, or who tend to bloat from carbs, etc. It can be a useful measure. Other than that, sometimes just tracking things is good...like if we have a period of weight gain, we can look at our records and say, what's different about how I'm eating than what I did before?
  • FitGirl329
    FitGirl329 Posts: 103 Member
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    A lot of us like to keep a certain ratio of carbs/protein/fat for weight loss reasons or because we feel better or fuller when we eat this way. I try to stay around 40/30/30 (the Zone ratio). So when I see the little pie chart on the home page of my apps immediately after I post my foods I've eaten, it helps me see if my meals are staying on track for the day. But if you don't want to keep track because that's not useful for you, then you shouldn't. It's a personal thing. I know when I feel best and like to see it. It's easy to overdo them even when eating healthy.

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