What are everyones feelings on Carbs?

While we do not need carbs to survive, they are our bodies preferred source of energy because they are protein sparing and prevent the body from burning muscle as fuel. Firstly if your goal is fat loss, you need to calculate your TDEE which will tell you how many calories per day you burn based on your activity level, then subtract 10-20% of those calories to be in a caloric deficit and lose fat. From there, you should calculate your minimum daily requirements for protein and fats (I suggest using bodybuilding.com or just google it) As long as you are meeting your required intake for protein and fats, the rest of your calories may come from carbs. Each person is different and responds differently to carbs, I personally thrive on a higher carb diet compared to most women. Just get a baseline of how much protein and fats you should be having and see how your body reacts to a moderate vs. a lower carb diet. Also remember that for every one gram of carbohydrate you consume, you retain around 3 grams of water, so don't let the extra water make you believe that you are gaining weight!! Best of luck in your weight loss journey!

I'm a vegetarian, if I didn't eat carbs I would probably die and/or be malnourished. Plus, they're awesome. I get about 200g a day and I exercise 3-5 times a week.

they're tasty?

I have protein and dietary fat goals. Once I have those met, I eat the other calories in whatever form I want, and that typically happens to be carbs. I love carbs. Carbs are not evil. Carbs do not make you fat or sick or whatever else the carb haters seem to think (unless you have celiac disease or diabetes, which in that case I am not talking about them).

I do, however, try to limit added sugars, HFCS, etc. and try to get my carbs from fruits, veggies, whole grain pastas and rice, etc.

I have noticed that as long as I am in a calorie deficit, it matters not how many carbs I have, I still lose body fat consistently. There's just no need to demonize a single macro and cut it completely out of your diet.

I have protein and dietary fat goals. Once I have those met, I eat the other calories in whatever form I want, and that typically happens to be carbs. I love carbs. Carbs are not evil. Carbs do not make you fat or sick or whatever else the carb haters seem to think (unless you have celiac disease or diabetes, which in that case I am not talking about them).

I do, however, try to limit added sugars, HFCS, etc. and try to get my carbs from fruits, veggies, whole grain pastas and rice, etc.

I have noticed that as long as I am in a calorie deficit, it matters not how many carbs I have, I still lose body fat consistently. There's just no need to demonize a single macro and cut it completely out of your diet.

They are not the devil.
Though I do recommend avoiding simple carbs.

Keeping calories below a certain level is the standard pathway to lose weight... What does everyone do about carb intake (if they count or consider them at all) and what should the range be kept under for an average exerciser. (3-4 x week 30-45 mins)

It's not the "standard" pathway. It's the new fad. I average 200 carbs a day. My macros are set to 45/20/35. The standard for weight loss is around 300-500 calories less than you need. Most of your weight coming off will be fat instead of muscle, you will be less likely to stall, you won't be hungry all the time, and it's sustainable.

I have protein and dietary fat goals. Once I have those met, I eat the other calories in whatever form I want, and that typically happens to be carbs. I love carbs. Carbs are not evil. Carbs do not make you fat or sick or whatever else the carb haters seem to think (unless you have celiac disease or diabetes, which in that case I am not talking about them).

I do, however, try to limit added sugars, HFCS, etc. and try to get my carbs from fruits, veggies, whole grain pastas and rice, etc.

I have noticed that as long as I am in a calorie deficit, it matters not how many carbs I have, I still lose body fat consistently. There's just no need to demonize a single macro and cut it completely out of your diet.

Agreed! Carbs are the lowest level priority after 1) calorie deficit 2) protein at a minimum of 1 gram per lb of lean body mass 3) .35 to .4 gram of fat per lb of body weight. Carbs with the rest. They are the macro I give the least thought to.

I eat a mainly meat free diet so I can't afford to drop carbs from a nutrition point of view. What I focus on is healthy food, whole foods (minimal processed foods), and portion control. My grains tend to be things like oats, quinoa, brown rice, and multigrained wraps. Fruit is an everyday thing. I really couldn't tell you how many carbs I eat in a day because as long as I am happy with the food choices I make, the carbs can fall where they fall.

they're tasty?

This. :laugh:

I focus first on calories, then on protein (I aim for 97 grams per day), then fat. Everything else is carbs and I enjoy every single one.