What is considered low carb?
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samsara18
Posts: 40
Hi - new to this and was wondering what the group considers to be low carb? I have seen some really low figures being given and I was just wondering if low carb. (or prob moderate carb) could be at 100g? Or is it done by percentage of carbs in the overall food intake? Sorry if its a daft question.
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Replies
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Low carb is pretty vague and covers a wide range. For some it's Atkins style induction, with 20 g of carbs per day. I follow with Keto, which is similar - but keto is Low Carb, High Fat, Moderate protein. So keto has macros of 65% Fat - 30% Protein - 5% Carbs (5% carbs is still around 20g net carbs for me). Others are just trying to eat lower carbs, while still following a low fat diet. Atkins induction and Keto focuses on ketosis, and keep carbs super low as a means of controlling appetite (lower carbs mean no insulin response, which helps avoid those appetite spikes and blood sugar crashes).
If someone is doing keto or Atkins, there are some pretty specific "rules" that you follow. If it's just a "I'm lowering my carbs", then I don't really have much to contribute for that approach.
It's a good idea on this board to ask what their program is, because as you point out, it can be a pretty broad range.0 -
I saw this posted on another thread and thought it may be helpful:
Re: grams of carbs
■ 0-50 grams per day: Ketosis and I.F. (Intermittent Fasting) zone. Excellent catalyst for rapid fat loss through I.F. Not recommended for prolonged periods (except in medically supervised programs for obese or Type 2 diabetics) due to unnecessary deprivation of plant foods.
■ 50-100 grams per day: Sweet Spot for Weight Loss. Steadily drop excess body fat by minimizing insulin production. Enables 1-2 pounds per week of fat loss with satisfying, minimally restrictive meals.
■ 100-150 grams per day: Primal Maintenance zone. Once you’ve arrived at your goal or ideal body composition, you can maintain it quite easily here while enjoying abundant vegetables, fruits and other Primal foods.
■ 150-300 grams a day: Insidious Weight Gain zone. Most health conscious eaters and unsuccessful dieters end up here, due to frequent intake of sugar and grain products (breads, pastas, cereals, rice, potatoes – even whole grains). Despite trying to “do the right thing” (minimize fat, cut calories), people can still gain an average of 1.5 pounds of fat every year for decades.
■300+ grams a day: Danger Zone of average American diet. All but the most extreme exercisers will tend to produce excessive insulin and store excessive fat over the years at this intake level. Increases risk for obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and type 2 diabetes.0 -
@bookyeti - that was really an interesting synopsis...thanks!0
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Thanks, bookyeti, for the quantifications. It's hard to aim for a target that has no
definition. This helps a lot.
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Thanks Bookyeti - that is really helpful. Thanks kiramaniac thanks for the advice to ask which people are following....seems a wide variety of people of people on here then.0
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I saw this posted on another thread and thought it may be helpful:
Re: grams of carbs
■ 0-50 grams per day: Ketosis and I.F. (Intermittent Fasting) zone. Excellent catalyst for rapid fat loss through I.F. Not recommended for prolonged periods (except in medically supervised programs for obese or Type 2 diabetics) due to unnecessary deprivation of plant foods.
■ 50-100 grams per day: Sweet Spot for Weight Loss. Steadily drop excess body fat by minimizing insulin production. Enables 1-2 pounds per week of fat loss with satisfying, minimally restrictive meals.
■ 100-150 grams per day: Primal Maintenance zone. Once you’ve arrived at your goal or ideal body composition, you can maintain it quite easily here while enjoying abundant vegetables, fruits and other Primal foods.
■ 150-300 grams a day: Insidious Weight Gain zone. Most health conscious eaters and unsuccessful dieters end up here, due to frequent intake of sugar and grain products (breads, pastas, cereals, rice, potatoes – even whole grains). Despite trying to “do the right thing” (minimize fat, cut calories), people can still gain an average of 1.5 pounds of fat every year for decades.
■300+ grams a day: Danger Zone of average American diet. All but the most extreme exercisers will tend to produce excessive insulin and store excessive fat over the years at this intake level. Increases risk for obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Hi, do you happen to have a source for where this info was quoted from?0 -
I saw this posted on another thread and thought it may be helpful:
Re: grams of carbs
■ 0-50 grams per day: Ketosis and I.F. (Intermittent Fasting) zone. Excellent catalyst for rapid fat loss through I.F. Not recommended for prolonged periods (except in medically supervised programs for obese or Type 2 diabetics) due to unnecessary deprivation of plant foods.
■ 50-100 grams per day: Sweet Spot for Weight Loss. Steadily drop excess body fat by minimizing insulin production. Enables 1-2 pounds per week of fat loss with satisfying, minimally restrictive meals.
■ 100-150 grams per day: Primal Maintenance zone. Once you’ve arrived at your goal or ideal body composition, you can maintain it quite easily here while enjoying abundant vegetables, fruits and other Primal foods.
■ 150-300 grams a day: Insidious Weight Gain zone. Most health conscious eaters and unsuccessful dieters end up here, due to frequent intake of sugar and grain products (breads, pastas, cereals, rice, potatoes – even whole grains). Despite trying to “do the right thing” (minimize fat, cut calories), people can still gain an average of 1.5 pounds of fat every year for decades.
■300+ grams a day: Danger Zone of average American diet. All but the most extreme exercisers will tend to produce excessive insulin and store excessive fat over the years at this intake level. Increases risk for obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Hi, do you happen to have a source for where this info was quoted from?
I believe this is from Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Carbohydrate Curve. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/#axzz2TRvrvdVc0 -
Thanks for this0
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Jonny Bowden has an interesting blog post about that here:
http://jonnybowdenblog.com/what-exactly-is-a-low-carb-diet-anyway/0 -
Thanks shar - I'l check it out 0
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thanks for the info!0
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I saw this posted on another thread and thought it may be helpful:
Re: grams of carbs
■ 0-50 grams per day: Ketosis and I.F. (Intermittent Fasting) zone. Excellent catalyst for rapid fat loss through I.F. Not recommended for prolonged periods (except in medically supervised programs for obese or Type 2 diabetics) due to unnecessary deprivation of plant foods.
■ 50-100 grams per day: Sweet Spot for Weight Loss. Steadily drop excess body fat by minimizing insulin production. Enables 1-2 pounds per week of fat loss with satisfying, minimally restrictive meals.
■ 100-150 grams per day: Primal Maintenance zone. Once you’ve arrived at your goal or ideal body composition, you can maintain it quite easily here while enjoying abundant vegetables, fruits and other Primal foods.
■ 150-300 grams a day: Insidious Weight Gain zone. Most health conscious eaters and unsuccessful dieters end up here, due to frequent intake of sugar and grain products (breads, pastas, cereals, rice, potatoes – even whole grains). Despite trying to “do the right thing” (minimize fat, cut calories), people can still gain an average of 1.5 pounds of fat every year for decades.
■300+ grams a day: Danger Zone of average American diet. All but the most extreme exercisers will tend to produce excessive insulin and store excessive fat over the years at this intake level. Increases risk for obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and type 2 diabetes.0 -
This is just great, thank you.0
