CARBS

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Elisepatricia
Elisepatricia Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
On my journey to clean eating, I still notice that 55% of my intake is carbs..that's not good.. Is this preventing me from losing weight? Lately I have been sneaking a few sweets but for the most part I eat a pretty clean diet. If I only have a few sweets, why aren't the pounds melting off? I work out regularly, maybe miss a couple days here and there but for the most part I stay on track. I just don't understand.

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  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
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    I don't know about what "clean eating" recommends, but that's actually a healthy range based on the sources I consulted, including Livestrong: http://www.livestrong.com/article/288657-the-recommended-daily-intake-of-calories-carbs-fat-sodium-protein/
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    Wanna know what prevents you from losing weight? Eating at a caloric surplus. I know, I know. It's crazy.




    Carbs are delicious and not the enemy.
  • bound4beauty
    bound4beauty Posts: 274 Member
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    Have you determined how many calories you should be eating? That's going to determine whether you lose weight or not.

    Some people swear by a low carb diet but I think a more balanced approach works for most people. Try setting your macros at 40c/30p/30f and make sure that the bulk of your carbs is from whole grain sources, fruits and veggies.. Your body can't distinguish good carbs from bad carbs, they all turn to sugar, but whole grains generally contain more fiber and don't convert to sugar quite as quickly as other sources of carbs do. An occasional sweet treat shouldn't derail your progress if you're eating the right number of calories.

    Good luck!
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
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    Carbs killed my mother.

    Watch out for carbs.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
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    Given you're eating clean, I see no issue with this at all.
    I personally prefer a much lower intake on carbs but if it's working it doesn't matter. If it's not try lowering it and eating more fat/protein.
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
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    Wanna know what prevents you from losing weight? Eating at a caloric surplus. I know, I know. It's crazy.




    Carbs are delicious and not the enemy.


    Have you ever been slapped in the face with a bag of rice? I have, it sucks and thus carbs are the enemy.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,841 Member
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    Wanna know what prevents you from losing weight? Eating at a caloric surplus. I know, I know. It's crazy.

    Carbs are delicious and not the enemy.


    Have you ever been slapped in the face with a bag of rice? I have, it sucks and thus carbs are the enemy.

    Was it brown rice or white? I here that processed, bleached crap is worse for you.
  • Elisepatricia
    Elisepatricia Posts: 13 Member
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    My daily percentage is about 50% carbs, but I barely eat bread or any grain. I have Special K cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, pretzels, salad w/ grilled chicken, and a fruit for lunch, and dinner varies. I'm just not sure why the carbs are so high.
  • Cese27
    Cese27 Posts: 626 Member
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    Wanna know what prevents you from losing weight? Eating at a caloric surplus. I know, I know. It's crazy.




    Carbs are delicious and not the enemy.
    This all day long
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    My daily percentage is about 50% carbs, but I barely eat bread or any grain. I have Special K cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, pretzels, salad w/ grilled chicken, and a fruit for lunch, and dinner varies. I'm just not sure why the carbs are so high.

    Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/grains.html

    Oatmeal is 50% carbs, Special K higher still (cereal based). Fruit is carbs too.
  • allgoodthings
    allgoodthings Posts: 82 Member
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    I saw the topic heading and I thought someone was dishing out carbs. I am disappointed.
  • anniecrisis
    anniecrisis Posts: 20
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    If you exercise carbs are what you will need to fuel that. They don't make you any fatter or sicker than any other source of energy does, calorie for calorie. I use about 400 calories, five days a week, on cycling or running, and after exercise it's carb I'll take to re-load my muscle glycogen stores.
    I don't get the current fashionable hype about protein: the science says that the vast majority of folks in the West gets way more protein than is really needed - it also provides more calories, gramme for gramme, than carb does. Similarly, fat gets such a bad press, but we need some, to get the essential fatty acids we can't make for ourselves, and as vehicles for the fat soluble vitamins which are also so important.
    One thing I have done though, to adjust my diet - I take far more in the way of veg than I did, because it helps keep me feeling as if I've had enough to eat even on calorie deficit days, and is rich in vitamins and minerals, without neceessarily being as energy-loaded as fruit can be :).
  • vamari22
    vamari22 Posts: 22 Member
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    Fruits and vegetables are carbs, so if you're eating clean, then your carbs will be fairly high. This isn't a bad thing unless the carbs are coming from white breads, cakes/candies, etc. I don't agree with the whole cutting carbs completely mindset, but I think a lot of people tend to cut them out because they're high in calories and it's one of the easiest ways to cut them. I try to cut out white flour products and focus on replacing them with veggies or whole grains (e.g., quinoa, barley, etc.)
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
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    I still notice that 55% of my intake is carbs..that's not good.. Is this preventing me from losing weight?
    55% is not bad.
    Carbs do not prevent you from losing. (broccoli is a carb)
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
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    Wanna know what prevents you from losing weight? Eating at a caloric surplus. I know, I know. It's crazy.




    Carbs are delicious and not the enemy.

    True that :drinker:
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    "For the most part" just doesn't work. People overestimate their exercise and underestimate their intake. That's what logging is for. So don't "for the most part."
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
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    As long as you're not overeating in calories and you have no medical reason to avoid carbs (diabetes, pcos, insulin resistance)... you're good. If the 55% is preventing you from meeting your protein and fat goals, then you have some adjustments to make. Protein and fat are essential, so it's important to make sure you're getting enough. Especially protein (and it's not a % it's a number in g based on your LBM)
  • alits
    alits Posts: 8 Member
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    Carbs are definitely not the enemy we need them to fuel our body but I believe its the type of carbs that is important. Complex carbs like whole grains, and vegetables etc. are a whole lot better than simple carbs. Simple carbs which can be found in:t able sugar, products with white flour, honey, milk, yogurt, candy, chocolate, fruit juice, cake, jam, biscuits, molasses, soda and packaged cereals aren't the greatest because they are broken down easily and have little nutritional value. The complex carbs will keep you fuller longer =)
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
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    Carbs are definitely not the enemy we need them to fuel our body but I believe its the type of carbs that is important. Complex carbs like whole grains, and vegetables etc. are a whole lot better than simple carbs. Simple carbs which can be found in:t able sugar, products with white flour, honey, milk, yogurt, candy, chocolate, fruit juice, cake, jam, biscuits, molasses, soda and packaged cereals aren't the greatest because they are broken down easily and have little nutritional value. The complex carbs will keep you fuller longer =)

    honey has tons of nutritional value! Especially if you're hungover :p

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