How low should my carbs be?
loribenfield
Posts: 120 Member
I need help with figuring how many carbs a day I should have. Can any one refer me to a website that will help me with that?
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Replies
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Probably the real question for you is, "what program do I want to follow"? There are a lot of variations of low carb. Some are very low (20 g carbs or below) some are comparatively high (50-100 g carbs). The "rules" differ between programs.
Personally, I'm a keto girl. We follow 20g (net carbs) per day or less.
Reddit has a nice intro here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aiHSPoto_YqsNTDvL-g60nytMnyH-CJcCbiAx1IEUYM/edit
And a nice FAQ here: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq
Good luck!0 -
Right, what's your goal? If you want to be in ketosis, most people need to eat fewer than 50 g carbs/day but some need less. Atkins starts at 20 g carbs/day and builds from there. As Kira says, other plans, like South Beach, are more moderate. I don't follow any particular plan, but I basically do "nutritional ketosis", or LCHF: low carb, high fat, moderate protein (good site for the basics of this is http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf). I usually am between 20-40 g carbs a day (I look at both total carbs and fiber). Very rarely I do go over that a bit. If you don't have a lot of experience with low carb, picking a plan to start with would probably be a good bet.0
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I'm doing Atkins so I'm at 20 carbs or less per day.0
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I'm trying to stay between 50 and 100, one day a week I go over 100 carbs . . .its hard for me to get under 50 carbs, but I'm ultimatley trying to get to between 50 and 80 a day.0
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I'm trying to stay between 50 and 100, one day a week I go over 100 carbs . . .its hard for me to get under 50 carbs, but I'm ultimatley trying to get to between 50 and 80 a day.
some say 50 t0 80 is not a sweet spot or nice place to be...
let us know how you go on !!!0 -
For me, I hate counting. I dont worry about my calories very much and I could care less about my fat intake (which i want to be high). AGAIN.. I hate counting.. so my carbs are 0. As long as I eat food with 0 carbs.. I am good.
Been in ketosis for months and my ticker reflects my progress
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bump0
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Thanks posting this question! I have always wondered what my carb intake should be. This gives me more of an idea on what to do.0
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I started with South Beach program, their phase 1 is very good at getting rid of your sugar&carb cravings. After 4 days on it my cravings were gone. After 2 weeks of phase I I'd lost 3 kilo without ever feeling hungry, dizzy or cranky. So I did 2 more weeks in phase 1 and lost another 3 kilo. That was 2 years ago and I've never put those kilos back on.
Recently I wanted to lose some more weight (just fine tuning now) so I started with the Paleo way of life of low carb and high fat. For me that means 30 gr of carb, 120 gr of fat and 60 gr of protein a day. My sugar intake is 20 gr or less. Myfitnesspal helps with staying on track. I've been on the low carb/high fat thingy for 2 weeks now and lost another 3 kilo. After 2 weeks of high fat I've noticed that I eat less coz I'm simply not that hungry. And, the most important thing of all: I feel great (and look it too).
Hope this helps!0 -
I've just started eating low carb and I'm on my 3rd day. Feeling pretty ill and headachey but from what i've read this should be over any day soon? I just wanted to know if you think 35g carbs is low enough because i'm struggling to keep below that, but i will try to stick to 20g tomorrow. The other thing I was wondering is that as I am not overweight, will this diet still work for me? I'm between 5'6 and 5'7, F, and weigh 126-127lbs. I want to lose 7lbs by the end of the month. I do cardio at the gym about 3 times a week, i used to go every day but my working hours now are making it a bit difficult.
So just to recap...is 35g carbs low enough? Thanks 0 -
I've just started eating low carb and I'm on my 3rd day. Feeling pretty ill and headachey but from what i've read this should be over any day soon?
YOU NEED TO SUPPLEMENT SODIUM!!!!
From "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" --
Low carb diets are natriuretic - they make the kidneys dump sodium. Sodium deficiency can cause headache, dizziness and fatigue. With continued low carb intake and sodium restriction, at some point your kidneys start to excrete potassium in order to conserve sodium. Potassium deficiency can lead to muscle cramps, cardiac dysrythmia. it can also cause the body to lose muscle, even when there's plenty of protein in the diet.
On low carb, we should consume 3-5 g sodium per day. Broth is the easiest solution. I also like Saltstick, which are capsules with Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium in the proportion you lose during exercise.0 -
I've just started eating low carb and I'm on my 3rd day. Feeling pretty ill and headachey but from what i've read this should be over any day soon?
YOU NEED TO SUPPLEMENT SODIUM!!!!
From "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" --
Low carb diets are natriuretic - they make the kidneys dump sodium. Sodium deficiency can cause headache, dizziness and fatigue. With continued low carb intake and sodium restriction, at some point your kidneys start to excrete potassium in order to conserve sodium. Potassium deficiency can lead to muscle cramps, cardiac dysrythmia. it can also cause the body to lose muscle, even when there's plenty of protein in the diet.
On low carb, we should consume 3-5 g sodium per day. Broth is the easiest solution. I also like Saltstick, which are capsules with Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium in the proportion you lose during exercise.
Wow, I never knew this! Makes sense, though. For some reason I used to like to suck on salty things, like olives, when I've low carbed in the past, and sometimes I would just want to sprinkle a little salt on the palm of my hand and lick it off. Now I know why!0 -
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
this one is useful for me. try it. lot of low carber's on MFP use this one.0 -
Thanks for the advice guys x0
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Just joined this group. Very interesting threads and I'm learning a lot. Does anyone here eat OStrim jerkees? They are high protein and low carb and pretty high in sodium. Would this be a good choice as part of a meal or as a snack?0
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I eat them occasionally - great high protein snacks, and pretty tasty too!0
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For me, I hate counting. I dont worry about my calories very much and I could care less about my fat intake (which i want to be high). AGAIN.. I hate counting.. so my carbs are 0. As long as I eat food with 0 carbs.. I am good.
Been in ketosis for months and my ticker reflects my progress
I am interested in how you feel maintaining 0 carbs? How long do you plan to keep doing it?
Anyone else in this same zero carb category???
Thanks!0 -
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
you asked for a website here's one I use.0 -
I think everyone is different. For me I'm finding lower carb and much higher fat, like 80% works best. You need to start somewhere and go from there.0
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Just joined this group. Very interesting threads and I'm learning a lot. Does anyone here eat OStrim jerkees? They are high protein and low carb and pretty high in sodium. Would this be a good choice as part of a meal or as a snack?
Sure, why not?0 -
I'm trying to stay between 50 and 100, one day a week I go over 100 carbs . . .its hard for me to get under 50 carbs, but I'm ultimatley trying to get to between 50 and 80 a day.
some say 50 t0 80 is not a sweet spot or nice place to be...
let us know how you go on !!!
why? I've been in that spot 50-70 most of the time (although right about 50 with fiber counted) and it's been keeping me in ketosis and it's at a satisfying level of carbs for me. it's been kind of a sweet spot for me.0 -
I'm trying to stay between 50 and 100, one day a week I go over 100 carbs . . .its hard for me to get under 50 carbs, but I'm ultimatley trying to get to between 50 and 80 a day.
some say 50 t0 80 is not a sweet spot or nice place to be...
let us know how you go on !!!
why? I've been in that spot 50-70 most of the time (although right about 50 with fiber counted) and it's been keeping me in ketosis and it's at a satisfying level of carbs for me. it's been kind of a sweet spot for me.
I think the reason is that some people bump in and out of Ketosis at that carb level. If it works for you great! Getting back into Ketosis over and over can be unpleasant. :-)0 -
I do atkins extended induction at 20 or less. Some days I hit 25 if i'm not careful.0
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I used this calculator:
http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/DietMakeupCalc.php0 -
Great info everyone!0
