CARBS!!!!

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Sid1988
Sid1988 Posts: 170 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am so confused about carbs, they are starting to be the bain of my diet life!

Daily i am averaging between 80 - 130 grams per day, I have been told i should only stick to 20grams and others have said what I am eating is absolutely fine. I mix them up, one day i could have a slice of brown bread, the next i will avoid it and get my carbs only from fruit. I like to say its fairly balanced.

I am averaging around 1400 calories per day, I am doing the 30 day shred daily with a brisk walk for 30 minutes each day - i understand you need carbs to fuel your workout...

So could other share their experiences with carbs; what has and hasn't worked for you and how many grams do you usually get per day?

Thank you! :)
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Replies

  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
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    I don't think you have anything to worry about. As long as you get some exercise, the macros aren't that important (though Sat. Fat and Fructose have been shown in a negative light in a lot of studies).

    ETA: Yesterday I had 614 grams of carbs, and the day before I had 518, according to MFP reckoning, which is 66% and 63% of my calories on those days.
  • Jkn921
    Jkn921 Posts: 309 Member
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    Moderation, if you're not able to see yourself maintaining a certain level of carbs for the remainder of your life - don't start.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Who told you to aim for 20g? That sounds like the induction phase of Atkins, which is VERY extreme.

    Carb sensitivity varies from one person to the next, so you will have to do some experimentation and see what works best for you.
    Around 100g per day would still be regarded by many as "low carb" - are you satisfied with the way things are? Are you losing weight? Do you find you have enough fuel for workouts?
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Has your GP, any NHS staff, a member of the British Dietetics Association or anyone with any nutritional qualifications whatsoever, ever said or written something that says you should be eating such a low carb diet?
  • bluetuesday5
    bluetuesday5 Posts: 99 Member
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    The amount of carbs you need is proportional to how much intense exercise you are going to be doing. So I eat low carb (~100g) on my rest days and slightly higher (~200g) on weight training days.
  • gypsyone96
    gypsyone96 Posts: 62
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    It's different with everybody. Some do carb cycling (low and high carb days) and swear by that. I mean, there are so many different kinds of diets out there. I would just go with the carb intake MFP gives you, 20 grams sound a bit on the low side.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    Make sure you hit your proteine daily intake... the rest is a funfest of carbs and fat!
    Carbs are not evil little things that make you fat nor do they make you loose weight if you don't eat any... (actually they do but it's fictional weight loss...). Knowledge is key - that's all.
  • supadeliux
    supadeliux Posts: 49 Member
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    Personnally, I feel tired if I dont consume carbs. Carbs from bread, or corn flakes (breakfast), or 150 to 200gr of carbs at lunch!! your body need carbs!!! The best way to lose weight is doing sport and eating well! but having such low amount of carbs per day, wont help at all, Your body will absorb more when you will eat a high amount of carbs!!
    Good luck! ^^
  • dez_yaoichan
    dez_yaoichan Posts: 454
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    You need to do what feels best for you. Your body knows better then any if us
    Who told you to aim for 20g? That sounds like the induction phase of Atkins, which is VERY extreme.

    Actually its not a flat 20g
    An Atkins smack bar has say 17g crabs total. From that number you subtract dietary fiber (6g) and sugar alcoholics (9g). Which makes you net carbs 2g.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    Carbs are fuel.
    I want to fuel my body.

    To my mind low-carb is just another fad.

    Lots of protein is important when eating at a deficit - it helps ensure you don't lose too much muscle.
    Having enough fat is also important.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03t8r4h

    The macros in your diary look reasonable. I'd probably aim for a bit more protein at the expense of a bit less carbs if you're sticking to that calorie limit personally, but wouldn't go as far as 20g.

    On low calorie days I do have very little carbs, but that's only because I'm trying to have lots of protein as I've got a reasonable bit of weight, some of it even muscle to maintain :).
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    i like carbs... i eat lots, every day... i am eating a sandwich as i type this...

    i get around 180-200g of carbs per day on 1800 cals (40%)
  • butlersoft
    butlersoft Posts: 219 Member
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    Who told you to aim for 20g? That sounds like the induction phase of Atkins, which is VERY extreme.

    Carb sensitivity varies from one person to the next, so you will have to do some experimentation and see what works best for you.
    Around 100g per day would still be regarded by many as "low carb" - are you satisfied with the way things are? Are you losing weight? Do you find you have enough fuel for workouts?


    ^^^ this. I'm currently reducing my carbs. 100g-150g is ideal from a fat burning perspective (have a look at "Marks Daily Apple") ... and anything lower than 50g is going to be atkins like and possibly put the body into ketosis if sustained for a long period.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Who told you to aim for 20g? That sounds like the induction phase of Atkins, which is VERY extreme.

    Carb sensitivity varies from one person to the next, so you will have to do some experimentation and see what works best for you.
    Around 100g per day would still be regarded by many as "low carb" - are you satisfied with the way things are? Are you losing weight? Do you find you have enough fuel for workouts?


    ^^^ this. I'm currently reducing my carbs. 100g-150g is ideal from a fat burning perspective (have a look at "Marks Daily Apple") ... and anything lower than 50g is going to be atkins like and possibly put the body into ketosis if sustained for a long period.

    Did Mark say if this was applicable to both a competitive endurance cyclist and the sedentary quadriplegic obese?
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    I love my carbs - Especially bread!

    God if I lower my carbs too much, I would be weak, tired, and there is NO WAY I would be able to have any energy for a workout at the gym!


    I would be snoozing in bed hahaha!

    Up to 200g is good, I probably go over that every day........Oh well!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,395 MFP Moderator
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    The more important goals are protein and fats. Protein for muscle retention, fats for vitamin absorption and both for satiety. Ideally, you want to aim for around 1g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass and the rest can be carbs. The only time this should differ is when a medical condition is present, for example: women with PCOS tend to do well with carbs around 80-120g (might vary a little by the person).
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
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    Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but when they suggest 20 g carbs, it's NET carbs, right? That's total carbs minus fiber?

    I've been struggling to get my net carbs under 100, and I didn't even think I was a carb nut.
  • Synamin
    Synamin Posts: 80 Member
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    There are benefits to controlling carbs. If I eat simple carbs, I get blood sugar fluctuations and I am constantly hungry. Eating moderately low carbs and making sure those are the kind that come with fiber (apples, fiber cereal) helps balance my cravings and my crashes. I'm certain that I could not loss weight successfully without adopting this principle.

    A really good guide to see if carbs are a problem is to eat simple carbs first thing in the morning. If you are irritable and starving in two hours, you might need to avoid simple carbs, especially if you do not eat them combined with fiber and protein.
  • fboab
    fboab Posts: 4
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    I'm a competetive endurance cyclist and I lose weight more consistently if I eat fewer carbs.
    Your carb consumption should match your exertion- you need very little once you're acclimitised to doing without. The biggest benefit for me of limiting carb consumption is that it reduces my hunger pangs, it's much easier to go hours without food- even while riding relatively hard. I lose weight with a higher calorie intake if that intake is mostly fat- and that's mostly saturated fat. I aim for 100g of protein a day and less than 60g of carbs, with the remaining calories coming from fat. Training yourself to burn fat for fuel is a skill that many endurance athletes are learning. You do that by limiting carbs and forcing your body into nutritional ketosis. This isn't 'new' and it's certainly not undisputed and but it probably isn't necessary or desirable for everyone.
    We're all an experiment of 1, after all. Unless you have an identical twin there's no one else with exactly your genes. We don't all grow to the same height, we wont all settle at the same weight, we wont all 'need' the same level of fat/carb/protein.
  • bradXdale
    bradXdale Posts: 399
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    Carbs are fuel.
    I want to fuel my body.

    To my mind low-carb is just another fad.

    Lots of protein is important when eating at a deficit - it helps ensure you don't lose too much muscle.
    Having enough fat is also important.

    This

    Poor carbohydrates, they have gotten such a bad rep :(
  • staveshabr
    staveshabr Posts: 74 Member
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    when i first seen this my mind read CRABS!!!!

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