The Great Carb War

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Iishasears84
Iishasears84 Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
My husband and I had a really long talk last night about me only intaking 20-50 grams of carbs a day. He showed me some research that says it could be dangerous. He wants me to intake more like 50- 100. I promised myself that by my 30th (Aug 3) I would be 160. I feel like if I do this, I will not be able to hit that goal. :( what do I do? So far since March 9th I have lost 29 pounds and I am happy with that rate, however I love my husband and I don't want him to think I do not care about what he thinks. What the heck do I do!!! :frown:
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Replies

  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    Doesn't matter how many carbs you do and don't eat as long as you are in a deficit, you will lose weight.

    I don't know why people complicate things more than they have to.
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
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    Doesn't matter how many carbs you do and don't eat as long as you are in a deficit, you will lose weight.

    I don't know why people complicate things more than they have to.

    Agreed. Weight loss is calorie deficit. Fat loss is a slight calorie deficit and hard work. If you plan on doing the hard work part then you need the carbs. Carbs don't make you overweight, eating too many calories does. There's no need in restricting carbs so low unless you have a diagnosed medical condition that requires you to do so.
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
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    Personally I try to keep carbs on the lower side, only because I'm on limited calories and it would be more beneficial to spend them on protein and fat. I still eat lots of veggies, but try to find ways to substitute out bread products since they have so many (and lots of carbs=lots of calories, again like people said it's about a defecit).

    That is very low though. You need carbs for energy and for your brain. I think 50 is fine, 20 not so much.

    For perspective, I work in a group home and one of my clients is a kid with a genetic disease that makes carbs toxic. They eat away at his brain, give him seizures, and it is going to kill him by age 30. Even he is allowed 45 carbs per day.
  • wannakimmy
    wannakimmy Posts: 488 Member
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    29 lbs in less than 2 months seems a bit high to me... if my math is correct that is half a pound a day.... How sustainable is what you are wanting to do? Having a goal is great, just make sure it is safely attainable. JMHO
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    Carbs do not make you fat, nor do you have to cut them that low to lose weight. Excess calorie consumption cause weight gain and a CALORIE deficit will help you lose. How you set up your macros should be based on how feel physically daily, exercise performance (if you do any) and how you feel mentally. Mentally meaning if strict carb restriction leads to binging you should probably rethink your process.

    I once thought carbs had to be that low to lose weight; now I refuse to cut them under 200 grams. Learned the hard way. It works for others though...
  • d3m1urge
    d3m1urge Posts: 38
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    CARBS DONT MAKE YOU FAT

    EXCESS CALORIES DO

    When will this stupidity end...I wish keto and Atkins never existed. Depriving yourself of energy and nutrition, all for a 'lose (water) weight quick' fad. You can't eat low carb for the rest of your life, it's awful for you.

    Eat less calories. Don't follow trends.
  • Iishasears84
    Iishasears84 Posts: 23
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    Honestly, I only started the low carb diet in April. It was advice from a friend who told me it would work fast. I think I was being reactive because someone said something that made me feel like terrible, so I wanted results fast. I am going to go back to just low calorie. When It came to the 20-50, I would always have at least 50, some days a lot more:) I am sure my husband will be happy and that is what I want most of all:) Thank you all so very much:)
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
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    It was advice from a friend who told me it would work fast.
    Permanent>fast. Unfortunately the two tend to be mutually exclusive.
  • d3m1urge
    d3m1urge Posts: 38
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    It may work fast, but it's not sustainable and awful for you.
  • Iishasears84
    Iishasears84 Posts: 23
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    That was what I started to realize, I really actually love to cook and bake, so looking into all these "Almond meal" and carbquick baking products and the price, I was really starting to rethink this whole situation... 18 dollars for a bag of flour. PASS. lol. Last week I was starting to feel... SLEEPY. That is what my husband noticed as well and I cant be sleepy at 3:00 when I have 4 kids to watch! Changing back. I won't do that again!!! Lesson learned. :smile:
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    Low carb will appear to work faster because of water store drop but will be the same as just calorie deficit in the long run. There's no need to restrict anything to lose weight. As long as you're getting a good amount of proteins and fats, I wouldn't worry about the amount of carbs. I ate 250g plus while in weight loss and it didn't effect my rate at all. In fact, I fully feel without my carbs, I wouldn't perform as well in training.
  • kmajaVCU
    kmajaVCU Posts: 33 Member
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    I've been slowly but surely making progress in my weight loss and have never once counted carbs OR sugars. I keep a general idea of how many calories I intake so I know there is a deficit, but I don't count exactly. I do, however, eat clean and exercise everyday. My motto: Slow & Steady wins the race :-)
  • Kanuenue
    Kanuenue Posts: 253 Member
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    First things first: I like your glasses in the profile photo.

    Second things next, I agree with others. Eat at a deficit you will lose. Patience is required. Pick a diet that you enjoy and can live with. If low carb is it, great, if it isn't find another way. Change up your macros but keep in a reasonable calorie range, not too low.

    Best wishes on your journey!
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
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    I just finished a week of eating lower carbs (my average was 56 net carbs) and I loved it. I ate so much food for an average of about 1700 calories per day, and it think that's the biggest benefit--zero hunger. My only rule was to allow starchy stuff when it counted--at a cookout, I ate a cheeseburger on a bun and several chocolate-dipped strawberries. This is absolutely sustainable for me forever.

    Edited because of bad IPad.
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
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    It may work fast, but it's not sustainable and awful for you.

    Not necessarily true. Not liking low carb diets does not equal unsustainable. I know a few people who have been low-carbing it up for a decade and have no problem "sustaining" it. Plus, all of them are more active and energetic now than they've ever been.
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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    Doesn't matter how many carbs you do and don't eat as long as you are in a deficit, you will lose weight.

    I don't know why people complicate things more than they have to.

    This.
  • Collier78
    Collier78 Posts: 811 Member
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    That was what I started to realize, I really actually love to cook and bake, so looking into all these "Almond meal" and carbquick baking products and the price, I was really starting to rethink this whole situation... 18 dollars for a bag of flour. PASS. lol. Last week I was starting to feel... SLEEPY. That is what my husband noticed as well and I cant be sleepy at 3:00 when I have 4 kids to watch! Changing back. I won't do that again!!! Lesson learned. :smile:

    I'm with you on the PASS! I like my baked good all carby and stuff anyway! I too start to feel sleepy if I don't have balance with my diet. Too many carbs..I'm sleepy too few...I'm sleepy..Everybody is right, just a deficit is the way to go!
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    here's the deal....pick a nutrition plan that is sustainable long term FOR YOU. I tried the low carb thing in 2005 and it worked well for as long as I was focused on doing it. But I had no back-up plan for when I grew tired of it...and I grew tired of it. So I ended up gaining all of my weight back plus some.

    reality is that when I picked up the weight loss journey again WITHOUT restricting carbs, I lost weight at the SAME pace as I did in 2005. The difference with the low carb diet is that I lost more in the first month than I did this time around....but as time moved along, I was losing at a better pace with eating healthy than I was on the low carb diet. And eating healthy is a much more sustainable lifestyle because I'm not restricting too many foods (I mean, I'm restricting fried food).

    also, carbs get an unjustified bad rap by some. What's bad are processed foods and sugars. If you eat natural foods with natural sugars, you will be fine as long as you are at a calorie deficit overall. I focus on eating carbs with a low glycemic index value because they take longer to digest and help keep you fuller longer...plus they are generally more calorie dense than processed foods (so you can eat more natural food than processed food for the same number of calories). Carbs with a low GI index include: pretty much all veggies (noting that corn is not a veggie...its a grain....and carrots are iffy), all berries, apples, some citrus, sweet potatoes, whole grains (not whole wheat). and sometimes I eat other carbs like pizza in moderation and pasta. oh and I eat some 72% cacao chocolate everyday. the higher the % cacao, the less processed it is and healthier it is for you. I had to do some experimenting to find higher % cacao that was not as bitter, but I found an amazing 72% product at Whole Foods (pretty much the only thing I buy at Whole Foods...lol).
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
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    My husband and I had a really long talk last night about me only intaking 20-50 grams of carbs a day. He showed me some research that says it could be dangerous. He wants me to intake more like 50- 100.

    ....

    So far since March 9th I have lost 29 pounds and I am happy with that rate, however I love my husband and I don't want him to think I do not care about what he thinks. What the heck do I do!!! :frown:

    You've been low-carbing for two months. If you feel good physically and are losing weight at the desired rate, keep it up. Low-carb isn't "dangerous" for most people--ketosis does not equal ketoacidosis--if it were going to give you problems, you would have noticed by now.

    That said, if you're working out a lot (an hour a day or more of cardio, heavy lifting two or three times a week), you can get by with a few more carbs, for instance a small sweet potato after a workout. 100g of carbs a day is more of a maintenance amount, though.
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
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    Depends on individual, there is no one size fit approach to fitness. There are people who benefit a lot by reducing carbs and add weight training. Your body composition will change like no ones business. I lost 10-11 inches of my waist in few weeks. Your results might vary, but you need to figure out what works for you. Calroie deficit is all good and dandy but make sure you account for second law of thermodynamics which is more important for fitness. I do awesome on low carb diets and can do stuff my carb loaded athlete friends are jealous now. When I started low carb, all I heard was how dangerous it was and yada yada. Its not dangerous if it is right for you.

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