General diet/carb questions

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thebassomatic76
thebassomatic76 Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
Is there anyone here that would be willing to talk to me about diet composition,ie carbs/fats/proteins and answer some questions conversationally? Thanks.

Replies

  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    There are a lot of smart posters on this forum so post your questions.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    I'm certainly no professional, but you're welcome to PM me your questions and I can try to answer them. :smile:
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Ask away. I may not have an answer but I'm sure someone here does. There are lots of smart people here. :flowerforyou:
  • thebassomatic76
    thebassomatic76 Posts: 15
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    My questions are about carbs, whole foods, and what is reasonable.

    I lost 85lbs once on Medifast, and while it worked, this isn't the kind of route I want to go again. It was easy, but it was restrictive, even with certain vegetables and all fruits. That doesn't seem right to me. I am currently aiming for eating as much produce as I can (I'm no champion yet, I just started). I am using vi shakes temporarily since I can hide raw vegetables in them pretty easily. No, I don't want to use those forever either, but at least I can mix fruits and vegetables into them while I'm learning what to eat/what not to eat.

    My question is what is a reasonable level of carbs for me to aim for? If I can help my weight loss along by limiting carbs I am willing to consider it (I still don't want to go back to medifast style restriction), but do I need to? If most of my carbs come from raw fruits and vegetables, should I even worry about the number? Or does the number matter, no matter where the carbs come from?

    ETA: The reason this is coming up for me is because I'm having trouble getting my calories in without going over my carb limit, which I manually set to 50g because I want to lose weight, obviously, and I found that level looking into low carb diets. Although I'm not feeling hungry, I am not trying to starve the weight off. I just don't have this all figured out yet so I don't know what's a healthy level for me yet.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    My question is what is a reasonable level of carbs for me to aim for?

    It mostly depends on your preferences. Anywhere between 30 and 60% of calories can work. More toward the low end of that may help those with PCOS, metabolic syndrome, etc. Higher carb levels can work for very athletic people.

    The form of carb isn't as important as the total number of grams of carbs (minus fiber).

    It's good to keep protein at least about 20% of calories. You seem to be low in protein, from looking at your food log.
  • thebassomatic76
    thebassomatic76 Posts: 15
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    Thank you, that's very helpful. Can you walk me through the calculation for % of calories for protein? I thought I was good there, so I don't think I'm doing that right. Today I have 60g so far of protein, and at 4cal/gram, that's 240 cals. For 204 cal out of 871 (so far), I'm getting 27.5%. What am I doing wrong?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    That's fine. I was looking a few days back in your journal and i think i saw 60 grams protein one day vs. 1800 calories, which is like 13%. Once in a while it's ok to be under though..

    Awesome user name!
  • jordanify
    jordanify Posts: 81 Member
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    I lost 45 pounds in 5 months without counting any calories or grams...I just ate real food and nothing from a box or bottle. Workouts were Jillian Michaels DVD's 3 times per week. I just started logging my food now that I just have the last 10 to lose. I did however include a protein source and a healthy fat at all 3 meals daily. Also cut out dairy (because I'm a little sensitive). You'll find what works for you...good luck!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    The diary looks o.k. The spinach is good. Keep taking greens because they are low in carbs and add protein to your day.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    You don't need to cut your carbs to lose weight, and there's really no reason to limit them so much unless you have a medical reason to do so. But if you enjoy eating low carb and you prefer it, you certainly can do it that way.

    My macro percentages are set at 45% carbs, 30% fat, and 25% protein, and that has worked well for me. I get enough protein and fat to feel full and satisfied, and the carbs give me plenty of wiggle room to eat what I like without feeling at all restricted. A lot of people seem to like a 40/30/30 breakdown (with the 40% being carbs), but I think it really comes down to personal preference. You should eat in a way that you enjoy, that makes you feel your best, and that makes sticking to your plan long-term relatively easy. I'm a big advocate for moderation and eating now the way you want to eat forever, but I realize that may not work for everyone right off the bat.

    My diary is open if you want to take a look. It is 100% representative of the way I have eaten to lose weight so far.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    My questions are about carbs, whole foods, and what is reasonable.

    I lost 85lbs once on Medifast, and while it worked, this isn't the kind of route I want to go again. It was easy, but it was restrictive, even with certain vegetables and all fruits. That doesn't seem right to me. I am currently aiming for eating as much produce as I can (I'm no champion yet, I just started). I am using vi shakes temporarily since I can hide raw vegetables in them pretty easily. No, I don't want to use those forever either, but at least I can mix fruits and vegetables into them while I'm learning what to eat/what not to eat.

    My question is what is a reasonable level of carbs for me to aim for? If I can help my weight loss along by limiting carbs I am willing to consider it (I still don't want to go back to medifast style restriction), but do I need to? If most of my carbs come from raw fruits and vegetables, should I even worry about the number? Or does the number matter, no matter where the carbs come from?

    ETA: The reason this is coming up for me is because I'm having trouble getting my calories in without going over my carb limit, which I manually set to 50g because I want to lose weight, obviously, and I found that level looking into low carb diets. Although I'm not feeling hungry, I am not trying to starve the weight off. I just don't have this all figured out yet so I don't know what's a healthy level for me yet.

    If you need more calories, add fats and oils: avocados, nuts, coconut oit., . . .

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