I can't give up my carbs!

Don't sweat it! Everything in moderation. Its not carb's that are bad - just the amount and the source.

Don't sweat it! Everything in moderation. Its not carb's that are bad - just the amount and the source.

Absolutely! I agree. Everything in moderation. Carbs should make up about 50-65% of the average person's diet because they are used for energy!

wehats the difference between good carbs and bad?

As long as your carbs are coming from whole grains, fruits, veggies, I really wouldn't worry. I have carbs everyday, we need them to fuel our body. Just be careful in the selection. Moderation is key!

No, no, no . . . that is a myth.
Carbs are essential for good health, but choose the complex carbs. This means whole grains and NO white (or processed) carbs . . . those are the only ones you should avoid.
I have a minimum of 2 or 3 servings of a complex carb every day (ie. oatmeal or whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter for breakfast and either a sandwich with whole wheat bread for lunch or whole wheat couscous or brown rice with dinner).
Carbs turn into energy and we all need that!

Carbs aren't bad. They're actually absolutely vital to fueling an active lifestyle.

Exactly. Carbs are essential to our bodies funtioning optimally - they're an important fuel source, especially for sustained physical activity.

You need to differentiate between "bad carbs" - processed carbs like processed sugar, white flour, white pasta, etc. and "healthy carbs" - like vegetables, fruit, quinoa, barley, oats (NOT instant), potatoes, legumes, etc.

The closer something is to its natural form, the better. I try to stay away from pastries, breads, pastas, crackers, pretzels, etc. - because they involve a high degree of processing. Whole grain breads aren't so bad, but I still would rather use my calories in other ways.

Also, consider making sure you pair a high-quality carb with protein and healthy fat in most meals and snacks - ex. eggs and steel cut oats for breakfast would do the trick, or peanut butter & fruit for a snack.

I know that carbs are, more or less, bad in diets because the body holds onto those carbs and also gains the water weight associated with them. I just can't seem to give them up! How many carbs can I have without breaking my diet?

I really don't understand this "carbs are bad" movement (blame the Adkins diet movement I suppose). We need a range of foods across the food groups, that suit our lifestyle, nutritional needs and personal internal processing (I know some people do have problems with different foods - ie lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance etc).

Eating healthly, within calorific limits, getting best nutrition from the calories, ensuring correct levels of micro nutrients etc should be the focus, rather than (non-medically directed) exclusion of a food group.

Keep carbs complex (brown rice, brown / grain breads, wholewheat products) to make your body work for its calories.

For weight loss, keep carbs at or below 100 a day. Make sure they are great choices like fresh fruit & veggies (not processed junk food). To maintain, go for 100-150 carbs daily (again with the clean food).

100g of carbs a day is NOT a hard and fast rule. Plenty of people (myself included) have lost weight just fine eating a higher amount of carbs. I don't eat a ton - I aim for 40-45%, which is lower than MFP's default, but that still usually comes in at 130-200g depending on the day.

If an individual finds they need to restrict carbs that much for their own health reasons, that's one thing - not knocking personal choices/needs, but to put it out there as some definite rule that everyoen should follow is something else. There is no reason that the average individual needs to restrict carbs to 100g/day, especially if they're eating healthy, non-processed carbs.

MEEEEE!

I'm set for 50% carbs and that's lower than I was before when I was really shedding the pounds at first. I don't think you have to fret too hard about the 100.

i can see an athlete needing more than 100. Not a regular joe.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/

Not everyone buys into the primal blueprint philosophy. Do I think I'd probably be just fine eating only 100g of carbs a day? Likely. But do I feel like I *need* to restrict myself to 100g/day to be healthy? No. The human body is highly complex and incredibly flexible, and most people operating effectively on a wide range of macro breakdowns. I lost weight just as easily eating 15% protein, 30% fat and 55% carbs as I have been eating 45% carbs, 30% protein and 25% fat... In the end it comes down to personal preference, fitness goals and individual health concerns, all of which will affect what macro % is best for an individual.

I eat a lot of carbs, because I eat a lot of fruit, yogurt, granola, oatmeal, veggies, etc. I have no problem losing weight as long as I am sticking to my calorie limit strictly. I try to eat more protein and fats but a lot of times the bulk of what I eat is carbs and it doesn't seem to matter. Eat healthy carbs! Don't limit fruits and veggies- they are great, low-calorie foods.

The minimum RDA for carbohydrate is 130 grams for adults (NY=p.99). It's important to note that this is JUST for supporting the brain and doesn't include any other requirement you might have for your other daily activities.

Let's put this in context. If you have the typical 2000 kcal/day diet, let's say your carb intake is 50%. That means that you are getting 1000 kcal/day from carbs. Remember how much energy you get from carbs? 4 kcal/g. So 1000 kcal ÷ 4 kcal/g = 250 grams per day. This is more realistic to maintain not only the brain's glucose demands, but also your kcal supply for the rest of the body's activities through out the day.

Also, less than 130 g/day will result in the break down of muscle tissue so the body can convert that protein to glucose.