Need help with carbs

jellybaby84
jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
I've never used a calorie site that counted carbs before and I'm finding it really hard to stay within the 165g that it allows me without dropping way way below 1200 calories.

Yesterday (my first day defecting from nutracheck) I had 449 calories leftover but only 10g carbs and today I had 455 calories left over but only 9g carbs.

At first I thought it was a temporary problem because as it happens I am working 18 hour days in a school theatre this weekend so I have been existing mainly on diet coke and haribo but I was horrified when I entered things like apples and blackberries and found 10-17g of carbs in them!

Seriously, what can I eat that will not send my carb count soaring but let me eat more than 750 calories a day!

Replies

  • CourtneyHiatt
    CourtneyHiatt Posts: 23
    Egg whites, almonds, walnuts, peanut butter, cheese, fish, lean meat, vegetables, and tofu are some examples of low carb food :)
  • darling_nickie
    darling_nickie Posts: 117 Member
    Berries are generally lower in carbs than other fruits...but fruit in general is high because of the sugars. I wouldn't stress about that though. Be sure to eat whole grains when you are having grain so that you are getting some fiber as part of those carbohydrates. Also veggies are super low in carbs for the most part...nuts/seeds...meat has virtually none :) Try lean meats and fish like tuna, tilapia, or even good fatty fish like salmon. Definately make sure you are meeting your daily amount of fiber though, it will keep you regular and help keep those carbs from sticking :)
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
    Thank you.

    I'm used to being paranoid about fat not carbs so generally avoid nuts, cheese and most meat like the plague. Maybe I need to start looking for more of a balance.

    I like the idea of fish and I had no idea veggies were so much safer that fruit. I'm a total fruit addict but might try and switch to raw carrot a bit more.
  • hanni23
    hanni23 Posts: 13 Member
    Hi,

    Carb free foods are usually: meat and poultry and fish (all the non-breaded/battered kind), also cheese, there are alot of vegetables out there without carbs in them but be careful because there are a number of exceptions - predominantly potatoes, peas, sweetcorn

    Hope this helps
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
    Ugh, I don't get it. Today I tried so hard to avoid carbs and I did it, I only ate 70 of the 165g that I am allowed. But I did it by eating only meat/fish and fruit/veggies so I have overshot on my protein allowance now and eaten 80g when I am only allowed 45.

    Yet I have still only eaten 689 calories!

    The only nutrient I have spare is fat (only had 10g of my 40g allowance) but I can't eat more fat without eating more of either protein or carbohydrate.

    How the hell is is possible to eat enough calories without eating too much of one nutrient?? I have never tried to count nutrients before, only calories, and I'm going insane with it.
    On the other hand I'm not hungry so maybe 689 is enough for my height and weight

    I think I need to look at some sample menus or something. Another problem is I'm a very fussy eater and have little time or inclination to cook much.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,953 Member
    Are you counting carbs? You can go in and change the settings to reflect how many of each category "you" want to eat. I am watching my carbs so I have mine set far lower than what MFP originally recommended to me. I also eat more protein and fat than the original settings. I just went into the goals section and changed it to what i need.

    Also, a lot of people who do count carbs subtract the fiber from the carb total. If you're eating a lot of fruit you might want to do that. I regularly eat between 100-150 carbs without going over my limits but I think my calorie threshold is higher than yours.
  • alazarus
    alazarus Posts: 80 Member
    Carbs are not necessarily the enemy! I think it's more important to avoid fat. If you're staying within your calorie range, and you're eating healthfully (fruits and veggies), who cares how many carbs are in an APPLE? It's an APPLE, for crissakes! :)
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
    Hmmm, didn't realise I could change the settings. Maybe I'll decide what I want to count and make some changes, I'm not going to be able to keep functioning on less than 800 cals a day.

    And yeah, I also don't want to start being afraid of things like apples.

    Too easily obsessed by numbers, that's my problem!
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,953 Member
    Yeah, don't let a program dictate what you're eating. Figure out what you feel are good ratios for you and set it to that. I can't eat as many carbs as it set for me and I eat far lower than the food pyramid suggests. For some people carbs aren't an issue. For some of us they are but I'm still not "low" carbing. I just reduce mine to a point where I'm losing weight but not brain dead. :) And if you pick a level that you decide isn't working you can always tweak it. This is your plan.
  • Janworkingitout
    Janworkingitout Posts: 434 Member
    I've never used a calorie site that counted carbs before and I'm finding it really hard to stay within the 165g that it allows me without dropping way way below 1200 calories.

    Yesterday (my first day defecting from nutracheck) I had 449 calories leftover but only 10g carbs and today I had 455 calories left over but only 9g carbs.

    At first I thought it was a temporary problem because as it happens I am working 18 hour days in a school theatre this weekend so I have been existing mainly on diet coke and haribo but I was horrified when I entered things like apples and blackberries and found 10-17g of carbs in them!

    Seriously, what can I eat that will not send my carb count soaring but let me eat more than 750 calories a day!

    I frequently go over on carbs too! But I eat a lot of carb rich but low in calorie foods: fruits, popcorn (air popped), etc. You should focus on not having so many calories left over at the end of the day. You don't want to eat too little. Good luck!
  • gnalani
    gnalani Posts: 126
    Ugh, I don't get it. Today I tried so hard to avoid carbs and I did it, I only ate 70 of the 165g that I am allowed. But I did it by eating only meat/fish and fruit/veggies so I have overshot on my protein allowance now and eaten 80g when I am only allowed 45.

    Yet I have still only eaten 689 calories!

    The only nutrient I have spare is fat (only had 10g of my 40g allowance) but I can't eat more fat without eating more of either protein or carbohydrate.

    How the hell is is possible to eat enough calories without eating too much of one nutrient?? I have never tried to count nutrients before, only calories, and I'm going insane with it.
    On the other hand I'm not hungry so maybe 689 is enough for my height and weight

    I think I need to look at some sample menus or something. Another problem is I'm a very fussy eater and have little time or inclination to cook much.


    Maybe this will clear it up:

    Calories come from carbs, fat, and protein. I am pretty sure that 1 gm carb = 4 cals, 1 gm protein = 4 cals, and 1 gm fat = 9 cals. A balanced diet would generally call for about 55% of your calories to be calories from carbs. So for example, my calorie goal is 1650/day. 55% of those calories is 907. That means I need to eat 227 carbs.

    I try to eat less than that because when I work out I frequently go above my anerobic threshold and I don't want to simply eat back the carbs I burned. I stick around 150, which means that I WILL exceed my fat and protein allowances for the day.

    700-ish calories is probably not enough for you, no matter how small your frame is. If you have healthy kidneys, they will be able to process a little more protein than what is normally recommended. It is much better to eat enough calories and be okay with exceeding your protein (and even fat) goals.
  • NittyGrittyBritty
    NittyGrittyBritty Posts: 31 Member
    Carbs are the preferred (and in some cases, the ONLY) nutrient for the brain and nervous systems. Your nerves depend on glucose to function and carbs = lots of glucose. Not receiving adequate carbs has been linked to poor memory and poor attention and otherwise poor performance on cognitive tests. So please try to keep your carb intake adequate. Just avoid refined sugars and processed foods which tend to cause spikes and drops in blood sugar (also bad for your brain), as well as lead to type 2 diabetes. Eat healthy foods and you have no need to obsess over a single macro-nutrient. Everything in moderation, including carbs!!
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
    Okay, thank you. You're all right, I don't need more things to obsess over and calorie counting alone has worked for me in the past.

    But seeing as I can't stand seeing red numbers in my diary (yeah, yeah OCD :p) I have reduced my fat down to 20g which hasn't altered my carbs and upped my protein enough for me to manage I think.
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