How to people stick to lower carbs, I find it impossible...

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    kmab1985 wrote: »
    Hi All

    I don't track my food via MFP as I follow weightwatchers but out of curiosity I've just completed yesterday's food diary on MFP and my goodness, was shocked to see all the carbs I ate, was 169g of carbs!! I was only shocked because I've read some people stick to 50g per day - how on earth do you do this!

    I don't see why anyone without a metabolic or other medical condition would purposely do such a thing...carbs aren't this evil thing to be terrified of...there's all kinds of awesomely nutritious food that is also carb...oats, brown rice, legumes, potatoes, fruit, veg, etc...

    kmab1985 wrote: »
    Sorry to be thick but what do you mean by "You simply use fat to fill out your calories instead of macros. Bread vs bacon, potatoes vs steak, pop tarts vs chocolate and whipped cream"

    What are macros?


    Carbs/Protein/Fat...those are your three macro-nutrients.
    kmab1985 wrote: »
    Yeah but you never hear "Protein is bad, eat less of it" whereas with carbs you do so I can kinda see why people subconsciously eat less of it...

    carbs are just the latest and greatest dietary demon...it's just trendy to be afraid of them right now...just like clothing, etc...a lot of diet and fitness industry stuff is just the cycling of fads and trends.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    I wouldn't stress over the green leafy vegetables and bother counting those. It's a bit redundant.
  • smukkeff
    smukkeff Posts: 26 Member
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    also, OP,
    "macros" refers to "macronutrients" (Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats) They're the major builders and add up your calories.
    (basically "macro" = large, "micro" = small) :)
    There are also "micronutrients", which are the trace elements like iron, iodine, zinc, and also your vitamins and phytochemicals (compounds in plants).
    You need a good balance of all of those to optimize your health.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
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    StaceyJ2008 wrote: »
    Don't count your vegetables as carbs unless it is a potato or corn.

    That's a little extreme. You get carbs from eggs and cheese that count, why wouldn't vegetables? You should be counting all the calories you eat (if you choose to count). The purpose of limiting carbs is breaking up how much of those calories come from carbs vs fats vs protein.

    kmab1985 wrote: »
    Sorry to be thick but what do you mean by "You simply use fat to fill out your calories instead of macros. Bread vs bacon, potatoes vs steak, pop tarts vs chocolate and whipped cream"

    What are macros?


    That was me typing faster than my brain works - you use fat to fill out your calories instead of carbs. Bread=carbs, bacon=fat. I choose bacon over bread, same for potatoes and steak, or pop tarts and whipped cream.

    If you need 1500 calories a day, you need 1500 a day, it doesn't matter how you divide it up. For a lot of people, more fat, less carbs means they don't get hungry, don't get sugar crashes, and don't get cravings for things like pringles and twinkies. Or you're like me, and the doctors figured out that the more carbs you have, the sicker you get, so you're better off without them.
  • kmab1985
    kmab1985 Posts: 295 Member
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    Ah right I get it now,thanks for explaining to me...think I might give this calorie counting a try from Monday,as I said earlier I do weightwatchers but what I have noticed is something that is low calorie on MFP is higher in points on WW's i.e avacados, somone who swapped to MFP from WW's said she got more out of calorie counting than pointing....its all that weighing that puts me off though :-(
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    They do that because they think carbs are evil or they have a medical issue.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    kmab1985 wrote: »
    Hi All

    I don't track my food via MFP as I follow weightwatchers but out of curiosity I've just completed yesterday's food diary on MFP and my goodness, was shocked to see all the carbs I ate, was 169g of carbs!! I was only shocked because I've read some people stick to 50g per day - how on earth do you do this!

    Some folks would consider 169 lower.

    I think that if you're not eating a lot of store bought heavily refined carbs it's not particularly challenging.
    I'm not low carb, but do limit my heavily refined carbs and I probably average under 100. Without much effort.
    I eat a ton of vegetables. Some fruit every day.
  • sakibihabibi
    sakibihabibi Posts: 23 Member
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    Low carb diets are not worth the torture. What's more important is how many calories and grams of protein you eat when we are talking about building muscle and losing fat. Don't follow low carb diets.
  • pisinbad
    pisinbad Posts: 3 Member
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    I stay under 30 grams of carbs a day, moderate protein and high good fats. This is the easiest and longest I have ever been on a diet. Feeling better than I have in years and my doctor is completely impressed with the improvement in my numbers. Its a ketogenic lifestyle and very healthy. Those that do not understand it usually knock it.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    pisinbad wrote: »
    I stay under 30 grams of carbs a day, moderate protein and high good fats. This is the easiest and longest I have ever been on a diet. Feeling better than I have in years and my doctor is completely impressed with the improvement in my numbers. Its a ketogenic lifestyle and very healthy. Those that do not understand it usually knock it.

    Yea I did keto at one point until I started doing a new training regime that consisted of Squats and Deads in the 3-5 rep range and I couldn't remain focused after a week or so. I had to get off keto and eat some carbs.

    But keto is good. I don't recommend it for bodybuilders that even do bulk and cut phases because you lose too much muscle mass when cutting while on it.
  • pisinbad
    pisinbad Posts: 3 Member
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    Muscle mass of a body builder is considerably different than muscle mass for the rest of us. My doctor keeps an eye on that for me, so far all is well. As I get closer to my ideal weight then carbs will be slowly raised, but never above 50 grams for me. I must say I do not miss breads, pastas and potatoes. I have so much more energy and feel great, and am never hungry between meals. So thrilled that after 40 years of every diet imaginable I finally have one that works for me, but its not for everyone.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    They do that because they think carbs are evil or they have a medical issue.

    Or because their calorie limit and requirements for other macros simply don't leave room for many carbs.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
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    glevinso wrote: »
    I can't see why anybody would purposely restrict carbs unless there was some illness related to it...


    Exactly. Love meh some carbs, and with sensible eating habits there are not worries.
  • pisinbad
    pisinbad Posts: 3 Member
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    I do it for my health and to lose weight, if you become a diabetic you will be hit in the face with the reason to cut back on carbs, for they make your blood glucose high! Since purposely lowering my carbs my numbers are now in check! Am off my cholesterol medicine and am off my high blood pressure medicine, so for me it is a good thing besides losing 30 pounds and counting.
  • EllieTheLondoner
    EllieTheLondoner Posts: 33 Member
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    I've given up trying to be "low-carb" per se. I eat too many vegetables, and I don't see that as a bad thing! I do limit the amount of "white carbs" though - pasta, potatoes, bread, rice, etc. Because I found in my experience they mess with my energy and I just don't lose weight on them.
  • Jenskiski
    Jenskiski Posts: 67 Member
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    I keep mine under 100 because I feel better when I do. Too many carbs make me sluggish. It really isn't hard at all. Merely avoiding bread, pasta, and added sugar does the trick.
  • sengalissa
    sengalissa Posts: 253 Member
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    kmab1985 wrote: »
    Hi All

    I don't track my food via MFP as I follow weightwatchers but out of curiosity I've just completed yesterday's food diary on MFP and my goodness, was shocked to see all the carbs I ate, was 169g of carbs!! I was only shocked because I've read some people stick to 50g per day - how on earth do you do this!

    I am trying low carb (below 100) right now, and once you wrap your head around it, it is very easy.
    Protein never fills me up, but the combination of high fat and high protein really keeps me more satisfied that any carb. Today, I ate 1150 cal (that's below my goal!) and feel stuffed. Had like 65g of carbs and 110g protein, not sure how much fat. So my bottomline is that it is not my preferred food but I have to admit LCHF feels good and makes it very easy to stick to a lower calorie diet.
    Basically, you just plan around proteins instead of carbs. It is just a mental shift, no magic.
  • GuyIncognito123
    GuyIncognito123 Posts: 263 Member
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    On a good day I have 30-40g of carbs and 135g of protein. I found lowering my carbs removed the 'sluggish' feeling I often had and always feeling 'hungry'.

    I won't "not" eat something that is high in carbs (bread, potatoes, rice, etc) I just leave them out of my daily food rotation.
  • laweezilg
    laweezilg Posts: 2 Member
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    kmab1985 wrote: »
    Hi All

    I don't track my food via MFP as I follow weightwatchers but out of curiosity I've just completed yesterday's food diary on MFP and my goodness, was shocked to see all the carbs I ate, was 169g of carbs!! I was only shocked because I've read some people stick to 50g per day - how on earth do you do this!

    I think it's an individual thing. I'm very sugar sensitive. I crave sugar and carbs to the extent that it rules my life.
    So, eating low carb ensures I remain well-balanced and do not spend my entire life seeking out sugar or living on a blood sugar roller coaster. Eating lots of carbs has left me with a low tolerance for them. Well, eating very poor quality food has. Whatever works for you. Be your own guru!
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
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    I've got a friend whom, after having a discussion about fitness and living a healthy lifestyle (he scoffed at the whole thing), was diagnosed with diabetes....yeah, it's not funny, but it kind of is at the same time.

    So....he absolutely HATES exercise, or...well....moving....so he changed his diet and went friggen cold turkey on carbs and eats less than 30g a day.....his wife is doing the same thing, and they have lost a LOT of weight JUST off the diet alone, and it's really been a lifestyle change for them. They've stuck to it for about 4-5 months now and are doing great!! I'm not so sure they'll be able to in order to start working out when they want to, but hey, it works so don't fix it.

    He's now off his diabetes meds and has made ASTRONOMICAL strides in all of his other numbers. I couldn't do it. I like to move, and run, and lift.

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