how do you count carbs?
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minibagz1203
Posts: 35 Member
Hello. I'm trying to limit my carbs to live weight and avoid getting diabetes when I get older. How do I go about doing that?
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Replies
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Are you pre diabetic?0
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No I'm not. But because my mom's side of the family doesn't exercise and has a slow metabolism. I grew up not caring. But I want to prevent it.0
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minibagz1203 wrote: »No I'm not. But because my mom's side of the family doesn't exercise and has a slow metabolism. I grew up not caring. But I want to prevent it.
It's good that you care OP but there isn't really a point in restricting carbs unless you're pre-diabetic or have another medical issue which requires you to do so.
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Look at your food diary, it has 3 macros tracked there - protein, carbs, and fats. Protein and carbs are 4 calories each, fats are 9. Decide how much you want to reduce your carbs, and reallocate those calories to fat, so if you reduce 50g carbs from where you are now, that's 200 calories, divide by 9, it's 22g of fat. MFP won't let you set it that exactly unless you pay a monthly subscription, so just adjust the macro % numbers under "change goals" until you get as close to the numbers you want to start using as possible.
If you want to go actual low carb or keto, read these:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10103966/start-here-the-lcd-launch-pad
http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq0 -
If you want to do that you eat more protein and fat. Get most of your carbs from non-starchy vegies and lower carb fruit...
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IsaackGMOON wrote: »minibagz1203 wrote: »No I'm not. But because my mom's side of the family doesn't exercise and has a slow metabolism. I grew up not caring. But I want to prevent it.
It's good that you care OP but there isn't really a point in restricting carbs unless you're pre-diabetic or have another medical issue which requires you to do so.
+1
The best thing you can do to prevent type 2 diabetes is to stay at a healthy weight and be active, which doesn't require restricting carbs.0 -
minibagz1203 wrote: »No I'm not. But because my mom's side of the family doesn't exercise and has a slow metabolism. I grew up not caring. But I want to prevent it.
Do you have a history of diabetes in your family? Excessive weight and inactivity are linked to type 2 diabetes, but things like family history, age, and race are also factored in to your risk. I'm asking because it's not clear from your posts whether this is an actual risk for you, or if you feel you need to start eating low carb because someone told you that eating carbs causes diabetes. I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.0 -
Do you have a history of diabetes in your family? Excessive weight and inactivity are linked to type 2 diabetes, but things like family history, age, and race are also factored in to your risk. I'm asking because it's not clear from your posts whether this is an actual risk for you, or if you feel you need to start eating low carb because someone told you that eating carbs causes diabetes. I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.
Diabetes runs in my mom's side of the family. My grandpa and his siblings died from it. My mom has it. And I wouldn't be surprised if my aunt and uncle have it. And my sister was told a couple years ago she was pre diabetic.0 -
I haven't been adament about exercise. And don't do it all the time. And my doctor suggested I cut down or count my carbs. But she didn't really explain how to do it.0
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minibagz1203 wrote: »I haven't been adament about exercise. And don't do it all the time. And my doctor suggested I cut down or count my carbs. But she didn't really explain how to do it.
Is your doctor a certified nutritionist or dietician? (I can never remember which one does what).0 -
I don't think so. I have never asked.0
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IsaackGMOON wrote: »minibagz1203 wrote: »I haven't been adament about exercise. And don't do it all the time. And my doctor suggested I cut down or count my carbs. But she didn't really explain how to do it.
Is your doctor a certified nutritionist or dietician? (I can never remember which one does what).
Did the dr. explain why to cut carbs?
I'm a double diabetic (both type 1 and type 2) and I count carbs in order to calculate insulin doses. For my purposes, I only care about the carbs that are digested and converted to glucose. Here is the formula I use:
Total Carbs - Fiber - 0.5 x Sugar Alcohols = Net Carbs
Example:
If a food has 30g of total carbs, 6 g of fiber and 2 grams of sugar alcohol; it would be 23g of net carbs:
30 - 6 - 0.5 x 2 =
30 - 6 - 1 =
23
**That may or may not be appropriate for you and your purpose for cutting carbs (which is still unclear).0 -
It would probably be a good idea to look at it. I think I ought to as well since both sides of my family have it. Ugh. Thought my doctor says I'm in perfect health and my blood sugars are normal, I still worry too. Luckily I've been working hard at exercise and eating well, I've also limited pastas and breads (I used to be a bread monger). Good luck!! But also don't stress over it too much, you're not pre diabetic yet, just start working on the healthy eating and exercise and it might never be something that happens to you.
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minibagz1203 wrote: »I don't think so. I have never asked.
And do you have any tests to confirm that you are pre-diabetic?0 -
minibagz1203 wrote: »I haven't been adament about exercise. And don't do it all the time. And my doctor suggested I cut down or count my carbs. But she didn't really explain how to do it.
I would recommend talking to your doctor and getting some clarification. People who eat low carb as an eating style will often (but not always) count net carbs, which is total carbs minus fiber. However, we have many users on this site with T2D or pre-diabetes who count total carbs. I would find out what your doctor wants you to do and what your carb intake should be. If your doctor is unsure, you could ask for a referral to a registered dietician or diabetes counselor who could help you figure it out.0 -
minibagz1203 wrote: »I don't think so. I have never asked.
I don't know if anyone actually answered your questions, but an easy way to watch carbs is to cut out sugar and starch. Depending on how low you wanna go, you can cut starchy veggies (corn, potatoes, ect..) and most fruit. Cutting carbs can mean different things. There are lots of "low carb" food lists if you google to go by, or you can look on packages, eat mostly green veggies, meat, and eggs. There's tons of books and diets that center around cutting carbs too (South Beach Diet, Atkins, ect..)
Doctors often say "cut carbs", but they should say, "cut down on your sugar intake". One thing I liked about cutting carbs is the natual ability to cut calories after a while when I lost my sugar cravings.
Everything depends on your goals, and cutting them too low isn't a long term solution either. It sounds as though you're looking to make some changes to avoid going down the same path as some of your family - that's great! Work your way into a healthier lifestyle, and don't get discouraged if things don't happen quickly.0 -
In your situation, I would start by recommending you reduce or eliminate your intake of baked goods (cake, breads, etc.), sweets, and also eliminate sugary soft drinks and juices from your dietary intake, and then add whole grain foods to your dietary intake instead of baked goods. Unless you're already super thin, most of us T2 diabetics and pre-diabetics benefit greatly from a 10% to 20% reduction in body weight. Because your profile is private, I have no information to base further recommendations on. One thing I can tell you with absolute certainty: if you eat like a controlled Type 2 Diabetic, you will never become one. Best wishes for success!0
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minibagz1203 wrote: »No I'm not. But because my mom's side of the family doesn't exercise and has a slow metabolism. I grew up not caring. But I want to prevent it.
I would suggest the following:
enter your stats into MFP and set it for one pound per week loss.
get a food scale and weigh all solids.
log everything you eat into MFP
make sure you use correct database entries
use the default macro settings for now.
find a form of exercise - walking, running, etc - that you enjoy and try to do it. < not necessary but is good for overall health.
as you do not have a medical condition cutting carbs is no necessary for weight loss.
also, if you DR told you to cut carbs without any explanation, I would get a new DR.0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »IsaackGMOON wrote: »minibagz1203 wrote: »I haven't been adament about exercise. And don't do it all the time. And my doctor suggested I cut down or count my carbs. But she didn't really explain how to do it.
Is your doctor a certified nutritionist or dietician? (I can never remember which one does what).
Did the dr. explain why to cut carbs?
I'm a double diabetic (both type 1 and type 2) and I count carbs in order to calculate insulin doses. For my purposes, I only care about the carbs that are digested and converted to glucose. Here is the formula I use:
Total Carbs - Fiber - 0.5 x Sugar Alcohols = Net Carbs
Example:
If a food has 30g of total carbs, 6 g of fiber and 2 grams of sugar alcohol; it would be 23g of net carbs:
30 - 6 - 0.5 x 2 =
30 - 6 - 1 =
23
**That may or may not be appropriate for you and your purpose for cutting carbs (which is still unclear).
I told her I was worried about getting diabetes and she suggested cutting carbs to avoid getting diabetes.0
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