Low carb diets - there is no way they can limit of 25 to 50 carbs a day?

CharonCharon
CharonCharon Posts: 264 Member
edited November 23 in Food and Nutrition
Yes, that is what I read in one website. I can't believe it.
There is no way no one can do this.
My question:
In the real world, what is low carb to you?
Are you doing low carb?
What is your REAL daily limit?
I have trouble staying below 150 carbs a day. Hard time just doing that.
I focus on my calories and I think I'll stick to that.
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Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited August 2015
    25-50 is common for a low carb diet. Many people here do that, although some or many of them count "net carbs" (for those in the US where fiber is included in carbs, subtract fiber). Some may go by percentage (under 20 or 10 or 5%).

    I kept my carbs under 100 grams for a while (not net, all) and didn't find it hard (it was the easiest way for me to cut calories), although I prefer eating around 150 or so, which I would not consider low carb. (I considered 100 to be moderate carb, and I'd consider my current intake within that category as well.)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    That's a ketogenic diet and it's pretty easy to do. I've been keeping my carbs under 50 for about 7 weeks now, and lately I've been finding I feel best when I eat close to a carnivorous diet. I'm pretty consistently under 25g of carbs per day. You're welcome to look at my journal but it's pretty dull - my husband has been away working up north for a while so my diet has lost some creativity.

    In the real world, what is low carb to you?
    Eating below 100g of carbs per day, perhaps 150g or so if very active around the time of consumption. LCHF is a way to improve my health (insulin resistance, autoimmune issues, arthritis) and eliminate sugar cravings so eating in a caloric deficit is MUCH easier. It involves eating meat, eggs, nuts, cream and cheese, colourful and green leafy veggies and a limited amount of low GI fruit like berries. No rice, potatoes, or anything made from flour for me... Others will eat LCHF differently.

    Are you doing low carb?
    Yes, for over a month and a half. I'm doing veryLCHF for ketosis though. I give my body very few carbs; the last few days I've eaten 11g of carbs or less because I haven't wanted carbs and it helps me feel better

    What is your REAL daily limit?
    I set carbs at 5% which is about 20g of carbs but I follow that loosely. Some days are 8g, some are 20g, and some are 35g.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    CharonCharon wrote: »
    Yes, that is what I read in one website. I can't believe it.
    There is no way no one can do this.
    My question:
    In the real world, what is low carb to you?
    Are you doing low carb?
    What is your REAL daily limit?
    I have trouble staying below 150 carbs a day. Hard time just doing that.
    I focus on my calories and I think I'll stick to that.

    Good plan. :)

    In the real world, what is low carb to you? - For the main part, a fad.
    Are you doing low carb? - Hell no. http://nutritionaustralia.org/national/resource/healthy-eating-pyramid
    What is your REAL daily limit? - Around 150g.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    I have to stay under 50 daily to mainly burn ketones vs. glucose and I do most of the time.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    CharonCharon wrote: »
    My question:
    In the real world, what is low carb to you?

    I'm very active, and tall. Anything under 200g/day is low carb in that context.
  • WeddedBliss1992
    WeddedBliss1992 Posts: 414 Member
    CharonCharon wrote: »
    Yes, that is what I read in one website. I can't believe it.
    There is no way no one can do this.
    My question:
    In the real world, what is low carb to you?
    Are you doing low carb?
    What is your REAL daily limit?
    I have trouble staying below 150 carbs a day. Hard time just doing that.
    I focus on my calories and I think I'll stick to that.

    i did a low carb diet for several months and didn't go over 14g/carbs/day. it wasn't that difficult to me.
  • bryjsal
    bryjsal Posts: 6 Member
    MFP set mine to 239g but my fat is like less than 50g I'm trying to lose a lot of weight and I'm very active is this okay?
  • KittensMaster
    KittensMaster Posts: 748 Member
    If I am doing a long ride, longer than 30 miles, I take in an extra 200-400 calories in higher carb electrolyte drinks

    Otherwise for normal activity, lifting, cardio glide time, I get around 50-100 carbs from vegetable sources.

    It is pretty easy to eat meats and vegetables and keep in at or below 100 carbs. That is where it just ends up. It does not really take much of an effort

    If you don't feel satisfied or that a nutrition plan is right for you, then why even consider it?

    The last thing the world needs is another person complaining about their own diet they chose.

    Choose something you will enjoy and stick with.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Are we talking American "total carbohydrates" here, which include fiber, or glycaemic / digested carbohydrates as used elsewhere. Atkins phase 1 is 20 grams a day of glycaemic carbs and many can adhere to that.

    My breakfast was 5g of carbs. Often it's less than that.
  • V_Keto_V
    V_Keto_V Posts: 342 Member
    0-5g carbohydrate is my usual; mostly from seasoning and sometimes sugar and fat free salad dressing.
    Those 0.3-0.5g carbohydrate from whole eggs can add up to occasionally.
    It just takes discipline and having OCD reading food labels (jokingly)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    bryjsal wrote: »
    MFP set mine to 239g but my fat is like less than 50g I'm trying to lose a lot of weight and I'm very active is this okay?

    Depends on how you feel. It's generally fine to use personal preference and how it makes you feel to decide how many carbs and how much fat to eat -- lots of us focus on getting enough protein and don't worry so much about carbs vs. fat. (I am active so have experimented with how different carb levels affect that.)

    However, your numbers seem to be the MFP default at around 1900 calories? If you are really active you should be eating some of those calories back (and getting more overall calories). The MFP goals are pre-exercise.
  • pamajon
    pamajon Posts: 4 Member
    I found this question, very helpful. I think a lot of people wonder how this is possible.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    It's possible and at this point (three years later) it's effortless. My diet is based around meat and vegetables with fat for flavor and small amounts of fruit, beans, and starches because they're delicious and nutritious. It's rare for my total carbs to exceed 50g.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    I consider 100g total carbs (not minus the fiber) and below to be low carb.
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
    You really don't need to low carb it, to lose weight. I have found that most people on low carb diets (below 30 grams) are mostly just eating meat, very little to no veggies and or fruit. It took me awhile to find my balance, I tried low carb, but I love my veggies and fruits way to much. So I focus on calories, but I have somewhat cut out some of the high carb foods not because I don't want carbs, but because I find when I eat these foods, I just want to keep eating, they don't feel me. You need to find your balance and not worry what others think is right or wrong.
  • adamvikings4life
    adamvikings4life Posts: 14 Member
    I guess it depends on your activity level. I work out 5 days a week. I do high carbs on my workout days over 200g and low carbs on cardio or off days below 100g. But on workout days i eat under 35g of fat and cardio - off days around 60g of fat. This works for me. In the past 2 months I have lost 4% body fat which I'm down to 8.3% total and have put on 5 pounds of muscle...
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
    In retrospect, I've always felt better eating more proteins and fats than carbs, but living with carb addict and the whole world saying half your diet should be carbs made me take forever to figure out that food comas are not normal and being hungry 2 hours after eating a meal meant I was eating wrong for my body.

    About 2 months ago I finished a 2 year transition to very low carb, usually 15-45g a day, along with attempting calorie restriction for the first time. I never tried to lose weight with calorie restriction before because I could never get past the total fixation on eating that 'restriction' brought out!

    Focusing on eating meat, eggs, cheeses, nuts, cream, veggies, berries, dark chocolate, water and the rare treat has been pretty painless. Meals are pretty simple and ragingly delicious as you can enjoy lots of tasty fats when limiting carbs.

    I'm a bit stunned at how much better I feel. Since starting very low carb diet, the complete lack of 'hangry' periods, the missing daily food comas and relatively few willpower battles has created a revolutionary new perspective on feeding myself successfully.

    Very low carb is actually easier than moderate carb, a lot of really bad eating decisions are easy to make when blood sugar is low. Removing the extreme highs and lows by eating very limited carbs does eliminate many willpower battles and failures.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    allaboutthefood wrote: »
    You really don't need to low carb it, to lose weight. I have found that most people on low carb diets (below 30 grams) are mostly just eating meat, very little to no veggies and or fruit. It took me awhile to find my balance, I tried low carb, but I love my veggies and fruits way to much. So I focus on calories, but I have somewhat cut out some of the high carb foods not because I don't want carbs, but because I find when I eat these foods, I just want to keep eating, they don't feel me. You need to find your balance and not worry what others think is right or wrong.

    You are mostly right that one doesn't need to eat low carbs to lose weight. To lose weight one must eat at a calorie deficit. Low carb is mostly about improved health, but it does make weight loss easier for some people (many with insulin resistance) by reducing carb cravings and your overall appetite, as well as improve hormonal balance (insulin).

    I have seen studies that compare weight loss between healthy and IR obese individuals on a moderate diet and on a LCHF diet. Both groups lost weight on the LCHF diet, but when the moderate diet was followed, the healthy obese group was the only group to still have a good rate of weight loss. For the IR obese group, dieting on a moderate diet slowed their weight loss down.

    I'm afraid the link for that is on my other computer, which has recently decided to retire itself, so I don't have the study link to back that up. I'll try to find it later.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    It's not that hard for me. My diet consists of meats, but also dairy and dark leaf veggies like spinach and broccoli, as well as fats for flavor. I also get creative in the kitchen and have made my own low carb ice cream, breads, cookies and other things. It's really not that difficult, if you think outside the box.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I very rarely get my carbs under 150g. I have no clue how people manage it either. I love fruit, veggies and dairy too much!
    It's hard enough getting my calories just right, let a lone stressing over my carb count on top of it...
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    I very rarely get my carbs under 150g. I have no clue how people manage it either. I love fruit, veggies and dairy too much!
    It's hard enough getting my calories just right, let a lone stressing over my carb count on top of it...

    It really isn't stressful. Struggling to eat more carbs but not too much was more stressful for me.
  • Leslierussell4134
    Leslierussell4134 Posts: 376 Member
    edited August 2015
    7 years ago I lost over 115lbs on a low carb high fiber diet which I maintained until the last 18 months. Since graduating school in May I've had about 35 lbs to re-lose. I've been on MFP for over 100 days now and until 3 days ago I had lost 11ish pounds. Not bad steady progress. However, I was ready to try something different so I'm resulting back to a low carb diet for 15 days to see what happens. Today is the end of day 3 and I feel great. I'm less bloated and not hungry at all.
    So to your questions...
    I eat about 50 carbs per day, 25 grams fiber (25 net carbs)
    A low carb diet to me is 100 grams total per day regardless of fiber. I honestly don't know why I fight this form of eating, because it tends to work best for me out of all other approaches.
    I'm very active, so with 50ish total carbs per day it's easy for me to maintain Ketosis. I too love fruit and veggies, but with 50g carbs i find it easy to get both in. I eat berries and avocados mostly, but whatever I want as long as it fits.
    Again, day 3 and I'm looking forward to the progress I'll make. I have an open diary and you're welcome to add me if you'd like to see what I've been eating. Calories set to 1490 for a slower loss.
  • MyTee150
    MyTee150 Posts: 28 Member
    my Dr suggest that I keep mine under 50, but ive been getting lower and lower, it get easier and easier, I feel better, and I stay satisfied longer
  • NJGamerChick
    NJGamerChick Posts: 467 Member
    I was put on a VLCD years ago and kept it under 25g/day. I was having severe reactions to carbs and sugars, putting me to sleep for hours on end. It was actually very easy, easier than it is to keep under 100g now. I was also lifting heavy at the time.
  • jonnybhoy
    jonnybhoy Posts: 84 Member
    CharonCharon wrote: »
    Yes, that is what I read in one website. I can't believe it.
    There is no way no one can do this.
    My question:
    In the real world, what is low carb to you?
    Are you doing low carb?
    What is your REAL daily limit?
    I have trouble staying below 150 carbs a day. Hard time just doing that.
    I focus on my calories and I think I'll stick to that.

    I am aiming around 100g carbs a day and no added sugar don't get food craving so easier to keep to deficit 23lbs down so far

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Low carb is standardly considered anything that is 20% under of the total calorie intake.

    If you're eating 5K- and eating 250 carbs a day- it's probably low carb for you.
    Low carb for me floats around 100 or under.

    Most people don't count veggies as low carb- but ultimately eating meat and fat only with no veggies and no bread- is really rough. I eat my body weight in veggies- which means- technically it's not really that low LOL
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    you can eat a pound a day of veg on 20 g/day of carbohydrates (exc fiber) eg Atkins phase 1. That's your 5-a-day taken care of.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    What is low carb to me? A medically necessary diet that keeps me at or under 100 carbs daily unless I've been extra active. It bothers me that people call it a "fad". It isn't a "fad" for those of us with diabetes who want to avoid complications and live healthy lives.
  • quintoespada
    quintoespada Posts: 58 Member
    i almost took op's post personally.

    'no way' lmao then explain why i'm losing weight and explain why i can track every single carb i eat to a t without leaving ketosis?

    i eat keto because it helps me keep from binge eating, helps with glucose control, and helps with other things related to the way i eat as well as my weight.

    i mean, honestly, the one thing ketoers talk about most often is the fact that we used to think the same way you do right now. we were addicted to carbs and sugar and addicted to eating a lot in general.

    we wanted to find something that works for us and we did. simple.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    I very rarely get my carbs under 150g. I have no clue how people manage it either. I love fruit, veggies and dairy too much!
    It's hard enough getting my calories just right, let a lone stressing over my carb count on top of it...

    I love all of that too, I just choose differently now. Berries over watermelon. Greek yogurt over regular. Flatbreads/wraps instead of sandwich bread, almond milk over regular milk for smoothies, and I eat LOTS of vegetables as well.
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