what shoulf m macros be at if im on low carb

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mercedes3106
mercedes3106 Posts: 17 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have no idea what im suppose to setup macronutrients at for weightloss if I am on a low carb diet. Not saying atkins because im not sure how that works but I am restricting all breads, pasta, fried anything and rice for the mean time. please help ive tried searching the web and its confusing. Is anyone checking their macros and are on a low carb diet here?

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  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited September 2015
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    For the average person without a specific medical condition and a strict prescribed diet, the decision to go low carb is arbitrary and has no logical bearing on weight loss or overall health. When it comes to weight loss, what actually matters is being in a caloric deficit.

    Ideally, ensure macronutrient sufficiency predominantly from whole and minimally processed foods.

    Protein: ~0.60 to ~0.80 grams per pound of bodyweight (or target/ideal weight in the obese) -- the highest amount justified by research.

    Fat: ~0.40-0.45 grams per pound of bodyweight (or target/ideal weight in the obese) -- the lowest amount implied by clinical observation.

    Remaining caloric budget: whatever mix of macronutrients you prefer -- as implied by research. Preferably a rich variety of high fiber foods, fruits, veggies, and healthy fats.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    A low carb diet is typically considered to be under 100g of carbs per day. Some people, generally more active people, go higher to 150 or more grams. A very low carb diet is considered to be below 50g per day, and will put you into ketosis (where your body switches from using glucose for all fuel to mainly burning fats.

    There is no minimum of amount or carbs that must be eaten daily, so you could technically go to zero and eat like a carnivore. As mentioned in the previous post, there are minimums of fat and protein. There is no maximum fat intake, so most low carbers cut their carbs to a certain amount, add protein, and fill the rest of their calories with fat.

    I usually eat somewhere between 15 and 40g of carbs. My macros are about 5% carbs, 20-25% protein, and 70-75% fat.

    Eating low carb will not result in a large weight loss unless you are eating at a caloric deficit. I eat about 1500 calories per day to lose weight. To maintain my weight, I would eat somewhere between 1800 and 2100.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    edited September 2015
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    If you are low carbing - typically anything less than 150g is considered low carb.

    A good starting point is googling - primal blue print (lots of useful low carb information)!

    It will help you understand why whole grains are not as healthy as some people would like to believe!

    Good luck!
  • lseed87
    lseed87 Posts: 1,105 Member
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    15-20% carbs is what I would typically aim for.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    When people decrease carbs, they usually increase fat and protein.
    So foods like this work: butter, sour cream, oils, dark meat chicken, nuts, fatty fish, eggs, and lots of leafy greens and veggies like these: romaine, spinach, swiss chard, collards, kale, cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, avocados, okra, cucumbers, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, snow peas.
  • dhakos
    dhakos Posts: 1 Member
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    if i'm doing between 21-75 g of carbs, how do you calculate the percentage ratio.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    mercedes3106 wrote: »
    I have no idea what im suppose to setup macronutrients at for weightloss if I am on a low carb diet.

    Using percentages I would shoot at 10, 15 or 20% carbs (depending how low you're shooting, Atkins induction might be 5%) with protein 20, 25, 30 or 35% and fat is the rest (probably 50 - 70%).


  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Don't go by percentages... go by grams.

    MFP provides the grams when you select the percentages.
  • CandiceMcD
    CandiceMcD Posts: 115 Member
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    I set mine for 40% carbs which is 129g. I try to eat between 50-75 a day and then on my high carb day I still stick to 129. Seems to work for me so far.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    sixxpoint wrote: »
    Don't go by percentages... go by grams.

    MFP provides the grams when you select the percentages.

    yep, that's why I provided percentages. To use the tool as it is.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
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    yarwell wrote: »
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    Don't go by percentages... go by grams.

    MFP provides the grams when you select the percentages.

    yep, that's why I provided percentages. To use the tool as it is.

    Just clarifying that even though the program only lets you adjust by percentages, to instead look at the grams those percentages provide for a clearer picture.

    There are target ranges when you measure by grams, but throwing out percentages and comparing them with other people is arbitrary and does no one any good.

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