I keep my carbs under 100g, tonight I'm having pizza but I can only have 2 pieces to keep me under that number. I don't have any medical issues to worry about, so going over or higher every now and then doesn't affect me in a negative way.
So to answer your question, I go with whatever fits in. Even having a higher carb count than most low carbers/ketoers has drastically reduced my cravings.

I did do keto for a little over a week which I really enjoyed, but the keto breath stopped me from continuing I'm still so pissed off about that!!! My husband wouldn't come within 10 feet of me.

i hope this isn't a dumb question but what do you mean by day total and net?

@angellakh, If you want to use net carbs, there is an add-on script for MFP that does the subtracting for you. Read about it here: http://cavemanketo.com/configuring-mfp/

Also, look in our Launchpad for more resources about this way of eating. Lots of books and recipe sites!

I am trying to get back down from around 100 carbs a day over the holidays, but people keep tempting me with goodies...

I never know whether I count as low carb, but here goes. Yesterday I had 108 grams of carbs yesterday (45 grams of fiber). That included lots of vegetables (snap peas, broccoli), legumes, (1/3 cup in my burrito), a persimmon, and two low carb tortillas. I'm not aiming for ketosis or anything like that, and included low carb wraps, the occasional bread, and the very occasional whole grain pizza crust (mostly I do zucchini pizza crusts). I try to have my carbs be as high in fiber as possible. Wednesday I had 57 grams of carbs, with 29 grams of fiber. Black beans, fave beans, snap peas, and one low carb tortilla.

I aim to be under 100 total grams/day. I try to save regular bread, pizza, pasta, rice only for special occasions. I'm pre-T2D, and I find these foods spike my blood glucose. To make matters worse, these foods (as well as cookies, cake, etc) are trigger foods for me and its hard for me to regulate portions. I'm able to eat some oatmeal or black beans without problems. Just discovered Ezekiel 4:9 bread this week, which does not spike my glucose - that's going to be a game changer for me.

I try to stay under 75, some days I barely hit 30, other days I may go over and be closer to 100. For the most part, I have pretty much eliminated pastas, bread, rice and your typical starches. I also have cracked WAY down on sugary sweets (my kryptonite).

One thing I have started to learn is that, personally, I try not to worry about carbs from foods that once had a face, grows in nature (aside from potatoes) and is minimally processed. I will never eliminate fruit for example. (But, I was never a big fruit person to begin with.....except for summer strawberries!). So, the occasional apple has little to no impact on my progress. I still do allow myself to have the things I have eliminated occasionally, because that is just how life goes. I could never live a life without pasta, but I can live a life where pasta is an occasional splurge.

At the end of the day, it is all about balancing reality with the knowledge you can gain from reducing carbs/sugar. I know without a doubt that moderate to low carb has to be a WOE for me for the remainder of my life. I have (finally) accepted that, so now I am learning to balance my "real" life with new eating habits wihtout feeling deprived. So, maybe I can't have pasta 3-4 times a week now, but I can make it work twice a month. Once you have been doing it a while, you will start to learn what derails you, what you can fit without ruining progress and still be content with your meals.

I avoid sugar, so that means no bread, pasta, rice, grains, cereals, fruit nor startchy veg (potato, beetroot, pumpkin, carrots etc). When very low carb/sugar I eat leafy greens (ie spinach and kale), broccoli, meat, fish, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, seaweed nori, chia seeds, coconut cream, unsweetened almond milk, cream cheese and occasional nuts.
I also add cauliflower and 6 other slightly higher in sugar veg plus for a treat 1-2 berries or tomatoes but try to keep sugar less than 10 grams a day. Max out at 20g
Still can result in carbs on the higher end but all through veggies. Great thing is I don't need will power to say No, I just say Dr has me on a low sugar diet so I can't. Easy.

I'm in about 50g any less and I end up with crippling 24x7 leg cramps that despite trying everything I was told worked.....fact was it didn't and I couldn't stand the pain anymore....50g seems to be my sweet spot...

I am VLCHF now, but at first I was at 100 gm a day. I was able to achieve the decreased hunger, and food control, very well at that level. My carb sources were from fruit, and some vegetables. The weight loss was a steady (albeit, a rollercoaster) decline. I found that the lower I went with carbs, the better I felt! Which is the main reason I am at less than 20 gm a day. Relief of fibromyalgia pain will do that for you (for me anyway ) Also, the weight loss didn't seem to differ with each level. I have found that I am sensitive (pain wise) to ALL carbs, no matter the source.

My recommendations to newbies is 100-150 gm a day, for a minimum of thirty days. Then evaluate your results (ie. weight, inches, how you feel...). And adjust as needed!

@pootle1972, have you tried 5000mg of sodium a day with Magnesium and potassium supplements, at the same time, in attempt to rid yourself of the leg cramps? I have learned that if I don't maintain all three, every day, I will cramp up something terrible! Good luck!

For those of you that eat more carbs are you in maintenance or trying to loose? I'm trying to find a game plan for my maintenance life after keto for the last 4 months.

I am thinking about doing this but on a much lower scale, maybe 60 carb range. The thing is I used to do induction with ease and I just can't handle it the way I used to

Question for those who are doing a higher level of carbs, what is a good calorie target for someone that burns about 400 a day average in cardio

MilllieMoo wrote: »

pootle1972 wrote: »

I'm in about 50g any less and I end up with crippling 24x7 leg cramps that despite trying everything I was told worked.

(I suppose you already tried magnesium?)

Magnesium, orally, gel, spray, foot baths, b12, b3, vitamin d, more pink salt, more water,less water, tonic water (quinine).....you name it i tried it....increased carbs GONE...decrease back down pacing the floor at 2am and even as drastic as husband has to force my foot up as it will not move at all and I'm crying with pain.

I eat anywhere from 50-150ish carbs a day....Majority of my diet is veg, protein, fat, 2-3 fruit a day. 2-3x a week I'll have some form of 'other' carb but keep it as clean as possible--and ONLY a few a week. One (normal) serving size. Whole grain brown rice, quinoa pasta, low carb naan or pita/wrap etc. It works for me. Will probably have to adjust my carbs (even "natural" ones) as I get closer to my goal weight but for now I have a lot to lose and it's working for my body and keeping me feeling energized, healthy and satisfied.