How many Carbs do you use in a day ?

rckk18
rckk18 Posts: 27 Member
I would like input from some of the people that have had success on Low Carb Diet I am curious at how many Carbs some of you have used per day. I have heard anywhere from 20 - 100 and you will lose weight. Thoughts? Thank You

Replies

  • LinCharpentier
    LinCharpentier Posts: 1,122 Member
    I work on trying to stay under 100 a lot of days in around 70. If I stick to it I loose weight. If your just starting Good luck
  • nicintime
    nicintime Posts: 381 Member
    Opinions abound, but there is general consensus that 20 total is a good place to start if you can.

    4-6 weeks is generally what it takes to shift your body's primary fuel away from so much glucose to more fat burning.

    Tons of weight to lose? Relationship to food to change? This is a good time to discover and work on them.

    Don't dink around, however. As Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try." I don't believe that low carb, particularly keto can be done "casually". People "dance around the edges" of this way of eating for a couple weeks, hit speed bumps, quit, and say "low carb doesn't work for me", when the reality is - they never actually tried it.
  • nicintime
    nicintime Posts: 381 Member
    Research like crazy. Information is your friend, half truths will derail you.

    Start with the launch pad. Go from there.
  • wabmester
    wabmester Posts: 2,748 Member
    I targeted about 100g carbs, and lost about 40lbs.

    But it depends on multiple factors. For example, I exercise pretty much daily, and you can easily burn off carbs with intense exercise.

    It also depends on the type of carbs, and your particular response to them, including your glycemic response.

    And it depends on what level you need to suppress your appetite.

    Finally, it depends on your level of insulin sensitivity. Some people are so resistant, they may do best with zero carbs. Others may be so sensitive, they may be able to eat essentially unlimited carbs.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
    My "goal" is to stay under 70g. But most days, I barely hit 40g. Once you get started, you will find what is sustainable for you and what brings you success. It is and always will be a work in progress and you may have to adjust once you get settled in. If you are nervous or scared of cutting too much, start cutting slowly. Start with a higher number and slowly work your way down to a number that works for you.
  • ettaterrell
    ettaterrell Posts: 887 Member
    Agree with nicin 100%
    I started at 50g and moved to 20 3 weeks later, I upped my fat to 75^% and found my sweet spot as I call it
  • LinCharpentier
    LinCharpentier Posts: 1,122 Member
    So seems like the fat is very important. Right now i'm having home made soup should I be adding a little oil or butter to it. Or when I have moose stew not much fat in there. Should I be adding some.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
    So seems like the fat is very important. Right now i'm having home made soup should I be adding a little oil or butter to it. Or when I have moose stew not much fat in there. Should I be adding some.

    Fat is a big deal when going low carb. I will let some more knowledgable people chime in with the science behind it (I am still learning myself), but my motto has become "when in doubt, add butter" :D
  • wabmester
    wabmester Posts: 2,748 Member
    For the most part, people need fat to reach satiety. Any more than that is just excess calories.

    But some of the short- and medium-chain fats in butter and coconut, for example, may be magical. :)
  • JessicaLCHF
    JessicaLCHF Posts: 1,265 Member
    edited January 2016
    rckk18 wrote: »
    I would like input from some of the people that have had success on Low Carb Diet I am curious at how many Carbs some of you have used per day. I have heard anywhere from 20 - 100 and you will lose weight. Thoughts? Thank You

    Normally around 22-46 (that's total carbs, not net) has been my average looking back. I shoot for under ten net carbs a meal.

    Don't look at the day I went off diet for lunch and had chips! 88g that day!
  • KristyBPharmD
    KristyBPharmD Posts: 6 Member
    I aim for 25 net carbs a day. Maybe it's just be, but I find it nearly impossible to be under 20 total and still eat vegetables or anything with even a couple of grams of carbs here and there. I'm down over 30#, so I think this range works for me.
  • Smoked33
    Smoked33 Posts: 186 Member
    ~60gram net carbs for me is very satisfying and successful from a weight loss perspective. I used to go hard core under 20 but now I can enjoy things like quest bars and nuts in greater quantity which keeps me sane but also in ketosis.
  • KenSmith108
    KenSmith108 Posts: 1,967 Member
    I eat less than 20g carbs a day. I've had to buy a few new pairs of pants. :)

    >:) or o:)
  • JessicaLCHF
    JessicaLCHF Posts: 1,265 Member
    I eat less than 20g carbs a day. I've had to buy a few new pairs of pants. :)

    >:) or o:)

    Net or total?
  • kcoty001
    kcoty001 Posts: 15 Member
    I stay between 20-25 total carbs
  • BRobertson23
    BRobertson23 Posts: 150 Member
    I did Atkins when I was in college and saw a lot of success, but at that time I was looking for a quick fix. Since spring of 2014 I lost over 30 pounds by counting calories and exercise. However, I plateau'd for a while and, long story short, gained some weight back, but was perplexed how I would be able to break through my plateau again. I've decided to go low carb, doing 2 weeks with 20-22 Net Carbs to start, then slowly adding carbs back in. I've been very successful this first week, shedding 5 pounds (yes, it's mostly likely water weight). I'm feeling very satisfied and full and my calories have ranged from 1200-1600 each day.
  • rckk18
    rckk18 Posts: 27 Member
    Great responses from all -- Thank You.
  • Lillith32
    Lillith32 Posts: 483 Member
    My goal is below 20 net, usually I end up much less, and around 15-20 total.
  • CMYKRGB
    CMYKRGB Posts: 213 Member
    edited January 2016
    20 carbs max for me on most days. Ratio is also important. And that's total not net.
  • disaberry
    disaberry Posts: 34 Member
    nicintime wrote: »
    Opinions abound, but there is general consensus that 20 total is a good place to start if you can.

    4-6 weeks is generally what it takes to shift your body's primary fuel away from so much glucose to more fat burning.

    Tons of weight to lose? Relationship to food to change? This is a good time to discover and work on them.

    Don't dink around, however. As Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try." I don't believe that low carb, particularly keto can be done "casually". People "dance around the edges" of this way of eating for a couple weeks, hit speed bumps, quit, and say "low carb doesn't work for me", when the reality is - they never actually tried it.

    Totally agreed… This is a serious commitment to counting, weighing, measuring, planning, but the benefits are great because if you're anything like me, with the stubborn last 15 pounds to go... postmenopausal... it doesn't come off easy :-) ... and this way is the best way of anyway based on my research. I've tried it before and danced around it and had no luck, so to answer your question.. I'm at 25 carbs, total carbs, not net, per day. Good luck!
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    I've done different things.
    Previously I had success on the Dukan diet, where I was eating probably around 60-90 carbs most days. (On "pure protein" days, the carbs were coming from fat-free dairy. Other days, it was those plus lower-carb veggies.)

    Now on keto, I've experimented within a range. i do count net carbs, not total, and for the most part I've been doing 15-30gm *net* carbs per day. That's often 25-40 or so total carbs. I've had some stalls that might not have happened at a lower carb level (e.g. staying under 20 total) but overall I'm delighted by the progress and effects I've had on keto. In 2.5 months I've lost 18.6 lbs (now 1 lb below my original goal weight) and had other unexpected benefits like a happier digestive system, reduced reflux, reduced joint pain, etc.
  • reblazed
    reblazed Posts: 255 Member
    edited January 2016
    nicintime wrote: »
    Don't dink around, however. As Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try." I don't believe that low carb, particularly keto can be done "casually". People "dance around the edges" of this way of eating for a couple weeks, hit speed bumps, quit, and say "low carb doesn't work for me", when the reality is - they never actually tried it.

    I totally agree with both nicintime's post's, but this part should be highlighted. I've been on keto 6 weeks and have only been over 20 total 3 days. This is what works for me ... and it's working well.

    Edit to add: Carbs are not the whole story with keto. It's the balance of carbs, protein and fat that make it work.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    My carbs are set at 90g, but I usually hover around 50g total. Works perfectly for me. The cravings and constant hunger have disappeared at these levels.
  • lindseykytti
    lindseykytti Posts: 10 Member
    For a lchf diet you should be eating 5-10% fate 15-20% protein and 75-80% fat a day. I count net carbs and stay under 30 a day.
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    I eat 20 gm of carbs, or less, daily. I've been at that level for several months now. Get your fat in however you feel works best for you. Be it through butter, heavy whipping cream, coconut oil....or combinations of all of them. The Fat is where true satiety is! You will feel like you're starving if you don't. And that's no fun! Best of luck!

  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
    Most days, I tend to eat somewhere between 20-35 total carbs. When I started Keto for my first month I aimed for 100g of carbs. Second month = 75g carbs. Third month = 50g carbs, etc. I avoided the Keto flu that way but easing my way into this lifestyle has worked very well for me. Everyone's body is different so just listen and pay attention to what your body is telling you. This will help you find your "sweet spot." I find that if I eat 40-50 carbs per day, my weight loss slows down dramatically. If I go over 50 carbs per day, my weight loss flat-out stalls so I try very hard never to go above 39 carbs per day. But this is something that took me a long to figure out so be patient with yourself and your progress and look for patterns.
  • LowCarbInScotland
    LowCarbInScotland Posts: 1,027 Member
    When I started back up with LCHF last November, I was at 30-35 net carbs and getting better insulin management results than I had in the past at 20 grams net. And I was more satisfied with my meals, I enjoy my veggies.

    However, after falling off the wagon on Christmas Day, foolishly knocking myself out of ketosis, I went down to 5-10 net carbs for a couple of days and decided to move forward at 10-20 net carbs, and I'm happy there, insulin management is continuing to improve and weight is going down.

    Most of my carbs come from avocados, my bad Quest bar habit that I need to break, a couple small servings of cream and cheese each day, seasonings and 1-2 servings of low carb veg.
  • sweetteadrinker2
    sweetteadrinker2 Posts: 1,026 Member
    I started at 20 then 35 and am now at 50, all net. 20 seems to be prime weightloss for me, but 50 is a good maintenance # and is doable if I have a meal out a day. That's important to me since I'm in college and would like to not be seen as a complete freak-no matter how healthy that freakery is! :smiley:
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I am another very low carber; I try to keep carbs under 20g per day. If I am up to or over 30g of carbs I am getting hungry, keto stix are negative and my blood glucose is going up (especially if my calories or protein were high).

    Staying at about 5% carbs, 20% protein and 75% fat is good for me.
  • KenSmith108
    KenSmith108 Posts: 1,967 Member
    I eat less than 20g carbs a day. I've had to buy a few new pairs of pants. :)

    >:) or o:)

    Net or total?

    Total it's easier to count. :)

    >:) or o:)