Starting a low carb diet. Help needed.

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midwest121
midwest121 Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello there, my question is for low carb diet, to find my daily allowance per day, when looking at a nutritional information label, do I look at the sugar or tototal carbohydrates ? Cause some seem to be different from the other.

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  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    There are many kinds of carbohydrates, of which sugar is just one group. If you are counting carbs, you need the total. However, some programs use net carbs: subtract the fiber from the total carbs.
  • midwest121
    midwest121 Posts: 13 Member
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    @concordancia thank you, I am going to go with the easy one and do the total carbohydrates, in am 20-30, grams per day would put me in the weight loss area ?
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Total carbs for sure.
    As to whether or not you lose weight on low carb, that has to do with how many calories you eat for the whole day.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    midwest121 wrote: »
    @concordancia thank you, I am going to go with the easy one and do the total carbohydrates, in am 20-30, grams per day would put me in the weight loss area ?

    Weight loss depends on total calories, not carbs
    Low carb diets tend to help with satiety (feeling full), but going as low as you are aiming for can be very frustrating for some people.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Just look at total Carbs. Ignore sugar, because it's already included in the carbs. Also low carb has to do with FAT loss, not weight loss (which is calories).
  • Tenster
    Tenster Posts: 278 Member
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    Low carbs can help with weight loss. I've done it a few times and it defo helps. It changes the hormonal state of your body and uses fat for your primary energy source. You still have to have a calorie deficit but in my experience low calorie with low carb works a lot better than just lowering your calories
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited April 2016
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    It's all about your daily calorie intake.
    Stay within your goals or below and you will lose weight.
    No matter what kind of eating you do.

    I am high carb and it's super easy.
    I could do this for life.
    Lots of beans, lentils, barley, sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa.
    On days when I eat fruit and veggies only, I do not log.

  • drwilseyjr
    drwilseyjr Posts: 225 Member
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    concordancia wrote: »
    There are many kinds of carbohydrates, of which sugar is just one group. If you are counting carbs, you need the total. However, some programs use net carbs: subtract the fiber from the total carbs.

    Net carbs is all you need to count. Fiber is not digestible, therefore it's not a concern on a low carb diet.
  • drwilseyjr
    drwilseyjr Posts: 225 Member
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    Tenster wrote: »
    It changes the hormonal state of your body and uses fat for your primary energy source.

    If your body is in ketosis, then yes. You have to deprive the body of carbs to move from glycolysis to ketosis.


  • drwilseyjr
    drwilseyjr Posts: 225 Member
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    Total carbs for sure.
    As to whether or not you lose weight on low carb, that has to do with how many calories you eat for the whole day.

    @RodaRose Fiber is not digestible, so you can subtract for net carbs.
  • lipswife2011
    lipswife2011 Posts: 19 Member
    edited April 2016
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    http://chriskresser.com/the-3-step-process-to-determining-your-ideal-carbohydrate-intake/

    Really good article. I'm breastfeeding but I still try to stay under 150 due to having glucose intolerance/insulin resistance (compliments of hypothyroidism/PCOS). Actually, look at the carbs!!!

    Believe me, watching carbs works. I've lost my baby weight (however, I only gained 21 lbs) and another 24 total since having my baby July 2015.
  • ivanfawcettgibson
    ivanfawcettgibson Posts: 193 Member
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    Fun fact: you can eat in deficit and still gain weight. http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/energy-balance-myths/
    Fat loss is different to weight loss, it's possible to lose fat and gain weight.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Yi5hedr3 wrote: »
    Just look at total Carbs. Ignore sugar, because it's already included in the carbs. Also low carb has to do with FAT loss, not weight loss (which is calories).

    Um no. Weight loss vs. fat loss is a number of factors. It's not just protein.
    1. Total deficit - really large deficits make it hard for your body to support existing lean muscle mass.
    2. Strength training signals the body, "hey, I'm using those muscles."
    3. Getting enough protein. It is entirely possible to get enough protein without going low carb. But an overload of protein still isn't going to help you retain muscle mass if you don't meet steps 1&2.

    OP - consider lifestyle change. I'm fat because my portions are too big. Measuring ALL types of food (now) will help me during maintenance. For me low carb is not the answer because it will not be something I will do forever.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    You sound like someone who could benefit from doing some research into low carb diets.
    This group's launchpad has some good information for those who want to use a low carb approach.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    You sound like someone who could benefit from doing some research into low carb diets.
    This group's launchpad has some good information for those who want to use a low carb approach.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    I agree. The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Phinney and Volek is a great book. Atkins, Dukkan, Protein Power, and South Beach are all low carb diets to varying degrees. At 20-30g of carbs per day you will be fairly deeply into ketosis (not ketoacidosis) so you may want to read up on that; Keto Clarity is an easy to read book.

    Once you reduce carbs you should increase you salt intake or you'll experience and electrolyte imbalance with fatigue, headaches, brain fog, muscle aches and spasms. You'll need at least 3000-5000 mg of sodium per day if you cut carbs as much as you've planned. Drinking bullion, salted water, and salting your food will help. If you let it go, you may need to increase magnesium and potassium too.

    Try a keto calculator to figure out your macros.
    http://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/
    http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
    Carbs are usually 0 to 150g on a LCHF diet, with most being somewhere in the middle
  • Jenfromtheblock84
    Jenfromtheblock84 Posts: 140 Member
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    I focus on the total carbs but if you are going with atkins or the like they want you to focus on the "net" carbs as suggested below. While I do find low carb helpful I have only had success with it while remaining at a caloric deficit. Find what works best for you while not depriving yourself too badly as you won't stick to it. Good luck on your journey.
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    edited April 2016
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    It's important for everyone giving advice to remember that the US labels carbs differently than the UK. If you're in the UK, fiber is not rolled into the carb count so you'd just track total carbs. In the US, you'd have to subtract the fiber from the carbs because you're not storing or absorbing fiber.

    Sugar is included in the total carb count.

    My math is: total carbs - fiber - sugar alcohols (if applicable)

    If I included all carbs with my diet I'd have to cut out a lot of vegetables and be starving all the time, because most vegetables are high in carbs due to the fiber in them. Broccoli and Avocados come to mind.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    You sound like someone who could benefit from doing some research into low carb diets.
    This group's launchpad has some good information for those who want to use a low carb approach.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    I agree. The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Phinney and Volek is a great book. Atkins, Dukkan, Protein Power, and South Beach are all low carb diets to varying degrees. At 20-30g of carbs per day you will be fairly deeply into ketosis (not ketoacidosis) so you may want to read up on that; Keto Clarity is an easy to read book.

    Once you reduce carbs you should increase you salt intake or you'll experience and electrolyte imbalance with fatigue, headaches, brain fog, muscle aches and spasms. You'll need at least 3000-5000 mg of sodium per day if you cut carbs as much as you've planned. Drinking bullion, salted water, and salting your food will help. If you let it go, you may need to increase magnesium and potassium too.

    Try a keto calculator to figure out your macros.
    http://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/
    http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
    Carbs are usually 0 to 150g on a LCHF diet, with most being somewhere in the middle

    All are good, but the South Beach book isn't really about low carb, but rather choosing the most nutritious and satiating carbs. If someone's in phase 2 and having toast with breakfast, fruit a couple of times a day, and brown rice with dinner, it's probably not low carb.

    It CAN be, but that's not really the point of the books. But yes, good information.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    RodaRose wrote: »
    Total carbs for sure.
    As to whether or not you lose weight on low carb, that has to do with how many calories you eat for the whole day.

    @RodaRose Fiber is not digestible, so you can subtract for net carbs.

    @drwilseyjr Thanks. :) I appreciate that. :)
    It is way too much math for me deal with. :mrgreen:

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