Carbs

BigChune8788
BigChune8788 Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Trying to lose weight keep in mind. My macro for carbs each day is 382g. I find this very hard to achieve if I'm eating good carbs, as if I even know what good carbs are?!?!?! Should I be thinking strictly good carbs or eat 8 blow pops.

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Losing weight is all about calories. And out of the three macros, I would worry least about hitting your carb goal.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
    That is A LOT of carbs. There is no need to eat that much. What are you basing that on?

    You would probably be better served by cutting some of those carbs and adding more protein and/or fat. They will keep you full, and it will be easier to get the calories you are targeting if you add more fat to your diet. If you want healthy fats, try to add almonds (or any other nut), peanut or almond butter, olive or avocado oil, etc.

  • BigChune8788
    BigChune8788 Posts: 10 Member
    Well each day is 282 but with my gym session it went up today 382. It doesn't seem right to me. My calorie intake per day is 2,250. Does that seem right?! I'm dumb when it comes to this so I really appreciate the advice.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    What are your stats?

    The default carb goal is 50% of total calories. You can play with the percentages to see what works best for you.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Yes to both the above, but if OP is quite large 382 g carbs is nothing more than 50% of his calorie target of 3056.

    OP, the 50% default for U.S. dietary recommendations has a craven political history. It was foisted upon us when a senator from South Dakota chaired the Senate Agricultural Committee and used his position to legislatively decree that U.S. citizens should eat 50% of their calories from carbohydrates, which in turn were the chief commercial product of South Dakota in the form of corn.

    I hope you are wise enough to realize that the 50% carb portion is just cockamamie B.S.

    Get your calories. Make certain you get your protein macros, your fat macros, and your fiber. You will get such carbs as you get incidentally.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    I need my carbs, they are my fuel, I burn over 1000 calories a day
  • spdaphne
    spdaphne Posts: 262 Member
    Another thing in addition to what folks have said, have you been doing the same workouts? Your body may be bored so it's important to keep changing what workouts you're doing too to keep your body guessing and losing.

    But increase your calories and you may see the scale move.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
    edited May 2017
    I don't know if the 2,250 is appropriate or not (it's based on height, weight, etc.)...if you have a lot to lose and are trying to lose very slowly...it may be fine. If you aren't losing after 2 or 3 weeks, then lower the calories by a couple hundred and see how that works. If you are losing too quickly, add a bit.

    But in terms of the carbs, if you are using the default mfp percentages, please know that many people here change those. Many lower the carbs to 40% or 30% or even much lower (some might do only 50 grams a day max, or even lower on keto diets). You can then increase protein and fat to compensate. Eating more fat and protein helps many people to stay full longer, adding protein can help retain muscle when losing weight, and fat just tastes good! Also...you need fat in your diet...people run into problems when they cut it too low. No such problems result from cutting carbs.

    Most people base macros on personal preference (what you like, how different foods make you feel in terms of energy and satiety) or based on what they believe is best for overall health (opinions differ on this.) Based on the fact that you are having trouble eating that many carbs, it is probably a good idea to try replacing some of them with fat and protein.

    I experimented quite a bit, and gradually lowered my carbs dramatically from where they started. Try a new mix for a couple of weeks, and see if you find that easier to meet.

    The macros don't matter much in terms of weight loss, but you also need to consider health. That is why I would advise against 8 blow pops.

  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
    edited May 2017
    One more thing: if your carbs went up 100 because of your gym session, that means you burned at least 400 calories in the gym ...more actually because your protein and fat would go up as well. (this is certainly very possible, but it is also easy to burn much less). Be aware that often those calorie burn estimates are not necessarily very accurate. You don't need to eat back all of those calories. Many people reduce it by 1/2, or 1/3 or 1/4 to give themselves a little margin for inaccuracy. But you can leave it as it is and just see if your weight loss results are what they should be based on how much you eat and your exercise calories. If not...then you can adjust later.
  • BigChune8788
    BigChune8788 Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you! I started dieting at 228 and did ketosis for 3 weeks and lost 12. Currently at 216 and started using his app. I stopped Ketosis because I had no energy. So coming from Ketosis to this is a drastic change.

    6ft 216 workout 5 days a week. MOIAussi what do you think my macros should be if I am trying to lose 2 lbs a week?

    Thanks for your help!!
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
    BigChune8788 wrote: »
    Thank you! I started dieting at 228 and did ketosis for 3 weeks and lost 12. Currently at 216 and started using his app. I stopped Ketosis because I had no energy. So coming from Ketosis to this is a drastic change.

    6ft 216 workout 5 days a week. MOIAussi what do you think my macros should be if I am trying to lose 2 lbs a week?

    Thanks for your help!!

    I don't know what the calories should be. I would just plug your stats into a calculator and see what it gives you for calories. But if you have lost 12 pounds in three weeks, that calories level seems okay (you can lose a lot the first couple of weeks but you won't keep losing 4 pounds a week. If you do, eat a little more). In terms of macros, there is a lot of room between keto and 50% carbs. I would try cutting carbs, but not dramatically to start. Go to 40%, and then increase fat and protein to 30% each. That is a very common macro split that a lot of people use. It isn't low carb, but it is a little lower than the typical American super high carb diet. See how that works for you...you can then later cut to 35% or 30% if you want to. Or you can stay at 40%. There is no one right answer. I would encourage you to experiment and move it around every so often. Your goal is to find a style of eating that you can maintain long term and still enjoy.

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