Cut carbs ? How ?

lemurcat12 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

How much you cut depends on how high you want your carbs.... Most low carbers chat in there to avoid the frequent questions of "why?" that often pop up on the main forums.

I think questions like "why" are really necessary to understand OP's aims and better give an OP advice, as it's not possible, for example, from the original post to tell whether OP wants to go low carb, if there are specific concerns (is it about health, weight loss, why does OP think carbs are hidden?).

I'd have different advice for someone asking "how do I go under 50 g of carbs" than for someone asking "how to eat under 150 g of carbs" than for someone saying "my doctor said cutting carbs and raising protein is often a good way to reduce calories" than for someone saying "I'm eating about 300 g of carbs, how do I cut them down"? I'd have different advice if OP were concerned about total carbs including fiber vs. net carbs (or carbs as defined in the UK). I'd find it helpful to know if OP is mostly trying to figure out how to cut calories or if the idea is to change carb percentage (one would involving adding in more fat and protein, one might not).

I usually assume that people have their reasons for cutting carbs. The "why" is not really my business unless they chose to share it. I figured that they just wanted to know how to cut carbs - assumed they meant what foods to cut. I may have been wrong.

I am not suggesting OP doesn't have her reasons, and I don't care what they are. What I am saying is important -- and I spelled this out quite specifically in my post, so am surprised you missed it -- is that HOW MUCH she wants to cut carbs is relevant. Several people assumed she wanted to low carb, and she didn't say that. Someone else assumed she wanted to eat some amount similar to that person, others made other assumptions. We also don't know what she's finding difficult (other than not knowing what foods they are in), what foods she is getting them primarily from, etc. These are all reasons that asking questions is appropriate, not an attack on her efforts (which I would not attack).

I've eaten around 150 g of carbs, and much lower. You do different things. One poster suggested she is concerned about carbs in watermelon and vinegar and vegetables, whereas another is recommending 46 g carb dinners and yet another steel cut oats and quinoa. Clearly, where she is starting and how much she wants to cut is relevant. If doing keto, she will have to worry about fruit and maybe even watch veg. If at 300 g and trying to cut down some because her doctor said it's a good way to cut calories and getting more protein is food, well, then, vegetables should probably be unlimited, fruit may not be an issue, and she could fit in some steel cut oats and quinoa if she wanted to, and just look at portion size and, absolutely, probably cut back on higher carb and fat lower nutrient foods (if she eats them). None of this is criticism, it's pointing out that you can't really answer "how do I cut carbs" beyond the basic "look at your diary and cut back on the foods with more carbs" without knowing things like goal, what she's trying to do -- the things you seem to say we should not ask!

I agree that how deeply the OP wants to cut carbs is relevant. I addressed that too with start cutting at the least healthy (highly processed and refined) carbs. I just did not address the why.

Unless by "how much she wants to cut carbs" you mean does she desire to cut carbs? Not the amount of carbs?

I'm not criticizing your advice, I thought it was reasonable. (And obviously I mean amount of carbs, again my post makes that clear.)

I'm objecting to the idea that asking her questions about what she is trying to accomplish (a slight cut from high carbs to cut calories? ketosis? something in-between) is somehow rude and objectionable.

I did not mean to imply that. I would say asking why is not rude, it is just not needed.

Sort of like asking why someone thinks they need to eat salad when they are asking for easy salad recipes, or asking why someone would want to eat more meat when they have asked how to incorporate more meat and protein into their diet. We don't see that often.

If it affects the advice you would. Is the person wanting salads to eat more veg, because they are cold, because she's a veg, it might be relevant. If someone asks how to add more protein, I usually do ask if he or she is a vegetarian, since it affects the advice.

I guess I don't think how deeply someone is going to cut carbs will determine how to most healthfully cut carbs.

If someone says "HOW do I cut carbs," think it matters what they mean by cutting carbs. Do they mean going LCHF? I'd give a different answer than "reducing my currently high carb percentage a bit" or "well, really I mean increasing protein."

Also, if someone does not eat a lot of snacky stuff I wouldn't start by telling them to cut that. I'd normally assume someone meant at meals and already knew to cut snacky stuff. But I could quite easily be wrong, which is why asking is not inherently rude or improper or (IMO) unnecessary -- it's helpful to get to better advice.

Although true in all of those cases I'd start with the answer I gave here, that you should review your diary.

I think I'm more literal than you. When they ask how I just gave the how. I suppose your questions may have given you more insight into a better answer.

Heh, I sometimes think I'm the most literal person ever, so that's good to know. My initial thought process is kind of like "HOW? Well, you see what has lots of carbs and eat less of that." But then I realize they are asking for strategies and assume they would already be cutting down on junk food so assume they are asking about meal structure and then I think "well, depends on how low they want it -- do they have to cut portions only or replace bread with a wrap? or do they maybe need to restructure the meal? is the issue that breakfast is a carb-fest with little protein?" and then I realize I need more information, darn it! ;-)

Conversely, you can probably see how it would get tiring to see questions along the lines of "Why would you want to eat that way?" along with posts of "Nope, Love me my carbs" in LCHF threads where people are just asking for advice on how to eat that way. I think it would be more appropriate in a "should I eat LCHF?" thread.

Yeah, but here I just thought it was silly because OP didn't even say she wanted to eat low carb. (Maybe she does, and that's cool.) I DO think enough people assume you have to eat low carb to lose that it's worth explaining you don't, that low carb doesn't mean that calories are irrelevant, etc., but certainly I think there are lots of good reasons to low carb (and anyone no one needs a good reason), so I'd have no interest in debating that.

Maybe I have a different reaction just because I don't really care if someone (well, on MFP) asks me why I'm doing whatever, as I am usually happy to explain. I probably do upfront, LOL.

nvmomketo wrote: »

I only experience that here on MFP. In life, I am still, even after a couple of years of LCHF eating, an abnormality among the people I know. Most people I know are big believers in a traditional "balanced" diet. Lots of whole grains and such that I rarely eat. I think at least half the adults I know are working on their weight at any given time too. Most of those have never even heard of ketosis (a very low carb diet which I tend to follow most of the time for those who don't know) and do not really know what carbs are, nevermind what a LCHF diet actually is.