CARBS!!! HMMMM.....

Nubian89xo
Nubian89xo Posts: 24 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
So many people think that carbs are horrible for you when trying to loose weight and then so many believe that good carbs such as (oats, sweet potatoes,quinoa, brown rice etc..) are good. Me personally the days that I work out I try to have a bit more good carbs and the days I don't I try to have less. What are your thoughts on carbs? What are your experiences?

Replies

  • sdolan91
    sdolan91 Posts: 250 Member
    I love carbs! I stay under the daily goal that MFP sets for me, 150g, but I mostly focus on calories. So if I go over, whatevs! Yumm.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    My diet is fairly high carb. I increased fiber for satiety when I was losing, and continue that now in maintenance (1.5 yrs so far). More fiber means more carbs.
  • cboutin89
    cboutin89 Posts: 79 Member
    edited September 2017
    I agree with you. I feel that moderation is always the best practice. In the past, I successfully lost 30 pounds from a diet high in protein/vegetables and low in carbohydrates. I feel on days that you are strength training it is essential to have some kind of carbohydrates in your diet to support new muscle and the workout itself. One another note, I am just trying to get back on track myself and I am slowly reducing the amount of carbohydrates in my diet. I know it wont be an easy process, but its my journey. Also, I feel that when trying to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet altogether you tend to overindulge, so once again moderation is key to your diet.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    While I am team "everything in moderation," I have come to realize that many of the "tasty" carbs I like to eat are also loaded with fat.. Ice cream, candies, baked goods, etc. The fat usually adds up much faster than the carbs. Those are the things to moderate.
    I eat between 304 and 399 carbs a day. In order to hit this without blowing my fat macros it's essential to eat lots of rice, potatoes, beans, etc.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I think that low carb works very well for a lot of people and I think that it doesn't work well for others. Carbs are a neutral food for most people (as are the other macros) and it's important to play around and see what works best for each individual, not because our bodies are magically all fantastically different, but because different conditions and different psychologies are affected differently (let me say different some more times in that sentence, eh?).

    For me, personally, low carb was a disaster for my depression and it's not something I'm interested in playing with again. I lost weight on moderate carbs, paying attention to getting enough protein first and then enough fat and letting the carbs fill in the rest of my calories as needed. Lately, I've been adding a serving of rice to dinner and it's amazing to me how much more satiated I am with it included. It's probably something that I'll keep doing. Whether or not it's a good idea for you is up to you to experiment and see.
  • Style42
    Style42 Posts: 4 Member
    I love carbs and that is my biggest hang up, but once you learn your body burn rate and continue counting your calories and intake you can have some carbs just don't over do it. I am a cookie girl for sure, but in moderation now--know your limits and enjoy!
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    I have done keto (extremely low-calorie diet) and a regular balanced diet.

    Human beings do not require carbohydrates to function - if your body doesn't have carbs, it goes into a state called "ketosis" where it burns fats instead of carbs for energy.

    There's nothing wrong with being in ketosis, and does offer some unique health benefits for certain people. Keto can help people prone to seizures, especially children. It can have some nice benefits like more energy, stable hunger levels (no sugar crashes), less bloating/gas, less water-weight.

    But are carbs inherently "bad"? No. Carbs, protein and fat are great for the human body! We can survive without carbs, but you can also be perfectly healthy with a high-carb diet.

    Humans are resilient and can thrive on a variety of diets: high-carb, low-carb, vegetarian, etc. So it's up to you how you prefer to eat!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I do not seek to limit my carbs nor pay much attention to them to be honest. I am prone to depression and on the occasions I was not getting a reasonable amount of them, I found my mental state declined quite pointedly. I also tend to not get full if I limit my diet to predominantly protein and fat and have found that I am one of those people who needs a balance of all three macros to function well. I also found my workouts suffered during times when I had been eating a lower ratio of carbs.

    I think it is really going to vary from person to person and people must find the right balance for their own bodies.
  • lauragiordano8382
    lauragiordano8382 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm confused - how people can eat over 100g of carbs per day and lose weight when I am limited at 50g per day and struggle to lose weight!!!! Seriously, please help me understand wth is wrong with my body!
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,647 Member
    I eat whatever. I try to hit a goal for the protein and the rest I just don't pay attention to. Hasn't hurt me one bit.
  • lauragiordano8382
    lauragiordano8382 Posts: 2 Member
    edited September 2017
    Not a medical reason but I put on weight easily if I'm not careful. My previous coach mentioned that I could have a slow metabolism and stock easily anything carbs and sugar. I'm on 1800 cals a day max most days and some days 1200 cals. I can't keep a constant low calorie intake because I always had a good appetite since I was a kid and it also depends on my mood and other factors
    Also, just love food in general, it's like a religion in my life lol
    Hence why it's really hard to keep the cals really low
  • 2Luverly
    2Luverly Posts: 143 Member
    lauragiordano8382 wrote: »
    I'm confused - how people can eat over 100g of carbs per day and lose weight when I am limited at 50g per day and struggle to lose weight!!!! Seriously, please help me understand wth is wrong with my body!

    Why are you limited to 50g per day? It all comes down to CI<CO. If you eat at a deficit you lose weight. You can eat a lot of carbs and still lose weight so long as you're eating at a deficit caloric intake. I try to limit my carbs to around 100g or less (there are days where I do go over though too) but I have a medical condition which tends to benefit from eating less carbs. Do you accurately weigh your food? If you don't own a food scale or don't use one I suggest you do. Measuring and weighing out food to get a realistic caloric count can certainly be an eye opener for some.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    lauragiordano8382 wrote: »
    Not a medical reason but I put on weight easily if I'm not careful. My previous coach mentioned that I could have a slow metabolism and stock easily anything carbs and sugar. I'm on 1800 cals a day max most days and some days 1200 cals. I can't keep a constant low calorie intake because I always had a good appetite since I was a kid and it also depends on my mood and other factors
    Also, just love food in general, it's like a religion in my life lol
    Hence why it's really hard to keep the cals really low

    It's common to use carb restriction as a weight-loss strategy because many people overeat carbs, but it's just a trick to getting you into a caloric deficit. While it is possible you have a slower metabolism than average, I've never heard of anything that would cause someone's body to turn carbs and sugar into fat at any appreciable rate greater than anyone else. I hear you about loving food - I do too! - but that isn't incompatible with losing weight.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I like a nice mix of all the macros, and need to keep starchy carbs in that mix or I am not a happy camper. I just finished off my day with a HUGE bowl of popcorn!
  • debtay123
    debtay123 Posts: 1,327 Member
    I eat 150 or more grams of carbs each day. My macros are fit at 50% carbs(by me). I play with the 25%protein and 25% fat- sometimes i up my protein or fat as I chose- but I must have my carbs- usually it is lots of fruits and veggies- I totally agree it is about a caloric deficit- . I eat a small breakfast, a large lunch, small supper and save about 250-300 calories for late night snacking!
  • Nubian89xo
    Nubian89xo Posts: 24 Member
    cboutin89 wrote: »
    I agree with you. I feel that moderation is always the best practice. In the past, I successfully lost 30 pounds from a diet high in protein/vegetables and low in carbohydrates. I feel on days that you are strength training it is essential to have some kind of carbohydrates in your diet to support new muscle and the workout itself. One another note, I am just trying to get back on track myself and I am slowly reducing the amount of carbohydrates in my diet. I know it wont be an easy process, but its my journey. Also, I feel that when trying to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet altogether you tend to overindulge, so once again moderation is key to your diet.
    I wish you all the best in your journey! You got this xo

  • Nubian89xo
    Nubian89xo Posts: 24 Member
    Thank you to each and everyone of you for your input and advice!!! Highly appreciated. So I'm on the right path!
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    lauragiordano8382 wrote: »
    I'm confused - how people can eat over 100g of carbs per day and lose weight when I am limited at 50g per day and struggle to lose weight!!!! Seriously, please help me understand wth is wrong with my body!

    Probably averaged 200g of carbs while losing over 100 lbs. Looking at my limit now, it 185g. But I hit my calorie goals most of the time.

    Your body is fine. Focus on calories over carbs.
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