Carb Catch-22

jocol1954 · April 2020

Hey all, according to my profile settings, FitnessPal (and other sites) says I need around 260 carbs a day to maintain. However, I'm also teetering in and out of being pre-diabetic. My sugar intake levels are well below the target number, but I'm concerned that 260 carbs a day, though it will help me maintain my weight, will spike my sugar numbers. And if I cut back the carbs to, say, 150 or so, I know I'm going to start losing pounds that I can't afford to lose. Is there anything wrong with keeping to around the 260 mark, as long as its 'whole' carbs I'm eating? Thanks.

PAV8888 · April 2020

So you maintain on 1040 Calories a day??????

You maintain, gain, or lose on Calories.

Your Calories can be made up of: alcohol, protein, carbs (including digestible/absorbable fiber), and fats in approximately increased order of storage preference in terms of what your body enjoys storing.

Other than for alcohol (don't overdo it) and a certain amount of essential fats, and protein, there are no hard and fast rules about how much of anything you should eat... just suggestions and personal preferences. Don't overdo it also applies to some other categories such as non intrinsic sugars and saturated fats. Trans fats are an aim for zero category

If you're testing out as a diabetic follow the advice of your registered dietician or equivalent.

You may want to try meals with a mix of lower glycemic load carbohydrates and protein and some fat. However you can also test how your blood sugar changes after meals...

amusedmonkey · April 2020

Have you been given any recommendations by a specialist? If so, follow them. If not and you are able to control your blood sugar on your own, the process is very simple. Weight loss/gain/maintenance is a product of calories, not carbs. If you wish to maintain your current weight but eat fewer carbs all you need to do is eat more protein/fat.

MFP allows you to change percentages in the "Goals" section. All you need to do is keep your goal as "maintain weight" and play with the percentages until you arrive at a carb level you find appropriate.

Here is what my current maintenance goals look like without exercise:

Here is what they would look like if I chose to play with the percentages and lower carbs:

Notice how the calories remain the same? That's because weight changes are controlled by calories, not carbs.

You don't even need to hit your macros exactly every day, one day you may have more fat, the next you may be under of protein or slightly over on carbs. It's okay and it doesn't matter. You just need to make sure your calories average to the number of calories you need to maintain your weight.

nxd10 · April 2020

I am confused about why you need any carbs to maintain. You need calories to maintain (and your net is way low).

I completely agree with the person above. See a specialist and follow their advice. Everyone in my family is diabetic or prediabetic except me. It's why I lost weight. I do have to be careful with my carbs (below 40%) because otherwise I will gain weight no matter how little I eat. It is hard for me because I don't eat a lot of meat so it's tough to get my protein high enough.

It also makes a huge difference what type if carbs you eat. Yams, apples, carrots - all have lots of carbs. But they're slower to digest and don't spike your sugar as fast. I don't have problems with those types of carbs. It's added sugar and refined carbs you have to be very mindful of (in my experience). When I eat those I have problems. I can eat all the veg, beans, and brown rice I want.

jocol1954 · April 2020

Thanks for the comments. I found I lost weight when both my calories and carbs were low. When I'm at 2,300 calories and 250 carbs a day, I'm fine and I can stick around the 165 lb. range. I just want to make sure that those 250 carbs aren't quietly spiking my sugars

amusedmonkey · April 2020

jocol1954 wrote: »

Thanks for the comments. I found I lost weight when both my calories and carbs were low. When I'm at 2,300 calories and 250 carbs a day, I'm fine and I can stick around the 165 lb. range. I just want to make sure that those 250 carbs aren't quietly spiking my sugars

The reason you lost weight (other than some water weight from lowering carbs) was that your calories were low. Carbs have nothing to do with it. Keep your calories at 2300 and you'll maintain weight (other than possibly losing a little bit of water weight) regardless of your carb grams. Eat 2300 calories and however many grams of carbs you find appropriate for your blood sugar and you should do fine maintaining.

Carb Catch-22

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