How many carbs is too much?

fitforlife34
fitforlife34 Posts: 331 Member
edited October 2024 in Introduce Yourself
I noticed that with my calorie intake of 1490 calories a day it limits me to about 210 g or so carbs a day. I usually eat around 190-200 carbs a day. Is this okay? My carbs are complex carbs such as whole grains and vegetables. I am trying to eliminate any white rice or bread or refined carbs of any kind. I love this site because it shows you how many grams of carbs you get in every single food you put into your mouth...even baby corn has a lot!

A few of my friends who have lost over 100lbs have eliminated almost all carbs out of their diet. However, this will be an impossible task for me. So please let me know if I am on the right track to weight loss or not. Thanks.

Replies

  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    It is too many carbs when it sets you over your calorie goal.

    You are doing wonderful! No need to go low/no carb :]
  • Agito
    Agito Posts: 45 Member
    You're good. Cutting out carbs helps some people but you have to use a plan that you'll be able to stick to, otherwise you'll just quit it after you lose the weight and then gain it all back.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    If you don't overeat calories you'll lose weight
  • sunnyzephyr
    sunnyzephyr Posts: 114
    You are definitely doing the right things! Carbs are very important! Just make sure you are eating the right ones (it seems like you are). Whole grain bread, pastas, and brown rice are all good carbs. But something I learned from my personal trainer, is that for weight loss, you want to eat your carb foods earlier in the day. Its not good to eat carbs for dinner, unfortunately.
  • fitforlife34
    fitforlife34 Posts: 331 Member
    Oh thank you! Yeah, I know I have made drastic improvment. I use to eat like 2 cups of white japanese rice a night, etc. It's getting more easy to eat whole grains. And I eat lots of vegetables too! Good....I didn't want to go low carb/no carb. I feel better now! thanks for responding so promptly :)
  • soccercj88
    soccercj88 Posts: 3
    You can't elimate them all together. You would only be eating meat if that were the case. You need to limit some of the bad carbs. Kicking out rice and white bread are good but just switching to whole wheat isn't that good either. Compare the carbs its not all that different. Continue to eat certain veggies and fruits rememberingthat some have way more sugars than fiber not just looking at carbs. I eat about 65 or so carbs a day. Anymore and I find myself maintaining my weight or gaining. I do however eat carbs but i try not to cook with flour and I don't eat rice or bread.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    It is too many carbs when it sets you over your calorie goal.

    You are doing wonderful! No need to go low/no carb :]

    Or if you eat so many carbs that you don't have room for the suggested protein and fat minimum intake.
  • fitforlife34
    fitforlife34 Posts: 331 Member
    Can you explain that more Rachel? Im so sorry. I"m new here, and it's a little confuisng.
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
    I limit my starchy carbs, like potatoes and bread (usually I go for the light wheat breads and english muffins) to 6 servings a day, one serving is about 100 calories and 15-20 grams of carbs each. The rest of my carbs come from non sugary vegetables and fruits usually two servings. A serving of fruit is about 60 calories or a 4 oz of an apple, half a medium banana with peel. I eat around the same amount of calories and carbs as you do. When I started I was on a restrictive plan, completely eliminating them and I was losing anywhere from 3.5 to 5 lbs a week, now I am still losing about 2 to 2.5 lbs a week. Keep with what your doing, you should be fine. I have found Joseph's Lavash bread as a good low carb pita type of bread. We make thin crust pizza's on them.
  • fitforlife34
    fitforlife34 Posts: 331 Member
    soccerjc88, can you show me how you eat? 65g is real low, and I am not sure what recipes etc to eat to do that. And yes, I think I would lose weight if I didn't eat so many carbs.
  • amanda987654321
    amanda987654321 Posts: 7
    I was told the same thing by a personal trainer no carbs after 4pm
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Can you explain that more Rachel? Im so sorry. I"m new here, and it's a little confuisng.

    When you are losing weight you tend to lose both fat and muscle. We of course don't want to lose muscle but it is unavoidable. We can limit the amount we do lose by eating protien and lifting weights. MFP sets your protein intake at 15% of your total calories. That's generally too low. From what I've heard, the best number is about 0.8 grams of protien for every pound of body weight. Fat is also important although I don't understand that as well. It should be at 0.3 grams per pound of body weight. So you calculate those values, and those are your minimum protien and fat levels. As long as you hit those "macros" the remaining calories can be from whatever sources you want including carbs, or more fat, etc.
  • gebell777
    gebell777 Posts: 3
    Thanks for sharing the carb information. I am a beginner at carb counting, and I didn't know the amount of carbs to eat daily. Will I lose weight faster if I lower my intake of carbs?
  • fitforlife34
    fitforlife34 Posts: 331 Member
    Yeah, I agree. Because I go over my protein intake sometimes by like 19g. And I was like...wait a second, what's going on? I nevr go over my carb intake grams though, so that's good. Most people here are saying not to eat many carbs or not after 4pm. I know I'm not the type of person who can go without them. I am not a chocolate/sweets/dessert person but I love bread and rice. But eliminating white rice and bread was soooo hard to do. I think one baby step at a time.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Here, this is a good blog post. This guy is the guy that taught me all that stuff in my above post.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Sidesteal/view/if-it-fits-your-macros-169636
  • Lobster1987
    Lobster1987 Posts: 492 Member
    I TRY to stick to under 200, but I don't hate myself if I go over and if they are all whole grains or veggie carbs. I limit my 'taters and white sugar/white flour items.
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
    Can you explain that more Rachel? Im so sorry. I"m new here, and it's a little confuisng.

    I think what she means is if you eat alot of calories from carbs and still plan on hitting your calorie goal, what's left over is not enough calories from protein and fat. MFP already has the protein in many peoples opinion set too low. You should eat at least 6 oz of lean protein a day which is equivalent to 240 to 300 calories per 8 grams of protein. The less lean the meat is the more calories it will have. The amount I gave is just my opinion, I am not a nutritionist. From what I have been told, males require more protein than woman so I eat about 10 oz while on a 1500 calorie a day diet

    I can usually squeeze in 6 starches (600 calories), 10 protein (400 to 500 calories), 2 fats (100 calories), 2 fruits (120 calories), 2 dairy (200 calories), 4 veggies (100 calories) all for around 1500 calories

    Keep in mind some of the veggies will contain carbs, some dairy contains protein, some fats contain protein, fruits can contain carbs, etc...
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    You are definitely doing the right things! Carbs are very important! Just make sure you are eating the right ones (it seems like you are). Whole grain bread, pastas, and brown rice are all good carbs. But something I learned from my personal trainer, is that for weight loss, you want to eat your carb foods earlier in the day. Its not good to eat carbs for dinner, unfortunately.

    oh my...

    what makes a carb good or bad and why is not good to eat a lot of carbs later in the day?

    and just a little fyi: carbs are not essential
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Yeah, I agree. Because I go over my protein intake sometimes by like 19g. And I was like...wait a second, what's going on? I nevr go over my carb intake grams though, so that's good. Most people here are saying not to eat many carbs or not after 4pm. I know I'm not the type of person who can go without them. I am not a chocolate/sweets/dessert person but I love bread and rice. But eliminating white rice and bread was soooo hard to do. I think one baby step at a time.

    "too many carbs" would be the amount that either puts you in a calorie surplus (assuming you're trying to lose weight) or the amount that is preventing you from getting in adequate amounts of fats and protein for the day
  • fitforlife34
    fitforlife34 Posts: 331 Member
    I kind of agree. I read on the seritonin diet online (bec i suffer some depression) that it is better to eat carbs later in the day, because our moods tend to dip as day goes on. Also, my old trainer at the gym wanted me to eat some brown rice with veggies and chicken at dinner. I don't get off work till around 9pm. Is that okay from your opinion Acg67?
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I kind of agree. I read on the seritonin diet online (bec i suffer some depression) that it is better to eat carbs later in the day, because our moods tend to dip as day goes on. Also, my old trainer at the gym wanted me to eat some brown rice with veggies and chicken at dinner. I don't get off work till around 9pm. Is that okay from your opinion Acg67?

    you can eat whenever you'd like, there is no arbitrary cutoff time that suddenly makes food that you eat bad or turn right into fat
  • fitforlife34
    fitforlife34 Posts: 331 Member
    Thank you. I agree with you. By the way, you look very fit! I'm envious of those abs.
  • sunnyzephyr
    sunnyzephyr Posts: 114
    You are definitely doing the right things! Carbs are very important! Just make sure you are eating the right ones (it seems like you are). Whole grain bread, pastas, and brown rice are all good carbs. But something I learned from my personal trainer, is that for weight loss, you want to eat your carb foods earlier in the day. Its not good to eat carbs for dinner, unfortunately.

    oh my...

    what makes a carb good or bad and why is not good to eat a lot of carbs later in the day?

    and just a little fyi: carbs are not essential

    Well for example, white bread has a lot of preservatives and a lot less nutrients. So while it is a carb, it is a lot less beneficial to your body. Well I personally believe that is never a good idea to cut an entire food group or all carbs out of your diet. Everything in moderation.
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    When you are losing weight you tend to lose both fat and muscle. We of course don't want to lose muscle but it is unavoidable. We can limit the amount we do lose by eating protien and lifting weights. MFP sets your protein intake at 15% of your total calories. That's generally too low. From what I've heard, the best number is about 0.8 grams of protien for every pound of body weight. Fat is also important although I don't understand that as well. It should be at 0.3 grams per pound of body weight. So you calculate those values, and those are your minimum protien and fat levels. As long as you hit those "macros" the remaining calories can be from whatever sources you want including carbs, or more fat, etc.

    About the fats... some fatty acids are 'essential fatty acids', which means your body can't make them, so it needs to get them through diet. And fats are important because we use them to make cell membranes, myelin sheaths (encases your nerves), and various important signaling molecules (prostaglandins, things like that). I'm sure fats do other things that are outside my field... but yes, while you don't necessarily need a lot of fat to survive, some fat is good, especially if it's the right kind of fats... polyunsaturated fats, things like that.
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Thanks for sharing the carb information. I am a beginner at carb counting, and I didn't know the amount of carbs to eat daily. Will I lose weight faster if I lower my intake of carbs?

    Not necessarily. There's nothing magic about a low carb diet. It works for some people. It doesn't work for others. I recommend studying up on http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/NU00616 and on some of the MFP pages. Decide what kind of diet will suit your life-style best and go with it.
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