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MyFitnessPal Community

Confused about carbs

bedeeda

I did Medifast 5 years ago and lost 50 lbs but HATED it and couldn't stay on it for long enough to get to goal. I gained back every pound plus more :-( I've "dieted" since I was 16 yrs. old and am now 42. This time around I am making changes so that it's a lifestyle change that I can live with forever.

I have been researching endlessly and have read that to lose weight effectively one should stay under 100 carbs (ideally 80-85) per day. Does anyone know more about this?

I've been trying for about 10 days or so to do this and have only managed to eat an average of 1300 cal. per day.
My BMR is 2,980 cal; my food diary tells me my goal is 1980 cal per day with a whopping 272 carbs! I have a lot of weight to lose so I realize these numbers will go down as I get smaller. I am not having any difficulty eating the way I am now and do not feel restricted or deprived. I get about

I am SO confused! Any advice and/or help would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

ChelleBalady

I am not a fitness guru by any means, this is what my trainer has me on. I have 40% carbs 30% fat 30% protein each day. Well that's my goal. I try to stay at 1350 calories too. He does adjust this as needed. My advice is to ask a trainer at your gym they are typically willing to give out helpful info. :-) good luck

bedeeda

Thanks! I plan to check out the local gym this weekend and see about getting a personal trainer. I know that doing weights will help rebuild the muscle I've lost over the years and rev up my metabolism so I'll ask about the diet part too.

bedeeda

I didn't realize I posted this in the wrong forum! Oops...

SergeantSunshine_reused

I eat 200-300g of carbs nearly everyday.

crazyellybean

I would also suggest customizing your carb intake, your fiber intake and your protein intake.

Carbs should be between 35-40%, MFP has way to high of Carb intake and way to low of protein (this should be your biggest percentage since it's what helps muscle recovery)

Fiber is another thing that many MFP folks miss out on because it's so low here, EVERYONE should get around 28-30 grams of fiber per day.. MFP is about half that.

Go for Low Glycemic Carbs (Search South Beach Diet) that will process in your body slower and keep you full longer.

crazyellybean

As for the calorie intake.. I don't know your height, weight or activty level.. but I would suggest (and I"m not a health professional) eating between 1200-1500 calories a day and a bit more on the days you have a good burn. I would not force yourself to eat when your not hungry!

wftiger

Restricting carbs is a personal preference for some and a medically necessary change for others. Many people are very successful while eating all the carbs they want so if you do not have a medical need then you can always try that way.

You can set your macros however you choose. Not sure one way is any better than another. I keep my carbs at less than 20% and have had great losses every month.

LatinaGordita

I have read similar research. One that I enjoyed was on marksdailyapple. IT talks about carbs/sugars/insulin. Its a good read and after reading it I reduced my macros to 30% carbs, 40% protein, and 40% fat. My weight loss has been consistent, I only had two weeks were I had not loss, not consecutive. I started my journey almost 4 months ago.

In my opinion people who are morbidly obese like myself, will not go into starvation mode, I mean I have a ton of fat reserves. I think once I am closer to goal I should be eating at my bmr. I currently have my cals at 1350. This works for me, and I think people should do their research and they can make their own goals.

I forgot to mention that even if my carbs are set to 30%, I never go over 100grams per day, but do go for a minimum of 65. I am usually between 80 and 90 grams.

Add me as a friend if you like!

atxdee

I'm having the same prob, interested to see what others will say. Seems hard to stay around 1350 and yet stay under 100 carbs unless you only eat chicken and turkey and protein shakes all day and every day. I mean even milk, fruit and veggies have carbs. Seems everything has it!

LatinaGordita

I'm having the same prob, interested to see what others will say. Seems hard to stay around 1350 and yet stay under 100 carbs unless you only eat chicken and turkey and protein shakes all day and every day. I mean even milk, fruit and veggies have carbs. Seems everything has it!

Unsweetened almond milk only has 1 gram of carbs vs milk 2% fat which has 11grams. The almond is only 35 cals per cup. Most of my carbs come from veggies. For me...many fruits are too high in sugars, however I do have them on occasion.

ChrisGoldn

40/30/30 is a general rule of thumb for most people --- Carbs/fat/protein

Good way to figure what you need is to do the math.

Find your BMR from that depending on how slow or fast you want to lose. Subtract 500 to 750 cals from it.

This will be the number you use to find out your limits on carbs/protein/fats

Lets say its 2500. and you wanna slow lose. So you minus 500

So your Daily calorie consumption would be set at 2000:

40% of 2000 = 800 calories of carbs or 200g of carbs (4 calories per gram for carbs)
30% of 2000 = 600 calories of protein or 150g of protein (4calories per gram for protein)
30% of 2000 = 600 calories of fat or 67g of fat (9 calories per gram for Fat)

During my time with my trainer he had me restrict my carbs to 100 per day and sugar to 50g per day. Also to keep my protein 200+ a day. This may differ from person to person. So definitely try and sit down with a trainer at your gym or even a nutritionist(if your gym has one)

Hope some or all of this helps you out

BurtHuttz

I'm totally unqualified. Many people on here probably spend much more time researching weight gain and loss, and fitness, etc, than me. But scientifically, I see things simply, and when I see your post, I'm confused!

Separating the most basic facts you assert:
to lose weight effectively one should stay under 100 carbs per day [nonsense?]
I've been trying and managed to eat 1300 cal. per day. [I would not function at that level of nutrition!]
BMR is 2,980 cal; my goal is 1980 cal per day with 272 carbs [masochism]

There's all sort of numbers and carbs and calories getting all mixed up here. TLDR; you probably don't need to "go on a diet" as much as you need to "change your diet".

There are a million and one gimmicks and diets and rules and formulae - I've known people personally who have been able to show "results" from each one.

But at the end of the day, these are the rules:

RULE 1. If you eat 1 pound of carrots or one pound of pure animal fat, you simply *cannot* gain 1.1 pounds of weight; [law of conservation of mass.]

RULE 2. When Energy Out > Energy In, you lose weight, and When Energy In > Energy Out, you gain weight. [Calories, in and of itself, is just a measure of energy. Carbohydrates are a form of energy. . . one gram of fat can be burnt for about 9 calories of energy, 1g protein = 4 calories, 1g carbohydrates = 4 calories, and 1g alcohol = 7 calories.]

The simplest thing to know is that if your bona fide, accurately calculated BMR (basal/basic metabolic rate) is 2,980cal, you WILL lose weight at 2,979cal per day, and gain weight at 2,981cal per day, all things being equal [i.e. you don't move around or burn any extra calories.]

So now, it is on you to mix your diet and exercise in such a way as to give you the you that you want.

Wisewoman888

check out Dr John McDougall. He believes a diet high in the "right" carbs helps you lose weight!

www.drmcdougall.com

HonkyTonks

You don't need to cut carbs to lose weight. You lose weight through a calorie deficit.

ChrisGoldn

You don't need to cut carbs to lose weight. You lose weight through a calorie deficit.

True and False.

stayxtrue

You dont need to cut Carbs just be aware of what kind of carbs you are putting in your body.

for example I no longer eat carbs from wheat and get all my carbs from rice and oats.. So anything with flour in it I will not consume... which doesnt worry me at all, its a personal choice.

But I eat
carbs: 40%
Protein: 30%
fat: 30%

However I stopped logging recently... I work with my PT and I eat a lot but not putting on body fat, so I am happy with that..

Too many people fear carbs... I too was in that category at one point.

joejccva71

You don't need to cut carbs to lose weight. You lose weight through a calorie deficit.

True and False.

No it's very true.

What part about that is false?

prettygirlhoward

Restricting carbs is a personal preference for some and a medically necessary change for others. Many people are very successful while eating all the carbs they want so if you do not have a medical need then you can always try that way.

You can set your macros however you choose. Not sure one way is any better than another. I keep my carbs at less than 20% and have had great losses every month.

This true. My Doctor told me to stay away from a lot of carbs and keep to a minimum and cut out all sugars. I still eat fruit though and but had to cut down on my carbs because I'm just more successful with weightloss that way....

BurtHuttz

This true. My Doctor told me to stay away from a lot of carbs and keep to a minimum and cut out all sugars. I still eat fruit though and but had to cut down on my carbs because I'm just more successful with weightloss that way....

I wonder if your doctor was thinking about diabetes.

NoAdditives

I don't restrict my carbs. I try not to go over whatever my MFP goal is, but if I do I know it's not the end of the world.

prettygirlhoward

Yes he said that I'm at high risk and since diabetes runs in my family....My father passed away from health problems due to diabetes. Both my grandmothers from both sides of my family passed away from it as well. I went to see him today because I'm not losing weight and he was concerned about my diet...More going in and burnning less.

Dojjin

I will tell you what I've learned personally, however I'm no expert I just do a lot of research. I always do research on everything I do, obsessively even.

There are GOOD Carbs and there are BAD Carbs. Good carbs can actually help you lose weight and burn off fat, since your body does need carbs, however in a natural form.

-Great! Whole Wheat anything is a very good source of carbs.
-Ew! Any WHITE Flour products you should avoid at all costs...
~~~Site that has the Dos and Dont's: http://www.freedieting.com/food_guide_carbs.htm

"Low glycemic index foods are almost all vegetables and raw fruits, whole grains, lean beef, fish, eggs and chicken." -http://voices.yahoo.com/understanding-good-carbs-help-6381590.html?cat=5

Overall, if you watch what you eat and balance your diet you shouldn't have to worry too much about carbs. Try to stay clear of High Carb meals or Snacks, anything processed or minimally so.

Really hope this clears up a lot of mess and gets you in the right direction!

rishaug16

I try not to eat all the carbs that MFP 'allows' me too eat. I would rather eat the extra calories using healthy fats (Holy Crap Cereal w/ unsweetened almond milk). Carbs are for energy and un-used carbs eventually turn to fat. Eating under 100g of carbs is how fitness competitors would eat but without fats. Its ok to eat less carb but eat all the required fats and make sure they're healthy fats (hemp, flax, almonds) . Carbs are good for you, help with brain function as well as energy. A rule of thumb is to eat complex carbs (whole wheat,whole grain, slow cook/steel cut oats- no white food) but no more than 1/2 for a female per serving up to 6 times a day. The body can only use and digest so much a time and stores the rest if it doesn't get used by activity. Also, not eating enough carbs and or food, usually leads to sugar and salt cravings:) Sorry, lots of info, hope it helps!

DanTTX

Bump

Byrdsong1920

I'm having the same prob, interested to see what others will say. Seems hard to stay around 1350 and yet stay under 100 carbs unless you only eat chicken and turkey and protein shakes all day and every day. I mean even milk, fruit and veggies have carbs. Seems everything has it!

Unsweetened almond milk only has 1 gram of carbs vs milk 2% fat which has 11grams. The almond is only 35 cals per cup. Most of my carbs come from veggies. For me...many fruits are too high in sugars, however I do have them on occasion.

I agree, loving the chocolate unsweet almond milk. Love w/ my protein powder! Taste closer to milk than soy or silk, plus soy has been tied to breast cancer in women. Also,I'm lactose intolerant, so the almond milk has been awesome.

For me the low carb helps me lose, my body soaks water and then the white carbs add to the sponge affect. I just find you have to log everything and see what works for you. There is also a book called EAT RIGHT FOR YOUR BLOOD TYPE that helps answer some of these questions. Everyone has a unique and different way of obtaiing their goals. good luck and happy journey!

Dojjin

Of course it can, but I'm not going to throw out Whole Wheat Breads and Pastas for more protein, no thanks. I already intake a good amount of protein daily.

I'm more so trying to help her out since she is border-line Diabetic, which I am myself. Which is why I discussed what I did, it helps lose weight and balances your die while keeping blood sugar down.

bedeeda

Thanks for taking the time to post all the advice! I really appreciate. Some of you posted some that really made sense and helped me figure things out.

bedeeda

FYI: I raised my calories to around 1350-1400 from 1200's and kept my carbs around the 80's and the weight has been falling off. I also get about 130+ grams of protein per day.