confused about carbs

nbreteil
nbreteil Posts: 40
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone!

Si I've been trying really hard to not go over my carbs. To do that, I have been cutting down on snacks (i used to LOVE toasts for snacks) and replacing them with fruit. My problem is, carbs are still high in fruits.

Do carbs in fruits "count" as much as carbs in bread or rice? I'm really confused, and kind of desperate haha!! I just tried to be good but it seems that carbs are EVERYWHERE. (seriously, 22 grams of carbs in 1 cup of fresh mango??)

Please help!

Replies

  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    try some eggs or tuna for snacks... vegetables are good too such as raw carrots, broccoli etc. nuts are good too just control the portion on all of these if you are trying to reduce carbohydrates.
  • nbreteil
    nbreteil Posts: 40
    thanks! I should have been more precise though...my snacks are usually sweet! I don't think I could eat eggs and even less tuna for snacks. Nuts sound good though!!
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    carrots aren't too bad I cut carrot sticks and once put small portion of sweet chilli sauce in a bowl to dip them in as I had no hummus left and I need something on them.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    my snacks are usually sweet!

    one of the things that's perhaps going to change if you're out to lose weight.
  • overfences
    overfences Posts: 96 Member
    my snacks are usually sweet!

    one of the things that's perhaps going to change if you're out to lose weight.

    That.
  • ifiwasurvampire
    ifiwasurvampire Posts: 181 Member
    Best way to track carbs, total carbs subtract fiber equals your net carb intake :-)
  • sdevan45
    sdevan45 Posts: 74 Member
    You should eat carbs and you have a choice: good carbs or bad carbs. Bad carbs are typically refined sugars, bad bread, etc. Good carbs veggies, fruits, whole grains) are nutritionally better for you. But a carb is a carb is carb, so yes, carbs in fruit count. You can subtract fiber from the carb count if you eat 5 grams of carbs in a single serving. So, for example, if an apple is 30 grams of carbs and 5 grams of fiber, you can count it as 25 grams of carbs.

    For a woman, for any give meal, your goal should be about 45 grams of carbs. For a man, it's about 60. The whole idea is to eat a nutritionally balanced meal that has good carbs, lean protein, and good fats. If you balance your plate correctly, you will soon find that a meal is about 400 calories max. I eat about 4 times day.

    One of the benefits of eating like this is that your body doesn't have to deal with a carb "spike" but rather maintains a fairly even level of carbs throughout the day. The theory is that this makes is easier for your body to deal with blood sugar levels, which is what all carbs turn into in your body.
  • nbreteil
    nbreteil Posts: 40
    my snacks are usually sweet!

    one of the things that's perhaps going to change if you're out to lose weight.

    That.

    Thanks guys, I'm not THAT stupid. I've already lost 20 pounds following my diet, I was just wondering about how to count them. We all know that there are good carbs and bad carbs, just like there are good fats and bad fats. Thanks for the help though
  • nbreteil
    nbreteil Posts: 40
    You should eat carbs and you have a choice: good carbs or bad carbs. Bad carbs are typically refined sugars, bad bread, etc. Good carbs veggies, fruits, whole grains) are nutritionally better for you. But a carb is a carb is carb, so yes, carbs in fruit count. You can subtract fiber from the carb count if you eat 5 grams of carbs in a single serving. So, for example, if an apple is 30 grams of carbs and 5 grams of fiber, you can count it as 25 grams of carbs.

    For a woman, for any give meal, your goal should be about 45 grams of carbs. For a man, it's about 60. The whole idea is to eat a nutritionally balanced meal that has good carbs, lean protein, and good fats. If you balance your plate correctly, you will soon find that a meal is about 400 calories max. I eat about 4 times day.

    One of the benefits of eating like this is that your body doesn't have to deal with a carb "spike" but rather maintains a fairly even level of carbs throughout the day. The theory is that this makes is easier for your body to deal with blood sugar levels, which is what all carbs turn into in your body.

    Thank you for this explanation, it makes sense!
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
    I really don't think your body knows the difference, carbs are carbs.
  • bp716
    bp716 Posts: 68 Member
    I love an oz of walnuts and 1/2 c blueberries- sweet, crunchy and good fats that satisfy
  • superstankazz
    superstankazz Posts: 193
    Sugar is sugar, your body doesn't know the difference. The reaction is the same whether you eat a twinkie or a banana. I try not go over 20 grams of carbs per day and I never eat fruit! I know there are more nutrients in fruit than twinkies, but you can obtain the same nutrients in non starchy, sugar free foods too. If you dropped the fruit for a while you would probably see a big difference in your weight loss.
  • sunnyday789
    sunnyday789 Posts: 309 Member
    If you don't mind using artificial sweetners, sugar free jello with a few tablespoons of berries might help with the craving.
  • foot2wood
    foot2wood Posts: 149 Member
    You should eat carbs and you have a choice: good carbs or bad carbs. Bad carbs are typically refined sugars, bad bread, etc. Good carbs veggies, fruits, whole grains) are nutritionally better for you. But a carb is a carb is carb, so yes, carbs in fruit count. You can subtract fiber from the carb count if you eat 5 grams of carbs in a single serving. So, for example, if an apple is 30 grams of carbs and 5 grams of fiber, you can count it as 25 grams of carbs.

    For a woman, for any give meal, your goal should be about 45 grams of carbs. For a man, it's about 60. The whole idea is to eat a nutritionally balanced meal that has good carbs, lean protein, and good fats. If you balance your plate correctly, you will soon find that a meal is about 400 calories max. I eat about 4 times day.

    One of the benefits of eating like this is that your body doesn't have to deal with a carb "spike" but rather maintains a fairly even level of carbs throughout the day. The theory is that this makes is easier for your body to deal with blood sugar levels, which is what all carbs turn into in your body.
    Couldn't have said it better. Good carbs are low glycemic and therefore have lower blood sugar impact. Try things like Sprouted whole grain bread, pastas, and english muffins. You can spread Natural almond butter and you have a satisfying healthy snack with good carbs and fat.
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
    You should eat carbs and you have a choice: good carbs or bad carbs. Bad carbs are typically refined sugars, bad bread, etc. Good carbs veggies, fruits, whole grains) are nutritionally better for you. But a carb is a carb is carb, so yes, carbs in fruit count. You can subtract fiber from the carb count if you eat 5 grams of carbs in a single serving. So, for example, if an apple is 30 grams of carbs and 5 grams of fiber, you can count it as 25 grams of carbs.

    For a woman, for any give meal, your goal should be about 45 grams of carbs. For a man, it's about 60. The whole idea is to eat a nutritionally balanced meal that has good carbs, lean protein, and good fats. If you balance your plate correctly, you will soon find that a meal is about 400 calories max. I eat about 4 times day.

    One of the benefits of eating like this is that your body doesn't have to deal with a carb "spike" but rather maintains a fairly even level of carbs throughout the day. The theory is that this makes is easier for your body to deal with blood sugar levels, which is what all carbs turn into in your body.
    Couldn't have said it better. Good carbs are low glycemic and therefore have lower blood sugar impact. Try things like Sprouted whole grain bread, pastas, and english muffins. You can spread Natural almond butter and you have a satisfying healthy snack with good carbs and fat.
    Yep, this is the basis of the South Beach Doet.
  • babycook
    babycook Posts: 172 Member
    A sweet snack you might want to try is greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries. It also bumps up your protein.
  • nannabannana
    nannabannana Posts: 780
    A sweet snack you might want to try is greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries. It also bumps up your protein.






    bump

    Agree I love nf greek yogurt with wild blueberries and I do occasionally put 1 tsp of GV reduced fat peanut butter
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Do you have medical advice that you need to reduce carbs?
    If not, don't panic about them and enjoy your fruit, it's a great snack.

    Not all yummy snacks are sweet though - here's some of my favourites:
    - hommus or salsa with carrot/celery
    - cheese slice or stick or babybel. With crackers or on it's own
    - boiled egg (sound wierd but I like them!)
    - grainy bread toasted with vegemite, peanut butter, avocado or sliced fresh tomato.
    - almonds or other nuts
    -
  • nbreteil
    nbreteil Posts: 40
    A sweet snack you might want to try is greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries. It also bumps up your protein.






    bump

    Agree I love nf greek yogurt with wild blueberries and I do occasionally put 1 tsp of GV reduced fat peanut butter

    Thanks that's a really good idea!!
  • nbreteil
    nbreteil Posts: 40
    Do you have medical advice that you need to reduce carbs?
    If not, don't panic about them and enjoy your fruit, it's a great snack.

    Not all yummy snacks are sweet though - here's some of my favourites:
    - hommus or salsa with carrot/celery
    - cheese slice or stick or babybel. With crackers or on it's own
    - boiled egg (sound wierd but I like them!)
    - grainy bread toasted with vegemite, peanut butter, avocado or sliced fresh tomato.
    - almonds or other nuts
    -

    nope, not medical advice! I'm just trying to go over and it's hard. I've replaced all of my "white" carbs with whole grain though. I'm still over by a few grams most days :( I just love them so much haha I just hope that reducing them will help lose more weight!
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    A sweet snack you might want to try is greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries. It also bumps up your protein.

    Excellent advice. :)

    The protein should be kept relatively high to avoid losing lean muscle mass. (See the Protein Power book in particular for anyone interested ...).

    As I have pursued the low carb thing (on roughly 30 net grams a day) I find I crave sweet things less.

    As far as fruit goes I treat it like a dessert, the phrase "Fruit and Vegetables" seems to imply they can treated the same, I don't believe this is the case for optimum weight less.

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