Carbs vs Calories

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choughton01
choughton01 Posts: 68 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I really don't understand this carb thing. My sister was just put on a food plan that has her counting her carbs and she is dropping pounds crazily. She eats more than I do and when I check out my diary my carbs are at least 100 grams under what she is suppose to eat. Why is it that her higher intake of carbs is actually causing her to lose weight. I'm counting calories, she's counting carbs and has lost so much more than me. Any ideas? She is alotted 16 carb choices or 240 total grams of carbs a day, I am following a 1200 calorie regime. Like I said, I'm only getting about 100 something in total grams of carbs for the day. Why?
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  • ladderhorse
    ladderhorse Posts: 9
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    Can you be any more specific than that? Find out exactly what her diet is, and if she's doing any exercise along with it. There are many crazy diets out there that all help you lose weight; from high fat diets to high protein diets to high carb diets. Is she looking any better despite losing weight? Weight on the scales can be influenced by a lot of things..

    Also: Don't get tempted or strayed by anything else around you. Just focus on what you're doing and stick to it. There are easy ways to doing things and there is the right way of doing things. Don't forget which one you chose!
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
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    Dropping carbs made me maintain. My body doesn't like it, I didn't errr "go" as often and everything was bad. Now when I'm on task I eat 1/4 of my plate cabs, 1/4 protein and 2/4 veg and I'm losing again.

    Different bodies different things.
  • emsibun
    emsibun Posts: 208
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    What kind of carbs is she choosing? Are they wholegrain? Sweet potatoes? Cereals? Or fruits?

    'Carbs' are not all built equal :smile:
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
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    Also if she is doing something like Atkins it works by forcing your body in to Ketosis. If you aren't following the high fat/low carb thing it won't do the same for you.
  • mlemonroe2
    mlemonroe2 Posts: 603
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    What kind of carbs is she choosing? Are they wholegrain? Sweet potatoes? Cereals? Or fruits?

    'Carbs' are not all built equal :smile:

    DITTO!!
  • choughton01
    choughton01 Posts: 68 Member
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    Can you be any more specific than that? Find out exactly what her diet is, and if she's doing any exercise along with it. There are many crazy diets out there that all help you lose weight; from high fat diets to high protein diets to high carb diets. Is she looking any better despite losing weight? Weight on the scales can be influenced by a lot of things..

    Well my sister and I are about the same weight. The only difference is that she is now pregnant and they are concerned about gestational diabetes so they had her meet with a nutritionist and this food plan was designed. I'm sure it's based on the fact that she will be diabetic at some point. No she doesn't exercise AT ALL. She works and that's it, because it is difficult for her to be on her feet because of the weight. I have photo copied the plan they gave her and they just have her eating 16 carb choices a day or 240 grams of total carbs and the paper tells her how to read the carbs. I know she's pregnant and for that she should be able to eat more but they are telling her to follow this plan even after she delivers to get her weight down.
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    you can change the ratio of what you eat! home goals, change goals,custom set % start withn carbs , then waht ever else you want to chage...

    everybody is different mine is set to 55% carbs,25% protien, and 20 % fat , was on higher protien and was not happy good luck what ever you deceid to do.
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
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    How many calories is she allotted? Maybe you aren't eating enough.
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    How many calories is she allotted? Maybe you aren't eating enough.

    i agree !

    Are you eating to enough?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


    This is just a part of it! please read the link above


    Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
    With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
    With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
    With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
    and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)





    Good luck on your journey
  • DropsOJupiter
    DropsOJupiter Posts: 131
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    Generally speaking, persons with diabetes will decrease carbs as they do tend to drive up blood glucose levels. I know this first hand :) At present if I go over 150 gm a day, I get to a blood glucose level that I don't like and I worked hard to get off medications for T2, so I have contrived my carb allotment to never go over 150 no matter how much I exercise. Although 240 mg seems high to me, I recognize that we are all different and our bodily needs/responses are different. Gotta love those hormones!

    While I understand your frustration at not getting the results your sister seems to be having, I'd focus on what best meets your needs. You may also want to get some lab work done and consult with a nutritionist to get a plan that would determine what
    nutritional values would enhance you attaining your own personal goals.

    After scanning through a couple of days of your food diary, I noticed you are "drinking" a lot of your calories and are eating a lot of sodium laden, processed foods. You may want to consider decreasing consumption of these to see if that helps.

    Good luck!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Carbs are not the enemy. Bad carbs are. Bad carbs are sugars and white breads and pastas. These are bad because they they are "empty calories" providing little or no nutrients and will cause an insulin spike when eaten that over time can lead to insulin resistance or diabetes. Avoid them as much as possible.

    But there are good carbs, which are carbs high in fiber and/or protein (whole grains, beans, fruits, etc.). These can be an affective tool in weight loss because they are so filling and contain vital nutrients. And they don't cause the same insulin spike because they are slower to digest which can make you feel full longer.

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates-full-story/
  • choughton01
    choughton01 Posts: 68 Member
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    How many calories is she allotted? Maybe you aren't eating enough.

    She was told not to worry about her calories and she doesn't she only counts carbs and gets 16 a day and I don't even come close to 16 carbs a day. I'm not complaining about not eating carbs, I'm not a pasta or bread person anyways. I'm just jealous that she's losing a lot more easier than I am.
  • choughton01
    choughton01 Posts: 68 Member
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    Generally speaking, persons with diabetes will decrease carbs as they do tend to drive up blood glucose levels. I know this first hand :) At present if I go over 150 gm a day, I get to a blood glucose level that I don't like and I worked hard to get off medications for T2, so I have contrived my carb allotment to never go over 150 no matter how much I exercise. Although 240 mg seems high to me, I recognize that we are all different and our bodily needs/responses are different. Gotta love those hormones!

    While I understand your frustration at not getting the results your sister seems to be having, I'd focus on what best meets your needs. You may also want to get some lab work done and consult with a nutritionist to get a plan that would determine what
    nutritional values would enhance you attaining your own personal goals.

    After scanning through a couple of days of your food diary, I noticed you are "drinking" a lot of your calories and are eating a lot of sodium laden, processed foods. You may want to consider decreasing consumption of these to see if that helps.

    Good luck!

    Thank you for taking time of your day to give me advice. I really appreciate it and I am going to make an appointment with a nutritionist. I so want to be healthy and pain free.
  • DropsOJupiter
    DropsOJupiter Posts: 131
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    You are very welcome! If I can help in any way, give me a shout! :bigsmile:
  • kdm97
    kdm97 Posts: 111
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    bump
  • aprueitt
    aprueitt Posts: 91 Member
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    I have friend that has been doing this and she has lost 82 lbs. I have been trying but I am so confused.
    Can you eat anything as long as you don't go over your daily carbs. MFP has my carb count at 188 carbs.
    I am not coming close to that. I am not sure what I can have and I am not much of a veggie eater.

    Thank you
  • aprueitt
    aprueitt Posts: 91 Member
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    Bump
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I really don't understand this carb thing. My sister was just put on a food plan that has her counting her carbs and she is dropping pounds crazily. She eats more than I do and when I check out my diary my carbs are at least 100 grams under what she is suppose to eat. Why is it that her higher intake of carbs is actually causing her to lose weight.

    Not enough information given.

    She could be much larger than you are, and that MAY make it easier for her to lose weight. She could be creating a larger deficit than you are when you factor in her intake + activity, which would make her lose weight faster than you are.
    Like I said, I'm only getting about 100 something in total grams of carbs for the day. Why?

    You only get 100g because your intake is set at 1200 calories and given that low of a calorie intake, there's only so much room for any given macronutrient.
  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
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    When I first began my weight loss journey, a dietician told me to focus on my carb intake as well. I didn't necessarily have to watch how many calories I ate (although, because it was working, I was eating a WHOLE LOT healthier in general), but I was supposed to try to keep my total "carb" intake to 15 or less per day (1 "carb" = 15 grams of carbohydrates). I had elevated blood sugars, and we were trying to prevent adult-onset diabetes. I wasn't really even sure I'd lose weight -- I thought the dietician was a quack. The joke was on me, as a year later, I had lost around 70 pounds. I have maintained a 60+ pound weight loss since, by continuing to "usually" monitor what I eat and walking.....walking.....walking.

    Granted, I now choose healthier carbs -- whole grain bread, fresh fruits, etc. Long story short -- weight is for the most part staying off, cholesterol is OK (not great, but OK), blood sugar levels are normal.

    Good luck!
    Kaye
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Carbs are not the enemy. Bad carbs are. Bad carbs are sugars and white breads and pastas. These are bad because they they are "empty calories" providing little or no nutrients and will cause an insulin spike when eaten that over time can lead to insulin resistance or diabetes. Avoid them as much as possible.

    But there are good carbs, which are carbs high in fiber and/or protein (whole grains, beans, fruits, etc.). These can be an affective tool in weight loss because they are so filling and contain vital nutrients. And they don't cause the same insulin spike because they are slower to digest which can make you feel full longer.

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates-full-story/

    We agree on the first sentence, everything else not so much

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