Carbs & calories

way too many... just go for lean meats and beans and pulses and protein shakes are a really good one... i do 40% carbs since i have lowered them i have had great success, before i was at a standstill. it's still a reasonable amount of carbs and easy to stick to. FIsh such as tuna is also great protein. im very active (more than i have ever been) and i have more energy than i have ever had!

My macros are 40% carbs, 30 % protein and 30% fat...

Slimfast is my most favorite way to gain weight. I tried once and put on 25 pounds - now I recommend it to everyone I know who wants to gain weight ;( too many calories/carbs for not much full feeling.

Obviously I have no idea what your time is like or your level of comfort in the kitchen but there looks like a lot of your carbs are coming from processed foods and Pre-packaged things. Do you feel hungry a lot? the corn dogs, McDonald's and sugary cereals would leave me ravenous ;(

I'm not an expert but between those convenience foods and not eating all your calories it's possible that you could be losing faster but spending a little time at night packing healthy lunches and breakfast.

Best of luck in your journey *hugs*

You're going to get two different groups in here with two different views on the subject and there are good chances this turns into a pissing match between the two, haha.

First, you will lose weight quickly when you start going low-carb. However, the first week or so's loss is simply water weight (water attaches itself to carbs so when you lower the carbs in your body, you lower the water your body retains as well - though it's not fat loss, you almost immediately see a decrease in 'bloat' which is fairly nice).

Group one will tell you a calorie is a calorie and it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you watch your calories.

Personally, I find losing weigh on low-carb much much easier. In my opinion, there may be different reasons for that.
First and foremost, fat and protein are much more filling than carbs so it's actually fairly difficult to overeat. Also, recently they've shown that our bodies burn more calories on low-carb (approx 300 day*). There's also the insulin argument that by limiting carbs, you limit the insulin that stores fat to your body.

Anyhow, I'm low-carb (Paleo) and l love it. You can eat unhealthy and be low-carb (sugar-free sweeteners, trans fats), just as you can eat unhealthy and eat high-carb. However, don't equate eating fat to eating unhealthy.

Fat gets a really bad rap, but there is nothing that can show that eating fats, even saturated ones, is unhealthy.

Anyhow, hope that was helpful!

Edit: Also you'll have people tell you you need carbs for energy and that you'll be lethargic if you don't get enough. I'm doing Tapout every day (one of those video workouts), bike to work a couple times a week (30k ride), play softball every week, and play volleyball, and hockey (I sub for a couple teams). I also have two dogs that I regularly walk and take to the park.
I average under 100g of carbs/day and I feel great.



* some people will come back and say that the study showed negative effects on stress and inflammation levels, but if you look at the actual study there was a negligible difference between the low-carb, low-fat, and mediterranean in terms of inflammation and stress, but the media stuck to it as proof that low-carb was bad (http://eatingacademy.com/books-and-articles/good-science-bad-interpretation)

It won't hurt to try it out and see.

Low carb did not work for me. Actually, it worked great for weight loss but I felt like crap the entire 2 months. Within about 3 days of returning whole grains to my diet I felt soooo much better.

But there are clearly people who absolutely love it and didn't experience what I did.

I am currently losing about a pound a week.

firstly - DONT DO LOW CARB - your body wont thank you for it, believe me, i did it and it was terrible, low energy, mood swings, constipation to name a few side effects.

eat the amount of carbs that MFP recommends, choose carbs of a wholegrain variety e.g. brown rice, wholegrain bread, wholewheat pasta and noodles.

restrict your fruit portion to two a day and for the rest eat veg because fruit contains alot of fructose sugar which wont work wonders for your diet.

hope this helps (:

firstly - DONT DO LOW CARB - your body wont thank you for it, believe me, i did it and it was terrible, low energy, mood swings, constipation to name a few side effects.

eat the amount of carbs that MFP recommends, choose carbs of a wholegrain variety e.g. brown rice, wholegrain bread, wholewheat pasta and noodles.

restrict your fruit portion to two a day and for the rest eat veg because fruit contains alot of fructose sugar which wont work wonders for your diet.

hope this helps (:

I'd be curious to see how long you went low-carb and how low you went.

If you've been eating higher carb your whole life and move to very low-carb (<50g), your body does need to adjust and you can go through a period (usually a week or so) of feeling a little crappy (just because you feel like crap when you first quit smoking doesn't mean you shouldn't).

I'm by no means saying that low-carb is for absolutely everyone, but the MFP carb recommendations are extremely high for the average person.

Anyhow, don't let the fear-mongering get to you. I've been doing it for two years now and I'm healthier than I've ever been.
Also, my ratios are ~50F/35P/15C and my diary is open.

I just started low carbing on Monday and the first day was fine, i felt okay. the 2nd day was absolutely awful I was tired and lethargic and felt like my limbs weighed 100lb each. the Third day was even worse than that! BUt I am in my 5th day now and I feel great. I don't have any cravings, I am not experiencing the heavy or lethargic feeling anymore and best of all my appetite is suppressed and I've already lost 5 lbs. and I am only trying to lose 15 lbs total.

So it is working for me so far and what I like most since I dont' have much weight to lose is that I have a great energized, non hungry feeling all the time. I don't think about junk food all day. I would keep doing this diet just for that feeling since I will likely reach my goal vanity weight within a month or so.

If you have the motivation I think you should try it out and get past the 3rd day and see how you feel.

Good luck!

Lowering carbs will help lower water weight in the body (that's why weight loss is quick when starting a low carb diet).

A "normal" and healthy diet should be roughly 55% carbs, 25% protein and 20% fat. These can be varied day to day and do not have to be exact. But this is just the standard type of suggested intake.

Carbs are great for your body. They contain a great deal of nutrients for you. The goal is to get unprocessed carbs such as broccoli, apples, oranges, bananas, whole wheat grains, etc. These are terrific for the body.

Any diet that literally shuns 1/3 of all calorie sources cannot be maintained in the long term.

If you are getting all your carbs through healthy choices, then you're fine. If your carbs are: Cupcakes, white bread, Twinkies, Doritos, etc. then you have a problem.

And remember, this is a numbers game. You can be unhealthy and lose weight, but it is better to be healthy and lose weight.

I agree completely with Fufonzo.

When I first started going very low carb (20-30g) I did feel crappy. Flu-ish. I took it easy for a few days and drank a lot of water. It passed.

Yes, my calories from fat are quite high - I do my best to focus on quality fats (e.g., avocado (surprisingly high in FIBER ... important for low carbers), olives, healthy oils, nuts (almonds, walnuts), flaxseed meal (Omega3).

I'm not suggesting that a very low carb plan is appropriate for everyone. Personally my reasons for eating a low carb diet are health related. However, I think folks who are overweight (a little or a lot) would benefit from a lower carb diet (the 30 - 40% range).

My diary is open and you are welcome to look at it. It's not perfect and I am open to suggestions. I've only been keeping track on MFP since July 13, 2012 . I plan to increase my carbs into the 50g range Aug 1.

L

My diet is 60-65% carbs and I've been steadily losing weight for over a month now. 17lbs down, and still going!

The only reason to do a low-carb diet is if you are very, very inactive, or you have a medical reason to do so. Either that, or genetics (such as the Inuit) because your ancestors didn't eat a lot of carbs, you may not be used to them.

would love to see a report proving this theory!

Marathon runner, most of whom are very thin, eat a diet consisting of 60-70% carbs. The only issue with eating a lot of carbs is that it may not leave you with enough calories to get the required protein and fat intake. If you get enough fat and protein, then the amount of carbs does not matter.

My advice is easy...see your doctor or a nutritionist and ask them this question. I have not read anyone else's inputs but I will bet they do not have the qualificatuions of a doctor or a nutritionist.

Everyone is going to be different...what works for one may not work for someone else.

I have no upper limit on carbs, and more or less no limit on fat. I aim for sufficient protein and everything else sorts itself out.

that works for you thats great. but for those here that follow the regular posters advice as golden, it would be ill advised for most to ignore getting adequate amount of fat. Not saying you dont get adequate fat, you probably do. but only aiming for protein seems too limited of an approach. if someone gets their protein and the rest all in carbs, I cant imagine that would be a good thing.

if it fits ur macros go for it
there are 4 callories per gram in carb
there are 4 callories per gram in protein
there are 9 callories per gram in Fat
so if it fits your macros go for
DOnt do it high protein or carb just a ballanced diet

Those of us on the obese end of the BMR benefit from low carb. It helps level out the numbers and lose the weight. If you only need to lose a few pounds or maintain, low carb may not be your thing.

I found that limiting bread and other processed foods that my energy went up and my skin cleared up. My blood numbers are almost as good as in my 20's. My only meds are for high blood pressure, but it is getting under control. I need to lose more before I can fully get off them, but for me low card has been a big help.

In the long run, I think it is all about the right kind of carbs. Carbs from fruits and vegetables, while still carbs, are in a form that does not have the added junk of processed foods.