I have been having a problem with finding out how many carbs you should be intaking. I am just curious on how many carbs other people are consuming while watching their calories? Or do you even worry about your carbs as long as they aren't bad carbs? But what exactly are bad carbs? Are they more than just your breads, sweets, rice(white)and white potatoes?? I am getting aggrevated on ths subject of CARBS!!
Any thoughts???
It's important not to mix up too many different approaches. If you are counting calories, there are no restrictions on type of nutrients. If you are following a low-carb plan, you have to follow the plan exactly and not worry about calories.
That said, Many people find the Zone percentages to be helpful. They are 30%-40%-30% protein-carb-fat. For a 1500 calories day, that's 112 grams protein, 150 grams carb, and 50 grams fat.
Lots of different percentages are out there. You can look some up on Freedieting.com if you're interested.
It's important not to mix up too many different approaches. If you are counting calories, there are no restrictions on type of nutrients. If you are following a low-carb plan, you have to follow the plan exactly and not worry about calories.
That said, Many people find the Zone percentages to be helpful. They are 30%-40%-30% protein-carb-fat. For a 1500 calories day, that's 112 grams protein, 150 grams carb, and 50 grams fat.
Lots of different percentages are out there. You can look some up on Freedieting.com if you're interested.
Jay
today I am low on my calories for some reason 1220. My fat was 26 @ 39%, Carbs 173 @ 58% and protein 92g @ 183%.. I use the dailyplate faithfully.. its hard to get that ratio. but I will take your advice and check out that website and try much harder.... Thanks
Well, I mix different approaches, but that's what works for me. I calorie count (1200-1400), and I eat low carb (I try to stick to 130 or so grams a day, and come as close to the 40-30-30 ratio as I can). I tend to get most of my carbs from vegetables, because even whole grains make me retain weight. That's just me, though. If you can eat whole grains (i.e. 'good' carbs), then go for it and don't worry about your carb intake.
I also use a mixed, custom-designed approach. I chose an exchange plan with fewer high carb choices. Since all of the exchanges are very similar in calorie counts, I consider an exchange plan a form of calorie counting. In my experience, a 1500 calorie exchange plan generally falls pretty close to 1500 calories. I have so many food counts memorized from decades of dieting, that I do tend to calorie count as a backup, just out of habit. For example, for breakfast I had a banana and half an english muffin, so I checked off two fruits (because half a banana is one fruit serving) and one bread from the exchange checklist I made. I also have a place to journal and write what I ate, so I wrote down what I ate, and also wrote down the calorie count.
I usually don't tally the calorie count at the end of the day, unless I eat off plan.
There's nothing wrong with paying attention to more than just calories, and in practice, I think most people do. A person learns quickly that 1200 calories of candy bar is not a sustainable choice. That being said, there's no reason to make things more complicated than they have to be. And there doesn't seem to be any magic number that applies to everyone. If you have blood sugar or metabolism issues, or if carbs trigger hunger spikes, you may find it helpful to limit carbs - but your ideal level isn't going to be something you can look up - you just have to experiement and see what works.
Even using the Zone's 30-60-30 formula, you're not going to hit those numbers exactly every day (at least not without preparing for meals as you would an alegebra final).
All being said, I think you're overthinking. Start with the fewest rules and conditions and only add more if you're finding it helpful physically, emotionally, or mentally.
I don't restrict carbs, but I do restrict refined carbs. On the other hand, I first and foremost focus on eating lots and lots of veggies, and there's not so much room left for grains. Still, I probably have at least one serving of whole grain a day. Sometimes more. I go through phases.
I use daily plate. I just try to keep that pie chart between 30-40-30 and 20-60-20 roughly. I have high days for one or another often but I keep it balanced fairly well. I will say on days I have very sore muscles from working out, I try to really up the percentage of lean protein. If I don't I get so hungry I could eat my laptop.
How many carbs should we intake?
