[Mentos]

I am on a low cal diet, but wondering how many carbs is too many on a low cal diet? Most of my carbs from fruit, veggies, yogurt or lean cuisines. Few times a week I do have a special K bar that is 90 cals for a snack. So they aren't from junk food or anything.

I am just wondering if I am having too many carbs though, fitday says I have between 50-60% a day. Is that bad? Should I work to get it lower?

What %s do you guys aim for?

Thanks!

[srmb60]

BFL and the Ladies Who Lift talk about 40/40/20 split ... protein/carbs/fats. Lot of folks seem to fare very well on 60% carbs.
It might be another matter that's 'what works for you' and 'moderation being key'.
Are you satisfied? Are you getting enough nutrition?

[Robsia]

Between 50 and 60 is fine for a normal diet, i.e. not a low carb one like Atkins.

My percentage targets are 20/55/25 (fat/carb/protein).

Right now I'm averaging fine on the carb, but a touch too high on the fats and a touch too low on the proteins. Like 25/55/20 instead!

But that's partly because I'm having soup for lunch which, while low in cals (about 160 each) are percentage wise, quite high in fat, as they are "cream of" soups.

[blues4miles]

I aim for a 30/30/40 (protein/fat/carb). So I suppose it's all up for debate Fats are the only thing you probably NEED to keep down, probably no lower than 15 or 20 %, and protein is something you WANT to keep high (I'm not quite as good at that). I have the same troubles as Robsia above, usually too low on protein!

[LLV]

I personally don't count carbs, I never have. Although, on my own, I watch what I eat in a day. I try and balance everything. Like if I have rice or pasta for lunch, I back off of the starchy stuff for dinner. Or if I know I'm having starchy foods for dinner, I don't eat them for lunch. I try balancing carbs just like I do everything else. But if I get more carbs than usual one day, I don't worry about it.

Carbs don't make you fat. Excess calories make you fat

[KimberlyinMN]

Originally Posted by LLV

Carbs don't make you fat. Excess calories make you fat

Totally!!

Kimberly

[charliekay]

the low carb plan i am on,i stay around 30 carbs and 130 protein daily.and i lost 9 pounds and 2 inches in two weeks on this plan.

[KimberlyinMN]

This information is from the book "Calorie Queens". I went to the footnote and visited the website listed as the source. Kind of interesting information. Here's a comparison of the various diets out there that shows what the typical consumption is in calories:

Northwestern Nutrition

High-fat, low-carb diets: 1414 total calories

• Dr. Atkins Diet
• Zone Diet
• Sugar Busters
• Protein Power

Moderate-fat diets: 1450 total calories

• USDA Food Guide Pyramid
• DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan
• American Diabetic Association
• Weight Watchers
• Jenny Craig

Low-fat and very-low-fat diets: 1450 total calories

• Volumetrics
• Dean Ornish's Eat More, Weigh Less
• New Pritikin Program

Quote from "Calorie Queens", p. 14:

"Looking beyond the theories, discard the complex rules, ignore the complicated charts, and where do we end up? Even when we're following a diet that theoretically does not restrict total calories, we consciously or unconsciously decrease our caloric intake. ..... It's not which diet we choose, it's how long we manage to stay on it that determines whether or not we lose any weight. Any diet that decreases caloric intake will produce weight loss."