Do you watch your carb count??
 

I haven't questioned my diet but MIL came over yesterday and she is "attempting" low carb and mentioned my diet is carb heavy. I do eat a fair amount of weight-watchers whole grain bread and the occasional sweet potato, brown rice, etc. My calories are right on target but my carb level is usually between 175 and 200 grams. So now I'm questioning myself. I'm not a huge meat eater and I try to limit my dairy....and it seems like in order to keep my carbs down I have to eat a fair amount of meat and dairy.

No 1. if you are sucessful how you are doing it and it works for you, don't question it. Now if you were telling me you were high on fats and you had a cholesterol problem or you were high on sugary carbs and you were diabetic then I'd say...um you may want to consider the health ramifications of your diet choices. That said, I don't track my nurtrients, but I do make a conscience effort to eat lower GI carbs. I actually do have a carb with every meal, but I'm doing that in the sense that I'm balancing my meals. So all my meals include a fruit/veggie, a protien and a lower GI carb. I do this just try and make my cals good ones and I find that I am more satified when my carbs are good ones and I don't feel deprived like I would if I had no carbs. Hope that makes sense. Bottom line do what works for you, it's obviously working I see you're in ONEderland - Congrats!

Only by default: I try to get 40% of my calories from protein. This is because, given the choice, I'd eat all carbs, but I seem to do better with a lot of protein. But again, everyone is different and if you are losing weight and not starving to death/using all your willpower every day to stay on plan, keep doing what you are doing.

Thanks. :D

Defenitely not starving to death. Losing weight just fine on 1500-1900 calories per day.

I really don't watch my carbs. I make sure I'm eating well balanced meals and if I happen to each a lot of starchy foods one day I make sure I cut back the next. But it's really just about balancing thing out, for me. And like others have said, if what you're doing works for you, don't question it. :)

I've tried eliminating grains and starchy carbs and I feel lousy - low energy, headachy and just generally bad. And I get hungry sooner, too. So I have portion controlled amounts, and keep those portions fairly small. And I do try to focus on choices like whole grains, brown rice, sweet potatoes, etc., and include them with lots of veggies, a small amount of fruit, lean proteins, lowfat dairy and healthy fats.

People have said to me that if I gave myself time to detox, I wouldn't have those symptoms but I don't really want to put myself through even a few days of feeling like that. Plus I'm losing weight, I feel good, I enjoy my food and I believe I'm getting a good balance of healthy foods. So why "fix" what I don't consider broken?

Nah, I don't limit carbs intentionally. I only limit them in a residual way, when I see that I can have more of ______ if I pass up on the carb and believe _____ will fill me up better.

I use to think carbs mattered, but now I think it's just the quality of the carbs that matter. I'm not afraid of fruit or carrots anymore!

I agree I think having a healthy well balanced diet in general will lead to a lower carb intake. I know I've cut my carbs in half unintentionally just by counting calories... I have found things lower in calories are usually also lower in carbs then most foods. of course this inst always the case but I think lowering, fat,carbs, sodium, etc will naturally happen when watching your calories. at least it has for me :) just make sure your eating good healthy carbs, whole grain and whole wheat breads and pastas, sweet potatoes, sweat peas, carrots, corn.. fruit all all good healthy carbs you should have in a normal diet :) and it sounds like you are doing that already

I have been toying with cutting carbs, and the upshot is I just am not going to be able to do it. It's not my lifestyle, and my body hates it. I get about 50% per day of my calories from carbs, most of them whole grain or in dairy products or fresh fruit, and that keeps me feeling satisfied.

The more I read, and the more I look at my own history and the people I know that have been successful, the more I think different diets really do work for different people. Some are more successful on low carb, or low fat, or no diet and high exercise: there is no one diet fits all. (And there is actually some evidence that these different responses are real and genetic, although the tests that some companies are offering try to make it a bit more simple than the science suggests.)

And what you're doing is clearly working for you! And if you don't get tired of it (and don't really like meat) then why change?

Don't let her push you if you don't think it's right for you.

I don't cut or limit anything, really. I do try, however, to chose foods as close to their natural state and I can. I don't go overboard, but if given the choice, that's what I do.

I stayed away from low-carb diets, because I always thought they were unhealthy. I've now found that they're the only way I can consistently lose weight and control hunger, so I'm a bit biased towards low-carb plans. I think they're worth trying for anyone who isn't happy with the plan they're on -

but I still believe that eveyrone has to find what works for them - not only physiologically, but psychologically as well. I would never suggest that an ethical vegan try Atkins, or for that matter a Wisconsinite hunter try veganism.

Losing weight is about more than just how many pounds you lose, and how fast you lose them.


Oh, and for-what-it's-worth trivia - many nutrition experts consider any diet under 200g of carbs to be low-carb. Others set the upper end at 150g. So you still ARE eating a reduced carb diet.

Kinda. I limit grains to one serving a day, and I don't usually eat potatoes, but I don't actually count how many grams I eat a day. I get most of my carbs from fruit, vegetables, beans, and lentils. Works pretty well for me--I don't feel hungry very often, and I generally lose weight steadily.

I have recently started making an effort to eat less carbs. I'm working to lose weight regained after losing a large amount a few years ago. I didn't count carbs then, but I've noticed I do eat a larger amount of carb-filled foods now - lots of sandwiches, cereals, and rice. I've been making a conscious effort to cut those out and eat more protein.