What is your Carb % Daily?

[alexg]

I am just wondering if any one like to share their daily carb intake per day. I thought I was doing good with my supposetly low carb low calorie diet though to my surprise using FitDay, I found out that I am actually getting around 50% carbs from my daily calories.

I want to loose weight and well at this 50% level, does anyone know if that is still possible or do I have to lower my carbs? Mose of my carbs come from whole grain or multigrain products though.

alexg

[TomB]

I do it the old fashioned way - by the fistful. I limit myself to 60 carbs a day and there is about 15 carbs in a fist sized chunk of chow. Salids don't count so I can eat all the rabbit food I want - with vinigar or just a smidgen of low fat ranch.
My doc did me a big, big favor by sending me to a dietician that my insurance paid for. Got some simple common sense advice that fit my life style and managed to maintain my weight without loosing too much of my good humor.
Best advice for a diabetic: If it tasts good it's bad for you!

[matingara]

Best advice for a diabetic: If it tasts good it's bad for you!

But salads taste great!!! especially with a well made olive oil and vinegar dressing. :)

and salads do have carbs in them.

i think i am eating between 30-60g carbs per day.

-- Joel.

[alexg]

Well that is certainly good advice. I don't have bad carbs like sugar in my diets and I don't want to eat much meat because of cholesterol in them, so I don't know if I am fine like this or what. I still want to loose some weight and maybe this low carlorie diet will help. Though I am suppose to have at least 1500 - 1700 or so calories a day, but today I found out I got 1,200 or so and 50% of that was from Carbs. If my glucose levels at this diet point are still good, am I still on the right track? What do you think, comments?

alexg

[TomB]

Diabetes is not boring, no 2 days are alike. Eat the exact same thing for a week and you get 7 completely different glucose profiles. But I think you're on the right track in that keeping things in moderation will result in a good average. I found out it was easier for me to count carbs instead of calories. Doing it that way lets me have a healthy chunk of steak but only half of that baked potato. For my body it seems that there's a closer relationship between glucose and carbs than glucose and clories.
...And just when you get it all figured out, diabetes changes the rules...

[matingara]

Well that is certainly good advice. I don't have bad carbs like sugar in my diets and I don't want to eat much meat because of cholesterol in them, so I don't know if I am fine like this or what. I still want to loose some weight and maybe this low carlorie diet will help. Though I am suppose to have at least 1500 - 1700 or so calories a day, but today I found out I got 1,200 or so and 50% of that was from Carbs. If my glucose levels at this diet point are still good, am I still on the right track? What do you think, comments?

alexg

"bad carbs like sugar" is a meaningless categorisation i am afraid. :D :D :D

ALL carbohydrates are made up of polysaccharides. "Polysaccharide" means "many sugars"

ALL carbohydrates will be broken down from a long chained sugar molecule (polysaccharide) into glucose by your saliva and gut.

The shorter the polysaccharide chain is the sweeter the taste of the food. so, there is not really such a thing as a good carb or a bad carb.

regarding meat and cholesterol. we are all different here. but in my case, eating more fat and protein and less carbs has sent my bad cholesterol very very low and my triglycerides for the first time in my adult life into the normal range.

to paraphrase Bernstein, "saying that eating fat makes you fat is like saying that eating an apple will make you red"...

:D :D :D

[alexg]

So is eating 50% of your total calorie intake not good for diabetics? On a more refined answer, should I lower my carbs?

I just found this out which is said to be good for diabetics:

Diabetes and Carbohydrates
Best Diet For Diabetics

* Its calorie content should promote a healthy weight
* Its carbohydrate content may amount to 45-55 percent of total calories
* The best type of carbohydrates for diabetics are low-GI carbs - that is, those with a lower GI value on the Glycemic Index
* The diet should include 25-30 grams of daily dietary fiber (the indigestible type of carbohydrate) - both soluble and insoluble
* Carb sugars need not be avoided, but sugar-intake should be regulated by energy needs

I on the other hand an on 50% Carb and also just a little under the fiber regulation at 23 grams. So I think I am good!

alexg

[lorelei]

I think for everyone it's different. It would depend a great deal on how your body is handling the carbs you are eating, how resistant you are to insulin, and how your body reacts to different sorts of carbs.

It's true that in the end carbs are carbs are sugar. But our bodies can manage different forms very differently depending on our own individual chemistry and metabolism.

I know that certain sorts of food can contain the same amounts of carbs but effect me very differently. Potatoes have a very fast sharp spike for me and are a no no if I'm trying to lose weight but oats will actually bring down my blood sugar sometimes and can be helpful when I'm trying to 'diet'.

For me, if you are talking about a typical 1800 standard usda gov diet 45% of my calories coming from carbs would send my BG out of control, and make me gain weight. If I stay around 20 grams of carbs (high on the glycemic index preferably) per meal and about 70 grams of fat a day my BG begins to level out and I have more energy and begin to lose weight. If I exercise for 45 minutes a day I can push the carbs more and not worry. But I know this isn't how it works for everyone, some people can eat the ADA recommended diet and lose weight and be very healthy.

A sweet simple answer would be wonderful, but I think that in reality the best way is to get to know how your body reacts to different foods, and then design your own diet to meet your own special needs. And if you're not seeing the results you want, try adjusting your carb and fat intake, and see if that helps.

[BlueSky]

My percentages are something like 20% carbo, 15% protein and 65% fat. 50% of calories from carbo is a high-carb diet, which to my my mind dosen't make sense for a diabetic. Especially if you are taking drugs (Amaryl) that force the pancreas to produce the insulin required to metabolise those carbs. You are likely to get much more mileage out of your beta cells on a high-fat diet.

Based on the numbers you mentioned, you have a calorie deficit of about 400 calories a day. Which means that you should be losing a kilogram of fat every 10 days. If this isn't happening, maybe you are consuming more calories than you thought ... ;)

[Evermont]

...ALL carbohydrates will be broken down from a long chained sugar molecule (polysaccharide) into glucose by your saliva and gut.

The shorter the polysaccharide chain is the sweeter the taste of the food. so, there is not really such a thing as a good carb or a bad carb....

Soluble and insoluble fiber are also a kind of carbohydrate - both are good for different reasons. Also, lower glycemic index (GI) or lower glycemic load (GL) carbs are preferable to higher GI/GL carbs. Additionally, carbs that are accompanied by greater quantities of micronutrients (nutrient dense) such as vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients are better than those with fewer nutrients. An apple might have the same amount of carbs as a piece of bread made with processed wheat flour, the apple is better. Better still if it is very fresh - and eaten raw, as it will retain maximum nutrient value. By the way, some varieties of apple are more nutritious than others. There is such thing as good carbs IMHO.

So is eating 50% of your total calorie intake not good for diabetics? On a more refined answer, should I lower my carbs?...

I think you're on the right track Alex. Exercise is really the key. I see from your sig that you are working on that too.

Some might think 50% carbs is too high, but since your total calorie intake is a bit low it makes your carbs look higher only by proportion. If you ate the same amount of carbs but added back fat and protein then it would be less than 50% carbs.

Stick with the good carbs and exercise. Add a dose of patience and if you're still not getting the results you want, add more exercise, focus on strength training, and maybe more protein to build lean muscle which will burn fat.

...If I stay around 20 grams of carbs (high on the glycemic index preferably)...

I think you probably meant to say "lower GI preferably".

[MJB]

I do it the old fashioned way - by the fistful. I limit myself to 60 carbs a day and there is about 15 carbs in a fist sized chunk of chow. Salids don't count so I can eat all the rabbit food I want - with vinigar or just a smidgen of low fat ranch.
My doc did me a big, big favor by sending me to a dietician that my insurance paid for. Got some simple common sense advice that fit my life style and managed to maintain my weight without loosing too much of my good humor.
Best advice for a diabetic: If it tasts good it's bad for you!

Well, you've obviously never had my BBQ baby back ribs with grilled asparagus. :D

There's plenty of good things to eat that won't carb you to death.

Back to the original question, I eat about 100 to 150g of carbs daily. Last A1c was 5.7

[alexg]

Thanks all of you for your comments! I actually had about 183 g of carbs yesterday according to my records. I am sticking with this and see how it goes, but hey if it doesn't work, then changing isn't impossible. :)

alexg

[sparrow1]

I also use Fitday and my average daily percentage is 37%. I also average 25 grams of fibre per day. (Other percentages are 36% fat and 22% protein) My dietitian says this is great. The majority of my carbs are low GI. BGs are really well controlled and unless I am eating a high GI food I don't need to bolus for carbs.

[Jan B]

I eat about 90 carbs daily & about 1400 calories. I'm trying to find a good balance -- maybe add a little more low-fat protein (tuna for example). I rarely eat over 25grams of fat daily & that is usually NOT meat fat. There are some extremely different ideas on this subject.

I believe we need to concentrate on balanced nutrition instead of excluding carbs, or any other food groups for that matter. Some people won't eat fruit, which is odd to me. But then I'm odd for my ways to others around here!

IMO, if you want to lose weight, eat fewer calories instead of worrying so much about where they come from.

[kstreeter513]

I am just wondering if any one like to share their daily carb intake per day. I thought I was doing good with my supposetly low carb low calorie diet though to my surprise using FitDay, I found out that I am actually getting around 50% carbs from my daily calories.

I want to loose weight and well at this 50% level, does anyone know if that is still possible or do I have to lower my carbs? Mose of my carbs come from whole grain or multigrain products though.

alexg

Carbs only make you fat if you don't get out and work them off. Besides, too many carbs don't make you fat, too many calories do!!!

[alexg]

Thanks all for the feedback! I found this also:

The US Department of Agriculture advises that a healthy weight loss diet should contain about 25-30 percent calories from fat, about 55 percent calories from carbohydrates and about 15 percent calories from protein. Fad diets - diets that severely restrict or ban foods from any of the major food groups - are not recommended.

Well I do have high carbs around 50% but I do workout, so I am not getting fat, actually I am getting more tone in my muscles. I just need to loose more weight and decrease the hardest part of the body, the abdominal.

alexg