# Can't Give Up Carbs! :/



## Chrissy13 (Aug 25, 2010)

I am trying to shed some extra pounds but I eat a lot of carbs. Is there a way I can still have my carbs and lose weight too? I do like wheat bread which I know is a better option than white, but I can't give up pasta! What can I do?


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## DaveSoMD (Aug 25, 2010)

Exercise.  Sorry but that is the long and short answer.  If you burn/use more calories than you take in you will lose weight.


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## Chrissy13 (Aug 25, 2010)

Well I exercise too, but I hear that you shouldn't eat a lot of carbs if you want to lose weight.


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## Selkie (Aug 25, 2010)

Unused carbs converts to fat. Sorry, but you can't have your cake and eat it too, so the saying goes.


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## 4meandthem (Aug 25, 2010)

I tried going on a ultra low carb diet 3 weeks ago.
I also do a little powerlifting.
All my lifts dropped dramatically and i thought I was going to pass out on Deadlift night.
I decided to be fat and strong.Bring on the carbs!
I am also diabetic so most of my carbs are whole grains.

BTW the lifting got me off insulin in less than 4 months.


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## Chrissy13 (Aug 25, 2010)

4meandthem said:


> I tried going on a ultra low carb diet 3 weeks ago.
> I also do a little powerlifting.
> All my lifts dropped dramatically and i thought I was going to pass out on Deadlift night.
> I decided to be fat and strong.Bring on the carbs!
> ...




Haha I love that answer!  Problem for me is that I don't like red meat or fish, chicken and carbs are the only thing I actually like to eat. So if I go on a low carb diet, I might as well starve myself! lol


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## bakechef (Aug 25, 2010)

It's all about calories in vs calories out.  You can eat all of your daily calories in carbs if you want to and still lose weight.  Keep calorie intake between 12-1500 calories a day and you will lose weight.

Carbs aren't the cause of weight gain, too many calories consumed and not enough burned IS.

I am so tired of the low carb craze, so much misinformation out there.  Balance is the key.


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## Andy M. (Aug 25, 2010)

Eat fewer calories than your body burns up and you will lose weight.  You can best accomplish this but eating less and burning more through exercise.

To set a target for yourself, try this.  Calculate your Basal Metabolism rate by multiplying your weight by 10.9.  That will yield your BM, the calories your body burns doing all the things it does automatically (heart beating, breathing, making new cells, processing food and waste, etc.).  

For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, multiply that by 10.9 (women should then reduce the product by 10%) to get 1472.

If you limit your intake to this number of calories per day, you will lose weight.  You'll lose it faster if you exercise.

As with anything, consult a physician to be sure this is OK for you.

Note:  The actual calculation for Basal Metabolism is a multi-step process I have consolidated into one multiplication.


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## Chrissy13 (Aug 25, 2010)

bakechef said:


> It's all about calories in vs calories out.  You can eat all of your daily calories in carbs if you want to and still lose weight.  Keep calorie intake between 12-1500 calories a day and you will lose weight.
> 
> Carbs aren't the cause of weight gain, too many calories consumed and not enough burned IS.
> 
> I am so tired of the low carb craze, so much misinformation out there.  Balance is the key.




Thanks you're right. I need to burn burn burn more!


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## Chrissy13 (Aug 25, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> Eat fewer calories than your body burns up and you will lose weight.  You can best accomplish this but eating less and burning more through exercise.
> 
> To set a target for yourself, try this.  Calculate your Basal Metabolism rate by multiplying your weight by 10.9.  That will yield your BM, the calories your body burns doing all the things it does automatically (heart beating, breathing, making new cells, processing food and waste, etc.).
> 
> ...





Thanks this is helpful!  How many meals a day do you suggest? I usually only do 2. Only lunch and a light dinner. No breakfast (which I know is the most important meal and I shouldn't miss it).


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## Andy M. (Aug 25, 2010)

Chrissy13 said:


> Thanks this is helpful!  How many meals a day do you suggest? I usually only do 2. Only lunch and a light dinner. No breakfast (which I know is the most important meal and I shouldn't miss it).



I don't think there's one rule that works for everyone.  Some suggest you eat six small snacks a day rather than three meals.  The risk in eating only two meals a day is that you get so hungry you eat more than you should.  

In order for this to work, you have to be careful about counting calories and calculating portions.  Also, don't be concerned if you are over one day and under the next.  Aim for a week that averages at your goal number.

Bottom line.  Do what works for you.


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## bakechef (Aug 25, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> I don't think there's one rule that works for everyone.  Some suggest you eat six small snacks a day rather than three meals.  The risk in eating only two meals a day is that you get so hungry you eat more than you should.
> 
> In order for this to work, you have to be careful about counting calories and calculating portions.  Also, don't be concerned if you are over one day and under the next.  Aim for a week that averages at your goal number.
> 
> Bottom line.  Do what works for you.



I couldn't have said it better myself.

For me, I have found that if am too strict with my diet, I will stop losing weight, I'll "plateau" so I take it easy every once in a while.  I find that an 80/20 plan works for me, 80 percent of the time I eat as I should, and 20 percent of the time I give myself a break and eat things I enjoy (within reason.)

That is what works for me!


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## SarahBlue (Sep 26, 2010)

You can definitely do a normal or even high carb diet and lose weight. If you burn more than you take in, it doesn't matter what kind of calories you take in.


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## lyndalou (Sep 27, 2010)

All things in moderation. Weigh, measure portions, read labels for what one serving really is. Walk, walk, walk whenever and wherever you can. Don't park right next to the door in parking lots. You'll take off some pounds.


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