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How Many Carbs Should You Eat Per Day to Lose Weight?
Reducing the amount of carbohydrates in your diet is one of the best ways to lose weight.
It tends to reduce your appetite and cause �automatic� weight loss, without the need
for calorie counting or portion control.
This means that you can eat until fullness, feel satisfied and still lose weight.
1
Why Would You Want to do Low-Carb?
For the past few decades, the health authorities have recommended that we eat a calorie restricted,
low-fat diet.
The problem is that this diet doesn�t really work.
Even when people manage to stick to it, they don�t see very good results.
An alternative that has been available for a long time is the low-carb diet.
This diet restricts your intake of carbohydrates like sugars and starches (breads, pasta, etc.)
and replaces them with protein and fat.
Studies show that low-carb diets reduce your appetite and make you eat fewer calories and
lose weight pretty much effortlessly, as long as you manage to keep the carbs down.
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How to Figure Out Your Need For Carbohydrates
There is no clear definition of exactly what constitutes a �low carb diet� and what
is �low� for one person may not be �low� for the next.
An individual�s optimal carb intake depends on age, gender, body composition, activity
levels, personal preference, food culture and current metabolic health.
People who are physically active and have more muscle mass can tolerate a lot more carbs
than people who are sedentary.
This particularly applies for those who do a lot of high intensity, anaerobic work like
lifting weights or sprinting.
Metabolic health is also a very important factor.
When people get the metabolic syndrome, become obese or get type II diabetes, the rules change.
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Guidelines That Work 90% of The Time
If you simply remove the unhealthiest carb sources from your diet, refined wheat and
added sugars, then you�ll be well on your way to improved health.
However, to enjoy the full metabolic benefits of low-carbohydrate diets, you also need to
restrict other carb sources.
Even though there is no scientific paper that explains exactly how to match carbohydrate
intake to individual needs, I have personally found these guidelines to be very effective.
100-150 Grams Per Day
This is more of a �moderate� carbohydrate intake.
It is very appropriate for people who are lean, active and simply trying to stay healthy
and maintain their weight.
It is very possible to lose weight at this (and any) carb intake, but it may require
you to count calories and/or control portions.
Carbs you can eat:
All the vegetables you can imagine.
Several pieces of fruit per day.
Some amount (not a lot) of healthy starches like potatoes, sweet potatoes and healthier
grains like rice and oats.
50-100 Grams Per Day
This range is great if you want to lose weight effortlessly while allowing for a bit of carbs
in the diet.
It is also a great maintenance range for people who are carb sensitive.
Carbs you can eat:
Plenty of vegetables.
Maybe 2-3 pieces of fruit per day.
Minimal amounts of starchy carbohydrates.
20-50 Grams Per Day
This is where the metabolic benefits really start to kick in.
This is the perfect range for people who need to lose weight fast, or are metabolically
deranged and have obesity or diabetes.
When eating less than 50 grams per day, your body will get into ketosis, supplying energy
for the brain via so-called ketone bodies.
This is likely to kill your appetite and cause you to lose weight automatically.
Carbs you can eat:
Plenty of low-carb vegetables.
Some berries, maybe with whipped cream (yum).
Trace carbs from other foods like avocados, nuts and seeds.
Be aware that a low-carb diet is NOT no-carb.
There is room for plenty of low-carb vegetables (full list here).
Personally I had never eaten as many veggies as when I first started on a low-carb diet.
4
Good Carbs, Bad Carbs
A low-carb diet isn�t just about weight loss, it is also supposed to improve your
health.
For this reason, it should be based on real, unprocessed foods and healthy carb sources.
So-called �low carb junk foods� are a bad choice.
If you want to improve your health, then choose unprocessed foods: meats, fish, eggs, vegetables,
nuts, healthy fats and full-fat dairy products.
Choose carbohydrate sources that include fiber.
If you prefer a �moderate� carb intake then try to choose unrefined starch sources
like potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats, rice and other non-gluten grains.
Added sugar and refined wheat are always bad options and should be limited.
For more details on specific foods to eat, check out this detailed low-carb meal plan
and sample menu.