Carbs: to count, or not to count? page

[PattythePrimate]

Hi all,


I'm brand new at this and I'm wondering: how essential is it to count carbs for fat loss? Do most of you just follow the guidelines and not worry too much about it? I find that appealing, but I've never flown number-free before.


Thanks,


Patty

[Brit]

Hi Patty. One major point of Primal eating IS eating low-carb, in comparison with Conventional Wisdom. But it also depends what your carbs are and what your ultimate goal is.


If you're eating Primal but eat in the 100-150g of carb/day, you won't be losing weight. You need to eat under 100g carbs/day to lose weight. But with that said, how fast do you want to lose weight? If you want to lose a lot, then consider eating under 50g carbs/day (ketosis).


As for counting, I used fitday.com until I got used to eating Primal. If your not sure what has carbs or how many, use a carb counter until you become familiar with your foods.

[Timothy]

Welcome, Patty!


My opinion: be very aware of what you are eating and why, avoid simple/starchy carbs in favor of fat and protein, but don't put too much faith in numbers.


If you have the patience to read my whole screed on the subject, it's here:


http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...-I-just-did%29

[Lekki Wood]

Hey PattythePrimate,


I found that primal needed some 'tweaking' for me - and this was easiest when I knew exactly what I was eating. So, I logged everything for ages on fitday and this helped when I wasn't losing weight, when I was tired / low energy or when I wanted to see how what I was eating compared to others. Slowly I built up a 'routine'- not repetitive food choices, but patterns of eating and recipes etc. Then I could abandon fitday - yay!


It is nice being free, but I am glad I tracked for a while. Also if I occasionally worry that my macronutrient balance is out (fat:carbrotein) I can just track for a couple of days and compare to the past.


So, I would track for a while and gather some info - then go free - yay! Going free is more 'fully' primal I feel as it encourages you to be a little more experimental / listen to your body more. But that might just be me...


Lxxx

[Mirrorball]

I eat fruit and starchy vegetables daily and have lost a lot of weight (so far 43 lb of the 59 lb I need to lose). I don't count carbs, but I assume I'm way above 50g/day. I don't count calories either.

[unchatenfrance]

It may be beneficial to count at first to become aware of how much you're consuming. You may want to do it for a day or two to see what your carb intake is. I find it beneficial to keep track about once a week if I am eating to be in ketosis as this provides accountability and ensures that I keep it to under 50g. If I'm just keeping it under 100g though, I don't need to count since I can generally ballpark it. Do what suits your personality. Are you nerdy and uptight enough (like me) to bother logging? :-)

[PattythePrimate]

Thanks, everyone, for the help! Lekki, I agree. Not counting seems more primal to me too, and I think it'd be good for me to be less all-or-nothing about my diet. And Timothy's point is a good one: all carbs are not the same and numbers can be deceiving.


On the other hand . . . I've got about 15 lbs to lose, and a marathon to run in October (I signed up before finding MDA, an act of desperate bravado intended to frighten my behind off my sofa). Probably as I get closer to the long runs, I won't want to be as strict about staying under 100g of carbs. The consensus seems to be that counting is helpful in the beginning--so that's what I'll do! Because yes, I am that nerdy .

[Mr. PK]

I don't get it

I thought if your eating primal then carbs aren't really a factor anymore?

if you stick to what mark has outlined to eat than shouldn't it not matter how much you eat?

[Sharonll]

@Mr.PK, it's not quite as simple as that. Have you looked at the carbohydrate curve at http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-p...te-continuum/?

[jspegel]

I don't count anything. I am in no hurry tho to lose any weight. Some days I am surely above 150 other days I am below 50. I think a lot has to do with the quality of the carb. I have lost 25 lbs in 3 months. I also workout like a crazy man tho.