Carbohydrates are the primary source of usable energy that your body needs. Carbohydrates break down into sugars that our body then converts into energy. High carbohydrate foods provide adequate nutrition with vitamins, minerals and fibers that are essential for physical fitness and overall health. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, if you eat more carbohydrates than you need, you will gain weight. By limiting your carbohydrate consumption, you allow your body to use the stored body fat for energy. This helps you lose weight by using up the fat you already have and by eliminating the source of new fat production. This is why you need to keep an eye on the amount of carbohydrates you take in order to lose weight.
For people who want to lose weight fast, there is a common question – ‘How many carbohydrates per day to lose weight?’ Well, this is a tricky question. Before you get the answer you need to aware of the fact that there are two types of the carbohydrates – simple and complex.
Simple Carbohydrate:
The first type of carbohydrate is simple sugar. This is just composed of now to two units of sugar and is comprised of lactose, fructose, sucrose and glucose. Simple carbohydrates are easy for the body to break down. These are the types of sugars that you can find in the common sweets that you are consuming. Simple carbohydrates are found in milk, fruits and sugar. This type of carbohydrates must be avoided since this will not provide you with any big deal of nutritional value.
Complex Carbohydrate:
The second type of carbohydrates is the complex carbohydrates. These are the sugars that are composed of hundreds of units of sugars. Complex carbohydrates are found in grains or cereals such as rice, barley, oat, buckwheat, millet and rye, and in some root vegetables including parsnips and potatoes. This carbohydrate is composed of many essential nutrients that you need to maintain your overall health. Aside from that, this also holds high amounts of fiber which will help you on losing your weight. So, when you are concerned with how many carbohydrates per day to lose weight, make sure that your carbohydrates intake comes from these kinds of foods.
It’s ok to eat carbohydrates as long as you don’t eat the wrong types of carbohydrates or eat too many during the day. To lose weight it’s all about the type of carbohydrates, calories and quality of food.
Calculate your carbohydrate requirement:
The US Department of Agriculture and the Institute of Medicine recommends an intake of 130 grams of carbohydrates per day for both children and adults. If you are trying to lose weight, it is advisable to eat fewer carbohydrates. Based from the information presented by Dietary Guidelines for America, 50% of your calorie intake should be from carbohydrates. To know your carbohydrate intake, start by determining your daily calorie need and divide that number in half. That’s how many calories should come from carbohydrates. Each gram of carbohydrate has four calories, so divide the number from the first step by four. The final number is equal to the amount of carbohydrates in grams you need each day.
For instance, if the required calorie intake of your body is 2000 calories per day, you must include 250 grams carbohydrates enriched foods in your diet. The calculation goes like this – 2000 divided by 2 = 1,000 and 1,000 divided by 4 = 250
A general rule to follow is to base the amount of carbohydrates you eat each day on the activity level you normally live. People who are active or do a lot of high intensity exercise need to eat more carbohydrates than inactive people, while people who tend to gain weight should eat fewer. To sum up, athletes should include 200-250 grams of carbohydrates in their daily diet. For those who want to lose weight or maintain their current weight should include 100-150 grams of carbohydrates in their daily diet. Lastly, for those who want to lose weight fast must include less than 100 grams of carbohydrates in their daily diet.
Carbohydrate diet tips for women:
To lose weight, women should start by having only about 55 grams per meal and have snacks in between. They should focus on eating fruits and vegetables. Carbohydrates should be taken mainly from complex sugar with dietary fiber such as brown rice, wheat bread, bran, etc. For women who just want to maintain their weight they can have about 40 to 60 grams in a meal and some snacks in between. This is an effective method on how many carbohydrates per day to lose weight.
Carbohydrate diet tips for men:
There are some men who count how many carbohydrates per day to lose weight. As a start, they can take about 50 to 65 grams and have some in-between snacks. They should also avoid drinking soda and beer because it contains high calories.
Balance your carbohydrates intake:
When reducing your carbohydrates intake in order to lose weight fast, be sure to do it in moderation. Never replace carbohydrates with fats and foods that are lacking in nutrients as it will hamper your overall health. Instead make a good judgment regarding good and bad carbohydrates. Include the foods that have good carbohydrates in your diet. Try to avoid taking sugar and anything that have bad carbohydrates. Never forget the point that to lose weight and at same to maintain your health you need to balance between your carbohydrates, calories and regular exercise.
Consult the experts:
The carbohydrate requirements of each and every human being are different. So, if you are planning to cut down on your carbohydrates intake in order to lose weight fast, it is better to consult your nutritionist, dietician or doctor first. This is especially important for individuals suffering from Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes or other health problems. Keep in mind that a delicate balance between carbohydrates and other nutrients are required to maintain your health and weight.
Different factors:
To come to a conclusion regarding how much carbohydrates you need to eat to lose weight, there are various factors that need to be taken into accounts. Factors such as age, sex, height, weight, lifestyle and body type play a key roles in deciding the amount of carbohydrates your body needs.
There are some people who believe that carbohydrates are bad for weight loss but this is not TRUE! This is because good or complex carbohydrates have negligible effects on your blood sugar and insulin levels (better for diabetics). They also contain lots of valuable vitamins and minerals. There are several health benefits of complex carbohydrates, such as:
• Good for colon health.
• Lowers the blood cholesterol levels
• Lowers the excess body weight
• Improves muscle contractions
• Helps in physiological functions
• Improved the function of central nervous system
• Improve digestion
• Stabilize blood sugar level
• Maintains the energy levels
List of High Carbohydrate Foods:
Foods containing the high amounts of complex carbohydrates are all bran cereals, apples, artichokes, asparagus, bagel, baked beans, bananas, beans, broccoli, brown bread, brown rice, brussels sprouts, buckwheat, buckwheat bread, cabbage, carrots, cassava, cauliflower, celery, chickpeas, corn, cornmeal, cucumbers, dill pickles, dried apricots, eggplant, garbanzo beans, granary bread, grapefruits, high fiber breakfast cereals, kidney beans, lentils, lettuce, low fat yogurt, macaroni, maize, muesli, multi-grain bread, navy beans, oat bran bread, oat bran cereal, oatcakes, oatmeal, okra, onions, oranges, root vegetables, pastas, peas, pinto beans, plums, porridge oats, potato, prunes, pumpernickel bread, radishes, ryvita crisp bread, shredded wheat, skim milk, soy milk, soybeans, spaghetti, spinach, split peas, sprouts, strawberries, sweet potato, tomatoes, turnip greens, water cress, weetabix, whole barley, whole grain cereals, whole grain flours, whole meal bread, wholemeal spelt, wild rice, yam and zucchini. You can include any of these foods with complex carbohydrates in your diet to lose weight fast.
Controlling the number of carbohydrates you eat every day is a simple way to lose weight. Both men and women can reach their target weight, by reducing their intake of carbohydrates, fats and calories and increasing your physical activity.