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Everyone eats carbohydrates. You pretty much can’t get around it. We need carbs for energy after all.
But the questions still remain: how many carbs should I eat in a day?
Are there drawbacks from eat too little or too many carbs?
What are the side effects of eating carbs or abstaining from eating carbs?
Well once again, as with protein, it depends on what you do on a daily basis. Furthermore, ingestion of carbs should be focused more around the question:
WHEN should I eat carbs during the day?
As with how much fat to eat in a day and how much protein to eat in a day, it all depends on a couple factors:
- job
- insulin resistance
- activity level
- target body weight
- exercise goals
- lifestyle
The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as stated by the Department of Health and Human Services, suggest that roughly 50% of your daily calories come from carbs. Thus, a person who eats approximately 2,500 calories per day should take in about about 300 grams of carbs. This number is not altogether bad for the average American, but we have to take into consideration the sources of those carbs.
These are the kinds of carbs to avoid at all costs:
- sugary snacks and pastries
- sugar-sweetened soft drinks or fruit juice
- candy
- cookies
- regular fried greasy chips
- processed, packaged snack foods
- high sugar kids cereals
- processed white flour products such as white bread and pasta
These foods offer virtually no nutritional value, and they contain far too many calories. Some of these foods also contain saturated and trans-fats that are bad for your heart, and sugary foods can lead to such maladies as type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Specifically if you are already insulin resistant, you should avoid these bad carbs as they will just ruin your day by making you tired, slow, dumb, and hungry.
Instead choose these kinds of carbs:
- fresh fruit
- vegetables
- whole wheat and whole grain products
- beans, nuts, and other legumes
When Do I Need More Carbs?
People that exercise with high intensity or with prolonged endurance, can benefit from a high carbohydrate intake before exercise. It is feasible to consume a high carbohydrate meal before a marathon, or a moderately high carbohydrate meal before lifting weights or martial arts training. It is not a good idea to consume too many carbs in one sitting, but 50 grams is not out of the question if you are preparing for a physically draining event.
During and after exercise is also a key time to consume carbs. In fact this is the only time it is recommended to consume sugary carbs. I tend to sip on Gatorade during a workout and my post-workout drink contains about 40 grams of carbs in the form of dextrose. If allowed to choose, I would choose Biotest Surge as my post-workout drink of choice. This is a product that is specially formulated to replenish lost glycogen stores and restart protein synthesis after a demanding workout.
When Do I Need Fewer Carbs?
There is no need to eat carbohydrates at night. Ever. Some folks believe in consuming a high-carb meal the night before an event like a marathon, but I just don’t see it. I would say eat that meal in the morning if the event is in the late morning or early afternoon. The best time for a high carbohydrate meal is in the morning, when your body is prepared to uptake glycogen for energy for the day. Lunch should be a moderate carb meal as you don’t want to get that ‘bonk’ feeling in the middle of the afternoon. Also consider that if you don’t plan to exercise during the day then there’s really no need to gulp down many carbs at any point in the day.
Carbs and Fat Loss
If you are on a fat loss diet, then there’s definitely no need to eat more than 100 grams of carbs in any one day. I don’t necessarily support Atkins, but there are valid points to that diet. When I am in the middle of a hardcore cutting phase, trying to get as lean as possible in a given time frame, I will only consume 20-30 grams of low glycemic index carbs for breakfast.
For lunch I will try to avoid most carbs, opting for whole grain bread or a salad if necessary. My pre-workout drink is typically 1/2 a serving of Biotest Surge, I sip on Gatorade during the workout, then finish off with 1 serving of Biotest Surge after the workout. On non-workout days, I skip all of that and choose a protein bar, cheese, or a meat snack instead.
Dinner is always low carb during a diet. Soup, meat and vegetables, and salad are all great choices for low carb dinners. Appropriate snacks are meats, cheeses, protein bars or shakes, veggies, and other super-low carb foods. Typically in the midst of a diet phase, I eat around 75 grams of carbs on a non-workout day, and maybe 120-140 grams of carbs on a workout day.
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In conclusion, I recommend that if you are moderately active, you should derive maybe 30% of your daily calories from carbs. Sure, my opinion differs from specialist government agencies, but that’s only because I have seen low carb diets work. I have also seen Americans grow obese and suffer from a long list of carbohydrate induced diseases.
A 200 lb man on a 2500 calorie diet would probably eat maybe 180 grams of carbs in a day, all from unprocessed whole food sources. A 140 lb woman on a 1500 calorie diet might only eat 100 grams of carbs in a day.
Someone on a strict diet might limit themselves to 50 grams of carbohydrates a day regardless of sex or weight. Just remember to avoid those nasty sugary processed carbs so that you can stay healthy, avoiding energy crashes and adult-onset type II diabetes.
See also:
How many grams of fat should I eat?
How many grams of protein should I eat?
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About Project Swole - Project Swole is managed and mostly written by Steve, a formerly IFPA and ISSA certified personal trainer and sport nutritionist, who has been studying, practicing, and experimenting with fitness and nutrition since 1992. Please use the content at Project Swole to supplement the advice of your doctor or physician. All medical questions should be directed towards a qualified medical professional, and the advice provided at Project Swole should be used at your own discretion.
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HI THERE, I HAVE BEEN A DIABETIC TYPE II NOW FOR 1 YEAR. I NEED TO KNOW THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF CARBS ALLOWED DAILY FOR ME TO HELP ME KEEP MY BLOOD SUGAR DOWN. I HAVE IT CONTROLLED NOW AS LONG AS I AM NOT STRESSED OUT. WHICH ISN[T EASY WITH A STRESSFUL HUSBAND ALWAYS STRESSING YOU OUT. I HAVE LOOKED AND LOOKED ON THE WEBSITE BUT IT WILL NOT TELL ME ABOUT HOW MANY CARBS I AM ALLOWED DAILY. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME? SOMEONE TOLD ME A YR AGO TO ONLY CONSUME NO MORE THEN 40G OF CARBS A DAY. I LOVE FRUIT BUT HAVEN’T BEEN EATING ANY EXCEPT FOR BANANAS AND BLUEBERTIES AND OCCASIONAL FRESH STRAWBERRIES. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT CARBS I AM ALLOWED TO EAT DAILY WITH MY TYPE II DIABETES. THANK YOU
Susan:
I wish to refer this question to your doctor. I am not a trained, licensed, or certified medical practitioner nor am I a physician, so if you take any of my advice, you do so at your own risk.
That being said, I will give you my opinion. I don’t think there is a certain number you should shoot for, although 40 grams is way too low. Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you should avoid carbs altogether. However, you should avoid sugary carbs altogether, especially processed carbs like white bread, white pasta, cereal, and sugary kids snacks.
I’m not sure how old you are, what your body weight is, or what your body fat is, so I can’t give you specific numbers, but it’s my general feeling that you can certainly eat 100-120 grams of carbs a day as long as you only EAT LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX CARBS.
What would you say about Vitamin Water? Would you recommend it as a good energy drink for when your avoiding carbs?
Hi there. I am a 34 y/o male 5’7 weigh bout 171 lbs & body fat is considered normal. I was wondering how many carbs, protein, and calories can i intake in 1 day? I am trying to build more muscle b/c if u look at me i would be consider a thin guy. I really want to hopefully bulk up to a medium frame guy with some muscles to show off. Can you give me your intake on what i can take? Thanks
Kristopher:
You should eat at least 170 grams of protein each day. Keep the carbs moderate, maybe around 200-250 grams a day, and keep fats moderate, maybe around 50-60 grams a day. I figure you should be eating at least 2300 calories a day to maintain (171 * 14 = 2394 calories), which means you might need to bump it up to 2500 or more if you want to gain weight. Ideally you want to gain 2-4 lbs a month in order to maximize muscle gain while minimizing fat gain. Use protein shakes and protein bars.
Paul:
I enjoy Vitamin Water. I also enjoy Gatorade and Powerade when I’m in the middle of training.
Steve, great Web site, I’ll have to visit more often.
I do have a question, though. Isn’t it possible to drop body fat percentage while on a 50 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 20 percent fat diet?
I’m 24, 170 pounds, 5’9″ and I have about 20 percent body fat. I got fat drinking booze.
Now I’m in the process of shedding that fat and all that.
I’m on a 50/30/20 diet and I’m doing cardio and weight training. I’ve figured out that my BMR + my activity level I should be consuming between 1800-2100 calories per day to put myself in a caloric deficit.
But I do hear about these law carb dealies. It sounds utterly impossible for me to consume that many calories per day without carbs and without hurting my liver and kidneys from too much protein.
Your thoughts?
Sam:
It is true that a 50/30/20 C/P/F diet could work for you. I do hope that you choose healthy carbs for this sort of diet. It is the high carb, low fat diets of the 80′s and 90′s are partially responsible for such a high onset rate of type II diabetes in adults. I would rather see use a 40/30/30 C/P/F breakdown instead, but please do whatever works best for you.
As far as the protein hurting your kidneys and liver, it’s not going to happen. This is one of those overblown myths along the lines of women being afraid of weight lifting because they will get ‘too bulky’. It’s just not something you need to worry about. At 5’9 I’ll assume your bodyweight goal is somewhere around 130-140, so based on that I’d recommend you eat around 100-120 grams of protein a day. Broken down into 5 meals, that’s only 20-25 grams of protein per meal. Adding a couple eggs, some beef jerky, or a handful of nuts will cover about 15-20 grams of protein. It’s not that hard.
But again, find out what works for you and stick to it. Just don’t make excuses to eat a ton of carbs if it’s not working for you. Be honest with yourself. Good luck!
Steve, thank you for the advice!
I’ve been consuming quite a bit more protein than your suggestion, so maybe I’ll ramp it down? I’ve been getting between 150-170, as I was under the impression you should consume 1 gram of protein for every pound (granted some of my pounds are FAT).
The carbs I eat are most definitely health. All whole grains and oats.
… EXCEPT … I do every so often consume half a potato with my dinner. We have an electronic nutrition scale in the kitchen and I weigh the portion and mark down my nutrition information.
For instance, the other night I ate a 92 calorie portion of potato. It had 22.9 carbs in it, 2.5 protein, .1 fat.
Should I cut out potatoes completely? In “Body for Life” (not sure if you’ve read it), he recommends a portion-controlled size of potato with a protein source and good veggies.
Yet other people say avoid starches, which is what a potato really is.
Any thoughts?
Sam:
Are you male or female? I can’t quite tell from your posts, but I had originally guessed that you are female. 170 grams of protein is a little high since you are focusing on losing weight. If you were trying to gain muscle, 170 would make more sense.
I know about Body for Life and Bill Philips and all of that jazz. There’s no reason you can’t eat a small potato once in a while. I wouldn’t have it every night, but then again I don’t like potatoes very much. If there’s one thing I can be sure of, it is this: unless you are preparing for a show or competition of some sort, you can eat anything in moderation. That doesn’t mean to eat a little bit of junk food each day, but it does mean you can have half a potato a couple times a week.
Hi Steve, I’m a dude, definitely. My goal is gaining some muscle while dropping from the about 20.5 percent body fat I’m at now. I started drinking way too much and it’s bitten me in the ass.
I’m running in the morning before I eat at 5:30 a.m. I lift at night, but not every night that I run. I take Wednesday’s and SUnday’s off from working out.
Calculating my BMR I’m suppose to be eating between 1800-2000 calories a day to lose a pound of fat a week. We shall see.
Sam:
You should focus on losing fat first, then when you reach an acceptable body composition you should start trying to put on muscle. You CAN NOT do both at the same time effectively.
Don’t get me wrong, if you are new to training or just getting back into the game, you will probably lose weight and gain a bit of muscle at the same time, but you won’t gain as much as if you focused strictly on gaining muscle. Make fat loss a priority for 3 months while continuing to get STRONGER each and every workout. By the 3 month period you should be much happier with your fat mass, and you will be stronger from the strength training, which will make it easier for you to gain muscle when you decide to focus on it.
Also, stop drinking heavily or you won’t make any progress in either direction. Moderation is the key to everything.
Reflect.
hi Steve i know you said that you can not lose weight and gain muscle effectivley at the same time,but what if a person was to cut back on calories one day while in that day doing cardio to lose weight and the next day increase caloric intake and do exersices for improving strenghth,wouldent that be effective. For the past year i have been seriously lifting weights and eating a higher calorie and higher protein diet to build muscle and i am happy with the results.But i have also gained some body fat which i want to lose without weakening my muscles and i have read that cardio will weaken your muscles so i dont know what to do now and i am not sure if that is true.
Yavor:
If you went about eating in the manner you speak of above, you most likely would make little, if any, progress. Take it from experience, and from the hundreds of thousands of professional personal trainers that agree with me.
The simple fact is that if you try to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, you might have good luck with one goal and bad luck with the other, or you might have mediocre luck with both goals. 99.9% of the people on the Earth will not have success with both goals at the same time.
It. Is. Not. Efficient.
Secondly, you do not want to avoid cardio, but you DO want to avoid endurance cardio. The most efficient way for you to lose fat and maintain your muscle and strength, is to cut back on your carbs and total calories, and add some high intensity training to your program.
Examples of high intensity training include any kind of sprints, 30-60 set complexes with minimal rest between sets, sled dragging, high force output exercise like extreme martial arts, and strongman training.
One of my most successful fat loss efforts came from adding complex training into my routine. 3 mornings a week I would do 5 or more sets of complexes, consisting of 5 reps each of a deadlift into a hang clean into a push press into a back squat and return the bar to the floor. Rest one minute between sets.
I hope some of this helps.
Hey Steve,
Awesome website with alot of helful tips!
I’m a 5’6 24 year old male considering myself strong.. But I have alot of fat around my stomach and chest! I train hard and eat lots of protein but all i ever seem to do is bulk up and gain lots of fat.. HELP! I’m just trying to shred down.. How much fat, protein and carbs should i be eating? I was thinking about keeping my calorie intake at 2250 and work out at the same time.. What do you suggest?
Big thanks
LORENZO
Lorenzo:
Not sure how much you weigh, but 2250 might be a good starting point. You could follow a 40-30-30 (P-C-F) diet if it fits your lifestyle. Read some nutrition and diet articles around this site to learn about my ideas on dieting.
hi sam im not too sure if you are infact a ‘dude’ as you claim? This could be quite debatable with many people. I would maybe question why you are on this website and not outhere in the dudey world doing ‘dude’ things thanks for your time DUDE. goodbye.
p.s i am not a dude.
That was an odd comment.
Sam,
running in the monring and training at night can cause muscel breakdown from over training.
Do weights on mondays,wednesday,fridays
Cardio on Tuesday, Thursday, saturday
And Look up interval trainging
Hope this helps
Yay for interval training.
Hi Steve,
I’m a 31 yr old woman who is trying really hard to lose weight. I started doing a low carb diet 1/5/09 and so far I have lost 8.2 pounds. My question for you is my weight is 222 pounds and I’m 5’1 1/2. I really want to lose about 100 pounds. What would you recommend my carb intak be a day? I’ve been trying to keep it no higher than 70 carbs a day. Right now my BMI is 40.7 and I do cardio about 4-5 days a week.
LaWanda:
It sounds like you are on the right track. I would say target those 70 calories around your workouts for energy and recovery. Make sure you add some weight training to your workout routine in the form of high (12-15) rep circuit training. Try to increase the intensity of your cardio.
Start with high intensity interval training by either powerwalking or jogging (whichever you can handle). Start by doing your sprint exercise (the powerwalking or jogging) for 10 seconds, walk for 1 minute, sprint exercise for 10 seconds, walk for 1 minute. Try to increase the sprint time to 30 seconds. Eventually you should be able to try sprinting by running, biking, or any other form of cardio where you can push the intensity to the max for a short (30-60 seconds) period of time.
High intensity interval cardio training sessions can be as short as 20-30 minutes, since the intensity is so high. Do this 3 times a week and do weight training 3 times a week.
Oh, and forget about the BMI. This is a bogus indicator of obesity. I’ve been pretty cut at 7% bodyfat with a 6 pack, and my BMI indicates I am obese. Instead, use a combination of weekly weighing, body fat testing, looking in the mirror, and trying on your clothes.
Hey there, was just wondering if I could ask you a question or two. I’ve recently been on an atkins style diet (for the last year). I had no more then 20g of carbs a day really, however, I’ve since stopped that, and gorged on chocolate, and crisps.
I’ve put on 4 stone and now weight 255lb. I’m 6ft 3 tall. I want to lose the weight again, what should I do? Back to Atkins? Or will your tailored approach – just carbs for breakfast do?
Thanks
Hi Steve,
Today is my first time reading your website and I really enjoy your blogs, they are full of information.
Here is my short story
I am a female, 29 years old, 5 feet. Currently I weight 133 pounds and I calculated to have around 33% body fat. I started to workout about month and a half ago. I have lost 13 pounds since then but I stop losing weight about 3 weeks ago when I hit the 133 pound mark. I’m working out everyday, doing cardio, swimming and some weight lifting.
My ultimate goal is to lose 15 to 20 pounds more, to be around 15 to 20 % of body fat. I do not want to be skinny, I just want a tight, nicely shape body. I always liked the figure competition look, maybe someday I would be able to accomplish that goal.
so what I need from you is some help with my dietary intake. I’m not sure what my food ratios should be, what my caloric should be and how much protein, carbs and fat should I have in one sitting. Also if you have any other ideas that can help I would like to know them all
Thank you
Hi, I am mid-sixties, 80lbs. overweight. I have been on a diet since 1958. I lost the battle 20 years ago, just fed up with starving/depriving myself. I do understand that I was the author of my own failures by starving myself.
I have never given up, however, I am not very enthusiastic or optimistic about achieving a healthy goal, but I do give it a try every year or two.
Recently I tried counting carbs AND calories- At an average of 1000 calories & 120 grams carbs daily, I am not dropping very fast, but this combination insures that I make very healthy choices:
No bread,crackers, potatoes, cereal, or rice for me! (Never mind dessert!). I leave room for yams, yogourt, berries, cheese, fish, & lots of vegetables.
I keep a meal diary (truth-time) and give myself a day off every so often.
Carbs. make me hungry, so this combination approach makes it fairly easy to stay out of the fridge.
I have dropped a few inches and try to stay off the scale.
I am doing 17 minutes on the elliptical machine 5x’s a week and small weights in between.
I have done every diet known & always get back to counting calories, but this combination may be the easiest so far.
Best regards,
Pat
PS: Weight Watchers used to preach “Weigh & Measure”. I do this to be sure that I am actually getting the ounce or two that I am counting.
Hi Steve.
I am 114 pounds and 5 ’4′ 18 years old, and I am trying to lose weight altogether. I will not starve myself, and I know you will say, well thats great! why would you try to lose weight? well, I have a naturally flat stomach, but my limbs.. they’re just so flabby and big. My arms are flabby and big.. and my legs are well, short and thick, and fat. I especially hate the fat that sticks out from the sides of my thighs. I have tae kwon do lessons 2 days a week, and I jog for around 35 minutes 4 times a day, but nothing works. Is the low carb diet for me (atkins diet)? I’ve been on it for a week now, and I can never seem to go through with it without BREAD. Whole grains to be precise. I am a health freak, and I miss the taste of whole grain breads and cereals and fruits. Please suggest another option.
Warm regards,
Hilary
Hi Steve,
I am a 31 year old female trying to lose weight and get toned. i currently weigh 68 kg. I lost 8 kg in the last 2 months. Im doing 5 hours cardio a week and 5 hours circuit/weight/boxing training. Im getting a good mix but am i doing too much? my eating is healthy and small light meals but im not losing any more weight..??
Please tell me what i am doing wrong..
cheers,
Carol
Hello Steve,
I am a 35 yr male 5’10 and 177 lbs. I have been exercising consistantly and have followed a 7 day diet consisting of 100 grams of carbs for 4 days, 200 grams of carbs for 2 days and 1 cheat day of 600 grams for almost 5 months now.
I’m not a fan of the gym so all my exercise and workout is from home. It consists of cardio on an elyptical for 20 mins in 5 min intervals, so on Monday I will run for 5 mins, get off do 20 incline pushups, 20 decline pushups, 20 military pushups with one hand elevated on a dumbell then run for 5 mins and get off and do the same pushup regime until my 20 mins is done. Tuesday same thing except I do 15 pull ups instead of pushups, Wed same except reverse pull ups then Thurs start over with Sun being a complete rest day. Each day also consits of aprox 170 grams of protien.
Ive recently added 35 lbs in a backpack for the pushups and 3 sets of dumbell presses and 3 sets of flys with 50 lb db’s on an exercise ball with the next day only cardio and abs then on the third day adding arm curls with 25 lb db’s along with the reverse pullups. Next day 20 mins cardio and abs. Next day cardio and normal pullups.
Im so frustrated because I’m seeing minimal gain and still have the stomach and pec flab…. please Help.
Hi,
I would like to know how much calories should a person consume at 5’2 (female) I was told 1200 calories, but that seems very little to me.
Thank you,
Alexandra
Sorry one more question…I am currently 102 lbs and trying to gain muscle. I work out 5-6 times a week 60 minutes each work out. I split my work outs…one day I will work out my arms/back, next day legs/butt, next day abs…then back to arms/back. I am so obsessed with the scale that I think I am putting on fat if it goes up…how much muscle on avg does a woman put on in a year and on avg hos long does it take?
Sincerely,
Alexandra
Blake:
Stay away from Atkins. If you go off Atkins and then gorge on chocolate and crisps, then Atkins is not for you. Try a moderate diet approach rather than a hardcore strict diet approach since you are more apt to fall off the wagon, binge, and reverse any progress you might have made.
Z:
Start by multiplying your goal weight by 12 and eat no more than that number of calories each day. Increase your resistance training in order to add some muscle and speed up metabolism. Lift heavier weights so that you are really pushing yourself: no sets of 20 reps with a weight that you can easily do 25+ with, instead choose a weight that you can’t quite hit 12 reps and when you hit 12 reps add weight. Switch from endurance cardio to high intensity cardio: interval sprints, kickboxing, plyometric circuits, etc… Increase protein slightly and decrease starchy/sugary carbs slightly. Don’t eat any carbs after 6pm. Drink more water. Those are my tips.
Pat:
Great job. I haven’t heard from you in a couple months, but I hope you are making the progress you want to make.
Hilary:
Don’t follow Atkins. Eat your whole grains and fruits, but skip sugary cereal. If you want to eat cereal you should look for some whole grain varieties. I like Total. Also try sweet potatoes.
You didn’t mention anything about weight training. I would trade those 35 minute jogs for high intensity cardio (sprints, kickboxing) and resistance training. Working out with weight will help ‘tone’ your arms and legs, but you have to be serious about it. Don’t just plod around with 8 lb pink dumbbells.
Also try to be sure you don’t have a body image issue. At 5’4 and 114 lbs, I doubt you are anything but thin. Maybe just need to tone the arms and legs a bit with weights. If people in your life hint that you might have an issue with your body image, please have it addressed before you end up with an eating disorder.
Admitting to having and getting treatment for the deep rooted issues that cause bulimia and anorexia are just as important as going to detox and AA for alcoholism.
Carol:
You might be overtraining and/or eating improperly. Read the comments above and see if any of those apply to you. Make adjustments accordingly.
Hi Steve,
Love reading your post replies extremely interesting.
I am a 42 year old female weighing 205lbs at 5’5′ I powerwalk with 5 minute intervals of intense inclined for 60 minutes a day. My calorie intake is between 1800-2000 with 50-60gms of carbs per day/low glycemic ones. I just started 3 days ago. Do you have any suggestions.
Help!!! I am a 38 year old female. About 5’3 1/2. I normally weigh about 135 pounds. I am now about 155 pounds. I have really been struggling with getting this weight off of me. I am very small framed (boned) so 20 extra pounds looks like 40. In fact, many people ask me when I’m due because my belly looks like I’m carrying a child. I exercise heavily. I do a boot camp and extra cardio and weight training. My instructors keep saying eat to lose, eat to lose. 6 times a day. It’s absolutey not working for me. Too many carbs I feel. The only thing that has worked for me in the past is low carbs? Eggs, meat, protein, cheese, etc. Is this ok to do at first to get lean, and then slowly go back to a more normal diet lifestyle?
Thanks
hi i am a 44 year old female just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. i am 5’10 i weigh 250 pounds how many calories a day should i be consuming to loose weight i want to get down to 180 pounds. also what kind of exercises do you recommend for weight loss and how many days a week should i do them to loose weight and keep it off my doctor told me if i loose weight i maybe able to come off the diabetes medicine. any help is greatly appreciated thanks cherie
Cherie:
I addressed your question here: how to lose weight with diabetes
hi steve,
i train for 1 hour and 15 min a day ,consisting of 30 min treadmill and 45 min weights . I eat very little carbs and loads of protain , which is working very good for me, i am loosing muscle as well , The question is how can i retain my muscle?
Regards ivan
Hi Steve
I train 3 times a week weight training doing a heavy workout doing 2 body parts per night total time 1 hr 30 mins im 83 kg and 5-10.I used to do a lot of CV but stopped due to wanting till bulk up a bit im still fit but have that body fat i would like to lose and cut in for shape without losing muscle should i up im protain intake are take more carbs on board. please help ?
Regards Shane
Steve,
My girl friend and I recently started the Atkins diet and so far I am having a lot of trouble with it. I am 28yrs old about 210 lbs and my weight loss goal is 10-15 lbs of fat. I weight train 3-4 days out of the week and do cardio the same. I am also a carpenter so my job and lifestyle in general is a fairly active one. We are about a week in and still at the 0-20g carb phase. I have been eating the 20 grams a day for sure. But no matter how much 0 carb food I’m eating I still feel hungry. Plus I feel like I am eating way more than I usually do. I just have such low energy and can’t eat enough. With the amount of exercise and activity I do should I be eating more than the 20 grams of carbs? It has only been a week and I have not seen much weight loss yet but want to stick with this or some kind of diet. What would you recommend for a daily carb intake for someone like me? Or is there a different diet that you would recommend that would fit me better?
Thnx!
Travis
P.S. I agree with barbz, I’m not sure Sam up there is a dude… anyways thanx again!
Travis:
Atkins is whack. If you absolutely MUST do Atkins, I suggest following it for 2-3 weeks at most to kickstart your diet. Then, SLOWLY work carbs back into the mix.
When I am eating low carb to lose fat, I still eat 60-80 grams of complex carbs from whole grains and veggies each day on a non-workout day. On workout days I get upwards of 100 grams of carbs, targeted around my training. Eating carbs before training will give you energy to train with maximum intensity, while drinking carbs after training will help you recover sooner by kickstarting protein synthesis, thus moving your body out of a catabolic state.
Keeping sugary and starchy carbs to a minimum (excluding the post-workout meal) is the component of Atkins that will really help you lose fat quickly. Keeping calories-in lower than calories-burned will also help you lose fat quickly.
Regarding being on the diet for a week and not seeing results, this is a HUGE mistake people make. It takes 5-7 days to really see the fat loss benefits of low carb and low calorie eating. Normally it takes me about 5 days of following a proper diet before I see a 2-3 lb fat loss.
i am 34yrs old just had my third child.im struggling bad with my weight. iam 240lbs!!!
i started a low carb diet but im wondering differnt people say different things when it comes to how many carbs aday.so what is the right number of carbs per day?some say 20 some say thats way to low others say 200 a day.i really need help with this.
I am a 29 year old female. I am around 5’8″ and weigh between 175-180lbs. I would LOVE to be at my pre-pregnancy weight (~4 years ago) of 150-155lbs, but I need help on how to get there. I am not one of those who can give up on all of life’s treats(I have a terrible sweet tooth), but I am able to eat in moderation. What should my daily intake look like as far as calories, carbs, etc.
Thanks,
LB
Laura: To get down to 150# I would start with 1800 calories a day, 120 g of protein, 100 g of carbs, and 100 g of healthy fats. Keep your carbs complex and your fats high in EFAs. Aim for 25 grams of protein per meal on average, 5 meals a day (that could also look like 40g, 10g, 40g, 10g, 20g, or however you want to do it).
Hi Steve,
You have given others such wonderful advice and I was wondering if you could do the same for me. I am a 5’9″ Male weighing approximately 159 right now (use to weigh 168). At 168 i was very muscular but not very lean. My goal has been to drop bodyfat and get ripped. I have been running alot lately but still lifting heavy. I have lost strength but have slimmed down alot as well. I am currently consuming around 1500 calories a day, 100 grams carbs, 170 protein, and 50 fat. My goal is to be shredded or at 7%bodyfat. Am I approaching this the right way. I know diet is 80% of the game.
Atreyuh: I have answered your question here: how to maintain muscle mass when dieting.
Steve:
Im new to your website but desperately seeking some advice. I have been working out for over six years, Im 33. Im am 5’4 and about six months ago weighed 112, now Im at 118. I have NOT changed my good eating habits of between 1200-1500 calories per day and I work out five days a week. I do 25 minutes of cardio and 25 minutes of weight training. Im wondering why the sudden change in my weight. Is it just time to change my work outs or is it simply more muscle since I have been adding weights and do less reps. I do get muscle quickly and my butt does seem much bigger, but not fat…its muscly.
Amy:
Your story sounds great to me. It sounds like you are eating well and training well, and you’ve added some muscle to your frame for all your efforts. If you want to trim down the muscle you should increase your reps, but I bet you look great with the added buff.
Hi ime 22 years old 6 foot 2,about 4 months ago i weighed in at 220 pounds.i have since lost 30 pouns and my body fat went from 26% to know 16%.how do i gain more muscle?
Kruger:
Increase protein intake, train with heavier weights, swap endurance cardio for HIIT. That’s the best I can do when I know nothing about you. Let me know if you have more questions.
Some people really dont know what theyre talking about and should not give advice cause they are idiots….so many people are instructed to take in way too many grams of protein when they want to build muscle….the rda for protein is .9 g/kg of body weight…if you want to build muscle no more than 1.5-2 per kg of body weight….FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE GIVING ADVICE THAT DONT KNOW WHAT YOURE TALKING ABOUT…STOP!
Hey Mike, I’m not quite sure what you are so angry about. 1.5-2 grams of protein per kg of body weight is about right. That’s 150-200 grams per day for a 100 kg/220 lb athlete. 150 grams is a bit low, but 200 grams sounds about right for gaining muscle. I’d say 180-220 grams would be about right for a 220 lb athlete who trains 4-5 times a week.
I am 43 5’10, 158lb female. I am trying to get back down to 135-140lb. I do a lot of yoga. Treadmill at a fast walk w/ incline. Running is not an option..short power walk, 1min intervals. I do for 30-45min. 3-4 days a week. I try to watch my eating habits but would like some advice on what my intake should be to loose weight since I am not loosing anything.
Thanks Cheryl
Cheryl:
Are you lifting weights? If not, get on a 3 day weight training split. Try the generic full body workout plan.
If your goal is to weight 140 lbs, you should be eating no more than 1700 calories a day, probably more like 1600. Remember that your diet is responsible for 80% of your progress.
Hi Steve,
I’m a 17 year old male. I’m 5’9″ and wiegh 190. I’ve started doing an hour of tae-bo with Billy Blanks (not sure if you’ve heard of it), and i was just wondering if that is a good enough excercise every day. It’s said to help you lose wieght and gain muscle at the same time, which you say is pretty much impossible.
And also, how many carbs/calories do you recommend i have a day?
Moe: I know about Tae-Bo and Billy Blanks. You can do Tae-Bo to lose weight, and I’m sure you will, but you won’t gain all that much muscle. Fat loss and muscle gain will both probably be slower than if you mixed high intensity cardio with weight training.
As far as gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time, it can be done, but not efficiently. If you focus on one or the other, you will be able to double or triple your progress in either direction. The ultimate realistic goals are to lose fat and maintain muscle mass, or to add muscle mass and maintain body fat, but they can happen simultaneously, just in smaller increments. I recommend 2100 calories a day or less to lose fat, and between 70-120 grams of carbs a day, but NO white carbs or sugars.
As a girl insulin resistant with PCOS, I thank you for this list/information, it’s good to know. C: