What is considered to be low carbs

[QuestionGuy]

Hey I have been low carbin it at about 80-110 carbs a day but since i have stopped the ephedra I have just been hungry 24/7....What is considered to be a "low carb" cutting diet at how much carbs are you really considered to be at a low...My carbs come from protein shakes, fat free cheese and once a day from wheat bread which is most of my carbs anyway..

 

[Unreal]

Depends on who you ask. ~100g is low, 30-50 is very low in my mind but to some people 200 is low.

 

[ZECH]

IMO you need at least 10-20% of your calories in carbs daily.

 

[danzik17]

IMO you need at least 10-20% of your calories in carbs daily.

Why?

 

[Built]

Good question.

It really depends on a lot of factors. For some, this will be FAR too low. For others, it may be sufficient while eating 15 X bodyweight - ie maintenance calories. If you're doing a keto or cyclic keto diet, it's far too high, at least for your keto days.

I'm a little uncomfortable with a blanket recommendation for a certain percentage - or a certain number of grams, for that matter - of a non-essential macronutrient.

 

[Kevsworld]

Most lowcarb diets are under 50 grams of carbs a day. This is if you are trying to induce ketosis.

Lyle McDonald has written an excellent book on this:
Strong and Fit: The Ketogenic Diet, by Lyle McDonald (Review)

 

[Yanick]

I'm eating ~100g/day and it feels pretty low carb, I've eaten <50g/day though so thats what Very Low Carb? Its really just a subjective saying, which I, personally, don't like. Its the same as saying heavy weight or high reps or the best is when people say you gotta go really heavy for high reps. Give me numbers and things make sense. % of 1RM, Rep Ranges, Total Carbs or % of Carbs in the diet. You can actually do something with those things, as opposed to saying Low Carb, which really doesn't mean anything.

 

[Built]

^^ exactly. Then you've got the "zero carb" extremists. It really just comes down to how your body responds. I mean, even pure protein stimulates an insulin response - particularly milk proteins.

 

[QuestionGuy]

^^ exactly. Then you've got the "zero carb" extremists. It really just comes down to how your body responds. I mean, even pure protein stimulates an insulin response - particularly milk proteins.

Yo, built, thanx for the response makes sense, i feel f=pretty comfortable wiht my current diet assuming I actually stick to it most of the time, i hate the weekends because that is when i mess up most of the time.....But since i broke the habit to eata evary three hours i have really seen a lot of good changes, no frequent bloating or lots of water retention....for example i used to strictly consume some kidn of food every three hours like i would eat a big ass burrito as a cheat meal then three hours later i would stuff myself wiht a protein shake whcih would result in more calories in just becasue i thought that protein every three hours was a MUST.....now i just watch my calories and go wihtout eating for 4-5 hours simetimes when i have no need to...and yes it is working...........................BTW, i have tried this on no cardio at all but its not wokring for me, cardio is defenantly helping me out in the morning so i will continue to do 20 minutes on the bike every mroning before eating anything....

 

[Built]

20 minutes of moderate cardio in the morning never made anyone disappear.

I'm glad you're more comfortable and feel you are getting better results now that you've gotten away from the scheduled feedings.

 

[ZECH]

Why?

Personally if I didn't get at least that much I cound not function in workouts the way I do now. It really depends on your goals, much like Built said. I don't beleive in zero carb days and feel anyone will benefit from a little carbs each day no matter what your goal is.

 

[Built]

Hmmm... "benefit" may be too strong a word. "Tolerate", for sure. On a low carb day, when I'm cycling "high" and "low" days, I can't honestly say what the benefit would be - but it's a pretty boring-assed diet with ZERO carbs!

 

[danzik17]

Personally if I didn't get at least that much I cound not function in workouts the way I do now. It really depends on your goals, much like Built said. I don't beleive in zero carb days and feel anyone will benefit from a little carbs each day no matter what your goal is.

I can agree with the functioning in workouts. It's always more fun do lift with carbs, and it's especially fun to lift after a carb load.