What's the low-down on carbs?

[Ever onward]

Greetings,

I've been on a low carb diet for about a month. I've been consuming on average about 20 grams of carbs per day. I've lost about 40 pounds, granted some of that is muscle but I've lost fat as well.

Clearly cutting carbs does promote weight-loss. My question is, how many grams of carbs should a person have daily to not gain weight and at the same build muscle?

Any info on carbs is much appreciated.

 

[tmpgstx]

I use lots of carbs to build muscle. It depends on your strategy. My body fat is still low but to be both big and ripped without steriods, it has served me well. It's a catalyst for explosive energy. Also, many carb foods are also higher in protein.

 

[Bible_Belt]

The umbrella term of "carb" is very large. I think that Americans see such benefit from cutting carbs because the carbs that are in their diet are the worst kinds. White sugar, white rice, and white flour are garbage compared to their whole-grain counterparts. I think anybody would lose weight from eating a cup of whole grain brown rice before every meal, because the fiber would fill them up. The stuff sits in your stomach and you are not hungry for hours. On the other hand, you could give the same people a cup of white rice (and maybe a sugary coke) before every meal, and they would gain weight because the calories are empty and don't stop hunger. So imo it's more about the type of carb than counting grams.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

The umbrella term of "carb" is very large. I think that Americans see such benefit from cutting carbs because the carbs that are in their diet are the worst kinds. White sugar, white rice, and white flour are garbage compared to their whole-grain counterparts. I think anybody would lose weight from eating a cup of whole grain brown rice before every meal, because the fiber would fill them up. The stuff sits in your stomach and you are not hungry for hours. On the other hand, you could give the same people a cup of white rice (and maybe a sugary coke) before every meal, and they would gain weight because the calories are empty and don't stop hunger. So imo it's more about the type of carb than counting grams.

I agree.

 

[Warboss Alex]

how many carbs is individual which you find out through trial and error.

back in the day I put on 50lbs or so on a fairly low carb diet, but then again, I gain on lower calories too. Other guys need 100s of grams of carbs a day to grow (because of their metabolism and activity levels). Start off lower carb and increase if you're not gaining (as long as your protein is where it should be of course).

Easiest way to think of carbs is that they're an energy source. When you need energy, eat them. I.e. in the morning, post-workout but not before bed (for starters).

I'd never use any sort of carb as a protein source though.