How Many Carbs To Eat When Losing Weight

Carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel, and how many carbs you should eat depends on several things. When broken down, carbs provide us with glucose, a preferred source of energy. Glucose travels through the bloodstream to support our cells, muscles, tissues and organs. Breathing, thinking, running, weightlifting — all of our daily activities are fueled by glucose.

Still, there are many myths surrounding carbs — and they’re unfairly demonized due to diet culture. When deciding how many carbs to consume per day, it’s important to assess your individual goals and take into account the quality of the carbs you consume.

The Institute of Medicine recommends getting 45–65% of total daily calories from carbohydrates. The MyFitnessPal default recommendation is 50%, but that’s a starting point, which can be tweaked according to your specific needs.

How Many Calories Should I Eat Per Meal To Lose Weight?

Let’s say your total daily calorie target is 1, 600 calories. If you are looking to eat around 50% of calories from carbohydrates, you’ll need to aim for 200g of carbs per day. The MyFitnessPal app calculates it automatically, but to get that number, you multiply daily target calories by 0.5 and then divide by 4 (since carbs contain 4 calories per gram). So, in the above example 1, 600 X 0.5 = 800/4 = 200.

Ultimately, the number of carbohydrates you need to focus on consuming in a day depends on your goals. For example, an endurance athlete running a marathon needs more carbohydrates than someone whose goal is to lose weight.

If you’re looking to shed pounds, you may want to shift the percentage of calories from carbohydrates to 40%. In the example above, instead of 200g of carbs, your target would be 160g [1, 600 X 0.4 = 640/4 = 160 grams].

How Many Carbs Should You Eat Per Day?

Carbohydrates from whole-food sources like fruits, vegetables and whole grains provide vitamins, minerals,  fiber and health-promoting phytochemicals. These are also called complex carbohydrates and are made of longer chains of sugar molecules. Longer chains mean they take more time to hit the bloodstream and have a slower energy release, helping stabilize blood sugar levels. Complex also means they often come packaged with healthy fats and protein in addition to fiber. These are foods like brown rice,  whole-grain bread,  beans, legumes,  sweet potatoes and whole-wheat pasta — all of which offer a much better bang for your calorie buck and support weight-loss.

Simple carbohydrates are made of easier-to-digest sugars. For endurance activities and weight training, these can be a very important source of energy. They hit the bloodstream very quickly and are known to produce a quick-release “sugar high.” Some of these simple sugars are naturally occurring — like those found in fruits and dairy products. More often, however, simple sugars are used in processed and refined foods like candy, white bread and sodas. They are common sources of “empty calories” or added sugars.

Simple sugars are OK on occasion and during certain training routines for athletes and performance regimens, but should not be your primary carbohydrate source. When you consume large amounts of added sugar, it can lead to weight gain and increase the likelihood of heart disease and diabetes. It can also upset sleeping patterns and disrupt the gut microbiome, which affects everything from digestion to our mood and energy levels.

Should I Be Focusing On Decreasing My Carbohydrate Or Fat Intake To Lose Weight?

As mentioned earlier, the body needs carbs in the form of glucose for energy. But when you overdo it on carbs, the body stores excess glucose in the liver and muscles as glycogen. To get to the fat-burning stage, you need to use up your glycogen stores.

A carbohydrate deficit can lead to weight loss, and it does for many people, which is why it’s become so popular to cut carbs. But remember: Carbohydrates are essential. They fuel our workouts, brains, muscles and organs. An extreme deficit in carbohydrates over time could affect cognition, lead to muscle loss and even impact gut health. Similarly, if you’re drastically cutting carbs, you might have cravings for sugary foods (a signal your body is looking for energy). This could lead to binge eating or other disordered habits and ultimately gaining the weight back.

The keto diet is an example of a popular, very-low-carbohydrate diet with a target of less than 50 grams in a day. For our 1, 600-calorie example above, that’s roughly 12% of total daily calories from carbohydrates.

What To Eat For Breakfast To Lose Weight

While the keto diet might be right for some people, if you’re using it more as a quick fix rather than a lifestyle change you can sustain long term, you might want to rethink it.

Carbohydrates play an important role in our everyday health and shouldn’t be feared. Both simple and complex carbohydrates can be part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. It’s extremely important to focus on quality, in addition to quantity, especially if you’re choosing to follow a low-carb eating style. Prioritize carbs from whole-food sources like ancient grains, fruits and vegetables. Keep a food log and notice how the amount of carbs you consume affects your energy and your waistline. From there, you can continue to adjust the amount you consume depending on your goals. If you need help to get started, reach out to a registered dietitian who can create an individualized plan.

Sidney Fry, MS, RD Sidney is a two-time James Beard Award-winning food and nutrition writer, editor and mom based out of Birmingham, Alabama. A registered dietitian with a passion for research and being proactive about health, she loves to eat, write, run and create simple, tasty meals with whole-food-based approach. Find out more from her website , Instagram  or Twitter .Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN, Nutrition — By Kris Gunnars, BSc and Alina Sharon — Updated on May 12, 2023

How Many Carbs Should You Eat For Weight Loss?

If you’re looking to lose weight, eating fewer carbs may help. How many carbs you should eat daily depends on your age, sex, body type, and activity level.

For some people, a low carb diet allows them to eat until fullness, feel satisfied, and still lose weight. This article reviews how many carbs you should eat daily to lose weight.

If you’re not looking to lose weight by cutting carbs, then you can follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that carbs provide

How Many Carbs A Day To Lose Weight? Expert Insights In 2023

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value for carbs is 275 grams (g) per day when eating a 2, 000-calorie diet.

In general, if you’re looking to lose weight by reducing carbs, you can start removing the unhealthiest carb sources from your diet, such as refined wheat and added sugars. But to unlock the potential metabolic benefits of low carb diets, you also need to restrict other carb sources.

That said, while it’s a good idea to watch your carb portions, it’s also important to eat quality foods instead, such as high fiber carbs like vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.

Want To Lose Weight Fast? These Science Backed Tips Can Help You Lose Weight Sustainably

If you only cut carbs without paying attention to the rest of your diet, you may not see the best results. You also may not get all the nutrients you need.

Summary It’s a good idea to watch your carb portions, but how many carbs you should eat depends on many factors. It’s also important to make sure to replace the carbs with other quality foods.

Show that low carb diets can reduce a person’s appetite, lead to them eating fewer calories, and help them to lose weight more easily than other diets, provided they maintain the diet.

How Many Grams Of Carbs Should You Eat Per Day?

Comparing low carb and low fat diets, researchers found that participants who ate a low carb diet saw better weight loss results for up to a year compared with those who ate a low fat diet.

The researchers also found that the same people who ate a low carb diet had lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), but they also ended up with an increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, as well as total cholesterol.

Focusing specifically on people living with obesity didn’t find a substantial difference in weight loss for 24 months after either a low-carbohydrate or a low fat diet. These studies suggest that a low carb diet may help some people lose weight but may not be right for others.

No Carb Diet: Benefits, Downsides, And Foods List

Low carb diets also have benefits that go beyond just weight loss. They can help to lower blood sugar, which is important for people living with diabetes. Research also shows a low carb diet can also help lower your blood pressure.

Low carb diets such as the ketogenic diet help reduce your blood levels of insulin, a hormone that brings the glucose from carbs into the body’s cells.

One of the functions of insulin is to store fat. Many experts believe that the reason low carb diets work so well is that they reduce your levels of this hormone.

Easy To Follow Carb Rules For Weight Loss

Summary Many studies show that low carb diets can be more effective than low fat diets for weight loss, but the research is inconsistent, showing a potential for an increase in cholesterol. That said, low carb diets can help reduce blood pressure, sodium, and glucose.

Researchers define low-carbohydrate diets as ones that contain less than 20 to 120 g of carbohydrates per day. That said, different diets may restrict carbs to a different degree. Some may allow you to eat a bit more.

That said, an individual’s ideal carb intake depends on age, sex, body composition, activity levels, personal preference, food culture, and current metabolic health.

Stop Restricting To Lose Weight

Summary Low carb diets usually contain fewer than 20 to 120 g of carbohydrates per day. But optimal carb intake varies between individuals, depending on activity levels, current metabolic health, and many other factors.

A low carb