Can I Lose Weight While Eating Carbs

Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN, Nutrition — By Kris Gunnars, BSc and Alina Sharon — Updated on May 12, 2023

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.

Ways To Eat Carbs And Still Lose Weight — Eat This Not That

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

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

Can You Lose Weight While Eating Carbs And Which Carbohydrate Foods Are Good For Health?

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.

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.

Meals A Day Diet

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

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 diet isn’t just about weight loss. It may also improve your health. For this reason, the diet should be based on whole, unprocessed foods and healthy carb sources. Low carb junk foods are often unhealthy.

Discover How To Eat Carbs And Still Lose Weight

Look for carbohydrate sources that include fiber. If you prefer a moderate carb intake, try to choose unrefined starch sources, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats, and brown rice.

For more details on specific foods to eat, check out this list of low carb foods and this detailed low carb meal plan and sample menu.

Summary It’s very important to choose healthy, fiber-rich carb sources. A healthy diet includes plenty of vegetables, even at the lowest level of carb intake.

You Can't Lose Weight While Eating Carbs”

Of the fat in their abdominal cavity, also known as visceral fat or belly fat, compared with people who were on a low fat diet, who lost only 1%. Visceral fat is the most dangerous fat and is strongly associated with many diseases.

Keep in mind, these results were average for this specific research study. You may lose more or less depending on your body and the specific factors that may be influencing your metabolism.

Summary There are a few studies estimating an average weight loss amount, but they can’t be applied to everyone, as each person’s body and weight loss journey can be unique.

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You may lose weight faster on 50 g of carbs a day or less, but it depends on what else you’re eating, how many calories you’re consuming, how active you are, and many other factors. In addition, eating slightly more carbs may lead to lower but more sustainable weight loss.

Eating less than 50 g of carbs a day is the most limiting low-carbohydrate diet. That said, consider seeing a healthcare professional or dietician first to see what diet is best for you given your specific needs and health parameters.

Before starting the low carb diet, try tracking how many carbs you eat on a typical day and whether they’re healthy or unhealthy. There are free apps that can help.

Weight Loss: Carbs Could Help Weight Loss

Because fiber doesn’t really count as carbohydrates, you can exclude fiber grams from the total number. Instead, count net carbs using this calculation: net carbs = total carbs − fiber.

If you’re not losing weight or your weight loss slows down during the low carb diet, check out these possible reasons why.

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Carbs are not the enemy! It may not seem like it—especially with the rise of popular low-carb diets, like keto—but eating carbs is an important macronutrient in one's overall diet

Can help you lose weight. The key is to focus on complex carbohydrates that will make you feel full, instead of simple, refined carbs that will leave you feeling hungrier and hungrier. That's why we put together a list of how to eat carbs and still lose weight.

With these eight strategies in mind, you'll not only be able to not only maintain those weight loss goals, but you'll also put together a few delicious meals along the way. Enjoy pizza? Pasta? A slice of toast in the morning? You can have all of these tasty items on a

Should I Count Calories Or Carbs For Weight Loss?

So if you're looking to eat carbs and still lose weight, we have answers for you right here. And for more healthy eating tips, be sure to check out our list of 21 Best Healthy Cooking Hacks of All Time.

What's the more diet-friendly pizza: plain cheese or supreme? The answer may surprise you. Turns out adding protein to your pizza can actually support your weight loss goals. That's because rounding out a starchy meal with protein can reduce its Glycemic Index (GI), a measure of how quickly blood glucose levels rise in response to food with a measure of one to 100. Studies suggest the lower the score, the better for weight loss.

Complex carbohydrates like whole grains tend to score lower on the scale. But you can further lower a high-carb meal's glycemic load—and feel fuller—by adding protein, which slows down digestion, keeping blood sugar steady. A simple cheese pizza, for example, has a GI of 80, while a fully loaded Supreme pie scores a 36. Adding fat to a meal has the same GI lowering effect, but it also adds far more calories; moreover, a study in The Journal of Nutrition found protein to be 3 times more effective at reducing glucose response than fat. Enjoy your favorite pizza and pasta dishes with lean protein toppings—and stay lean and mean yourself.

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Found eating 150 grams of strawberries (about a cup) with a 50-gram slice of white bread reduced the insulin response 36% more than the berry-less bread eaters. A mixture of strawberries, bilberries, cranberries, and black currants was even more effective,