How many carbs per day can I actually eat to avoid gaining weight? Do I have to completely eliminate carbs from my diet? It's all here :)
Such a delicious wholemeal roll is already something fine. Then a portion of pasta for lunch and another sandwich in the evening.
But let's be honest: How many carbohydrates per day are ok and what is clearly too much?
Carbohydrates make you fat. Do they?
No. Even if many nutrition gurus would like to make you believe that. It's not that simple.
Carbohydrates are important and good energy suppliers. Our brain and muscles need carbs to be able to work.
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But if we eat too many carbohydrates per day, we put on body fat.
How many carbohydrates per day are ok?
If only it were that simple. Everyone has an individual carbohydrate requirement.
It depends on whether you are a woman or a man, how much exercise you do, how much you weigh, and much more. Also, how healthy your thyroid is and how healthy you eat affects your carbohydrate needs.
But it also depends on what carbohydrates you eat. It makes a difference whether they come from household sugar or from a wholemeal roll.
Delicious: recipe for wholemeal rolls with carrots
In order for you to calculate how many carbs per day are okay, you need to know your basal metabolic rate.
Basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy your body needs to maintain all metabolic functions.
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Calculate basal metabolic rate as a woman
655.1 + (9.6 x body weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)
Sounds very complicated or? Here comes an example :)
Lena is 32 years old, 165 tall and weighs 60 kilograms.
655.1 + (9.6 x 60) +(1.8 x 165) - (4.7 x 32) = 1377.70
Lena's basal metabolic rate is 1377.70 calories.
This is how easy you can increase your basal metabolic rate
The PAL value
With the PAL value you can calculate your need for carbohydrates per day. The Physical Activity Level tells you how much you move.
It makes a big difference whether you spend 8 hours sitting, are on your feet a lot and additionally do sports. Or whether you are more of a couch potato. It depends on how many carbohydrates per day are ok for your body.
This is what happens to your body when you don't move enough
These are all factors that affect how much energy you burn each day. And that in turn affects your carbohydrate needs.
1.2 to 1.3 predominantly sitting or lying down. Especially frail or bedridden people
1.4 to 1.5 predominantly sitting with hardly any sport. Especially office workers without sport
1.6 to 1.7 sedentary, walking or standing with little exercise. Mainly assembly line workers with light sport activity.
1.8 to 1.9 predominantly walking and standing. Especially seller
2.0 to 2.4 physically demanding and very active in leisure time. Like construction workers and competitive athletes
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How many carbohydrates per day you can eat
So now you have your basal metabolic rate and can roughly estimate your activity level. Now you can calculate your energy needs.
Basal metabolic rate x PAL value
The result is only a rough guide. For example, you will have a higher value if you are pregnant and a lower value if you have broken your leg and cannot move. The more you move, the higher your energy requirement will be.
The German Nutrition Society recommends that about 50 % of total energy per day come from carbohydrates.
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For women, the average is 220 grams of carbohydrates per day. One speaks of a low carb diet when one consumes less than 100 grams of carbs.
The more athletic you are, the higher your carbohydrate needs.
So it can't hurt if instead of eating bread and pasta 5x a day, you also eat low-carb meals once in a while. There are plenty of low carb foods that are really delicious.
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Tip: Order the cookbook "222 Low Carb Recipes" at Amazon. Here are delicious ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Carbohydrates per day from food
You can find carbs in a whole range of foods. However, you have to differentiate a bit. Because there are healthy carbohydrate sources and less healthy ones.
Or to put it another way: Complex carbohydrates go first. They keep you full for a long time thanks to their high fiber content. And they provide vitamins, minerals and plenty of secondary plant compounds.
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What you should stay away from: Sugar and white flour. Instead of pasta and pastries made from white flour with sugar, you should eat healthy foods. They are characterized by the fact that they are little processed and usually have a high proportion of fiber.
Without the right carbs, you'll have a hard time building muscle or losing weight.
Good sources of carbohydrates
- Potatoes, beets, onion
- Rice
- Pumpkin, sweet potato
- Fruit and berries
- Honey
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Vegetables
Lena can eat about 200 grams of carbohydrates per day. She can cover this requirement in this way:
- 50 grams of oatmeal with yogurt and apple,
- 2 pieces of wholemeal bread with cottage cheese spread and vegetables,
- 100 grams of brown rice with vegetables and fish.
But can you lose weight with fewer carbohydrates?
Yes, in principle this is possible. Because if you only eat healthy carbs, you automatically cut out white flour and sugar. And these are the biggest fatteners par excellence.
You'll love these low calorie snacks!
However, you should not completely give up carbohydrates. Otherwise you risk a yoyo effect. And cravings for pasta :)
Much better than eating no carbs at all is to reach for healthy carbs. That means no more processed foods!
At least 3x sports per week should also be on your plan. Then nothing will stand in the way of your dream of losing weight.
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The advantage of "healthy" carbohydrates is that they keep you full for a long time. At the same time, they provide vitamins and nutrients. Doing without them completely is not such a good idea.
Our conclusion
How many carbohydrates per day are okay for you depends on a number of factors. As a guideline, however, you can take about 150-200 g.
If you don't want to gain weight, it's important to get your carbs from healthy foods. Eliminate white flour and sugar from your diet and focus on complex carbohydrates.
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