Are you thinking of doing a plan like Atkins? Then you need to be asking yourself how many carbs per day are needed to lose weight on a plan like that. Low carb food plans are very specific about how many carbs per day you need in order to lose, maintain, or gain weight. Here's a glimpse into the low carb world that will help you learn how to lose, maintain, or gain weight and keep you in control of your weight loss goals.
Only Net Carbs Count
The first thing you need to understand when counting carbs is that the only carbs that count are net carbs. Net carbs are the only carbs that affect your blood sugar. Net carbohydrates are the carbs you get when you subtract the fiber of a food from the total carbohydrate count. So for instance, if you read the label on a can of vegetables and it says: Fiber 4 grams, Carbohydrates 10 grams, then your net carbohydrate per serving would be 6.
Don't Go Over 20 Net Carbs Initially
Studies have concluded that on the Atkins plan, in order to lose weight, you need to stay at or below 20 net carbs. 12 to 15 of those carbs need to come mostly from vegetables. You're allowed to eat most any kind of protein on this plan - as much as you need to feel full. So if you love bacon, sausage, veal, shrimp, steak with butter, this is a dieter's dream as long you eat your veggies.
What Does 20 Net Carbs Look Like?
So how do you fit in all those carbs that's supposed to come from veggies? Well, some vegetables are higher in carbs than others. During the first 2 weeks of induction, you pick vegetables from the low and medium carb group. So for instance, 20 net carbohydrates is the equivalent of roughly 4 cups of salad greens and 2 cups cooked vegetables.
That seems like a lot, but getting those 20 net carbs of veggies in is really quite easy. Here's a sample of a day on Atkins with a total net carbohydrate of 20:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs and sausages; ½ cup steamed spinach
Snack: 1 stick string cheese; ½ Haas avocado
Lunch: Roast beef; 4 cups mixed salad greens; ½ cup mung bean sprouts; 5 black olives; 2 tablespoon chopped onions; 2 tablespoon lemon dill vinaigrette
Snack: 10 green olives; 1 slice cheddar cheese
Dinner: Baked salmon steak; 6 asparagus spears; 2 cups arugula; 5 cherry tomatoes; ½ cup sliced cucumbers 2 tablespoon Italian dressing
The total amount of net carbs for this menu is 20 net carbs. Out of those 20 carbs, 16 come from vegetables! This seems like a ton of food, and it is. But it's the right kinds of food that will enable you to lose massive weight in a very short period of time.
In fact, you can easily lose up to 15 pounds during the first two weeks eating on this plan as long as you stick within your allotted carbs. So in answer to the question, "How many carbs per day to lose weight?" The answer is 20 net carbs.