How do I Count Carbs For Weight Loss?

Most packaged foods have their carbohydrate content listed on the nutritional information panel. High carbohydrate foods include bread, cakes, doughnuts, most flour-based products such as pasta and noodles, sugar, molasses and sweeteners, legumes, fruits and some vegetables. You can count carbohydrates by grams or by servings. One serving equals 15 grams of carbohydrate. Watch out for portion sizes. They may be larger than you realize. The recommended serving size for one cup of hot packaged cereal is often two carbohydrate servings, or 30 grams.

Things You'll Need

• Notepad
• Pen
• Low carb recipe book

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Instructions

Eat 20 to 50 grams of carbohydates to lose weight.

• 1

  Compute your daily carbohydrate count. It should average between 20 and 50 grams a day, depending on which particular diet you are following and how much weight you need to lose. During the first stage of the Atkins plan, the limit is 20 grams per day.

• 2

  Find your "Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing" (CCLL). Every body is different. The easiest way to find your CCLL is to monitor your own progress. Track your weight loss, and watch for signs that you are getting the proper amount of carbohydrates. An increase in energy level and mental alertness means you are on the right track.

• 3

  Utilize the low carb food pyramid as a guide to foods containing the least amount of carbohydrates. Unlike the conventional food pyramid, it recommends higher portions of lean meats, eggs and fish, smaller amounts of berries and fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, low fat dairy and oils.

• 4

  Fish contains no carbohydrates.

  Choose low carb protein foods. These include beef, lamb, veal, chicken, turkey, duck, most cold cuts, fish and shellfish, frankfurters, pork and most sausages. Protein foods with 0.6 grams to 1 gram of carbohydrate per ounce include eggs and most cheeses.

• 5

  Eat soy products. These usually contain up to 6 grams of carbohydrate per ounce of protein. These include veggie burgers, tofu, meatless bacon and sausage, and other soy substitutes for fish and chicken.

• 6

  Use Low carb recipe books. These will list all the ingredients you need for a recipe and tell you exactly how many carbohydrates are in it.

• 7

  Keep a record of serving sizes and carbohydrate counts of your favorite foods, and take it with you when you eat out. For example, a slice of bread, half a cup of cooked cereal and a half a cup of cooked pasta each contain 15 grams of carbohydrate.