How to Eat Carbs and Lose Weight

Carbohydrates provide essential nutrition and energy to the human body; weight loss is possible and practical while eating carbs as long as the carbs themselves are carefully chosen. Complex carbohydrates are much better for the body than simple carbohydrates because the sugars they contain are broken down over a longer period of time. A balanced diet rich in nutrients is a proven way to lose weight and stay healthy in the long run.

Things You'll Need

• Wholesome carb snacks like pretzels, whole grain crackers, low fat breakfast cereal, popcorn, half a bagel, and rice cakes
• Wholesome carbs for dinner like rice, bread, potatoes, tortillas, polenta, and other grains
• Lots of vegetables and some fruits
• Low fat protein to include at breakfast and lunch like fish, poultry, lean meats, tofu, and beans

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Instructions

• 1

  Cut the simple carbohydrates out of your diet. This includes such items like white bread, white rice, semolina pasta and sugary foods such as soft drinks. These items are digested in the body easily and contribute to weight gain instead of weight loss.

• 2

  Add items to your diet that are high in complex carbohydrates such as legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables. Whole grains should be substituted for refined grains and include brown rice, whole wheat flour, steel cut outs, rye, millet and quinoa.

• 3

  Eat approximately 50 percent of your daily calories in carbohydrates. For the average diet of 2,000 calories per day, you should receive 250 grams of carbohydrates from healthy sources. Review the USDA Food Guide when eating to determine how many grams of carbohydrates a food item has in it and eat accordingly.

• 4

  Eat whole and non-processed carbohydrates whenever possible. Whole foods are items that are still mainly intact. For example, an apple is considered a whole food while applesauce is not.