I just read this:" While there is no strict definition of a low-carb diet, anything under 100–150 grams per day is generally considered low-carb. This amount is definitely a lot less than the standard Western diet. ... Most people will need to go under 50 grams per day to reach ketosis"

I can't imagine eating 100 grams a day as being low carb, but maybe it is. I ate 35 yesterday and am finding I'm not particularly hungry. But it's not just HOW many carbs it's what kind.

Would the 16 carbs in a Kind Chocolate nut bar raise blood sugar levels and kick you out of ketosis? I would think so. It would sure start the cravings....I'm wondering how many carbs others eat and what kind?

Thanks

I'm in maintenance and still keep my carbs quite low. I'll admit that I don't count them any more. When I've been in ketosis for a long stretch (as in months) I have no cravings.

I keep WonderSlim bars in the house, but rarely eat them. I like to have them on hand for emergencies like travel and events where I don't want to bother figuring out what to eat.

Each body is so different.

I use most of my carbs for cream, eggs, some veggies, cheese, bacon, deli meat/pickle roll up, mayo, sour cream.

my sausage is 0g carbs all meat

My general rule is <50 per day and no one meal over 20. If a couple meals per week end up at 25 I don't sweat it. I'm active enough to store those carbs first as glycogen instead of immediately kicking me out of ketosis.

Yes, the type of carbohydrate and timing matter. It's all about blood sugar levels and corresponding insulin spikes. So although eating a piece of fruit might be about 20 carbs, the type of sugar is fructose which very quickly enters the bloodstream, offers a fast burst of energy, and raises blood glucose and insulin levels higher and faster than eating 20 carb grams worth of black beans. As for the chocolate nut bar, I've heard people say if some variation of the word "sugar" is within the first 3-5 ingredients they don't eat it. Perhaps eating half a bar as a sometimes treat after a fatty steak with broccoli would be more appropriate.

For my higher carb meals, I may have 1/4 cup black beans with 2 scrambled eggs with pepperjack cheese, 1/2 avocado, hot sauce, and some sour cream. Or my "fajita salad" with romaine, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, a few beans, a few toasted corn kernels, steak or chicken, blue cheese crumbles, and blue cheese dressing. I like to snack on snap peas and hummus. Basically if I'm eating a higher carb meal it also needs to be high in fat and veggies.

Fats, proteins, and fiber all slow down digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and moderate rises in blood glucose and insulin--better for maintaining ketosis. I have tested out a lot of food combinations and carb types and levels on myself over years of going on and off and on again of the ketogenic diet. I'm also very active so I know I can eat more carbs, especially before a workout, and stay in ketosis. This is what works for me but I know it certainly doesn't work for everyone!

I also look at the Satiety Factor. A food which, when eaten, makes me hungrier? That's not what food is for!

Candy bars certainly fall in this category, but so does any food which causes a craving for more. Steak doesn't work like that, but cashews do.

After being very strict and low carb for months last year, I cautiously tried foods which had been "off the table" and found that ONE cashew made me feel unwell for two days. Beans are now on my No List, since lectins are known to be difficult to digest for some people.

If I don't have the enzymes to get the nutrients from the food, the body might urge me to eat MORE of it in an attempt to get more nutrients. The body evolved in a time where no one ate recreationally.

If I'm eating THIS THING it must be an emergency. EAT MORE.

When I first started down this path I was coming from a mostly whole foods, plant based diet ie I was pretty much eating only carbs. So my first goal was to work towards hitting 100g net carbs a day. Because I still had the plant based mentality I was eating those carbs almost all in vegetables and whole grains. I still started seeing GI improvements within the first week/started having an increase in energy/lost some weight/stopped feeling hungry all the time. So I think even doing 100g a day is a good place to be at, especially if someone is just starting out

Now I'm mostly carnivore and don't track carbs but when I have a good day I'm at almost zero (just trace carbs from eggs and low carb dairy etc). I'm more interested in carnivore/'zero carb' vs keto or 'low' carb because of it's simplicity-I don't have to count carbs/measure out portion sizes etc. After struggling through 6 years of weight loss maintenance before I transitioned to low carb, I just can't go back to anything that requires tracking/counting any kind of number/macro. So for me it's just best if I reduce carbs to the point where I don't have to do anything but eat

The answer to the question of how low is low enough when it comes to carbs is different for each of us. If you're wanting a definitive answer for yourself, then you might want to consider investing in a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), to track your blood sugar levels across the day in near-realtime.

Having access to that level of personalised data would allow you to really fine tune things in a way that best suits you, regardless of where on the spectrum that places you relative to anyone else. Which is fine in my mind, it's all about figuring out what works for each of us, to the best of our ability.

Numerous plans are compared on a graph using number of carbs as the comparison factor. The graph also includes a definite line that marks the number of carbs to induce ketosis.

That level has science behind it.

But as we are each n=1, that level varies and is not absolute. Everyone has a personal limit.

FEW diets get under that bar.

My n=1 is to stick as close to Atkins induction as possible (20g or less net carbs). When I stray, I know I'll make it up and the tape (waist measurement) won't lie.

It is the goal of the newly formed Low Carb Coalition to get a TRUE low carb diet included as an option in the 2020 Dietary Guidelines.




More on the current definitions and studies. What is Low Carb? https://lowcarbaction.org/what-is-low-carb/

Jey, thanks for this URL - I have posted it on both Twitter and Facebook and sent it to friends. It's a great overview of what is a low carbohydrate diet.

I lose weight when I cut carbs. I don't get into ketosis until I go very low, and eliminate all kinds of food my body doesn't regard as food.