How to Count Carbohydrates to Lose Weight

Carbohydrates get their fair share of press in the health and dieting arenas: good carbs versus bad carbs and one type of low carb diet over another. The truth of the matter is, carbohydrates provide our bodies with the necessary energy to keep our brain and muscles supplied with fuel to function. We need some carbs to stay healthy but not so many carbs that we gain excess weight. Learning to balance carbohydrate intake can help keep our bodies fueled while still managing to shed those extra pounds.

Instructions

1

Set up a weight loss and carbohydrate counting journal. On the first page, write your target weight goal at the top. Leave the rest of page one blank for now. On the next page, write today's date at the top. Draw a vertical line down the middle of the page. Label the left column "foods eaten" and the right column "carbohydrates." At the beginning of each day, create another foods eaten and carbohydrates page.

2

Weigh yourself on a scale and record your starting weight and the date on page one of your journal. Place your first weight entry under your target weight goal. Each week, weigh yourself and record your weight in the journal. Resist the temptation to step on the scale more than once a week since weight fluctuates up and down on a daily basis.

3

Read nutrition labels for every food you eat. Eat good carb foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains instead of bad carb foods such as white breads, white rice, cookies and cupcakes. As a general guideline, good carbohydrates have higher fiber content while bad carbohydrates tend to be highly processed and refined foods with lower fiber content.

4

Set a target daily carbohydrate count. For example, if you plan to follow a specific low-carb diet that suggests consuming 30g of carbohydrates per day for the first two weeks and then slowly raising carbohydrate counts over a period a time, use these limits to establish your daily count. Or you may choose to reduce your carbohydrate intake by 6g per day and monitor your weight loss progress from this starting point.

5

Divide up your target carbohydrate count between breakfast, lunch and dinner by dividing your carbohydrate allotment by three. This provides a guideline for carbohydrate amounts that may be consumed for each meal. If you plan to add a small snack between meals, lower your carbohydrate count for each meal slightly to build in enough carbohydrates for a snack or two depending on your hunger levels.

6

Record food consumed and carbohydrate counts in your journal. Record even the smallest of snacks in your journal. Keep a running total of the amount of carbohydrates consumed so you don't go over your goal.

7

Exercise at least 30 minutes a day a few times a week. Record your total exercise time and type of activity at the bottom of your foods eaten page in your journal. Three short 10-minute power walks per day count as 30 minutes of exercise.

8

Monitor your weight loss each week. During the first few weeks of a low carbohydrate diet, you may drop five or more pounds of weight. After the initial two weeks, aim to lose no more than one to two pounds per week for successful, long-term weight loss. If your weight loss is too rapid, increase your carbohydrate intake by 5g or 10g to reach a healthy weight loss amount. If you are not losing weight, decrease your carbohydrate intake by 5g per day to reach a healthy weight loss speed.