New Guy (and confused about carbs)

[marlowe221]

Hello everyone! I decided to join up after reading several of Steve's articles.

 

First a little about myself: I am a 31 year old male in basically good health (no diabetes, high bp, etc.). I am 6' 2" 215 lbs or so. I am not worried too much about my numerical weight (I'm tall and have broad shoulders and a large frame so... yeah) but I look a lot like the guy who has 20%-ish body fat in the body fat article - and I am NOT ok with that and it's time to do something about it.

 

My current goal is to look like the guy in the 10-15% picture.

 

I have read the "what is your profession" article and, to be honest, I don't really know. Here's what I do know: despite my physical size, I am a hobbit at heart. I love peace, quiet, food, friends and the beautiful rural area that I live in.

 

Exercise: I do have some limitations due to a chronic structural condition in my right foot (i.e. no running except for brief sprints) but there are lots of things I can do. My current exercise plans include strength training, and walking/hiking. My wife will be walking and hiking with me so that will be fun - we are planning a hike on some of the trails in a local state park this weekend.

 

Edit: I live in a town of about 2100 people. The nearest gym is an hour away. My strength training will be largely body-weight oriented supplemented by whatever hand weights I can find at the nearest Wal-Mart....

 

Food: Not really sure. I have already cut out liquid calories with the exception of a glass of skim milk per day and a beer every two weeks or so. But that's where my plan kind of sputters out when it comes to specifics. I have identified some empty carbs I can easily cut out of my diet (potato chips and cereal, yikes!) but beyond that I'm not sure. I understand that I should be limiting carbs but by how much? What is a good number to shoot for to cut weight/fat but not do myself any harm?

 

Edit: Please tell me I can still eat SOME bread....

[5C0T]

Opinions vary. But the numbers I read suggest that carbs should be about 20-25% of your caloric intake. Most of those carbs should be from whole fruits and veggies. If you don't have gluten allergies, sure treat yourself to some bread and pasta. But make it a treat rather than a daily event.

A friend of mine challenged himself to go sugar-free Monday thru Thursday. Maybe you could do the same with bread.

[Donar]

Hello everyone! I decided to join up after reading several of Steve's articles.

 

First a little about myself: I am a 31 year old male in basically good health (no diabetes, high bp, etc.). I am 6' 2" 215 lbs or so. I am not worried too much about my numerical weight (I'm tall and have broad shoulders and a large frame so... yeah) but I look a lot like the guy who has 20%-ish body fat in the body fat article - and I am NOT ok with that and it's time to do something about it.

 

My current goal is to look like the guy in the 10-15% picture.

 

I have read the "what is your profession" article and, to be honest, I don't really know. Here's what I do know: despite my physical size, I am a hobbit at heart. I love peace, quiet, food, friends and the beautiful rural area that I live in.

 

Exercise: I do have some limitations due to a chronic structural condition in my right foot (i.e. no running except for brief sprints) but there are lots of things I can do. My current exercise plans include strength training, and walking/hiking. My wife will be walking and hiking with me so that will be fun - we are planning a hike on some of the trails in a local state park this weekend.

 

Edit: I live in a town of about 2100 people. The nearest gym is an hour away. My strength training will be largely body-weight oriented supplemented by whatever hand weights I can find at the nearest Wal-Mart....

 

Food: Not really sure. I have already cut out liquid calories with the exception of a glass of skim milk per day and a beer every two weeks or so. But that's where my plan kind of sputters out when it comes to specifics. I have identified some empty carbs I can easily cut out of my diet (potato chips and cereal, yikes!) but beyond that I'm not sure. I understand that I should be limiting carbs but by how much? What is a good number to shoot for to cut weight/fat but not do myself any harm?

 

Edit: Please tell me I can still eat SOME bread....

 

Good news! Sounds like we are of very similar dimensions.

 

- I do zero cardio (I do get aerobic on HR when lifting)

- I eat bread every day

- etc....

- not me....but there are some BW exercise gurus on this site

 

You are in the right place.  There is a wealth of information on this site.....read up and start asking your questions. Lots of good folks around these parts to help get you started.

 

Body composition is all about the nutrition. Carbs are not the enemy.

[marlowe221]

Good news! Sounds like we are of very similar dimensions.

 

- I do zero cardio (I do get aerobic on HR when lifting)

 

 

I'm sorry, what does "HR" mean?

 

On the bread thing - Yeah I'm not talking about eating a loaf a day or anything like that. And of course I am going to stay away from white bread, donuts, etc. When I say bread I mean whole grain breads and not in large amounts.

 

BUT... I am interested in dropping body fat fairly quickly (visible results help with motivation after all) and if avoiding bread completely for a while is the thing to do to make that happen, then I can do it and I am willing to do it.

[Assassin_girl]

I'm a huge carb person myself. My goal is to try out a Paleo meal a week to see if I like it (read: sustain it) before going full-on. There are a few people that have talked about doing Paelo during the week and having "breaks" on the weekends to allow for dinner plans, etc. I have come across recipes for bread using almond flour.

[erazor]

Carbs are, to some extent, necessary to burn fat and for general metabolism (trust me, I'm a biochemist).

But as 5C0T stated, you don't need a lot of it (unless you plan on doing a marathon or the tour de france).

Just cut back on excess carbs and try some of the paleo sources (sweet potatoes, pumpkin etc.), I also just started and find most of them absolutely delicious.

[marlowe221]

I don't think I want to go full-blown paleo. But the organizing principles are attractive to me - eliminating junk food, increasing proportions of meats and vegetables, decreasing "empty carbs," smart fruit eating, and limiting/eliminating liquid calories. I can get behind that and I know I feel better when I eat that way.

 

But I'm a hobbit at heart and so (good) bread and the occasional mug of beer (Guinness please!) are not going away completely. When my wife makes yeast rolls from scratch, as she did the other day, I'm going to have one - but no Wonderbread or donuts!

 

My goals aren't to get "ripped" in any event - they are to reduce the pudge, feel good, and live a long healthy life with my wonderful wife free from preventable chronic disease.

 

Edit: Cross-posted with erazor.... Your post is kind of what I had in mind but I wasn't sure if I would be doing the right thing or wasting my time.