Carbs?

I've been calorie counting, but I keep hearing all this talk about how I need to make sure I'm getting enough carbs. I try to have bread as well as potatoes occasionally but don't know if that's enough. Basically don't know what amount of carbs I should be aiming for right now. I'm 5'4" and 101 lbs (BMI 17.3). Also, what could be the consequences of not getting enough carbs? I've been focusing on calories so much that I've basically been ignoring carbs.

Well, to be honest, if you're eating a large amount (ie the recommended 2500 and upwards) you are likely eating enough carbohydrate. A general ratio to go by is something like 40-30-30 carbs/protein/fat. I might be wrong, here, but that's largely what I aim for.

If you're trying to gain weight then carbohydrates and fats are very  useful because they're the most energy dense foods.  A reasonably balanced diet can have 50-60% carbohydrate, 25-30% fats and about 15-20% protein... but you may wish to eat more fats, for example.   Carbohydrates are a such a wide food group.... ranging from fruit and vegetables, through grains and pulses to simple sugars and starches.... that if you don't get enough of them, chances are your diet could be fairly limited.  The complex carbohydrates and wholegrains are a great source of vitamins, minerals and useful dietary fibre.  The simple starches and sugars are excellent as pure energy and tend not to be very filling... ideal for someone like you.

Try to get a portion of complex carbohydrates at each meal.  A 'portion' would be about 1/3 of your plate..... oatmeal at breakfast, for example, some bread with lunch and some rice with supper.

Thanks, very helpful.

Um, in the nutrition class I had to take in undergrad pre-med they told us 60-65% carb, 10-15% protein, 25-30% fat.

Not enough carbs:  harder digestion, more strain on kidneys that already struggle when you're underweight, and less energy and increased muscle digestion.

Listen to the medical student! D:

is 300g of carbs a day too many?  its 62% of intake.  DONT YELL AT ME!  I raised em... think i may have gone overboard...

No that's not too much.  If you're actively trying to gain weight, the more, the better.   There's this weird suspicion surrounding 'carbs' for some bizarre reason.   Carbohydrates (let's respect them with their full title) are a really important part of the diet and so many extremely healthy foods fall into the food-group that, if you get a good selection, there should be no reason to think they're going to cause problems.