Ideal carbs and sugar per day?

I'm trying to set up some guidelines for myself and can't find this info in one place.  I want to know what should my guideline limits be for carbs and sugar each day?  I know I'm way over the proper amount on a dalily basis and need guidance.   I'm not trying to eliminate carbs but just to be in a healthy range because I know a lot of my weight is coming from having too much carbs and sugar in my daily diet.

The reason that you can't find this is that there is no answer. Some people might find that higher or lower amounts of carbs and more specifically sugar work better for them, but in general, you want to aim for "balanced" and even that is subjective.

My rule of thumb is make sure you are getting at least 20% of your calories from each macronutrients group (fat, protein, carbs) and from there, you need to figure out what works for you. Some people really can't handle carbs, even whole grains, and others (like me) would be miserable without them.

Carbs themselves do not typically cause weight gain, but some people do have insulin issues that make them more sensitive to carbs. But for most people, the issue is that they are eating more calories than they burn. Not that they are getting those calories from the wrong sources.

So if I only consume 1400 calories per day but the calories come from pizza, cokes, and cake then I will still lose weight because I burning more calories than I consume?

On the cc website, they say that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are as follows:

Fat:  20 - 35% of total calories, with only 10 percent of calories from saturated fat
Protein:  10 - 35% of total calories
Carbohydrate:  45 – 65% of total calories, with added sugar (not natural sugar) limited to 10 – 25%.

This is somewhere on the Advice or Tools section, I believe. I keep a printed copy at my computer to refer to each day, so my daily intake is fairly balanced. I look at it throughout the day and try to adjust my food selections accordingly.

In theory, but you'll reach 1400 in pizza, coke, and cake really quickly and you'll still be hungry, but if you use lean meats, healthy fats, whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies, you'll be able to stretch that 1400 a lot further.

Plus, weight loss isn't the only element to being healthy.

That makes sense.  I see that you have lost quite a bit of weight.   Congratulations.  What was your daily calorie goal?  Did you exercise much?

I've got the details in my profile, but I was aiming for 1450-1650, and exercising every other day, at first with cardio, and then transitioned into weight lifting. Currently, besides walking, my only exercise is lifting. I only wish I had started lifting heavy free weights earlier.

Why do you say that you wished you had started lifting free weights earlier?  

'Cause they made such a big difference to how I looked - instead of waiting for the weight loss to help me look better, I could have been improving my appearence from the start. Plus, ensuring that I wasn't losing muscle during my weight loss is something that should be started as soon as possible.

You lose fat through keeping a deficit. Unfortunately, you typically lose some muscle as well. Lifting helps keep the muscle around. And muscle a) burns more calories than fat and b) takes up less space than fat. Oh, and c) being strong rocks - my back (which I've had issues with since I was a kid) has gotten so much better since I started lifting.

Thanks very much for your responses.  Very helpful.

No problem :)

Oh, and about looking better with the weights - I'm a pear. I'm still a pear, but lifting for upper body really helped my shoulders look better - now I look like an hourglass, even though the measurements say I'm still a pear.

If you want more on lifting weights, I recommend stumptuous.com and the book New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Oh, and about looking better with the weights - I'm a pear. I'm still a pear, but lifting for upper body really helped my shoulders look better - now I look like an hourglass, even though the measurements say I'm still a pear.

x2. I`m amazed at how much broader my shoulders are, admittedly some of it must be due to posture improvement, but that was also a result of lifting. And I don`t mean broad in a masculine, gross way, I think I look even more feminine than before, because of the visual effect it has on my waist. (broad shoulders + naturally wide hips = normal waist appears really slim)