Daily Carb Intake for Weight Loss

Overview
The number of calories you eat, not the type, determine whether you will lose weight. With any weight-loss plan, however, you'll want to consider the percentage of your calories that come from carbohydrates, protein and fat, to create a well-balanced eating plan. You can use recommendations for daily carbohydrate intake from the USDA and other health organizations to create a healthy weight-loss program.

Types
You can divide your carbohydrates into three categories: whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Whole grains and vegetables provide complex carbohydrates, while fruits give you simple sugars. Whole grains include foods such as bread, cereal, pasta, rice. Along with potatoes, these foods are often called white, or starchy, vegetables. Plants that grown on vines, above ground, such as tomatoes, squash, zucchini and pumpkins, are actually fruits.

Considerations
As you plan your diet, consider any health issues you have, such as high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels, diabetes or risk of heart disease. Different carbohydrates provide different amounts of vitamins and minerals, and you should choose your carbs based on the nutrients they provide you.

Carb Amounts by Type
The USDA recommends that whole grains make up the base of your daily calories, followed by fruits and vegetables, while the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight pyramid recommends you eat more fruits and vegetables than whole grains. The South Beach Diet also recommends eating fewer starchy carbohydrates and more fruits and vegetables as part of its weight-loss plan. No peer-reviewed medical research has shown that high-protein diets offer more weight-loss than diets that recommend more carbohydrates.

Carb Servings
The USDA recommends six to 11 servings daily of whole grains, while the Mayo Clinic pyramid recommends four to eight servings. The USDA recommends three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit, while MayoClinic.com suggests a minimum of three servings of fruit each day and four servings of vegetables. The USDA pyramid recommends three to seven servings of protein from sources such as nuts, beans, meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy, while MayoClinic.com recommends four to six servings. The USDA suggests you eat fats sparingly, while MayoClinic.com recommends three to five servings of fats daily. Most of your fats should come in the form of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that come from sources, such as olive oil, nuts and fish.

Weight Loss
To lose 1 lb. of weight, you'll need to burn 3,500 calories. This translates into burning 500 calories more per day than you eat. If you wish to decrease your calories as your only means of weight loss, or use a combination of fewer calories and more exercise, spread your calorie reduction evenly among carbohydrates, proteins and fats to ensure you receive the correct balance of vitamins and minerals you need for good health each day.

www.livestrong.com