How to Calculate Daily Carbohydrate Intake for Weight Control

For many people, losing weight will be a lifelong challenge. When you lose weight, you feel great. But when you gain weight, you feel guilty. Carbohydrates are an essential part of the fuel building system your body needs to function. Losing weight can be achieved and maintained when you understand your body and the positive role that carbohydrates play when calculating your daily calorie intake.

Carbohydrates come in different variations. For example, some foods are considered "good" carbohydrates because of the way your body reacts. Fruits and vegetables perform specific functions such as fighting chronic diseases. Other types of carbohydrates are considered "bad" and can have adverse affects on your overall health.  Processed foods and sweets react negatively and have underlying causes related to heart disease and diabetes. Being able to determine the type and amount of carbohydrates your body requires to reduce your weight and run at optimal level can be achieved if you follow certain guidelines:

• Speak with your doctor before making any major changes to your diet or calorie intake. Your doctor should be able to pinpoint the daily number of calories your body requires to successfully lose weight.

• Target your weight loss to approximately two pounds per week. To accomplish this goal, you will need to decrease your daily caloric intake by 1,000. Note: If you are diabetic, hypoglycemic or restricted to a minimum number of calories per day, consult your physician for an adjusted number.

• Change your targeted calorie intake by no more than 200 per day if you consistently feel hungry. Remember, you don’t want feel like you are starving yourself. Your main goal is to lose weight on a daily basis. This may include making certain adjustments along the way. As long as you reduce your maximum caloric intake while increasing your positive carbohydrates you will lose weight at a healthy, steady level.

• Consider researching resources that will provide you with the percentage of carbohydrates that are recommended to be consumed. Determine the ratio of carbohydrates to calories. Most medical advisors advise that a maximum consumption of approximately 45 to 65 percent of your total daily caloric intake come from carbohydrates. Lower percentages have been quoted by other medical sources. These numbers advise no more than 35 percent to ensure consistent weight loss and a healthy vascular system.

• Change your maximum carbohydrate percentages into calories so you can monitor daily. Multiply the calorie intake by the carbohydrate percentage. If your daily intake is 2,000, multiply by 45 and the number of calories that come from carbohydrates is 900.

• Know how to convert carbohydrate grams into calories. Keep this information handy when choosing meal options. One single gram of carbohydrates is the equivalent of four calories. If you multiply the number of grams of carbohydrates by four, you can arrive at the number of calories that the carbohydrates represent.