Counting Carbohydrates
If you are on a low carb diet, counting carbohydrates is a vital part of making certain that your diet is a success. There is an art to counting carbohydrates which you need to master before you can succeed at your diet. First, you must be able to read a carbohydrate chart accurately. There are several components to a carbohydrate chart. First, there is the food item being referenced. Typically, this is an ingredient or main dish without any toppings or sides. For example, chicken breast or pasta could be on the list, but not spaghetti and meatballs. Next, there is a serving size. Knowing the serving size is vital do make a proper calculation. Finally, there is a list of how many grams of carbohydrates are in the food. Counting carbohydrates is a matter of tracking how much of each food you eat, what serving size you had, and figuring out how many grams of carbohydrates were in your food. This needs to be done every day, every time you have a meal. This is one of the largest challenges for those getting used to counting carbohydrates for their diets.
Accuracy is important when counting carbohydrates. If you are uncertain of the math, you should use a calculator to help you. The basic formula for counting carbohydrates is serving size x carbohydrates. If you have a cup of beans, which is two serving sizes, and beans have 4.9 carbohydrates per serving, the math would be 2 times 4.9. Your meal of beans is then worth 9.8 grams of carbohydrates.
Even if you do not meet your daily goal for carbohydrates, still counting carbohydrates is important. Even if you fail, you should track the number of grams of carbohydrates you consume in a day. This will help you get on target for what you need. As you see improvements in your carbohydrate counts, you will feel better about yourself in general. In the beginning, you will not meet your goals often. But as you get more experienced with counting carbohydrates, you will meet your daily goals more often, which will result in a loss of weight.
Counting carbohydrates requires a good carbohydrate calculator and chart. Investing in a good chart, especially a travel sized chart, will ensure that you are able to accurately count your carbohydrates no matter where you go. You should always keep a small pocket notebook and a pen with you so you can record what you eat when you are out.