I seem to be having a great deal of trouble reaching 20g carbs per day. I know that ideally we should be between 20g and 50g daily, is it a problem if we don’t get to the 20g? Is this a minimum figure?

I’m on the 8 weeks, 800 cal B.S.D, 6 days in and 6 lbs off which is amazing. However I am also confused about the amount of carbs allowed. I thought it was a max of 60g per day?? I find because I enjoy veg and apples that they tend to be higher in carbs than oils fats and protein. So stir frys, which I love, really ramp up the carbs and I end up eating fewer calories a day because I’ve reached my limit for carbs for the day.
I think I must be misunderstanding the rules for the 800 cal B.S.D. Can anyone help please?

Lizzy, you are not misunderstanding, there is nothing in the book which specifies how many carbs to eat other ‘low carb’. The 50-60g range is normally enough to get most people into ketosis or fat burning mode. Grandma48, I’m not aware that there is a lower required level. If you are still getting your five a day fruit and veg, then you will automatically have as many carbs as you need.

Thank you Janet, our post is very helpful. I’m still finding my way but seeing good results and honestly not feeling hungry at all. Most of my protein comes from eating eggs at breakfast and prawns or chicken for dinner which I love. I was surprised that fruit in particular, excluding sweet fruit like pineapple or bananas, is so high in carbs? I’m not diabetic but realise that I need to control my sugar intake in particular and of course lose some weight to stay healthy as I’m now retired.

Grandma, there are macronutrient calculators online to help you answer that very question, including macronutrientcalculator.com.

Its numbers are, for 800 calories daily, 25% carb, 45% protein and 30% fat for a low-carb diet. So that’s 50g net carbs, 90g protein and 27g fat.

Me, I struggle getting to the 90g protein. It’s really more than I need, the rule is 0.8g protein per kilo of body weight. I’d have to be 112kg to use that much protein. And the nature of protein is you use it or lose it – the body does not store it.

As you get older, your activity levels might decrease and you should need less carbs. But in your case, you’re confusing me, you minx. If you’re a 48-year-old grandma, that’s not an issue. But if you’re the 48th person to choose the username gandma, I’ve no idea how old you are.

But the general advice is 45% – 55% of your daily calories should come from carbs if you’re trying to lose weight and that’s 90g – 110g of carbs daily. Fine, but if the aim here is to give your pancreas a holiday, that means more drastic reductions.

In one of his chapthers, he mentions protein per day is 45gms for women and 55gms for men.