"How many carbohydrates per day to lose weight" is a much discussed issue. According to the most recent information published by the Dietary Guidelines for America, it is recommended that approximately half of your daily caloric intake should come from carbohydrates. Therefore, a person whose ideal intake of calories per day is 2200 should consume 275 grams of carbohydrates each day. (Remember a gram a carbohydrate contains 4 calories).

It is important not to get too hung up on how many carbohydrates per day to lose weight. Your real emphasis should be on how many calories per day to lose weight. Too many carbs don't put on weight, too many calories do. E.g. if you need 2200 calories per day to preserve your current weight and you are actually eating 2700 calories per day over a one week period then you will put on 1 lb of fat. An extra 3500 calories per week (500 a day) is equivalent to gaining 1lb of fat.

Conversely, if you want to drop 1lb of surplus fat per week, you will be required to decrease the number of calories you eat by 500 per day. In order to keep your diet healthy, your intake of calories should still consist of 50% carbohydrates. So if your new intake per day is 1700 calories (2200-500), the proportion of carbohydrates will now be 850 calories which is approximately 213 grams.

So now you know how many calories per day to lose weight and also how many carbohydrates per day to lose weight, you need to be aware of the right kind of carbohydrates you must eat to make your diet successful. It is important to note at this stage that there are two distinct groups of carbohydrates:-

Simple carbohydrates (sugars) which are made up of one or two sugar units and include glucose, sucrose, fructose and lactose. These simple carbohydrates are found in sugar, candy/sweets, jam, honey, sodas, cakes, cookies, milk and fruit. With the exception of milk and fruit these foods should be reduced or avoided because they have no or very little nutritional value.

Complex carbohydrates (starches) which consist of hundreds of sugar units and include foods such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals, nuts, seeds, legumes, vegetables and pulses. These foods hold a wide range of nutrients and should form a main part of most meals and snacks. It is also preferable that bread, pasta, rice and cereal are of the wholemeal variety as they contain more fiber which will help your digestive
system and also release energy slower.

The advantage of complex carbohydrates over simple carbohydrates is that they release their energy more slowly. This means less hunger pangs and less temptation to snack. They are also beneficial for long term health and they help control your appetite and keep your energy levels constant.

In conclusion, knowing how many calories per day to lose weight is important. However, your main concern has to be how many calories per day to lose weight. In order to lose weight there has to be a calorie deficit, i.e. use up more calories than you take in.