Amount of Carbs needed?

I'm almost 18 months post-RNY, still losing, and getting into regular exercise 2-3 times per week.  I know that there are varing schools of thought, but I need either some resources to study or some suggestions on what a healthy amount of carbs each day is.  I've heard that for normal, healthy functioning our bodies need at least 100-150 g of carbs every day.  I'm trying to find the research to back that up, or give me a general guideline.

Currently I'm hitting around 1600 cals per day, 100-120 g protien, and usually 80-100 g carbs.  I do get most of my carbs from whole grains, dairy or veggies, so I feel like I'm on the right track with the types of carbs.  Again, I'm still losing, but wanting to learn more about over all nutrition, especially since I am increasing my exercise and want to optimize my health.

Thanks!

Debbi

Debbi -

It sounds like you are right on track with your nutrition.  And if you're still losing and want to be, I'd say stick with what works. 

There are many different opinions about the amount of carbs --- and things get pretty hazy because of the low-carb diet craze.  It's difficult to find accurate information.  I know I've read that your brain needs 40g carbs every day just to function and that other organs in your body run best on carbs (glucose) rather than protein (glycogen).  The range I see most often for a healthy range is 80-125g of healthy carbs per day. 

I don't have any articles or research to share off the top of my head.  I'll have to look through my Delicious links to see if anything jumps out at me.  You're welcome to browse through my links to see if anything might help (don't mind the disorganization and huge amount of bookmarks LOL): http://delicious.com/pwsammy

I personally try to keep my nutrtion balance at about 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fats.  It often ends up being closer to 40/35/25, but I'm fine with that too.  I eat a lot of fruits and veggies and dairy, so I know I'm getting my carbs from healthy sources.  I'm also exercising a lot and walk about 25 miles a week spread out over 5-6 days/week.  I tend to carb-load about 12 hours before a long training day (training for a half-marathon) and recover with protein afterward.  For instance, this Saturday morning I'm walking 12.5 miles with my training group so Friday night's dinner will be heavy on the carbs and I'll have a protein heavy lunch after the walk on Saturday.

Good luck!
Pam