To Carb or Not to Carb
Carbohydrates sometimes described like a friend sometimes described like a foe, it tends to be a love and hate relationship. One hand you love them because they taste so damn good and give you lots of energy on the other hand you hate them because they make it harder to burn fat and can leave you feeling bloated.
Why carbs are good:
Carbohydrates are a great source of energy particularly when eaten pre- workout, your body finds it easier to burn carbohydrates there for you get a better level of energy. You feel stronger you have more energy to train longer and more intensely which enables you to burn more calories. Whole grain carbohydrates also provide a good source of dietary fibre, contributing to lowering your cholesterol as well as improving your digestive system.
Why carbs are bad:
Being able to get a boost of energy from carbs are great, but there also lays a hidden bad reason behind the good. Due to your body being able to burn carbohydrates for energy stops you from accessing the fat stores your body has, because of this you’re just burning the carbs and sugars you have consumed. We want to be burning fat but our bodies preferred fuel is carbs and sugars. Think of it like this, you need food because you are hungry, you have a fridge upstairs with ready meals in (carbs) and down in the basement you have a freezer with healthy ingredients in (stored fats). Which is easier and more convenient to use? The fridge upstairs (carbs) this is pretty much how your body works with carbs and fat. Whereas if you had and near empty fridge (carb storage) and a full freezer (fats) you are going to be using the freezer (fats).
So what do you do? Personally, I think balance is everything you need to consume carbohydrates to reap the benefits but you need to not over eat which keeps you from reaching your goals. If you are serious about weight loss and hitting your weight loss goals I found carb cycling to be very beneficial for dropping body fat. On certain days I would eat carbs with every meal another day would be only with one meal and another day would be none all day. I would plan my high carb days with my hardest workouts which would be legs, only a nutter would eat no carbs and train legs. After my high carb days, I would do a low carb day and then a no carb day. It would look a little something like this:
This way you can use your carbs for your hard workouts then your easier workouts are running off your fat stores rather than carbs. I am a guy who eats a lot I usually eat around 3200-3500 calories per day when gaining weight without feeling too full. So, if I can cut carbs out a couple days a week I’m sure you guys can to. But if you do not wish to take this approach, by making sure your carb portion is half the size of your vegetable serving is a pretty good way to see some great results too.
Thanks for reading, Eat smart 😊