Carbs are often portrayed as the devil of food when it comes to losing weight. This has come from a range of sources including the media, fitness companies and many celebrities.

Unfortunately, shining negative light on carbs has led many individuals, who are looking to lose weight, to believe that carbs are the devil. This isn’t true, and we’re going to explain why.

First off – carbs are in FRUIT AND VEG

Carbs are found in most foods, but fruit and veg are predominantly made up of carbs. So eliminating carbs from your diet would involve removing these too, which wouldn’t make much sense for our overall health!

1 – A lack of carbs can produce adverse effects

Negative effects of following a no-carb diet for weight loss can include:

• Reduced physical and mental performance
• Binge eating periodically in evenings and/or on weekends
• Increased irritability
• Increased onset of fatigue
• An increased lack of pleasure from your diet
• Muscle catabolism (where muscle is lost)
• Reduced quality of sleep (in some cases)

2 – Carbs won’t make you fat.. 

We talked about how eating fat will not make you fat in one of our older posts, and the same applies here. Carbs themselves will NOT make you gain weight, however, the amount of calories you consume over a day, week or month, will.

3 – .. and carbs give you energy, allowing you to burn more fat.

The human body uses carbs as a primary source for energy. With this being said, if you eat carbs you will be able to:

• Work harder in the gym
• Lift heavier weights or generally be able to exercise for a longer period of time
• Overall you will have more energy, resulting in the potential to burn more calories off

.. providing you eat carbs in moderation

With this being said, you must eat carbs in moderation! A sack of potatoes or a truck load of rice a day may not be best for helping with your weight loss due to the calories still adding up, but completely avoiding carbs altogether won’t necessarily reap the best benefits.

Ensuring you remain in a calorie deficit will give you a little more flexibility with the foods you eat.

4 – Carbs fill you up 

Carbs are filling. Of course it depends on the type of carbs you eat, but vegetables especially can keep you full. The fibre in carbs can also keep you full and help with your bowel movements. This means:

• The carbs curb your hunger, so you eat less
• Eating less overall helps you to lose weight
• Less likely to snack

HOWEVER – eating white carbs may make you hungrier as they can raise your blood sugar levels. Try to avoid white carbs (white rice, white bread) and eat brown rice, sweet potato, wholegrains, oats etc.

5 – We aren’t all the same 

Losing weight should be a journey in which you become more knowledgeable about your body and how it works. There is never a ‘one-diet-fits-all’ as we are all individuals with bodies that work in different ways. So:

• Play around with the amount of carbs you eat
• Your body may lose weight better with more carbs and less fat
• But your body may lose weight better with less carbs and more fat
• See what works best for you!
• Overall – to lose weigh we need to be in a calorie deficit

Don’t forget exercise!

A great diet is fantastic, but remember to ensure that your exercise is equally matched. If you are unsure what exercise is best for weight loss or you need a programme to boost your weight loss, contact us here or on our social media and we will be happy to help you!