Carb Control

Hi Everyone! Happy New Year! 

Elizabeth checking in with you all! As some of you may know, Paul and I have been busy this last year! We have joined forces and we are now branded as Let's Go Fitness Adventures LLC. As we kick off the new year, I will be sharing relevant content biweekly related to health and wellness to keep you motivated throughout the week, and Paul will keep kicking your butt with training!

So, let's begin with a hot topic: CARBS! 

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘀? 

Starchy carbs (aka "simple" carbs) get so much attention when it comes to nutrition conversations because they are the biggest double-edged sword our bodies have to deal with. On one hand, all of our energy in the body comes from glucose molecules (carbs in their basic sugar form) but on the other hand, our bodies weren’t designed to be surrounded by so many readily available carbs (I know, BUMMER!). 

So when our body does get an onslaught of starchy carbs (usually from refined sugars in all of our indulgence foods or simple carbs found in food such as pasta, bread, etc.), it handles them by releasing insulin. Insulin is responsible for a lot of important functions in the body, but by design, it is a storage hormone. So instead of signaling our body to burn fat, our bodies actually get the signal to store fat whenever we eat a lot of starchy carbs. 

This is why you can expect to make the biggest dent in your weight loss if you begin to control starchy carbs with every meal. 

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱? 

Carbs are found in a lot of different foods but in general you can view them in this distinction:

𝗙𝗜𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗩𝗦. 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛𝗬 (𝗮𝗸𝗮 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗫 𝘃𝘀 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘) 

𝗙𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀 

👍 Raw or lightly cooked vegetables 

👍 Beans and legumes 

👍 Some fruits (mostly berries) 

👍 Remember the acronym G-BOMBS (Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds) 

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀: 

👎 All candies, jelly and jams 

👎 Sodas, fruit juices, fruit drinks 

👎 Pudding, custards and other sweets 

👎 Processed refined grains like flour or white rice 

👎 Bread and pasta made with any refined flour 

👎 Cakes, cookies and other sweet bakery products 

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼 𝗪𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘆 “𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴” 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘀? 

First, notice that the emphasis is not on eliminating carbs but rather on controlling them. Our brains tend to be resistant to restriction, so we want to add the right foods to crowd out the foods that aren’t serving our interests or goals. 

In addition, “controlling” carbs also acknowledges that it’s not realistic to avoid all of the foods in the “Against Fat Loss” carb lists. We all like to indulge, so it’s important to learn how to enjoy those foods without affecting your waistline. 

In this context, you can think of carb control as substitutional. The goal is to substitute as many of the “against fat loss” carbs with “help with fat loss” carbs. 

So in order to achieve the above, you will be required to practice one (or both) of these strategies throughout your day to control carbs: 

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘀 

🤤 Fill more of your plate with protein or crowd it out with more veggies (as they are technically a carb as well) 

🤤 Shift from more processed foods to less processed foods 

🤤 Shift from breads and white rice to Ezekiel bread and brown rice 

🤤 Swap pastas for quinoa 

🤤 Potatoes to sweet potatoes (or any root vegetable) 

𝗘𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 “𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀” 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁 

The intense workouts that Paul designs are intended to drain your muscles of as much sugar as possible. Thus, right after a workout, your body is keener on storing any incoming sugars (i.e. carbs) into your muscles instead of into fat. Thus, if you still wish to indulge in pasta, pizza, bread, sweets etc. feel free to do so ONLY after your workouts. You can even think of it as a way of “earning your indulgence carbs.” This should not be done daily, however. But a few times per week is ok. 🙂 And don't forget your portions! 1 cupped hand of an "indulgence carb" is the perfect serving size for women. Just double this for men!

I hope this gives you a better understanding of what carbs truly are and how they work in the body! 

Have questions? Send us a message and we'll happily respond!