The Best Time To Eat Carbs If You Want To Lose Weight
The Quick Cut:
Carbs help to provide the body with the energy that it needs.
Carbs are necessary for optimal daily functioning.
Know what your body needs- we don’t want to consume too little or too many carbs.
Too many carbs can create fat, too little carbs can decrease your energy and overall drive.
Consider the timing of your carbs. Strategies, such as carb fasting, can help you to reach your workout and diet goals.
Proceed with caution when considering the Keto Diet. Remember, carbs are not the enemy.
Carbs are fundamental for a life full of energy.
The Long Slice:
Carbs are NOT the Enemy
As I mentioned in a recent blog post, many people fear carbs because they think it will make them gain fat and this couldn't be further from the truth. Unless you're eating more carbs than your body needs, then it's stored as fat for later use.
Basically, when carbohydrates (e.g. bananas or quinoa) are consumed by the body, they get converted to glycogen which gets stored in the muscles in the liver. Then, whenever we have an energy demand, the body will pull from those stores. Ultimately, providing your body with the energy that it needs.
You can enjoy carbs and still lose weight as long as you eat the RIGHT CARBS, at the RIGHT TIMES, in the RIGHT AMOUNTS, while also exercising them off.
What Happens If We Have Too Many Carbohydrates?
If we consume more carbs than the body needs, it will begin to store those carbs for future use in the form of fat. But, that being said, we do not want to eliminate carbs as a response to obtaining weight loss. Eliminating carbs can be a bad idea for a number of reasons:
You need energy to get through your day. Your body needs energy to sort through bodily processes such as breathing, thinking, or even your heart beating. Essentially, the management of your body requires energy from the carbs you consume.
Other macronutrients, like protein and fat, are not instant energy. The body can tap into those stores if needed to create an energy source, but it's a tough process for the body and it prefers not to do that.
Carbs are the body's preferred energy source. In fact, your brain needs 40 grams of carbs to function properly throughout the day.
So, if someone tells you carbs are not good, it’s likely that they are lacking the information to support this broad statement.
Carbs Fuel Your Brain, Workout, and Life
As previously said, your brain needs 40 grams of carbs (at minimum) per day to function properly. If you're training, let’s say, with weights and are regularly pushing yourself to fulfill a good workout, you’ll need glycogen in your muscles and your liver so that your body can have an energy source for those workouts.
If you don't have the energy for your workouts. You are going to be flat in the gym, with little drive and ambition. Consequently, you can end up pushing yourself less than you normally could. And that's a problem. That's a problem because we have to continue to challenge ourselves. If we want to grow, build muscle, burn fat, and be our best overall. This idea goes beyond the gym and into all areas of life; if we have a skill we want to get better at, we need to push ourselves.
If we want to improve our career, grow a business, improve our relationships, or improve another aspect of our life we have to actively aspire and accomplish more. Therefore, give your body the carbs it needs to take action!
When Is The Best Time To Have Carbs?
One of our coaches, Christian Davidow, shares cutting edge philosophies about timing your carbs and insists on structuring them around your workouts or at night. This is known as carb fasting.
By restricting the number of carbs that you are consuming throughout the day, you're forcing the body to pull into its reserves. As it begins to pull from its reserves it is going to start looking for fat and that is what we want.
Restricting the carbs to a specific window, such as at night or before a workout, is going to force your body to tap into the carbs that are already stored. In turn, it will likely cause you to eat fewer calories throughout the day because you're saying “I'm not gonna have carbs during the day.”
Quick Tips For Carb Fasting
Night Before
Eat the night before.
Do not eat carbs throughout the day.
The body will begin tapping into already stored carbs; prompting it to reach into some fat.
Carbs at night help relax the central nervous system.
Boosts serotonin.
Before & After A Workout
Carbs before your workout can give your body enough fuel to have a really good workout.
It allows you to push yourself.
Carbs after your workout can help give your body a chance to recover from the workout.
Workout in the morning and feel you really need to have breakfast? Try having carbs the night before, have breakfast with no carbs, or have carbs if you need it to get you through the day (listen to your body!) Then, try having carbs after your workout to recover.
But, What About Keto?
First things first, carbs are not the enemy. They just need to be managed strategically. The enemy is NOT having carbs because if you have none at all then your body starts to panic. Both your adrenaline and cortisol begin to rise and suddenly you have no energy.
So what’s happening to your body when you go on keto? Your body will shift into a mode where it starts converting protein and fats into energy. This process is called Neo Glucose Genesis, scientifically it is the conversion of amino acids.
Basically, it is when protein and fats are turned into a fuel source. When this happens, the body releases ketones. The ketones are used for energy. So people who go on keto they say, “wow, I lost weight, I lost weight!” But, in reality, you’ve only lost water weight and no real fat.
Then comes the nasty side-effects that can creep up on you when you deplete yourself of all carbs. Also known as the “keto-flu.” Your adrenaline is going to increase, causing you to be on high alert and therefore not able to sleep well. You're not going to have energy.
Your serotonin is going to go down, as well as, your testosterone. Long story short, your body enters a type of survival mode.
Not to mention that this diet is temporary, therefore it is inevitable that once you leave the “keto state” your body will “fill up again” thus not achieving anything.
So, if you really want to lose fat, you need to take the steps necessary. Such steps include eating right, eating less, and training.
Have carbs. Have them strategically, at the right time, so that you can live a life full of energy, feel good about yourself and lose weight the smart way and most of all so that you can stay sharp.
P.S. If you'd like to learn more about how I help my fitness coaching clients cut fat, build muscle and reclaim their edge in life - DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND - then let's connect.
Start by booking a quick call now on my calendar with this link.
