Everybody’s Doing It!
You hear it everywhere you turn, “CUT CARBS! LOSE WEIGHT.” If it was so simple we would all be carbless, skinny, and fit. Just like everything else, cutting carbs is not the magic solution to your weight problems. Carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient that our bodies use as fuel. Cutting carbohydrates is like refusing to put gas in your car….It might save you money (which sounds great) but you won’t get anywhere. Depleting your glycogen (carbohydrate) stores WILL allow you to lose scale weight…but it is only that, scale weight. You are shedding pounds through the disposal of fluid in your muscles. We want to lose fat mass! Not “water weight.”
Be Smart
The fact is, we simply eat too much. We eat too much fat, protein, and carbohydrates at most meals. You can probably afford to cut some carbs, but you do not want to cut them completely. Any fat loss that is associated with your carb cutting is due to the calories cut from your diet, not from the macronutrient itself. If you’re trying to lose weight, remember the first step is to bring down your total daily energy intake by eating less food overall. Then, instead of cutting carbs, I challenge you to work on improving the quality of carbohydrates you take in. Oats, fruits, and vegetables are all great examples of nutrient rich carbohydrates that will help you power through your day!