Carbs Are Not The Devil

There’s this very common misconception that carbs are the sole thing to blame for fat gain and should be avoided at all costs when starting on your fitness journey.

THIS IS A LIE.

It’s false, plain and simple. Carbohydrates, fat and protein are your three macro nutrients. Each contain different nutrients that do different jobs to ensure your body is working as well as possible.

Before I go any further I’m just going to touch on calories quickly, so that my explanation of why carbs aren’t inherently evil makes sense to you! So…what is a calorie? Calories are a measure of energy. The calories in food tell you how much energy you can get from that food. We use that energy for a whole range of things from digestion to muscle growth to moving. If we consume too much energy (calories), and we don’t use it, it then gets stored – this is when you start to gain fat.

SO

Each macronutrient (carbs, protein and fat) contains a different number of calories per gram. Carbs and protein contain 4 calories per gram, and fat contains 9 calories per gram, this is why diets tend to have less fat in them as you get more ‘energy’ for less.

You get the same amount of energy from protein as you do from carbohydrates…so why are you singling them out? Yes, protein is vital in muscle repair and a whole bunch of other things, but carbs are your immediate source of energy and important too.

So forget about cutting out whole food groups. Focus on what’s important when trying to lose fat…you want to be in a calorie deficit. This means you can eat what you want as long as you are using more energy than you’re consuming.

It really is that simple.

But…wait…Cait…you just said you can eat whatever you want? Yep! HOWEVER, if you have to consume 1600 calories per day to be in a caloric deficit, you’re going to be really bloody hungry if you eat 3 brownies for breakfast because you’ve then almost maxed out and it’s not even 9am. Be sensible. Natural, non-processed foods are going to be better as they won’t have any nonsense mixed in and you’ll be able to eat more without going over your max, but there’s also no reason not to eat the foods you like!

Don’t listen to all of the diet fads…please. Be in a calorie deficit. That’s the only thing you need to concentrate on.

And eat pasta.