Everything You Thought You Knew About Carbs

Carbohydrates are often misunderstood because of the constant contradictory information; some people say you need carbs in your diet and others tell you to cut carbs out or that they're overrated. So which is correct? Should you eat carbs or not? Actually, they're both correct! The answer depends on your goals and consequently the diet that goes along with those goals. If your goal is to build muscle then carbs are going to be your best friend, however, if you are trying to lose fat then you might want to try to cut down on the carbs.

For muscle gain, sufficient intake of carbohydrates is necessary for your body to be able to generate the required energy you need to lift enough weight so that you stress your muscles. This is necessary in order for them to grow. Carbohydrates are quintessential for muscle growth as they assist protein in making sure your body does not enter into a catabolic or muscle-wasting state. So, when should you have carbs? You should try to plan most of your carb intake in the morning and post-workout, a sufficient amount should also be consumed before your workout as well. Keep in mind that you should ideally try to taper down your carb intake towards the evening and before bed. How many carbs should I be eating? The general rule is to keep carbs between 2-3 grams per pound of bodyweight. This should allow you to gain muscle without putting on excess fat.

For fat loss, your carb intake is a little different. You're going to want to have no more than 40% of your total calories consisting of carbohydrates, of which your total calories should be based on 15 calories per pound of body-weight. So if you are 200lbs, your daily calorie intake will be 3000 calories, which means you should have approximately 300g of carbs. if you do not see any result within 2 weeks, you should adjust your total carb intake. This adjustment should be made by no more than 30g, anymore than this and you risk the possibility that your body will compensate the loss by storing fat. With weight-loss you should restrict your consumption of carbs to your morning meal, pre-workout meal, and post-workout meal. This will decrease your chances of adding any fat.

Although carbs tend not to have as many fans as their nutritional counterpart protein, they are just as important. In order to maximize your benefit, make sure you adjust your carb intake to in order to meet your goals.

What are your goals? What's is your favorite source of carbs?

-Fazoo Fitness