Carbohydrates are the primary energy source in the body, which is necessary to ensure its vital functions. The energy function is performed primarily by sucrose, glucose, glycogen, fructose, and starch. It will seem paradoxical that healthy high carbohydrate foods can be eaten simultaneously for weight gain and loss. It is true since there are several varieties of this high carb diet for weight loss. Carbs are not only a source of energy but also fat deposits. But if you use the right carbohydrates, you can easily lose extra pounds.
Usually, when losing weight, people are forced to severely limit themselves in food rich in carbohydrates. They are the source of that very excess weight that you want to get rid of. However, it doesn’t mean that absolutely all carbohydrate foods are under an absolute ban. The fact is that carbohydrates are divided into two large groups — simple and complex. The first ones serve as a source of fast energy — they are easily digested and give the body strength. Complex carbohydrates are not fast. They break down gradually, and a person feels full. They are more useful and preferred.
Сan I Eat Carbs and Still Lose Weight?
Carbohydrates are organic compounds of carbon and water. The human body will not function fully without a regular supply of carbohydrates. Without the intake of carbohydrates in your diet, the internal organs will not be able to process either fats or proteins. Moreover, the liver, the most important organ for enriching blood cells with the necessary substances, will cease to function properly.
If you leave some room for a low calorie high carb diet and consume carbs primarily before training, then carbohydrate loading will provide you with the necessary energy in training, which will allow you to train better. In this state, your strength and endurance indicators will be much higher, and the productivity of your workout will also be better. Also, no matter how it sounds, you will significantly increase the calorie expenditure during training by increasing the calories consumed.
How Many Carbs Should I Eat to Lose Fat?
When you are just starting to understand nutrition, you can get pretty confused. Certain carbs cost a lot and play a key role in digestion, heart health, and brain function.
Therefore, you can’t independently exclude carbs from the diet. You need to do this only following indications and under the supervision of a specialist.
Excessive consumption of carbs in a diet paired with low energy consumption leads to weight gain. Therefore, it is believed that an excess of carbs in the diet leads to obesity, heart diseases, metabolic disorders, high cholesterol, and the development of diabetes.
The required daily carb intake to lose weight depends on many factors:
- Age;
- Health status;
- Goals;
- Level of physical activity;
- Individual preferences.
There are some general numbers that you can focus on, but you shouldn’t take them as the only true ones. In general, carbohydrate foods should make up 45 to 65 percent of your diet. But this is only a general figure for conditionally healthy people without considering their goals and characteristics. It is enough to consume 2-5 g of carbs per day per 1 kg to maintain body weight. When gaining muscle mass, this number is increased, and when losing weight, it is reduced.
Why Am I Not Losing Weight on Low Carb?
Calories are small and nasty things in our bodies. Still, modern people completely forget to follow the food system. Then they ask why they can’t lose belly fat and weight. Here are the reasons:
Fluid Deficiency
Daily consumption of clean water is required to maintain all biochemical processes in our body, not including tea, juices, and coffee. The state of health depends entirely on homeostasis (the water balance system).
Too Many Treats or Sweets
While on a diet, many people eat chocolate or candy. Such behavior is extremely reckless concerning their bodies since all the efforts will fail. If you decide to follow an all carb diet for weight loss, don’t deviate from the action plan. If you really want to get a dose of serotonin, eat a spoonful of natural honey.
Lack of Physical Activity
Do elementary exercises for 10 minutes, and be sure to move. Start with the minimum — walking with children or pets, playing active games, etc. Supplement exercises with dumbbells to fight fat accumulation.
Lack of Sleep
We all understand the importance of sleep. With insufficient sleep, the body ceases to break down carbs, process the incoming food base into energy, and puts aside unused resources in reserve. While on a high carb low fat diet for weight loss, you don’t see the long-awaited result but experience a constant wild hunger.
You Are Disorganized
It is impossible to achieve anything without this trait, including losing weight. It is very important to follow the diet and not forget about it. Never skip your morning meal, even when you have no appetite. After all, if your body doesn’t receive nutrients, it will ask for them twice as much at lunchtime.
How to Eat More Carbs?
Current recommendations for a diet suggest getting 45-65% of calories per day from carbs. This amount includes grains, pasta, potatoes, fruits (like papaya, banana, etc.), vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. It will provide an ideal balance: on the one hand, the body will not experience a deficiency of glucose, but it will get a chance to restore the glycogen stores spent during the day in the muscles and liver cells.
Calculating on your own how many carbs in your diet you get per day from all products is difficult, and not everyone needs it. To control portion size and account for carbs, you can use the “plate rule”:
- Divide the plate in half and put vegetables on one half;
- Divide the second plate in half between protein-rich and carb foods (it can be green peas, pumpkin, corn, etc.). Carbs will take up a quarter of the plate.
You can eat a small portion of carbs at each meal. You fill a quarter of the plate with them.
Another option that helps keep your carbs in check while losing weight is the handful method, where a handful = one serving of carbs. It is convenient because the hand is always with you and doesn’t change in size.
When to Eat Carbs for Weight Loss?
Not eating carbs in the evening (or not eating at all) because everything eaten will not have time to spend on energy and will go into fat is still one of the most popular high carb weight loss myths. On the one hand, the metabolism in the first half of your sleep really decreases by 35%, but in the second half, it grows significantly. Because of these ups and downs in metabolism, the average energy expenditure during sleep is not much different from daytime rest.
A recent study conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem examined the issue of evening carbs. The participants were divided into two groups — control and experimental. Both groups were put on the same calorie deficit for six months with the same amount of proteins, carbs, and fats. One group ate carbs during the day, and the second group ate 80% of all carbs for dinner. The results showed a greater loss of weight, abdominal circumference, decreased body fat mass, greater satiety, and less hunger in the second group.
Consistency and patience are two of the most important aspects of a diet that few people discuss. Instead, we are concerned with the timing of carbohydrate intake, the ratio of macronutrients on the plate, the glycemic and insulin levels, and other things. Good rules help organize meals, but unnecessary, unreasonable restrictions make the diet impossible.
What Is a High Carbohydrate Diet?
Recently, a carb only diet has become very popular. The main feature is that it involves many carbs in its diet. It is a compromise for many. Most doctors tend to remove excess carbs from the human body, resulting in weight loss. The nutritionists who developed this diet claim that it is enough to use the 4 main rules of the diet, and excess weight will go away. Thanks to such a nutrition system, all excess body fat disappears, and the body acquires beautiful shapes and relief. High-carbohydrate diets increase the level of serotonin in the body, resulting in a faster metabolism.
High-Carb Diet Plan for Weight Loss
There are carbs needed to lose weight. But what to eat without denying yourself tasty food in your diet?
Eat Starch Instead of Fats
This advice will surprise many because, from the point of view of nutrition, starchy foods have to be discarded. However, starch can quickly saturate the stomach. By including this component in your menu, you will be able to reduce your total daily calorie intake quite well. Starchy carbs should be no more than ¼ serving. The rest of the serving should consist of dietary products: lean meats, fish (especially tuna good for it), vegetables, a boiled egg, and fruits.
Control Portion
The high-carbohydrate diet for weight loss provides five meals a day, but it can be relevant if the portions you consume are very small. Initially, it may be difficult for you to get used to small plates and deny yourself traditional supplements. But you don’t need to eat a lot to get full.
Know the Measure
The classic taboos on chocolate, candy, bread, fried potatoes, sweet soda, or cakes are not included in the high-carbohydrate diet. Besides, we all know that forbidden fruit is the sweetest. This means that you can eat a no sugar chocolate bar or French fries in moderation.
Weigh Yourself Regularly and Measure Your Waist
If your waistline is not shrinking, and the scale needle is still or even moving forward, you need to decrease the number of foods with high carbohydrates you eat until you notice progress in weight loss.
What Carbs to Avoid for Weight Loss?
Bad carbohydrates are the simple, processed carbohydrates found in sugar-added foods and refined grains. It includes white bread, baked goods, sodas, energy drinks, and even pasta made from wheat flour. Too many refined grains and added sugars in your high carb diet for weight loss means eating “empty” calories for weight loss. With them, the body doesn’t receive benefits and energy. Also, frequent consumption of foods low in fiber and low-nutrient carbohydrates leads to a decrease in the duration of the state of satiety and a constant excess of the daily calorie intake.
It doesn’t mean that you need to sweat in the gym after a slice of birthday cake or deny yourself a donut after a cup of coffee if you really want to eat it. The main goal of a high-carbohydrate diet is not to starve the body but to reduce the number of carbohydrates in the diet, replacing them mainly with nutritious starchy foods. The use of a minimum amount of carbohydrates will provide the body with all the useful substances.
What Are High Carb Foods?
Carbohydrates are the source of energy in the body. Their complete exclusion from the diet leads to a person becoming lethargic, can’t concentrate on simple tasks, and feeling hungry. The list of products containing carbohydrates is very wide. These high carb healthy foods are fruits, vegetables, milk, sweets, cereals, pasta, legumes, sugar, etc. The difference between them in the degree of benefit to the body is colossal.
How Many Carbs a Day to Lose Weight?
The norm of carbohydrates per day for an average person should be 45 – 65% of the total calorie content of food. With an estimated calorie diet for weight loss of 2000 calories, carbohydrates account for about 225-325 grams per day.
Is Rice Bad for Weight Loss?
Rice can be invaluable in fighting for a slim figure when you lose weight eating carbs, although it is usually not customary to use the product when losing weight. But the cereal perfectly cleanses the body and contains the necessary and useful components. To obtain a good result, it is not the type of rice that matters but the rate it is consumed at.
When Is the Best Time to Eat Carbohydrates?
Scientists concluded that the role of a high carb diet for weight loss is played not by the time of day but by the duration of the carb-free period that preceded the meal. If you have not eaten carbohydrates for a long time, your metabolism will be ready to process them at any time of the day! The main rule: if you eat too many healthy high carbohydrate foods for dinner, give preference to something protein for breakfast.
