Have your cake and eat it too...

Why we LOVE carbs! For optimising performance and recovery and, in general, because they taste delicious!

Carbohydrates – carbs – have established a ‘bad’ reputation in the fitness industry. Specifically, in the world of fat loss.

You have likely heard the common misconceptions:

• Carbs make you fat

• Don’t eat carbs after dark or before bed

• Don’t eat too many carbs because they cause bloating, water retention etc.

• Just don’t eat carbs if you want to be ‘skinny’.

There are many, many things wrong with the above statements. I could write a multi-novel SERIES about it. I won't. Let’s just get into the WHAT (are carbs) the WHY (are carbs beneficial) and HOW (timing) you can use carbohydrates to make the most of your training and succeed in your health, fitness and body composition goals. Positive vibes only, people!

Let’s start with the WHAT: Carbohydrates are one of the key macronutrients (along with protein, fat and to a lesser extent, fibre, minerals, vitamins water and alcohol). The ones I focus on more so are Protein, Fats, Carbs and fibre. Water is life, so I PRESUME you know you HAVE to include that in your everyday intake 😉

Macronutrients are the key nutrients which supply the body with energy! Carbohydrates, in particular, are our body’s primary, preferred energy source. Think of carbs like the petrol that goes into our car – we aren’t going anywhere too quickly, without them. Carbs are equivalent to 4 calories per gram, for those tracking what they eat.

So, for example, 5g of carbs is equal to approximately 20 calories.

When consumed, carbs will be broken down and converted into GLUCOSE before entering the bloodstream. From here, our body will produce its fuel and stored energy. This glucose will either:

>  Be taken into the body’s cells and converted into a fun little thing called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) – through a process called cellular respiration. Our cells will then use this ATP to power the majority of our metabolic tasks, e.g: giving us the energy we need to go about the movements of our day.

> If we have enough glucose to give us all the energy we need, or to fulfil our daily energy requirements, this glucose will be converted into something called GLYCOGEN (a bit of a ‘key’ word in the bodybuilding and fitness competition world on show day). This glycogen will be stored in the liver and our muscles. The liver will hold around 100g of stored glycogen. Muscle storage capacity will differ for a multitude of reasons, between individuals, but the average equation we can use to find our muscle glycogen storage capacity is 7 x LEAN body mass (not kg or usual body weight, but the amount of lean mass your body has – determined through skinfold measurements or body scan measurements).

The glycogen stored in your muscles will ONLY be used by the muscles and is vital for longer periods of higher intensity exercise.

If you have reached your glucose and glycogen storage capacity – so, fulfilled your body’s carbohydrate needs, the remaining glucose will be converted into triglyceride molecules and stored as fat. Too many calories of anything will inevitably be stored as fat! (Carbs are not the enemy here, people, our overconsumption, is!)

The benefits of carbs:

*Stored glycogen helps to preserve muscle! Limited stored glycogen can lead to the break down of muscle into amino acids to generate needed energy. If you want to maintain your muscle you need a certain level of carbs!

*Carbohydrates are our body’s preferred energy source! The body is proficient at the process of converting glucose into ATP – why fix what isn’t broken?

*The body requires carbs to function  - we need around a minimum of 120g worth of carbohydrates for optimal cognitive function  - ever heard of ‘brain fog?’ Or that feeling and inability to form proper thoughts and words when dieting? Yes? That’s your brain without carbs and energy. Fuel your thoughts! Eat cake 😉

*Carbs help with SLEEP and STRESS. Fun-fact, carbs will increase serotonin (happy hormone) and can decrease cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones). This is why, when we are feeling down or highly stressed, we crave carb heavy foods, it’s our body’s survival mechanism to make us feel better! (Our body really is a best friend, looking out for us with ice cream and chocolate and donuts when we most need it!) Carbs are also an essential part of the unwind process, aiding in the production and conversion of melatonin (our sleep hormone.) SO, they decrease stress, make us feel good and help us to unwind… I recommend timing carbs for pre-workout, post workout and in the evening. This will optimise performance, recovery and sleep. Whoever told you NOT to eat carbs in the evening…was wrong.

* Carbs aid in optimal digestion. Specifically, dietary fibre. This is not broken down into glucose and will pass through the body as either soluble or insoluble fibre to improve digestive processes and aid in optimal gut health.

*When training, we deplete our body’s stored glycogen. So, this is why we recommend a carb meal pre and post training. To boost our ATP and ‘need-now’ energy along with refueling the stored energy in our muscles once we have used up this glycogen when training.

The take-away?

If you want to ensure you are making the most of your daily energy and cognitive function, you need carbs! Our body will break down carbs to provide instant, and stored energy, help negate the breakdown of muscles and provide better digestion and gut health. Though are body is very good at adapting, and can survive without carbs through a process known as gluconeogenesis (the conversion of protein into glucose) or ketosis (the conversion of fats, into energy) neither are optimal long term and neither will provide the brain the glucose it needs!

So. EAT CARBS!

- Jack & Lauren