This 1️⃣ thing completely changed the way I see bagels 🥯 as a Dietitian Nutrition Coach…
Understanding that my body actually requires >350g Carbs a day (mind blown for real)… 🤯
I went from eating <30g Carbs/day (f*ck Keto… and eating as little as possible) ➡️ >350g Carbs/day to:
✔️ Optimize my goals in the gym + on the mountains.
✔️ Support my hormones + brain.
✔️ Achieve the athletic physique I desire.
✔️ Actually *not* crave + binge on ALL.THE.CARBS. Because I don’t ever feel restricted or deprived.
Sure… you can argue that Carbs are *not essential.
👯♀️ But just because you can go without, doesn’t mean it’s optimal. Keep in mind that the rules of the game change for females. We are actually NOT just “small men.” Females require adequate carbs to support things like sex hormones and thyroid health.
Carbohydrate Benefits:
🥯 Help to supply the body with energy for your lifting workouts and active lifestyle.
🥯 Fill your glycogen stores/muscles (aka: give your muscles that full/toned appearance), support recovery from workouts.
🥯 Promote better sleep and hormones.
🥯 Provide micro-nutrients and fiber.
🥯 They are also delicious (a food group I spent years missing out on when I was deep in my eating disorder).
The more active you are, the more carbs you’ll need to fuel your lifestyle and activity. Eating too few carbs may negatively impact your workouts and recovery. Having the right macro balance + enough carbs for YOU really helps to determine your body composition. aka: Are you losing fat + building muscle?
🥯 Carb needs will vary greatly person-to-person, but generally ~3-6g Carbs/kg of Bodyweight per day.
▶️ Light Activity = 3-5 g/kg of carbs
▶️ Moderate Activity (~1 hr/day) = 5-7 g/kg
▶️ High (1-3 hrs moderate to high intensity)= 6-10 g/kg
▶️ Very High Activity (4-5+ hrs/day) =8-12 g/kg
I find most women that start coaching with us fear carbs (they are legit afraid to eat fruit!) and are vastly under-consuming Carbs based on their activity level, and often struggle with things like hormones, recovery, and achieving the physique that they desire.
I recommend that your test & see where you feel best and or work with a Dietitian Nutrition Coach at CWA to help guide you with your carb targets and macro plan.
