Eat carbs and lose weight. I recently put together my Guide To Killer Abs (which you can download here) and I was kind of surprised to get a number of people commenting that they’d like to have great abs, but they love carbs too much…. At first I was confused, but then I realized that there’s still this huge misconception going on that you can’t eat any carbs if you want to lose weight. This train of thought is completely ridiculous and needs to stop now! The reality is that not everyone will have the perfectly sculpted, rock hard, magazine worthy abs, but we can all look amazing even while enjoying carbs.

EAT CARBS AND LOSE WEIGHT

They are everywhere.  Fruits and vegetables make up a large part of a healthy, well balanced diet and they contain carbohydrates. I don’t think there is a single dietitian, doctor or health professional who would tell you not to  eat them.

They curb your hunger & fill you up. Now I’m not talking about cupcakes and highly processed muffins which just leave you feeling hungry and jittery after a couple of hours, I’m referring to carbs that are whole grains and rich with fiber. Since they absorb slowly into your bloodstream they help regulate your insulin levels (this means that your energy levels aren’t spiking and crashing) thus keeping you fuller for longer. In addition, they release your satiety hormones which curb those I-have-to-eat-now, cravings.

They make our bodies function. It’s all about balance and restricting carbs is not a long term solution. Our bodies crave and need carbs to function, limiting or even eliminating them will slow down your metabolism.

They speed up your metabolism. Yes that’s right, resistant starches will help speed up your metabolism. What is a resistant starch? It’s a type of starch (most carbs are starches) that doesn’t get fully digested as it passes through your system and acts like a soluble fiber. As it passes through it releases fatty acids which in turn encourage fat burning. There’s a whole post worth of information about the benefits of fatty acids, but basically they help to preserve your muscle mass which in turn keeps your metabolism in gear.

They help fight illness. Keeping your system functioning optimally and eating healthy will help keep your weight in check and your blood sugar level. This in turn is your fighting chance against developing illnesses such as, Type 2 Diabetes.

So you won’t be able to sit and stuff your face with food all day (but did you really think you could?) but you can still enjoy the foods you love.  In general, unless you have sensitivities or allergies or other health issues, I don’t believe in totally eliminating any food group. Remember that we are all unique and no diet is a one size fits all. For some, simply reducing your total caloric intake will be enough while others might need to play with details until they can find the right food proportions.  For most of us, it’s about long term weight control and health and being on a restrictive diet is only a very short term solution.

Have you ever been on a low carb diet?

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