Welcome to another weekend short of The Matter Over Mind Experience,
I am your host, Master Trainer & Weight Management Expert, Narado Zeco Powell
This weekend, I will tackle the question, do carb restriction diets work?
There is so much confusion around this topic & honestly, our lack of understanding leads to unhealthy habits, mental health issues, unstable blood sugar & more.
I will also explain how to properly implement carb restriction diets
Before I begin, remember to check out The Zeco Recommendation Page for products I recommend for fitness, health & fat-loss.
The link is in the show-notes & the description of the episode.
Now, let’s begin
Remember, before making any dietary changes to consult a medical or dietary professional.
Now, what are carb restricted diets?
Low-carbohydrate diets restrict carbohydrate consumption relative to the average diet.
Foods high in carbohydrates are limited, and replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fat and protein, as well as low carbohydrate foods.
Well, we know that restricting carbs can improve weight-loss, that’s no secret
In most cases though, it only lasts for a short period
These are the reasons why:
- We are not getting quality sleep
Quality sleep is the most important habit on our weight management journey
In the show-notes, I added my article on how to get quality sleep, so give it a read.
You can also listen to my short from January on the topic
- You are not eating enough food, primarily fat & protein
You cannot starve your body of fat, carbs & protein at the same time.
This is the right recipe for disaster
Our bodies require nutrients for energy
This sounds simple, but many people make this mistake
- You are not eating enough carbs
This sounds counter intuitive, but unless you plan to be in ketosis for the rest of your life, you do not want to always restrict your carbs.
When you restrict your body from a certain macro for extended period of time your body will diminish the enzymes to break them down
For example, ask anyone who has eaten a keto diet for a long time then switch back to eating carbs
They usually experience discomfort, bloating & weight-gain
- You are not cycling your carbs
This ties into my last point
I eat most of my carbs before an intense workout
I also have 1 or 2 days carb loading days per week where I eat around 150 to 200 grams
Keep in my you may not need that much, especially if weight-loss is your goal
Carb load days can look different based on sex, metabolic flexibility & how much you train
You can play with the numbers to see what works best for you, but generally, on carb load days you want to eat at least 100 grams
Also, the first month or so, you may want only 1 carb load day, but if you are working put then you want to start with 2, especially if you do cardio or high intensity training
Again, it is different for each person, but finding the sweet spot for you will make the difference
There it is
Enjoy the weekend fam
