How Carbs Helped Me Lose Weight! Complex vs. Simple - know the difference!

I love carbs! Proper intake of carbohydrates (I will refer to as “carbs”) played a key role in not only my weight loss journey, but my overall well-being. With all of the fad diets in the world today, “low/no carb” diets seem to be one of the most popular. When people come to me asking for diet advice or tell me what diet they are doing or want to do—“no/law carb” diets are amongst the most common. This infuriates me because you need to carbs to live and function. I have never initiated a low carb diet in my weight loss journey.



The principal benefit of carbs is easily-obtained energy in the form of glucose. The glucose is then absorbed through the walls of the intestine into the bloodstream. Once absorbed it is either distributed to the cells and muscles with the help of insulin for immediate use, retained as an energy reserve in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen, or stored as body fat.

Carbohydrates supply energy for our body, they provide fiber for the prevention of disease and taste and texture to our food. They come in two basic forms, simple and complex. Simple carbs are easily are sweet and what gives you the short burst of energy known as a “sugar-high”. Complex carbs are the carbs that are good for you such as sweet potatoes.

When our body needs energy it first looks for glucose from carbohydrates. If insufficient carb glucose is available from food (ex. because your diet is very low carb,) the body then burns protein tissue in the muscles. In laments terms, carbs is one of the first nutrient your body burns. If your body does not have adequate carbs to burn, it then burns the muscle – not fat.

If you are not including enough carbohydrates in your diet you will experience: fatigue due to low blood sugar levels, inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals, and the inability to concentrate and focus. Our brain requires carbohydrates to function properly, and the same can be said for our cardiovascular and nervous systems. Fiber is a form of carbohydrate, and as we know, fiber is essential in efficiently removing wastes from our body. Bad breath is also another side effect of a “low/no carb diet”. A diet that contains complex carbs has been shown to lower blood pressure. Even the American Heart Association does NOT recommend low carb diets.*

Why I love carbs:

Complex carbs help me stay fuller longer. I am alert and able to focus all day at work, school, the gym, or any other type of engagement. The energy that carbs naturally supply help amplify my work out’s so that I maximize on burning fat and calories. **In just two weeks I have lost 12 pounds. One of the main changes that has accelerated my weight loss is eating a LOT more fresh vegetables. I eat broccoli like it's going out of style!**

Examples of Complex “Good Carbs:

-Brown rice
-Whole wheat pasta
-Whole wheat breads
-Fresh fruits and vegetables
-Oatmeal
-Cereals
-Red and sweet potatoes
-Soybeans
-Whole weather pancakes or waffles
-Natural Hummus

















Simple "bad" carbohydrates are those which give a quick boost of energy, the so-called "sugar highs". These are simple carbohydrates found in sweets, pastries, sugar, soda pop, and chocolate among other things.

~*~I hope everyone has a GREAT Valentine*s Day~*~

*Reference: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3025173