By You may be surprised to hear that it’s actually the carbohydrate intake that is making you feel unsatisfied and hungry.
It’s probably a little hard on the ears, but when we continuously eat refined carbs we develop an addiction it it, because of the sugars it contains. There is absolutely no nutritional value in these kinds of foods, and therefore, they should be consumed fairly minimally, if not at all.
It’s also very easy to overindulge in these, leaving the window open for increasing fat stores. Plus, they never produce any kind of fullness – and that becomes an endless cycle of over eating and over accumulation of fat stores on the body. It also messes with your hormones, making it very hard to shift the body fat.
It’s not all a loss here, as you can change it around with some simple nutritional hacks that just need to be understood in order to realise the benefits.
Remember that low carb does not indicate no carb.
When we go low carb, we aren’t limiting anything of a high nutritional source from our diet. This leaves the door open for susceptible nutrient deficiencies, and could lead to insomnia. Carbs actually help us sleep better, and replenish glycogen stores when we exercise intensely (especially when that training involves weights.)
How to we eliminate the cravings for carbs, and balance our appetite?
When we consume more fibrous carbohydrates regularly, our body composition start to shift, and so does our appetite
This s also apparent when we eat sources that are fulled with vitamins, minerals and fibre, such as sweet potato, root vegetables and oats. The reason why these sources are more effective in eliminating our appetite and producing satiety, as they contain a tremendous amount of fibe. When reaching the gut, they completely slow down the rate of digestion, therefore regulating our blood sugar, making it less inclined to spike and fall, like our refined foes do. This is why it’s so important to regulate insulin levels, as this is the key to effective weight loss.
Because we are eating less carbs, we need to increase our protein intake, as well as our fat consumption. This opens us up to eat more iron, protein and mineral rich sources that carbs do not contain. Think salmon, which contains huge amounts of omega 3 (which is also an anti-inflammatory) . It’s a higher fat grade of fish, but this fat is something special. Our brains and cells need it, plus, it’s a thermogenic, requiring a lot of calories to be digested.
The same goes for protein. Lots of energy is required for it’s digestion, and it helps us build muscle and provide a positive environment to diminish the loss of muscle mass when we age. So keep lifting those weights, and build more to counter-effect the loss of muscle mass during our age increases.
4 ways to effectively eat carbs and diminish the chances of weight gain
- Carb timing.
Time your higher carb intake (and only make it the good stuff guys) pre and post work out. Some examples are – oats with protein, Sweet potato and smoked salmon, basmati rice with your choices of protein, or protein pancakes with yoghurt and banana. These are just some of the many alternatives you can have during that workout window. Your muscles will need to replenish glycogen stores, therefore you really need to help them out and eat for your training recover and muscle building goals. This will also make you a lot leaner over time. - Fast intermittently.
When you fast, you regulate your leptin, insulin levels and also increase your fat burning potential. It’s the ultimate strategy for re-setting your metabolism. If you fast over long periods of time, you will begin to enjoy more portions of carbs without experiencing the negative effects. It takes some experimentation, and these are but one of the many benefits of intermittent fasting when it comes to appetite control, elimination of cravings, and massive fat burning potential. - Go from low to high carb on various days.
This is called carb cycling, rather than the timing I mentioned above. You subject yourself to cutting carbs for 2 days straight, then having a day when you eat more carbs. This is so good for increasing stamina, changing your body composition and boosting your metabolism. It takes a bit of experimentation, but it’s extremely successful. - Enjoy your treat once a week.
It’s so important to eat well, but we all need a treat once in a while, and this does not cause any inherent harm! Please do enjoy that ice cream, slice of cake or burger meal with fries. The key here is not to go overboard, and only allow for this once per week. This will help eliminate your carb cravings and also diminish your potential for binge eating those refined carbs.
As with any habit, it takes a conscious awareness and effort to break the ties we have with it. Humans are creatures of comfort, and we appreciate familiarity, and do not like the unknown much. Yet, we must change those ingrained habits that aren’t serving us, in order to make psychological and physical changes. I do hope these tips help you. Please keep in touch. I’m here if you need me, and come follow me on social. Click here for my site or my two primary social media platforms right here. Good luck!
