• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Fit Habit
  • Food
    • Low Carb Breakfast
    • Low Carb Lunch
    • Low Carb Dinners
    • Low Carb Side Dish
    • Soup Recipes
    • Low Carb Snacks
    • Low Carb Treats
    • Healthy Recipes
  • Wellness
    • Burnout Recovery
      • How to Recover from Burnout
      • Best Self Journaling
      • Emotional Freedom Technique
    • Weight Loss
      • My Weight Loss Story
      • How to Become Fat Adapted
    • Mindset & Habits
      • Habit Mastery
      • Mindset
  • Workouts
    • Try a Free Home Workout
      • 6 Weeks of the Work | An Advanced Workout For Extreme Results
      • Barre Blend | A Sample Workout You Can Do Anywhere
      • 9 Week Control Freak 28 Minute Sample Workout
    • Beachbody Workouts
    • Yoga
    • Running
    • Strength Training Workouts
    • Barre Workouts
    • All Workouts
  • Programs
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Beachbody Workouts
  • Weight Loss Over 40
  • Coaching
  • About The Fit Habit
  • Recipes
  • Low Carb Breakfast Ideas
  • Low Carb Lunch
  • Low Carb Dinners
  • Low Carb Desserts
  • Low Carb Drink Recipes
  • Low Carb Side Dish
  • Low Carb Snacks
  • Sauces and dips
  • Most Popular Recipes
  • Let's Connect!

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Coaching » Should you be eating carbs if you want to lose fat?

    Should you be eating carbs if you want to lose fat?

    Published: Nov 30, 2016 · Last Modified: May 15, 2020 by Caren · This post may contain affiliate links

    0 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet

    First off, you guys know I’m not a huge fan of excessive carbs.  That said, there’s a time and place for everything.  Assuming you are lifting weights (something I highly recommend for ALL women) you have a brilliant window of optimal timing post-workout for having a little carb indulgence.carbs and fat loss

    The Right Time to Eat Carbs

    Exercise creates a ‘carb-friendly window’ where your body is very responsive to carbohydrate intake. The post-workout period heightens insulin sensitivity. Basically, carbs consumed in the post-workout period, regardless of time of day, are preferentially stored in muscle, where we want them to be (rather than heading through the bloodstream and being stored in the cells as fat).

    The big reason for taking in carbs around your workout relates to halting the catabolic processes (basically the breakdown of muscle that results from working out) and kick-starting the recovery process, supporting the development of beautifully sculpted muscles.

    The amount of carbs that you eat is largely determined by the amount of energy you expend in your workouts and also throughout the day.  If you have a desk job and workout a couple of times a week at moderate intensity, you don’t need that much – I recommend 100 grams or less, but you need to determine that magic number for yourself.

    If however, you’re doing a lot of intense workouts, or you’re training for a marathon, then you’ll have the ability to eat more carbs, but please don’t go crazy! You can also train like an athlete on very few carbs, but that takes a methodical approach.  I love this book for training on a low carb diet.

    Related: How to be less hungry all the time.

    Bottom line is that carbs are an “earned energy”.  If you eat too many, you will gain fat.  This is scientifically proven.  That said, you can also gain fat from eating too many calories period, but carbs have a specific impact on the development of fat cells and eating too many can also lead to metabolic disorders.

    Moral of this story – always chose your macros mindfully!

    Caren

    Caren is a certified yoga teacher, fitness instructor and ADHD Coach.  As the founder of The Fit Habit, she shares ADHD-friendly self-care, food & fitness inspiration, along with practical ways to foster mind + body wellness.

    « Getting Started With Getting Fit
    How to push yourself to do hard things. »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Caren

    I'm an ADHD coach & wellness expert with a mind that runs faster than a quick-dry nail polish. I have figured out how to master my ADHD brain through fitness, healthy eating and self-care and I get a thrill out of helping other women like me, do the same. You may or may not have ADHD, but somewhere after 40, most of us end up wondering why our jeans are tight and our brains are foggier than summer in San Francisco. If that's you, I'm here to help. Welcome!

    Let's Connect!

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube

    Keep the positive Momentum going

    The best way to stay on track with your wellness + life goals is to keep the reminders and inspiration flowing. Let me help you with that.

    We're in this together, my friend.

    The Best in At Home Workouts

    andrea rogers XB Pilaties

    BOD vs BODi - What's the difference + $$?

    extend barre beachbody

    The Best Beachbody (BODI) Workouts in 2022

    xb pilates founder doing pilates

    XB Pilates Before + Afters (I'm in love)

    woman's before and after of sure thing

    Beachbody's Sure Thing - Sample Workout, Before & After

    extend barre beachbody

    Beachbody's Xtend Barre Review + Sample Workout

    women with wellness app

    The BEST Fitness Apps For Women (That I Use Daily)

    Want more blog posts? →

    Footer

    As Seen In

    • About The Fit Habit
    • Disclaimer & Privacy Statement

    Keep the positive momentum going

    Stay on track with your fitness + wellness goals.

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • Media Kit
    • FAQ

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021

    0 shares