Are Carbohydrates Bad?
It would not be good for fat loss to have extreme carbohydrate highs and lows. That will surely leave a lot of room for mistakes. Depending on how you get along with them, carbs can be a friend or a foe. Fat loss is not only influenced by the amount of calories you take in. It also depends on the source of calories and how you use the fuel that these calories provide. When it comes to fat loss, there are different roles played by carbohydrates, fats and proteins. We shall soon discover why carbohydrates are important and why it has earned the title “premium fuel”.
Carbohydrates are known to be the body’s main source of fuel. Fats serve as fuel reserves but it doesn’t burn as well as carbohydrates. It was said that fats are more efficient fuel reserves however it is not true. Fats are concentrated sources of fuel, packing nine calories per gram. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred and readily available source of energy. Restricting carbohydrates in the body may compromise energy levels as well as performance. Short and high intensity activities such as weight lifting utilize glycogen for energy which is the by product of carbohydrates. If there is a low carbohydrate intake glycogen is not available causing the body to tap on the fat reserves in order to provide the fuel necessary to complete a certain activity. However, fats are less efficient fuel sources which may compromise performance. It will therefore make your workouts suffer causing you to have lesser chances of burning fats through exercise.
There are mainly two types of carbohydrates. These are the simple and complex types. These two are further divided into several sub types. Simple carbohydrates promote spikes in blood sugar which stimulates insulin production. Because of the large amount of circulating blood sugar, a commensurate amount of insulin is released. Once the body has cleared out the glucose, it will crave for more sugar, and the cycle begins anew. Throughout the day, this cycle is repeated several times and leads to increased fat storage. Complex carbohydrates can either be starchy or fibrous. They are harder to digest and provide a stabilizing effect to blood sugar levels. Complex carbohydrates have a higher thermic effect and provide more volume. Fibrous carbohydrates like vegetables are dense and low caloric which makes them ward off hunger longer than simple ones.
The most important differentiation between carbohydrates is whether it is refined or natural. Complex carbohydrates become simple ones when they are refined or processed. That’s why refined sugar, white breads, enriched pastas and pretzels shouldn’t be in your list of foods to eat. They have undergone so much processing that the body finds them so easy to break down and digest, leaving you craving for more.
The types of carbohydrates you consume determine its effects on your fat loss plan. True, it all goes back to the amount of calories you take in. However, the right kinds of carbohydrates give as good as it gets. Unlike the wrong ones, it allows you to use it in a way that supports your fat loss plan.
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