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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Carbs, Carbs, I love me some CARBS!


There's something about this font that makes me eyes flip the letters
around and see "crabs" instead of "carbs". Do you see it too?



**Note: When I use the word “diet” in this post, I am referring to the types of food that I eat. I am not insinuating I am “on a diet” or trying to lose weight.**



I love carbohydrates SO MUCH.

I crave carbs.

My body needs them.




I used to eat a diet that was almost entirely made up of carbohydrates. My protein and fat intake were seriously lacking. I am happy to say I remedied that a few years ago. Taking up strength training as well as the desire to increase my lean muscle mass and decrease my body fat is what precipitated my change in eating habits. Lowering the amount of carbs I ate and upping my protein and fat (combined with the strength training) got me the results I desired.

Being the “all or nothing” type of person I am, it shouldn’t surprise you that at first, when I changed my eating habits, I wasn’t eating enough carbs. I cut too much of them out of my diet. Slowly, after a couple months, I started to up my carb intake. I kept gaining muscle and was getting stronger, so all was good. The carbs stayed.

I am careful about when I eat carbs. I know my body needs them first thing in the morning. My body also needs them before (fuel) and after (repair) a workout.

Currently, I would categorize my diet as high protein/normal carb on the days I lift, and normal protein/high carb on days I do a lot of cardio. I am not afraid of carbs. As a runner and a lifter, I need them. I would be homicidal without them!


What is your relationship like with carbs? (Or crabs, you can tell me about both... I'll listen.)




21 comments:

  1. I eat probably 70% carbs but I don't really care haha. I tried doing lower carb and hated it. I make sure I get enough protein but I don't eat as much as people trying to gain muscle mass would but it is what works for me. Even though I've experimented with different ratios, I occasionally felt bad about the high carb thing like I was short-changing my running but I've read that a lot of elite runners eat 65-70% so I figure I'm okay if that's what my body likes ;)

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    1. Yes! You run so much so that percentage of carbs makes perfect sense.

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  2. I love carbs. I try to keep to healthy carbs, like brown rice instead of white, but I'm such a sucker for pasta and SUGAR. Because I have to be on a gluten free diet, my carb intake is probably a little lower than most people's, and I think that's one reason I get more tired on runs than my friends!

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    1. Aw yeah I am sure you have to be much more creative when fueling before and during a run,

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  3. Great post! This is something that I think a lot of runners encounter because for some reason, society has given carbs a bad rep. You need them, carbs give you energy! It took me some time to develop a good balance, too.

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    1. Yup! I read a nutrition book before I started studying for my ACE cert. and it was very eye opening about what to eat and when to eat it. Bottom line was I shouldn't feel bad about eating carbs... unless I stop running!

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  4. I'm a carbaholic here too! Even when when I try to reduce my intake it's still hard. Carbs are everywhere!!!!

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  5. Just from reading the title of this post I knew I was going to like it. I looove carbs! I seriously can't get enough

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  6. I love carbs too! Since having to go gluten free I've been eating a lot more brown rice as my go-to carb. The good thing about brown rice is that it can be paired with almost anything (chicken, fish, red meat, etc.) and serve as the perfect side!

    I don't eat crabs, or any seafood. I have a weird fish-phobia.

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    1. Mmmm brown rice is so good for you. I wish I craved that more than I crave WHITE BREAD hehe.

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  7. I never feel 'full' when I lower my carb intake. Which probably makes sense since I'm hooked on carbs. It's the first thing I crave when I'm hungry. This was a great post!

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    1. Heather, didn't you mean "rungry"?! Lol

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    2. Now that I'm finally able to run, I am feeling RUNGRY! It is a great feeling! :)

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  8. I love me some carbs! Yummmmmm!

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  9. I love carbs and red meat. For some reason I crave burgers and steaks all the time!

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    1. Mmmm... I never crave meat but I eat it a lot!

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  10. You and me both with all or nothing. Happily, I think I've found a food balance that is satisfying and gives me the nutrients I need. Gluten free carbs included.

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    1. That is awesome Jill! It is so freeing to find that balance.

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