Why we need carbs... and a "FINALLY" moment!

I've had another stall for nearly 3 weeks, until 2 days ago and since then FINALLY I'm missing 3 lbs. I was reading something a little over a week ago about carb intake and had a lightbulb moment that perhaps I was a little too "neurotic" about curbing them and decided that maybe I was limiting them TOO much, particularly the complex carbs.  My trainer at the Y also told me that I might be taking in too few calories for the many I'm burning over there and walking too.  So about a week ago, I decided to allow myself to incorporate some additional carbs (a "poison" food for me).  And suddenly I started to see my stall end.  I do not know that this has had ANY impact on that, but the timing is such that it just might, and probably. I also FEEL better with these additional carbs... which makes sense since carbs fuel us... and the more active we are the more carbs we need to fuel that.  And by fueling myself with good carbs, I don't have cravings for the bad ones (sugar, and those "white" foods).  Carbs also provide some essential vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.  I know that I mus****ch myself like a hawk so that I do not get too comfortable and let too many carbs (especially the bad ones) creep back into my diet, but for now, I think what I've done is a "good thing" for me and my stall... I know all this stuff about carbs, but have just tried to keep them at bay because I know how addicting they are, but I realize that I just have to control them and not let them control ME. YAH for now, that yet another stall seems to have ended!  I'll just have to wait and see... in the meantime, I'm going to continue have some (good) carbs. Good Article

I agree with you Wendy!  I have a bite or two of "good" carbs wiht most meals.  It makes me feel like I'm not so deprived.  Tonight I had some broiled catfish and a little sweet potato and it was SOOOO GOOD! Alice

Until two years ago, I was a marathon walker and a coach for an organization that trains endurance athletes who raise funds to fight blood cancers.  So I know about the importance of the right kinds of carbs!  People who do more than 90 minutes of strenuous exercise a day need to up their carb intake a little, because they provide the types of sugars that the brain needs to function.  It is NOT a pretty sight to see a marathon runner or walker get close to the finish line if they haven't taken in enough carbs (via PowerBars or gels or gel blocks)!    Their thinking is muddled, and they weave around and sometimes get a little delusional.  Makes for very bad finish-line photos! One of our runners hated the taste of gels but loved jellybeans. So she made a point of eating two jellybeans each mile she ran (she was REALLY fast).  It worked out perfectly for her.  The rule of thumb we used for a run/walk of two hours or more was to take in 150 high-carb calories every 20 minutes. The best time to take in carb is while you're exercising or within half an hour of finishing a strenuous workout.  It's also important to take in a little protein within a half-hour, too -- helps with muscle recovery so that your body is cracking open its stores of fat to convert to sugars rather than eating away the muscle tissue to get fuel. Staying hydrated is important, too.  A good way to judge how much water/Gatorade you need is to weigh yourself naked before a one-hour strenuous workout and then weigh yourself naked again right after your one-hour workout (don't take in any fluids for this test run).  However many ounces you've lost tells you how many ounces of fluid you should be taking in for that amount of exercise, so you can plan to take in that many ounces each hour the next time you're doing aerobic workouts.

Over the past few years carbs have really gotten a bad rap. To add to that many surgeons tell patients no bread/starch carbs for 6 months, 12 months, to goal or for life - that is just insane to me. As you said we do need carbs!! People seem to forget that there are carbs in fruits, veggies and dairy - they are important and should be in our diet. When it comes to bread/starch carbs they should also be in our diet but limited to around 1-2 servings a day - here is where the good vs bad carbs come in - you want whole grain/brown carbs, not the enriched/bleached/white ones.  Glad to see you have broken your stall and realized the importance of carbs! :-) carbs <33

I couldn't agree w/you more. My decision to have surgery was a decision to change my life, but I knew that it had to be something I could actually live with. While I realize the importance of proteins in my diet, if I couldn't have carbs, I know for me I'd be setting myself for failure. I need carbs. I try and make good carb choices, but I know that if I'm in this for the forever then carbs will always be a part of my life.