5 Reasons to Love Carbohydrates when Building the Body You Want
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Cutting carbohydrates from one's diet has long been a popular way for people to lose weight and achieve their ideal bodies. This is the reason why cauliflower has taken over the world.
Yet, what people should know is that carbohydrates are essential in helping you build your desired body. In fact, not getting enough carbohydrates may prevent you from getting the body you want.
That’s why, in this episode of Embrace Your Real podcast, I’m going to share the importance of carbohydrates for building the body you want. In fact, I’m going to share 5 reasons why you should start to love carbs.
What I discuss:
Carbs are your main energy source for intense physical activities.
Carbs are required in the process of muscle repair and growth.
Carbs help with healthy hormone regulation.
Carbs also with healthy mood regulation.
Low carb diets lead to poor digestion which causes inflammation, boating, and a slow metabolism.
And BONUS 6: Sustainability. If you have to deprive yourself, you’re not going to stick with it long term.
Link mentioned in this episode:
Macro Counting For the Everyday Woman e-Book: www.juliealedbetter.com/free-ebook
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Instagram: @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
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Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
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Macro Counting Made Simple: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
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Transcript:
Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I issue a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get hugs, girl. And welcome back to another episode.
Today, we're talking about carbohydrates, one of my favorite macronutrients. So we're going to be talking about the five reasons to love carbohydrates when building the body that you want. And this is to the woman who's scared of carbohydrates. I'm thinking back to my college self. I thought that the answer to all of my problems when it came to building the body that I wanted was to cut out carbs.
And I hear this often, like whenever someone comes to me and they are, you know, getting on track and then off track and then all of these things, they're in this vicious cycle. I hear so often I'm just going to cut out my carbs. I'm just going to reduce my carbs. Like if I truly had a dollar for every single time I heard a woman say, I need to lose weight so I'm not eating carbs right now or I'm eating low carb like I would be a billionaire.
Honestly, Like there are so many women who say this, and this was me too. Like, I'm not saying that this is something stupid. This is honestly what I believed for a decade plus of my life. And so that's why I'm putting out these episodes, because I want you to know that there is an alternative way and carbs are amazing to help you build the body they want. In fact, they're essential. They are essential to building the body that you want. And I truly believe that when you are reducing your carbon, take to the point where it's, you know, hindering you overall, like that is actually one of the main reasons that's holding you back from building the body that you want.
And so in today's episode, if you're one of those people that thinks that you need to cut out carbs or you're just curious about this topic, or maybe this confirms like what you have been learning that carbs are not the enemy, they're not evil. Just listen with an open mind. Listen with an open heart. And let me prove to you the importance of carbohydrates for building the body that you want and want to share. Five reasons why you should really start loving carbs. Because, honestly, let's be real. Life is better when you're eating carbs. Life is better with delicious carbohydrates.
But before you dive in, I had to share this review. It comes from fuel my body. They give a five star review and said, packed with great info. Julie's podcasts are packed with uplifting, knowledgeable and helpful info on to help me learn something new to live my best life. I love these podcasts and love her positive approach. Hands down my favorite podcast. Thank you. Julie will feel my body.
First of all, I love that. I love when we reframe certain things that previously have maybe been negatively construed in our mind. And for me, you know, I was like deprive myself, deprived myself, deprived myself, and now I'm all about fueling my body properly and honoring my body with movement. And so I think that that in and of itself kind of a side tangent. I love your username, but thank you for the review and I'm so grateful that these podcasts are helping you. If you haven't already read it and read the podcasts. If you could switch over to Apple Podcasts, type in Embrace Your Real first. Make sure you subscribe by clicking that plus sign in the top right corner. That just ensures that you get the downloads every Monday and Thursday when they come out, they're already pre downloaded on your phone. So whether you're taking a road trip or you're somewhere where you don't have cell service or wi fi, they will already be downloaded on your phone so that you don't have to worry about that and you can tune in wherever the heck you are in the world if you are my Spotify community. Love you guys so much. I love Spotify. I've actually just been recently getting into Spotify more with like podcasts. I don't know why, but Apple Podcasts has always been my go to and still honestly is my main hub when it comes to podcasts. But my Spotify podcast for you guys are awesome and you actually can both follow this show as well as rate the show. So if you could do those two things on Spotify, that would mean the absolute world to me.
All right, let's dive into the five reasons why carbs are amazing for building the body that you want and why not eating enough carbs can actually hold you back on your journey.
Number one, carbs are your main source of energy for intense physical activities. Most of us are not living in a state of ketosis, right? So this is when your body shifts from burning carbs first as the energy to burning fat, first as energy. This means that burning carbs as fuel is our main energy 100% of the time, right? Carbohydrates are rapidly broken down into glucose, which can be used by your muscles as fuel. And so during intense physical activity sessions, your muscles actually require a large amount of energy to function. And guess what? Carbs provide this energy in the form of glucose. So just kind of a little science class for you. Try to figure out the word Bill Nye the Science Guy. Anyways, for those of you who kind of want to get nerdy on the science in this glucose. Coast is actually stored in your muscles as glycogen, and your glycogen stores are depleted rapidly during any sort of intense physical activity. Right? Your body can then use the glucose from your bloodstream to maintain your energy levels for the remainder of your workout. Right. So comparing carbs to fats and protein carbs are way more readily available and they're kind of a more readily available source of energy for your body. And the energy from carbs is released way quicker during your workouts than fats and proteins. And this is why they're super important to, you know, have a source of energy for activities that require high, intense effort. They just give you a much more efficient way to get the energy that you need when you need it. And plus, carbs are oftentimes the preferred source of energy for the brain, which can ensure the cognitive function that it's maintained during your workouts. Kind of going back to ketosis, because some of you guys might say, well, I'm in ketosis 24 seven and if keto works for you, that is great. I will always recommend someone keep doing what they're doing. If they feel great, if it's sustainable, if they're enjoying it, if they're having energy from it, if it's working for you. But in most cases I have personally seen and just working with thousands of women over the last decade that Quito is not something sustainable for women long term. Maybe it works for three months or six months or even a year or even two years. But after that, they say, you know, I don't want to live in this constant state of low carb. I love carbs. I want to have them in moderation. And I've also heard keto experts say this as well. And this is because living in this low state of this low carb lifestyle, it can not always but can lead to hormonal imbalances and menstrual irregularities. So again, take that with a grain of salt. I completely recognize that everybody's on their own journey, but I have found that living my life and eating foods, all foods, protein, carbs and fats, all foods, no restrictions in terms of what I want to eat. Now, if your body doesn't agree with you on certain foods, that's a totally different topic. But eating all foods in moderation, in my opinion, is the most sustainable.
Number two, muscle repair and growth rate. Consuming enough carbohydrates daily, especially after a workout, can really help to repair damaged muscle tissue and promote recovery and growth. Muscle repair is really important in terms of building the body that you want because if your muscles don't repair, they don't grow and you don't build more muscle and thus you won't change your body composition. So really changing your body composition starts with your muscle repair itself, and consuming enough carbohydrates daily is a critical part of the muscle repair and recovery process. I've explained this in other episodes before, but during exercise, your muscle experience might grow tears which cause inflammation and cause damage to the muscle fibers, Right? This damage then triggers the body's natural healing process and the repair and growth of new muscle tissue. So in order to repair the damage muscle tissue, the body needs an adequate supply of energy and nutrients to actually execute. So without the energy and nutrients, it can't work to repair the muscle. So guess what? Carbohydrates actually provide the fuel needed for muscle repair and recovery. So here's kind of the nitty gritty. Carbohydrates are stored in the muscle as glycogen, like I mentioned, which is the primary fuel source during those high intense exercise sessions. So after exercise, consuming carbohydrates can help to replenish those glycogen stores, providing the energy needed for muscle repair and recovery. Plus, carbohydrates can also help to regulate insulin levels, which play a role in the transport of nutrients into the muscle cells, including amino acids and glucose, which are essential for muscle repair and growth. If all of that went over your head, you're like, Julie, you lost me at here's the nitty gritty. All you really need to understand is that carbohydrates are required in the muscle recovery process. And if your muscles don't really repair and fully repair themselves, then you aren't able to change your body composition. So what do you need to do? You need to eat enough carbohydrates daily.
Number three, hormone regulation. So when the hormones are out of whack, you will likely see an increase in inflammation and weight gain. It's actually one of the main drivers of weight gain with women. And many women get frustrated when, you know, they're working out consistently and they're working out hard, they're eating super clean, whatever that means in their world. They're frustrated, but they're frustrated that they're not seeing the results that they want. And the reason for this is because no matter how hard you work, no matter how clean you eat, if your hormones are out of whack because you are not. Eating the proper amount, you're not going to see the results that you're looking for. Plus, when you're working out super, super hard, you're eating super, super clean. That can actually potentially be the reason why your hormones are out of whack. So things like not overtraining and giving your body what it actually needs, the proper amount of protein, carbs and fats. This is a sure way to ensure that you aren't throwing your hormones out of whack when it comes to eating enough carbohydrates. Yes, men I found and studies have shown that men can get away with eating a lower carb diet simply because they don't have as much sensitivities in their bodies. Right. They don't have as sensitive hormones as women. So men can get away with other things like fasting for longer periods of time, eating a keto diet. But as women, we need to be extremely careful with this. And I think that it's important to note this. Like for me, for example, when I was eating in a super low carb, low calorie diet in college, I lost my mentor cycle, I lost my motorcycle for, I want to say it was about two or three years in my college years. And I celebrated that. And I look back now and I'm like in my thirties, 32. I'm disgusted at the fact that I celebrated losing my menstrual cycle in my twenties. Like, what was I thinking? But I really I mean, looking back at it, it was because I was not properly feeling my body. I was overtraining my body. My body was exhausted. I was not giving it the proper amount of protein, carbs and fats. And I was depriving my body of all these things. So, so many people, when they hear that, they say, well, how did you get it back? You have to remember every journey is going to look different. I am not a medical expert. I'm not a doctor, so please consult with your doctor. But personally, I naturally got my cycle back when I started properly fueling my body, when I started giving my body enough protein, carbs and fats. When I started training smart and effectively and instead of overtraining and training seven days a week, I gave my body 1 to 2. Most times, especially in that era of my fitness journey, I was giving my body to full recovery days. And so I was not overtraining and I was consistent with that. I was not going through these, you know, toxic cycles of like feeling my body optimally during the week and then going crazy on the weekends and then starting the cycle again. Like I was very, very consistent with that. So again, my journey is not going to be exactly like your journey, so please consult with a doctor. But personally, I got my menstrual cycle back and my hormones more regulated when I started properly fueling my body. But I do know that that won't be the case for every single person listening to this. So please again, consult with your doctor. But low carb diets do have an impact on insulin levels, and insulin is a hormone that helps to regulate blood sugar levels. Right? Consuming a low carb diet can result in swings in your insulin levels, which can actually lead to hormonal imbalances and increased risk of conditions like PCOS, which is something that is starting to be very, very common amongst women. And it can also be very, very hard to reverse. Not impossible. I've heard many success stories with PCOS and reversing that, but this is something that is very common amongst women, and low carb diets have an effect on your cortisol levels. And cortisol is a stress hormone that greatly impacts weight and metabolism, for better or for worse, depending on your habits. Right. A low carb diet affects it for the worse. It increases the cortisol levels leading to stress and weight gain. High cortisol levels can also interfere with ovulation menstrual regularity. One of the main reasons why women can kind of lose their period, right? High cortisol levels are also triggered from training, from overtraining. If you're overtraining paired with a low carb diet, you're really creating a recipe disaster for your hormones. And low carb diets are also kind of the nemesis for thyroid hormones. Your thyroid also produces hormones that regulate metabolism, and a low carb diet can have a direct negative impact on your thyroid function, leading to changes in the metabolism and hormone levels for the worse. This can also result in irregular menstrual cycles infertility, other hormonal imbalances, which is just way more serious than just slowing down your progress or changing your body composition. It can have a serious impact on your estrogen levels, which can also trigger similar negative effects. Right. And another important thing and note on hormones that low carb diets really mess with leptin and a low carb diet can greatly reduce leptin levels. Leptin is actually a hormone produced by your fat cells to help regulate your hunger. Right. And so a. Low carb diet reduces these leptin levels, leading to increased feelings of hunger and overeating. So we're eating less carbs to see better results, but then that triggers us to actually eat way more than we actually need. And we end up doing the thing we were trying to avoid doing so when we could have just not deprived ourselves, ate the carbs that we needed, we actually see better results. Instead, we're going down this toxic path that I often talk about.
Number four mood regulation. Carbohydrates can honestly improve mood and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. So what does this have to do with building the body that you want? Well, a few reasons. Number one, stress and anxiety can trigger weight gain through hormonal imbalances. Number two, stress and anxiety can heighten cravings, and you're more likely to overdo it and not properly feel your body with the proper amount of protein, carbs and fats. And number three, if you feel stressed out or anxious, are you going to have the motivation to move your body? Oftentimes know we're in this kind of tunnel state a vision in our mind where we're like, I want to do anything. We kind of get paralyzed whether we're super anxious. You know, I know some people, when they get super anxious, they just shut down. Some people, when they get super anxious, they go into really bad habits. It just kind of depends on the person. But most times and not when you're feeling really stressed and you're feeling really anxious. The first thing that you want to do is kind of plop yourself in front of a TV or on your phone and just scroll and hope that that changes it. But it's important to realize that carbohydrates can actually improve your mood and it can reduce the feelings of stress and anxiety. So why why do they play a significant role in this? Well, this is because carbohydrates are essential for the production of serotonin. Right. Which is a neurotransmitter that really helps to regulate mood and promotes feelings of happiness and well-being. So serotonin is known as the feel good neurotransmitter, and it's produced in the brain from tryptophan, which is an amino acid that is converted into serotonin. So tryptophan is found in many high carbohydrate foods, such as whole grains, potatoes, fruits. And so consuming these foods can actually help to increase serotonin levels and improve mood. Plus, carbs are the primary source of energy for the brain, and they play an important role in the cognitive function, which includes mood regulation. This means that consuming enough carbohydrates daily can actually improve brain function and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Right. And so, like we discussed earlier, a low carb diet also messes with your cortisol levels, and high cortisol levels also impacts mood and mental health. I know it's a crazy concept, but our body is so interconnected that if we mess with one area, we don't even realize the ripple effect that it has within our body. And so that's why it's so, so important that we recognize certain things that can mess with so many other things in our body that maybe we didn't know before. Number five, better digestion. Not eating enough carbs will slow down your digestion, which in turn causes a less functioning metabolism. Right? So it does this in a in a couple of different ways. Number one, a slow digestion can trigger gut inflammation, a.k.a. bloating. So inflammation triggers a slow metabolism because it damages your gut microbiome. And your gut microbiome plays a crucial role in regulating your metabolism. Plus, it can disrupt your hormone functioning, which leads to hormonal imbalances that also impact your metabolism. And even more inflammation also leads to oxidative stress. This damages your cells, and when your cells are damaged, they can't function properly, which again can cause interruption in your metabolism, a.k.a. slowing it down. Number two, poor digestion can slow down your metabolism because your body has to work harder to break down food and exact nutrients. Right. This means that you are decreasing your efficiency in the energy production and storage. And like I mentioned in other podcasts before, when one system of your body slows down, just like I just mentioned, everything's super interconnected. All systems of your body slow down because everything in your body is connected. It's like a well-oiled machine, you know, It's really hard for in fact, it's impossible. I think I'm not an automobile expert, but it is impossible for you to drive your car if your transmission is not working, if your transmission is down, if it's out of order, has the caution tape on it, it's out of order. Oh, your car is not going to run. It's a similar thing with our body. Everything is so interconnected that it's important that we are monitoring all aspects of our body and recognizing that everything is super interconnected. And it's important that we first fuel our body optimally so that we can ensure that everything is running properly in our body. And then as a secondary thing, make sure we're consistently moving. Our body has so many benefits with proper nutrition paired with movement that's going to equal optimal results and also optimal health and bonus number six, sustainability. So another reason to ensure that you're eating enough carbohydrates to build the body that you want is that you're able to stay consistent long term. We want you to see real results. We want you to be able to commit to it in six months, in a year, in two years and three years in four years. And I personally have just found that living a low carb diet, cutting out carbs, it's a short term habit. And let's be real, like, can you stick to that diet long term? And most of the times people will say yes initially, and then they'll actually start to practice it and realize it's just not sustainable long term. So you guys know, if you've tuned in to this podcast for any length of time. I am a firm believer in sustainability and I believe that when you're constantly telling yourself that you can't have X, Y and Z, you're feeling guilty and thus you feel like you are on a strict diet, and when you feel like you can't do something, our human nature wants to go against that. We want to rebel against it. When someone says, Don't touch that, that's hot. As a kid, what do you want to do? You want to touch it, You want to see, is it really hot? We want to rebel against certain things. And so when we tell ourselves we can't have X, Y, and Z, it's going to make us want it more. And when you're working towards building the body that you want, you need to focus on doing it in a way where the habits are helping you actually maintain and build the body that you want. And most importantly, they're enjoyable. They're leading to an enjoyable lifestyle. Because if your lifestyle is enjoyable, if you're able to find joy from it and gain energy from it and feel like you are not depriving yourself, you're likely to stick to it long term. So let me recap those five things that I mentioned, five reasons why I believe you should love carbohydrates and why they're so important when building the body that you want. Number one, carbs are your main energy source for intense physical activities. Number two, carbohydrates are required in the process of muscle repair and growth. Number three, carbohydrates can help with healthy hormone regulation. Number four, carbohydrates can also help to promote mood regulation.
And number five, low carb diets lead to poor digestion, which can cause, in turn, inflammation, bloating and a slow metabolism.
And then bonus number six, sustainability. If you have to deprive yourself, you're likely not going to stick with it long term. So all that to say, eat the freaking carbs, eat the freaking carbs. So you're probably saying, okay, you've convinced me I'm going to ditch the low carb diet and I want to eat the carbs. But you still have the question. So how many carbs is enough carbs? Right. That's the next logical question. And I can't give you a definitive number because this is this is completely determined by where you're at, what your current goals are, what your activity level is. And it's custom. It's from person to person. It's going to vary. And so how do you find out how many carbs your body needs? Based on what I just mentioned, I will lead you to a free resource that I have. I have a free macro accounting for the Everyday woman e-book. So if you are wanting to get that free download, you can go to W WW dot Julie a lot better dot com forward slash free dash e-book.
I'll say it again www dot Julie A Ledbetter dot com forward slash free hyphenated e-book. And when you go on that page all you got to do is fill out your name and your email and we will send it right away to you and you can learn how to start properly fueling your body. That is so key and so critical on this journey towards building the body that you want that we wanted to give you as much free information as we possibly can so that you can feel empowered on this journey.
So again, go to Julie A Ledbetter dot com forward slash free hyphen e-book. I will link it in the show notes so you can easily go tune in there, but I hope that this was helpful for you. I know like I mentioned at the beginning of this podcast episode, this is for the woman who just is so confused. You think that. Eating a low carb diet is the way to go. But you're miserable and you're frustrated because you're being consistent in your workouts, but you're not seeing the results that you want. I'm telling you, it is about proper nutrition. If you are staying consistent with your workouts and you are still not seeing results. I will tell you, nutrition is a key missing piece. It is so important that you dial in your nutrition and not just, Oh, I'm going to eat healthier, I'm going to eat clean. I don't care what you choose to do in terms of the foods that you eat, I care that you are properly fueling your body with the proper amount. And yes, we can go into another day.
Food quality is important. I will totally stand behind that. But what is more important in my perspective is that you have a proper understanding of how much your body needs because that is a critical puzzle piece and you building the body that you want. So again, Julia Ledbetter dot com forward slash free dash e-book.
If you found this episode helpful, I just ask that you share it out with your people, whether that is on Instagram and you're copying the link and you're posting it on a link on your Instagram story or sending it in a text message, I would just love for you to share this message. Our hope, our prayer is that we can meet reach as many women as possible to either encourage, empower and come alongside them in their journey and know that we are here for them. We are cheering for them and educate them on what they need to know so that they can stop wasting time and start actually seeing results for all the hard work that they are putting in.
That is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so much. I need it and I'll talk to you in the next. All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter. Yes, It's with an name in the middle for that daily post workout. Real talk. Healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.