Top 15 Weight Loss Myths

By Hyrum R

There are many common weight loss myths that people live by when it comes to their health. It is difficult at times to separate the weight loss myths and fact from what is true. Many sound true while others are just laughable. I once read somewhere that if you drink water at night that you are going to gain weight or that if you scratch your head too often you are going to lose your hair....

Weight Loss Myth # 1
The more weight that I have to lose the more intense my exercise routine should be

Weight Loss Truth: Although having an intense workout routine is great, there are a few things you should consider: the first being that everyone is at a different level when it comes to their fitness and how much intensity they can actually handle. If you have been physically inactive for a number of years, an intense work out for you might be, walking half a mile a day. After you walk that half mile you notice that you are sweating bullets and that you are tired. However, for someone who has been physically active for many years, walking half a mile can be done without a sweat. Everyone has a different definition of what "intense" is.

If intense for you is working out for an hour a day, but due to life's busy schedule you only have time for 20 minutes a day, then those 20 minutes will go an extremely long way. It might not necessarily be classified as "intense", according to your definition, but those little cardio moments will have positive health altering effects.

Fat Loss Myth # 2
Stress and weight gain do not go hand in hand

Weight Loss Fact: This is one of those "laughable" myths. To learn more how stress is adding lbs. to your life please download my free E-Book, "Psychology of Releasing Weight"

Weight Loss Myth # 3
I can lose weight while eating whatever I want

Weight Loss Truth: Sir Isaac Newton once said " What goes up must come down." There are natural principles that govern our lives. If you throw a ball up in the air, it is going to come back down. You can sit on your couch and imagine and visualize that the ball will staying afloat in the air, but natural principles teach us that it will come down. Same goes when it comes to our weight.

This is one of the most common weight loss myths out there. It is illogical to think that your health and weight are going to be in balance if your nutrition consists mainly of twinkies, chips, and donuts. Sure you can burn it off by exercising, but most people whose diet consists of mainly junk food are probably not disciplined enough to stick to a workout routine. I do know a few people who, from the outside, look like they are in good shape, because they are not "fat, but who have high cholesterol.

Just because I feel sorry for crushing the hearts of so many twinkie lovers out there, I would say this. You can eat junk food, cookies, chips, ice cream, pizza, burgers.... All of those "soul satisfying foods", but it should be in moderation. Anything in excess is never good.

Fat Loss Myth # 4
Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight

Weight Loss Fact: There are numerous studies that show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to be a lot heavier than who have a healthy nutritional breakfast and then eat 4-6 small meals during the day. The reason to this might be the fact that they get hungrier later on in the day, and might have a tendency to over eat during other meals of the day.

Weight Loss Myth # 5
I will not lose weight while eating at night

Weight Loss Truth: You can over indulge in food during the day and not eat a single thing at night and you WILL gain weight. As is the fact that you can starve yourself during the day and eat all night long and you still will gain weight. The key here is balance. If your body is telling you that it is hungry then perhaps you should listen to it. The truth is, that over eating, while not exercising, will cause you to gain weight; no matter what time of the day that you eat. Whenever I am hungry at night, as is my habit with other meals during the day, I try to select something that is natural in nature. Something like fruits, vegetables, or I might even make myself a fruit smoothie. During those moments that I am craving ice cream or something sweet, I allow myself to get some, and DO NOT feel guilty about it. Many people who are overweight live their life in guilt and shame. I allow myself to get some, however, WITH MODERATION.

Fat Loss Myth # 6
I'm not acceptable until I lose weight

Weight Loss Fact: The person who doesn't feel acceptable because they are fat is because they are not acceptable to themselves first. The way that you think others view you is based on your view of yourself. I honestly believe that one must become emotionally fit before becoming physically fit. I have gone through these self-limiting emotions before. Once I realized that I was ALREADY ENOUGH in the eyes of God and that I had no need to prove myself to anyone or to receive external validation for my self-worth, that made all the difference for me. Once you accept yourself as who you are RIGHT NOW and realize that you are already enough in the eyes of God, you will not feel like you are not acceptable because of your weight.

Weight Loss Myth # 7
I need to cut calories to lose weight faster

Weight Loss Truth: Cutting your calories down might be a great thing, if you are drastically overeating and stuffing your face. However, if you are eating proportionally then cutting calories might have an aversive affect. If you are cutting calories and are starving your body, then that will lower your metabolism, or in other words slow it down, which may result in you actually not losing any weight at all, even if you are "cutting calories"

Fat Loss Myth # 8
Skipping meals will help me lose weight

Weight Loss Fact: Skipping meals may actually cause you to gain weight! You will become too hungry and will eventually have to eat. This will knock your metabolism off track and will eventually slow it down. Think of a car running low on gas (food), if you do not fill it up, it will eventually stop working. Same goes for our body, we need to keep it fueled constantly.

Weight Loss Myth # 9
I think I have genetic weight gain, it runs in my family!

Weight Loss Truth: Can someone say E-X-C-U-S-E-S? I will not deny that there might be tendencies for heavy parents to raise heavy children who will remain heavy their whole lives, but I don't believe that there is actually a "fat" gene or DNA out there. What we do inherit from our family, primarily those who directly raised us, are our views and beliefs. Your views about food, money, religion, politics, education, etc. are based upon how you were raised. If you were raised in a home where the primary meals cooked where fried foods, then you might have a tendency to continue cooking and eating fried foods throughout your life. If that is the case then you might be a little heavy around the waist. The easy thing to do is to blame it on those who were in charge of your upbringing, however, you ALWAYS have a choice to change.

Fat Loss Myth # 10
Eating healthy is too hard

Weight Loss Fact: Eating healthy is the simplest thing in the world.....once you have trained yourself to do it. How many times have you placed a goal to lose weight or to "eat better"? The first few days you are doing great, eating all kinds of foods which you normally wouldn't eat. Then something funny started to happen, you went back to your old habits and behaviors. This has happened to you in other areas outside of your health. It could be with making money, looking for a new job, or in your relationships. Creating a new habit takes time because our brain's do not like change. Change to the brain is dangerous. Anyways, if you would like to learn more about how our brain attempts to sabotage us from creating new habits then please download my free E-book, "Psychology of Releasing Weight"

Weight Loss Myth # 11
You have to give up your favorite foods to lose weight

Weight Loss Truth: What would a world without chocolate and without pepperoni pizza be like??? I think it would be a torturous world to live in!! lol, now on a real note I completely disagree with this myth. You are definitely able to eat your favorite foods. Depriving yourself of this kind of pleasure is not fun, and quite frankly you probably WILL eat it anyways. As has been mentioned before, the real key is moderation. If you are a steak lover, then perhaps it might not be the best things to eat it every single day, but perhaps once or twice a week. Those who know me personally know that I LOOOOOOOOVE chicken wings with pizza. In a perfect world where I wouldn't gain any weight and my arteries were clog-less, I would love to eat it several times per week, well more like every day. However, I know that those aren't the healthiest of food choices so I have it about 2-3 times per month. I am not giving up my favorite foods, I am just eating it in moderation so that it doesn't catch up to me in the form of excess weight.

Fat Loss Myth # 12
Overeating is caused by hunger

Weight Loss Fact: Nice try there. If only we could blame "hunger" for it. In fact, this person we call hunger has nothing to do with you OVEREATING. It might have something to do your body telling you that it is time to "fuel up" and that it needs food, but that is not an indication that one should overeat. What causes many people to overeat are different reasons. One of the main ones is feeling of stress, depression, loneliness, anxiety, fear, and other down grading emotions of that nature. Many times food can be a means of satisfying your needs. You might be actually getting your needs met through your foods. For example, if you live a lonely life, and aren't very happy, then food could perhaps be a means of you feeling happy and comforted. There are other articles that I have written on this subject but suffice it to say that overeating is NOT cause by being hungry.

Weight Loss Myth # 13
Only drastic diets work

Weight Loss Truth: There goes that word again...DIEt....those "drastic diets" are only good for quick weight loss and rapid weight gain once you get of it. These drastic diets range from the "cookie diet", lol.... All that way to "the water only diet"..... I am sure you can lose weight while on these DIEts, however the weight will be gained right back and usually with some added weight as a bonus

Fat Loss Myth # 14
I am too fat and too far down the road to begin

Weight Loss Fact: A long journey begins one step at a time. It is natural to expect instantaneous results and to even fear the road ahead of you; especially if you are extremely overweight. The secret here is to make SMALL incremental changes. Don't expect perfection because that will lead you to disappointment. You are never too far down the road to where you cannot see the sun's light......

Weight Loss Myth # 15
I can't do it, I have tried many times and have failed

Weight Loss Truth: The great Henry Ford once said "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't- you're right.'"......It is 90% mindset, and 10% actually getting off your butt and doing something about it. You fall down, you get back up.... you fall down again, you get back up again. If you have tried to lose weight in the past then it is time to keep trying. Discouragment is to losing weight as is a piece of fried chicken to a vegetarian......they DO NOT go hand in hand.

[Http://PsychologyOfReleasingWeight.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hyrum_R

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5567423

Jump Rope For Weight Loss

Skipping is such a good way to burn calories and lose weight it's also cheap which makes it one of my most recommended exercises.

Although it may take a little getting used to and a little tricky to find your rhythm, once you get skipping can be one of the best forms of cardio. All you need is a little space and a skipping rope which can normally be bought for around $5 - $10.

More benefits of jump rope/skipping below.

If your just starting out or you've never jumped rope before then this may be a little frustrating at first. But once you get that rhythm going and your timing improves you will amaze yourself.

Start off slow and try and ease into a faster pace, if you slip up and get tangled up in the rope thats fine just keep trying. The way I learned was when I was training for boxing and my trainer made me do push ups or sit ups every time I stuffed up. I guess it fast tracked my learning because I rarely miss a beat now.

Once you've start to get a little rhythm and can skip without fault its time to add a little style to your form. you can make skipping as challenging as you wish and push yourself to new extremes.

Running On The Spot

This is where you skip and run on the spot, you can speed up and slow down to suit what ever speed your comfortable. I recommend doing 3 minutes at medium pace then going all out for 1 whole minute. Increase your time as you get better and fitter.

Criss Cross

This is where you cross over the skipping rope while jumping it crossing over back and forth. Criss crosses are great to mix things up and it keeps the mind thinking. Once you have a good rhythm going you will be surprised how easy it is.

Double Unders

This is where you jump with both feet together and swing the rope twice in the one jump. This forces you to jump higher and swing the skipping rope faster. If your game go for a triple under.

Side to Side

Side to side is where you jump from one side to the other left to right while jumping rope with both feet together.

Around The World

By Warren Wheeler

Time to do some circle work. Grab your skipping rope and skip like your running on the spot then slowly skip around in a circle. This one will test you but once you get it you can try going around both ways.

Grab a skipping rope next time your at the shops and give it a go.

Click this link - Best Fat Burning Programs to view the programs I strongly recommend for men and women.

If your interested in more information about skipping, ab exercises or cardio then check out my home page and navigate through the links get started here - burn belly fat fast.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Warren_Wheeler

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4945977

Cardio and Fat Burning Workouts - Time is Short

By Joe Gagliano

Okay so that's how many hours this week on the treadmill doing your "cardio and fat burning workouts"?____ (fill in the blank) Really, and how's that working out? Yeah I could've guessed. If you are spending more than 3-4 hours a week and not losing 1-2 pounds of fat your wasting your time.

In a second I am going to show one of the most effective and efficient cardio and fat burning exercises there is. But first.

Are you using any of these workouts for fat burning and cardio?

* Weight Training

* Kettlebell Training

* Interval Training

* Circuit Training

If not then you need to start and if you are and not seeing the results in fat loss then you need to up your intensity.

Let me give you one of the best cardio and fat burning exercises I know (and truth be told if you were to do it as I tell you it is a workout by itself).

The Kettlebell Snatch (Can be done with a dumbbell but a kettlebell is much more effective). First let me tell you how to do it.

Proper start position for the kettlebell snatch, stand up straight and push your butt out as you bend over. Make sure to bend your knees slightly and to keep your back flat. Look forward and grip the kettlebell really hard and keep your body tight. Flex your butt and abs as hard as you can.

In one smooth motion, swing the kettlebell back between your legs and quickly reverse the swing forward. As the bell swings forward snap your hips and keep the kettlebell close to your body. Use the momentum to drive the kettlebell overhead.

Cardio and Fat Burning Workout With the Kettlebell Snatch. This is how I have been using the snatch you may have to scale back depending on your conditioning. Follow my lead here and you will Burn fat like you can't believe.

Set #1 Do 1 rep each arm

Set #2 Do 2 reps each arm (I'm sure you see where this is going)

Continue up to 15 reps each (or whatever your conditioning allows) Oh wait you thought you were done? Wrong!

Set #16 Do 14 reps each arm

Set #17 Do 13 reps each (yep all the way back down)

Like I said that's your whole workout that day a cardio and fat burning workout with one exercise. Total time well that depends again on your conditioning but for the best cardio and fat burning 15-20 minutes 2-3 times a week.

The kettlebell snatch is such an effective exercise. Use it with intensity which is how you should approach all your workouts. Add in 2-3 days of weight training, switch out with some interval and circuit training and check you out the cardio and fat burning machine.

The day's of the marathon workouts are over. I don't care what that personal trainer is telling you. A minimum of an hour 5-6 day's a week on a treadmill is bull. Remember anyone can be a personal trainer. There are alot of other effective and efficient exercises and workouts for your cardio, lean muscle gains and fat burning I will be writing about soon. If you aren't up on kettlebell training go to my website The Kettlebell Training Page. I have a lot of free info there exercise descriptions, workouts and more. For more on circuit training, interval training and weight training check out my blog at That Six Pack Abs Look.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Gagliano

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3109842

Ab Workout Made Easy

Now a days it seems everyone wants well toned six pack abs. Abs such as these are not that differcult to get. Stop sucking in your stomach when walking about because with proper exercises you won't have to anymore. Also along with proper exercises you need to take care of your diet. This means have a low fat diet with the least amount of calories in it and have a lot of fiber in your meals. Try eating 5 to 6 smaller meals instead of 2 to 3 bigger ones. This will keep your metabolism higher which results in fat loss more quickly.

All of these ab workouts can be done from the comfort of your own home you don't need to go to a gym unless of course you want to.

Lying Leg Lifts:

This may seem like a simple exercise but is a really effective exercise. Lie down on your back have your legs extended straight out and place your hands next to your buttocks but not under your buttocks as this makes this exercise less effective. Lift both of your legs up at the same time until they are perpendicular to the floor. Then slowly bring them down until they are at about 6 to 10 inches above the floor and then lift them back up again and repeat. Do this 10 to 12 times making sure not to touch the floor.

Circular Lying Leg Lifts:

Doing this exercise is a blast and my favorite ab exercises and is most effective way to burn fat and tone your abs at the same time. Lay down on your back hands behind your neck raise both your feet 6 to 10 inches off the floor keeping your legs straight and while holding your feet at that height make 4 to 6 circles with your feet by using your legs to rotate your feet. Now put your feet back on the floor. Do this 10 to 12 times. You'll notice a burn in your abs and also a bit of a burn sensation in your thighs.

Toe Raises:

Awe good old toe raises. A very good ab exercise indeed. Laying down on your back hands beside your buttocks not under keeping legs straight raise your feet 6 to 10 inches high and hold for 10 seconds then put feet back down on floor keeping legs straight. Do this 10 to 12 times.

Sit ups:

Everyones heard of these. Lay on your back and keep your legs straight. With your hands behind your head around back of neck simply situp and touch your knees with your elbows. Do this 10 to 12 times. A simpler less advanced version of a situp all you have to do is bend your knees and situp and touch your knees with your elbow.

Roman chair crunches (ADVANCED AB BLASTING EXERCISE):

If you have a roman chair great but you don't need one to do this one. Caution this is a advanced ab blasting exercise and you should not attempt this one until you've done the above exercises for several weeks. To do this you can use your living room table one that is really sturdy and strongly built as it has to be able to support your full body weight, I can't stress this enough. First off you'll need a partner to hold your legs and feet down unless you've got a roman chair. Sitting on a table that is long enough for the length of your legs at least to your leg joints by the knees and your buttocks seated at the edge of the table with your partner holding your legs down by sitting on your legs. Next from a sitting position at a 90 degree angle with your hands behind your head lay down so that your body is at a 180 degree angle or as close a it can be to 180 degrees, in other words from sitting normally to laying down flat on your back. Your upper body will be suspended in mid air over the edge of your table. Now sit back up normally. Repeat 5 to 7 times. As you get more used to this advanced ab exercise repeat 10 to 12 times. You can also do a more advanced version of this exercise by holding for 5 to 10 seconds in the laying down position but only when you are ready to do this. Repeat this advanced version 10 to 12 times.

You should also in cardiovascular exercises such a running, bicycling etc. Also if you experience any pain from ab exercises you need to slow them down or even stop them. Feeling a burning sensation though is normal and is whats needed to melt away fat and tone muscle. I suggest that you do these exercises 3 time weekly every other day such as Mon. Wed. Fri. take the weekend off and then repeat. Do this for one month and then start doing them 5 days a week and take 2 days off and repeat. You'll be amazed at the results.

Article by: Arnim Krause

Want more ways to exercise?

Why Most People Fail At Losing Weight

Why do so many people fail at losing weight? Is it because they are lazy? No. Is it because they are addicted to food? No. Is it because they aren’t good at exercising? No. Failure at weight loss stems from a few main factors:

People don't truly understand the risks of being overweight. Why do most want to lose weight? Most would say to look better. Looking better certainly is a benefit of losing weight, but this shouldn’t be the sole reason to lose weight. There is a 1000 pound gorilla in the room and it’s often ignored. Being overweight for a long period of time kills thousands of people each year. Thousands of studies have shown and proven without any doubt that losing body fat will improve and lengthen your life. Knowing the dangers of being overweight is a tremendous motivator to not only lose fat, but to keep it off.

People don't commit to permanent lifestyle changes. So many people think of a "diet" as something temporary. When they are on a "diet" they restrict themselves so much that they are miserable. Sooner or later failure is inevitable because of the unreasonable demands of most "diets." Some of these diets force you to only eat certain foods (e.g., no carbs, special soups etc…) You, like myself, have probably tried them before. The key to losing weight long term is to make gradual lifestyle changes you can stick to forever.

Most individuals are not provided the truthful facts of losing weight and becoming healthier. With the conflicting information in the media, and all of the different lose weight quick fad diets, it’s understandable why so many people really don’t know the truth about losing fat and keeping it off long term.

Most people don't understand they are constantly either gaining fat, or losing fat. There is no in-between. Some people justify binging or giving up because they hit a small road-block. This isn’t an all or nothing game. For example, when I was overweight, if I ate an unhealthy lunch, I’d go ahead and eat an unhealthy dinner since I already "messed up" the day. Or I’d say, I’ll start eating healthy on Monday since I’ve already eaten poorly this weekend. Every person at times eats too much. The successful people will not let a road bump completely derail their entire lifestyle change. If you are not implementing positive lifestyle changes and losing weight, you are gaining weight. Again, there is no "in-between."

Most people don't realize what they consume each day. So many overweight people eat thousands of extra calories and fat without realizing it. It’s tough to know if you are gaining weight or losing weight each day unless you are keeping an eye on what you’re consuming.

This article was written by Mandy, the creator of FreeWeightloss.com, and the author of theUltimate Weight Loss eBook.

Lady Doctor Gets Death Threats for Revealing TOP SECRET Fat Loss Secret to

A new breakthrough secret is all you now need in order to forever shed countless pounds, stay healthy, and add many years to your life!

A lady doctor from Arizona has blown the lid off the best-kept secret in weight loss ever discovered -- and this has the whole diet food and drug industries turned upside down and in nothing less than a torrential uproar.

Her name is Dr Suzanne Gudakunst, and she's marching to the beat of a different drum.

And no, nothing about her "secret" is difficult -- nor does it require that you do something completely out of the ordinary or anything unnatural.

Instead, the Arizonian boasts proudly "...this is something that I caught onto just before 2002 when there was so much research and exploration going around concerning the human colon and digestive system working in harmony with nutritional absorption, and I started doing independent studies just to test things at first ... but which I later expanded on after seeing some fantastic results."

This same woman medical practitioner went on to accurately determine a definitive correlation between harmful plague and parasitic infestations of the human bowel tract, and people suffering chronic obesity -- and who despite intense diet and exercise appeared to be unable to lose any weight whatsoever.

Over the course of six years the Arizona doctor developed a number of natural treatments for the removal of these same harmful, even life-threatening plaques and rapidly reproducing digestive parasites -- and when applied to even worse-case patients suffering extreme obesity (98% of which were in immediate danger of dying) she saw a 100% effectiveness and success rate.

She then borrowed from her research on the severely obese, and applied the same strategies on milder cases of overweight persons -- only to find the same effectiveness and quality results as described above (although the individual weight loss per subject wasn't nearly as much as those obese patients 100 lbs to 200 lbs or more overweight).

So powerful is her secret that she's able to reverse diabetes, rid illness altogether in people suffering from cancer (linked directly to poor diet and overweight factors), as well as an elimination of an entire spectrum of serious and otherwise life-threatening diseases.

Nearly 100% of all her case subjects were told in the alternative by "conventional doctors" that they either had just months or years to live, or they would never live a life anything resembling remotely a "normal" existence -- yet after applying Dr Suzanne's treatments saw a complete contradiction to others doctors' prognoses.

Again, nothing about her secret is unnatural or requires someone to do any major action or modification in their lives.

In fact, her entire treatment is based completely on built-into-nature 'protection agents' scattered throughout the world in the form of select herbs, extracts, and organic constituents, and which can be found in a variety of plants -- but when combined in specific combinations and carefully chosen amounts make for a solution to what is perhaps the world's worst ever plague: OBESITY (and the illnesses and diseases resulting from it -- or at least severely aggravated or exacerbated by it).

Now to everyone else's great gain, whether suffering from just a few extra pounds and inches, to those extremely fat and overweight, this brave, bold lady doctor is releasing to the general public her secret for forever destroying the tight unrelenting closed-fist of obesity's stronghold over the now more than 40% of Americans labeled obese, and others worldwide.

But she's not promising any of us for how long.

Some experts and sociologists suggest that in the bigger scheme of things, the world will never tolerate a discovery of such magnitude, any more than it would be realistic to expect a car that runs on water (even if very real) to ever become commercially available to the general public for day-to-day use.

One well-respected and famous diet & wellness author wrote years ago that if anyone ever "truly unlocked the keys to permanent fat loss, they may actually suffer the same fate as JFK."

It is currently available at:

    Top Fat Loss Secret 

...so you may want to head on over there now and get it and before someone or "something" gets it forever yanked out of ever getting in YOUR hand at least.

It's in a very easily readable format and is quickly and readily understood and mastered by anyone with even a 4th grade reading level.

While you're there, why not scroll down and review for yourself the huge successes others are now having with this incredible breakthrough in rapid, massive weight loss and extremely improved and enhanced health, now made freely available to the rest of us?

How Many Carbs Should I Eat in a Day?

Everyone eats carbohydrates. You pretty much can not get around it. We need carbs for energy after all. But the questionstill remains: how many carbs should I eat in a day? Are there drawbacks from eat too little or too many carbs? What are theside effects of eating carbs or abstaining from eating carbs? Well once again, as with protein, it depends on what you do on a daily basis. Furthermore, ingestion of carbs should be focused more around the question: WHEN should I eat carbs during the day?

As with how much fat to eat in a day and how much protein to eat in a day, it all depends on a couple factors:

* job
* insulin resistance
* activity level
* target body weight
* exercise goals
* lifestyle

The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as stated by the Department of Health and Human Services, suggest that roughly 50% of your daily calories come from carbs. Thus, a person who eats approximately 2,500 calories per day should take in about about 300 grams of carbs. This number is not altogether bad for the average American, but we have to take into consideration the sources of those carbs.

These are the kinds of carbs to avoid at all costs:

* sugary snacks and pastries
* sugar-sweetened soft drinks or fruit juice
* candy
* cookies
* regular fried greasy chips
* processed, packaged snack foods
* high sugar kids cereals
* processed white flour products such as white bread and pasta

These foods offer virtually no nutritional value, and they contain far too many calories. Some of these foods also contain saturated and trans-fats that are bad for your heart, and sugary foods can lead to such maladies as type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Specifically if you are already insulin resistant, you should avoid these bad carbs as they will just ruin your day by making you tired, slow, dumb, and hungry

Instead choose these kinds of carbs:

* fresh fruit
* vegetables
* whole wheat and whole grain products
* beans, nuts, and other legumes

When Do I Need More Carbs?

People that exercise with high intensity or with prolonged endurance, can benefit from a high carbohydrate intake before exercise. It is feasible to consume a high carbohydrate meal before a marathon, or a moderately high carbohydrate meal before lifting weights or martial arts training. It is not a good idea to consume too many carbs in one sitting, but 50 grams is not out of the question if you are preparing for a physically draining event.

During and after exercise is also a key time to consume carbs. In fact this is the only time it is recommended to consume sugary carbs. I tend to sip on Gatorade during a workout and my post-workout drink contains about 40 grams of carbs in the form of dextrose. If allowed to choose, I would choose Biotest Surge as my post-workout drink of choice. This is a product that is specially formulated to replenish lost glycogen stores and restart protein synthesis after a demanding workout.

When Do I Need Fewer Carbs?

There is no need to eat carbohydrates at night. Ever. Some folks believe in consuming a high-carb meal the night before an event like a marathon, but I just don't see it. I would say eat that meal in the morning if the event is in the late morning or early afternoon. The best time for a high carbohydrate meal is in the morning, when your body is prepared to uptake glycogen for energy for the day. Lunch should be a moderate carb meal as you don't want to get that 'bonk' feeling in the middle of the afternoon. Also consider that if you don't plan to exercise during the day then there is really no need to gulp down many carbs at any point in the day.

Carbs and Fat Loss

If you are on a fat loss diet, then there is definitely no need to eat more than 100 grams of carbs in any one day. I don't necessarily support Atkins, but there are valid points to that diet. When I am in the middle of a hardcore cutting phase, trying to get as lean as possible in a given time frame, I will only consume 20-30 grams of low glycemic index carbs for breakfast.

For lunch I will try to avoid most carbs, opting for whole grain bread or a salad if necessary. My pre-workout drink is typically 1/2 a serving of Biotest Surge, I sip on Gatorade during the workout, then finish off with 1 serving of Biotest Surge after the workout. On non-workout days, I skip all of that and choose a protein bar, cheese, or a meat snack instead.

Dinner is always low carb during a diet. Soup, meat and vegetables, and salad are all great choices for low carb dinners. Appropriate snacks are meats, cheeses, protein bars or shakes, veggies, and other super-low carb foods. Typically in the midst of a diet phase, I eat around 75 grams of carbs on a non-workout day, and maybe 120-140 grams of carbs on a workout day.

In conclusion, I recommend that if you are moderately active, you should derive maybe 30% of your daily calories from carbs. Sure, my opinion differs from specialist government agencies, but that is only because I have seen low carb diets work. I have also seen Americans grow obese and suffer from a long list of carbohydrate induced diseases.

A 200 lb man on a 2500 calorie diet would probably eat maybe 180 grams of carbs in a day, all from unprocessed whole food sources. A 140 lb woman on a 1500 calorie diet might only eat 100 grams of carbs in a day.

Someone on a strict diet might limit themselves to 50 grams of carbohydrates a day regardless of sex or weight. Just remember to avoid those nasty sugary processed carbs so that you can stay healthy, avoiding energy crashes and adult-onset type II diabetes.

Steve Hanson - About the Author:

Steve Hanson has 10 years experience in the fields of exercise science and sports nutrition. He writes articles on all forms of athletic training and nutritional theories. View the blog to learn more about your favorite exercise and nutrition topics. Articles on Conditioning, Weightlifting, Powerlifting, Strongman, Diet, Nutrition, and Martial Arts :: Project Swole  http://www.projectswole.com