Do You Need To Cut Carbs To Lose Weight?
Brain fog. Fatigue. Short temper. Lackluster performance in the gym.
These are common side effects of going on a low-carb diet.
Yet, even with those less-than-fun-sounding symptoms, most people’s go-to move for weight loss is carb restriction.
I’ve been guilty too!
Not this past week when I had Blakley’s birthday cake 3 days in a row, but I digress…
Here’s why you feel tired, hangry, and weak without carbs:
Your body was made to run on carbs.
Without them, it has to jump through hoops to use other nutrients for the jobs carbs usually handle. That process (called gluconeogenesis) is basically a survival mechanism for your brain, since it can’t operate without glucose from carbs.
It’s fitting, because that’s exactly what life feels like when you’re trying to live on 30g of carbs per day: just surviving.
But our 1:1 nutrition coaching clients? They’re losing fat, building muscle, and thriving while eating plenty of carbs.
So what gives? Don’t carbs make you gain weight?
Nope. That’s fiction.
Calories from carbs don’t “count double,” and they don’t automatically cause fat gain.
The problem isn’t carbs. It’s the type of carbs most people eat mindlessly:
Chips
Crackers
Pretzels
Cookies
Candy
Ice Cream
See the theme? These are processed carb + fat + sugar combos that light up your brain’s reward system and make it hard to stop.
Nobody is binging plain rice out of the pot or demolishing three cucumbers while watching Netflix.
So, what do you do instead?
You could track your calories and macros in an app — and for some people, that’s a useful awareness tool for short-term use. But for most, it’s frustrating and unsustainable.
Here’s a better way:
Build meals around protein (aim for ~30g per meal).
Choose mostly whole-food carbs (rice, oats, fruit, potatoes, beans).
Keep the “can’t-stop-won’t-stop” carbs as occasional treats, not everyday staples staring you in the face.
Do this consistently and you’ll feel better, perform better, and yes — look better — without fearing carbs or cutting them out.
And if you want help putting this into practice without second-guessing every meal, apply for 1:1 coaching HERE.
Jonathan