I can explain all the science you need to know about why carbs make you fat… And I will do it three words.
Ready? Here we go…
CARBS. ARE. AWESOME.
Seriously, this is the MAIN problem with carbohydrates. It’s why cutting carbs from you diet works. It’s why paying attention to the amount of carbs you eat works and it’s why for the most part carbs ARE responsible for our obesity epidemic.
It is EASY to overeat when you are eating carbs. Heck, it’s not just easy, it’s fun. and it’s down right delicious.
There are roughly 3,000 calories in a 72 ounce steak. Now, I know some of you are thinking “72? why so small?”, but for the rest of us humans, a 72 ounce steak is so big it’s gross… so imagine eating one 72 ounce steak EVERY SINGLE DAY. Now add some eggs for breakfast and maybe some veggies throughout the day and you have a non-carb diet that can probably make you gain a noticeable amount of fat after a couple months… but you have to eat an entire 72 ounce steak daily.
This diet would not easy, nor is would it be cheap or convenient, and I bet even the most meaty of meat eaters would get sick of that much beef within a week or two.
Now replace that daily 72 ounce steak with a bowl of cereal, a large frappuccino drink and a bagel, a sandwich and a large soda, an 8 ounce steak, some mashed potatoes, a bun, another large soda and maybe a dessert and you have a very easy to eat 3,500 calories…
All of these foods that are easy to eat, easy to find, super convenient and aren’t overly expensive. Some you can eat on the run, in your car, or even while walking down the street.
When you’re on the road in your car and you need a quick snack you might pop into road side station… can you find some foods that are purely protein or fat? Maybe you can find some jerky, but you can definitely get food that contains carbohydrates, the kind that you can eat out of a bag in your car… and you’ll pay a heck of a lot less for a bag full chips, pretzels or crackers then you would some sort of protein/fat meal.
Carbs are everywhere. They taste great, they can be crunchy or soft, thick or airy, chocolate or vanilla. They’re convenient, they’re easy to carry, they don’t need to be refrigerated but can taste great hot or frozen, They have a great shelf-life… really, they’re awesome. Heck, carbs can even make protein and fat taste better, and protein and fat make carbs taste better.
That’s why carbs make you fat. Forget the rest of the scientific theorizing and posturing… Some is right and some is wrong, but none of it is as important as the fact that carbs are awesome.
This is also the exact reason why watching your carbohydrate intake will most likely make you lose weight. As we’ve already discussed they are the MOST abundant, most convenient food type in our food supply, and the one that comes with the most variety of flavors…
This is why watching your carb intake makes sense. Without debating metabolic advantages, insulin/leptin levels, how are ancestors ate, their affect on our microbiota or any of those ‘love to debate’ topics, we can see that monitoring carb intake makes sense because they are a large part of the foods we are most likely to overeat. In other words, generally speaking the less carbs you eat, the less food you eat (again, generally speaking).
Learn to occasionally say no to carbs-rich foods. It’ll hurt (you know why) but that is what makes the practice of restraint exactly that… practice. You don’t ALWAYS have to say no, but the more you do, the easier it gets.
Make no mistake, I want you to eat carbs, and I want you to enjoy your carbs, I just don’t want you to overeat carbs, because I don’t want you to overeat, period.
BP
