COUNTING CARBS

THE KEY TO LOSING WEIGHT IS KEEPING THE AMOUNT OF INSULIN IN YOUR BODY AS LOW AS POSSIBLE, AND TO DO THAT, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL WITH CARBS. BUT WHAT DOES ‘BEING CAREFUL’ REALLY MEAN FOR YOU?

Discover your daily carb intake health & weightloss sweet spot

Ever heard the expression ‘the dose makes the poison’? Well, the same goes for carbs: everyone’s tolerance is different. Some people are lucky enough to be able to eat all the sugar and starchy foods they want and never gain weight or become diabetic, but they are few and far between. Then there are those who feel as if just looking at a slice of pizza sends their insulin soaring and makes their jeans fit a little too snugly.

Ideally, you’ll figure out your own personal threshold – in other words, to what extent you have to limit carbs to lower your insulin, lose weight and keep your health in check. There is no need to cut out carbs completely if it isn’t necessary. Don’t be a martyr. Extreme restriction often means less variety, and long-term sustainability is very important if you want to lose the weight and keep it off. You need to enjoy your meals and they should leave you feeling satisfied.

If you are insulin resistant, your metabolic health is already compromised and eating a diet lower in carbs becomes vital to avoid developing type 2 diabetes. And, if you are already suffering from type 2 diabetes, carb restriction is critical to halt the progression of the disease. A simple blood test can confirm whether either of these issues is a concern.

DISCOVER YOUR CARB TOLERANCE

In his book The Primal Blueprint, Mark Sisson provides a very useful explanation and a good starting point to help you identify your tolerance of carbs – he calls it the Carbohydrate Curve.