Do Carbs Make You Fat?

Carbs have gotten such a bad reputation lately. Waistlines have increased but why? So, the real question is, do carbs make you fat?

What is a Carb?

A carb is one of the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Basically, they are very important and essential to a healthy, well-rounded diet.

Due to online culture, it may seem that protein is the most necessary macronutrient. Protein is important and needed to reach certain goals, but your daily intake should only be around 15% of your calories. About 45-65% of the calories you eat in a day should come carbs!

Comparatively, you need a whole heck of a lot more carbs than your do protein.

You may be asking yourself, “I don’t eat that many carbs”. Well, you may not realize which foods are actually considered carbs.

Some carbs you probably immediately think of:

• Bread
• Pasta
• Cereal
• Pizza Crust
• Banana’s
• Oatmeal

The thing is, there are other foods you may have not considered a carb:

• Sugar
• Most fruits
• Breakfast Syrup
• Honey

Beyond the foods that you know are carbs, may have not realized are carbs, there are also combination foods. These are foods that don’t easily fit under one macronutrient category. This can be something such as lentils. Lentils have a good amount of both protein and carbs!

If you want to learn more, read my article Why Carbohydrates Are Beneficial.

Why is it Thought Carbs Make You Fat?

There are many reasons why carbs have taken the blame for the cause of weight gain for so many years.

One reason it is thought carbs make you fat is because of their general abundance. Most people love pasta, bread, and sweets; all foods mainly consisting of carbs. Due to this, these foods are eaten in greater than appropriate portions.

What About Low-Carb Diets?

According to Physical Culture Study, the low carb diet actually originated in the 19th century. Basically, there was an obese man named William Banting. He struggled with losing the weight until he met Dr. Hervey.

Dr. Harvey was an ear, nose, and throat doctor but suggested to Banting that he cut out bread, butter, milk, ber, sugar, and potatoes. The thought behind this was that these were starch-containing foods and were the cause of weight gain. After cutting out these foods he lost about 1 pound a week.

He then self-published this diet entitling it Letter on Corpulence. Thus, the low carb diet began.

The Carbohydrate Insulin Hypothesis

The never-proven carbohydrate insulin hypothesis is the idea that by eating carbs your level of insulin increases and in turn increases your body’s fat storage.

Basically, as you eat carbs they are used as glucose and with an increase of glucose your body releases the hormone insulin to allow the carbs to be utilized. Then, fat storage is not being use for energy as glucose is the preferred form of energy.

The issue with this? There is no good data to back it.

If you are attempting to lose weight, it is unlikely this is the cause. But, always speak to a doctor about any potential concerns!

Then What Makes You Gain Weight?

There are so many reasons that may cause weight gain. Some potential reasons could be overeating, lack of movement, disease, etc.

Overeating looks different from person to person. When I say overeating, this doesn’t mean you had a double cheeseburger instead of your normal single. This is not likely to affect you in a noticeable way. Overeating is really eating too much for your body and lifestyle often.

Lack of movement is also relative. You don’t need to be running a half marathon every day to maintain a healthy body size, but it’s also a good idea to not leave your bed everyday. Exercising is great for your health as it can help maintain bone and cardiovascular health but you don’t need to do it everyday. Remember, walking around the grocery store and doing chores is movement!

Disease can also be a cause of weight gain. If you are gaining weight I am not saying you have a disease. Some diseases that may cause weight gain are: PCOS, insomnia, cushing’s, depression, anxiety, hypothyroidism, GERD, prolactinoma, IBS. Always speak to your doctor about your health and any concerns you may have.

Essentially, there are MANY reasons for weight gain. It is very unlikely it is the carbs that make you fat. If you are attempting to lose weight I would suggest you speak with a registered dietitian nutritionist. You can get a referral from your doctor or find a local private practice dietitian using this link: eatright.org. Only qualified dietitians can be on this list so you can be assured they have the education to help you.

So, Should You Eat Carbs?

Yes! You should eat all carbs!

As you now know carbs are a major part of a healthy diet and should continue to be had.

If you are now thinking to yourself, “maybe I could try a low fat diet then”, read my article Do Diets Actually Work? You will see how diets tend to run and why they tend to fail. Here are 12 Healthy Diet Tips To Start doing. With these tips you can change your eating habits instead of beginning a diet!

Do Carbs Make You Fat? Takeaways

In essence, carbs have gotten an unfortunate reputation for being the reason for weight gain when in actuality they may be just one small part of the problem.

• Carbs make up a ton of different foods
• The low carb diet began from a an everyday person taking advice from a ear, nose, and throat doctor (someone with extremely little nutrition knowledge)
• No, carbs do not make you fat
• There are various different reasons for weight gain
• You should be eating many carbs, everyday

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