This post will relate to my first revelation, "I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON HEALTH AND FITNESS".
When I was in my crazy eating phase, I believed that any intake of carbs would make you gain weight. I would only read research on how low-carb diets were linked to better cardiovascular health, made you sustain a low weight, and often were better for you overall. I rejected any type of research that went against this, and believed low (to no) carbs were the way to go to be healthy. I ignored friends who said "you can eat healthy carbs like brown rice, potatoes, etc. and not gain weight" or "your body needs carbs to live". I internalized that carbs=fat, carbs=bad for you, carbs=DEATH.
It's no wonder why I thought this. Everywhere we go we see ads for the newest low-carb diet and low-carb cookbooks. I went to Barnes and Noble with a friend last night and the first book I saw was The Skinny on Carbs and "101 Low-carb recipes", along with a bunch of other diet books. Diets are being pushed down our throats (obviously, considering 75% of Americans are obese), and even those who are at a healthy weight see these diets as the ideal way to eat and the ideal way to live.
Anyway, because I thought I was an expert on no-carbs, I ate around 30% of my daily carb needs. I ate healthy oats and brown rice, but never ate carbs after 5. I thought that since it was nighttime that I didn't need energy.
I probably should have paid attention in anatomy and phys or my intro kin class, or at least have read the books. Your body needs carbs, just like it needs protein, fat, and vitamins and minerals. Carbs are your body's main source of fuel. Without carbs, your body turns to protein to use as fuel, and thus the protein you consume cannot be used as its main function (to rebuild and sustain muscle).
So, here I was at 104 pounds looking to gain some muscle. I knew I was very petite and needed to gain some muscle for clients to take me seriously as a trainer. I thought that if I lowered my carb intake and focused on eating a lot of protein then I would gain a lot of muscle. Since I was getting enough healthy carbs, my body was using all of my protein as fuel, and therefore my muscles did not grow and I just stayed stick-like. I thought I was an expert and didn't listen to anyone when they told me to eat more carbs.
I paid the price by not gaining any muscle and being way too tired all of the time. Moral is, eat your carbs. Eat a balanced diet. Get sources of healthy carbs from whole grains, brown rice, potatoes, squash, vegetables, fruit (yes, they're carbs!), and whole grain oats. Have carbs 6 hours before a workout and you'll feel amazing.
^this is my other fwend, besides carbs.
