Sneaky Signs You May Not Be Eating Enough Carbs

Carbs make the world go round if you enjoy exercising and being active — yet so many people are afraid to eat them due to misinformation, fear mongering, and lack of proper nutrition education.

Carb needs will vary greatly person-to-person, depending on how you workout, how much you workout, how many steps you average, how active you are at your job, your digestion and personal eating preferences, etc etc.

But in general: the more active you are, the more carbs you might need to support energy levels, health, performance, and recovery from workouts (:

It’ll take a little testing and trial and error to figure out where you feel best. But also don’t forget that your needs may shift up or down anytime there’s a major consistent change in your activity levels or training cycles, too.

Carb Macro Cheat Sheet: Different Ways to Get 30 Grams of Carbs

• 100g Cooked White Rice: ~28g carbs
• 130g Cooked Yellow Potatoes: ~30g carbs
• 150g Cooked Sweet Potato: ~31g carbs
• 40g Instant Oatmeal: ~28-30g carbs
• 40g Dry Pasta: ~28-30g carbs
• 2 Frozen Waffles: ~30g carbs
• 2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread: ~30-36g carbs
• 1/2 Whole Wheat Bagel: ~30g carbs
• 40g Breakfast Cereal: ~25-35g carbs
• 125g Banana: ~29g carbs
• 200g Raspberries: ~24g carbs
• 200g Blueberries: ~29g carbs
• 8 oz Orange Juice: ~26g carbs
• Baby Food or Fruit Squeeze Packs: ~25-30g carbs
• 3 Rice Cakes: ~30-35g carbs
• 40g Gummy Bears: ~32g carbs

Your mileage may vary, but a great starting goal for regularly exercising individuals might be something like 3-5 grams of carbs per kilogram bodyweight.

Example: 150 lb person / 2.2 = 68 kg = 205-340g carbs

Do keep in mind that you may retain a little more water if you start drastically eating more carbs. For every 1 gram of carbohydrate that gets stored as glycogen in the body, our body hangs onto 3-4 grams of water.

^ This is why someone’s bodyweight might bounce up the next day after a super carb-heavy meal (like pizza or pasta). And also why someone might quickly drop a few lbs when they start dieting – they’re likely shedding some water weight!

Where to Go From Here

I’m always posting educational content regarding nutrition, fitness, and sharing what I’m up to on my Instagram. You can also follow us on the Paragon Training Methods Instagram for tons of free workouts and more tips to help you look and feel your best!