Macro Cheat Sheet: How to Get 40 Grams of 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.

How Many Carbs Should You Eat In a Day?

Your carb needs will vary greatly person-to-person, depending on how you workout, how much you workout, how many steps you average per day, 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, and your performance and recovery during workouts (:

See my post: Sneaky Signs You May Not Be Eating Enough Carbs

Food Ideas On How to Get 40 Grams of Carbs:

• 250g Raw Red Potatoes = ~40g carbs
• 200g Raw Sweet Potato = ~40g carbs
• 142g Cooked Jasmine Rice = ~40g carbs
• 60g Dry Oatmeal = ~40g carbs
• 55g Pasta = ~40g carbs
• 60g Granola = ~40g carbs
• 45g Breakfast Cereal = ~40g carbs
• 3 Slices Dave’s Killer Bread = ~36g carbs
• 1 Dave’s Killer Bagel = ~49g carbs
• 70g Birch Benders Pancake Mix = ~38g carbs
• 46g Organic Gummy Bears = ~36g carbs
• 5 Rice Cakes = ~40g carbs
• 70g Banana Chips = ~43g carbs
• 58g Barbecue Chips = ~33g carbs
• 40g Instant Oats + 1T Maple Syrup = ~40g carbs
• Smoothie with 80g Pineapple, 80g Mango, 60g Banana, and 60g Strawberries = ~40g carbs

Why Did My Weight Go Up After Eating More Carbs?

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

Do keep in mind that you’ll likely retain a little more water when/if you eat 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 your bodyweight might bounce up the next day after a super carb-heavy meal, like pizza or pasta. And also why you might quickly drop a few lbs when you start dieting – you’re likely shedding some water weight!

Either way, don’t sweat it too much – this should level out after a few days and you won’t even notice it (but you SHOULD feel awesome during workouts, start recovering better from workouts, and so on).

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!