Amount of Carbs = Activity Level
Nodding your head repeatedly or saying “yes” to a lot of the bullet points? It might be time to get curious and explore if you’re eating enough carbs for your activity and lifestyle.
Carbs make the world go around if you enjoy exercising and being active. So many people are afraid to eat carbs due to fear-mongering, misinformation, and lack of proper nutrition education.
I actually fell into this trap from 2012-2014. I found CrossFit in 2012 and everyone was either eating Paleo or Zone. I was the new kid on the block and wanted to become a better athlete ASAP. Everyone was also pretty shredded… so I started doing what they did (oops).
You don’t know what you don’t know. Unfortunately, it took me a few years to realize workouts feel a whole lot less sucky when you eat enough carbs!
That being said, how many carbs you need to eat in a day will take some trial and error. It’s gonna come down to HOW you work out, how MUCH you work out, how many steps you get in a day, how active you are at your job, your digestion, personal eating preference, etc.
Trial & Error
As always, your best bet would be to
1) track your macros OR
2) keep some sort of food dairy (even if it’s just for a few weeks) so you can audit yourself and have real data on what you’ve been doing
Then, try slowly adding more carbs over time and see how you feel.
This could be as simple as adding a bowl of oatmeal or adding a banana to your day. For example, if you KNOW you’re at maintenance calories, you may need to eat fewer calories from fat so you can eat more calories from carbs.
Some Examples
Just remember:
1) body doesn’t really love fast or drastic changes (patience is key)
2) you might retain a little more water when you eat more carbs, totally normal ♥️
If averaging 8,000 steps daily and working out 60-90 minutes 3-5 times per week, a good general guideline for carbs might be something like ~3-5g/kg bodyweight.
Try starting at ~3g/kg bodyweight and slowly dial that number up. Then, test and see where you feel best.
Ex: 150 lbs/2.2 lbs = 68 kg
68 kg x 3 = 205g carbs
(if super active, x 5 = 340g)
Where To Go From Here
You can always check out my e-book, The Ultimate Guide to Nutrition, Muscle Gain, & Fat Loss if you want to get more details about supporting your nutrition and fitness goals (:
We’re always posting workout and nutrition tips on our Paragon Training Methods Instagram page. Follow along for some free workouts and tips for enhancing your routine!
