Carbs and Fats are Your Friends!

Hey Guys,

So I learned a lesson. Do not keep a well typed blog, or essay, or whatever on an old laptop with a bad battery. Because then you have to start all over again….

So here we go, attempt two to talk about how Carbs and Fats are your friends, and not always your enemies.

Your brain, as stated in the previous post about protein, needs carbs to run effectively. 90% or higher is the actual number. Along with that, Carbs can supply your body with a variety of energy or fiber, depending on its make-up. From basic quick burning carbs, such as base sugars glucose, fructose, etc. up to the complex carbs and slow burning starches and fiber.

Ideally, people would read this, and say, “Zack, shouldn't the quick burning sugars and carbs be ideal for weight loss then? They would go in and out and be done right?”

Well, lets look at it three ways. 1^st, molecular break up. Simple carbs and sugars, are just that, simple. Because they are simple, they have the ability to be much denser as they take up less space. Example, take a Mason Jar. Now take some golf balls, marbles, and some sand. You can put a lot of sand in the jar, and it would be heavier. You could put fewer, but still a lot of marbles in jar as well. It wouldn’t weigh as much as the sand however. Finally, you wouldn’t be able to put many golf balls in, and it would be the lightest of them all. Less space, less area they have to fill.

2^nd, your body will love the small carbs more because they are so easy to use. Just like in nature, the pathway of least resistance usually wins. So it is with food. Your body doesn’t have to work very hard to metabolize simple sugars, thus your body will want to store them more. And, as we just went over, simple sugars are small and can be stacked more easily, thus the easier they are to create pounds of fat in your body.

3^rd, complex carbs will help burn fat better than simple sugars. I liken this to firewood. We go camping at least 2 times a year as a family. In the spring, we go to the desert. There are Juniper trees out there that we use as firewood. The Juniper trees are made out of very light weight wood. We have to amass a huge stock pile of it just to run the fire through the night to cook hotdogs and marshmallows (yes, I eat crap food every once in a while). On the contrary, when we go up to Logan Canyon to go camping, the wood is heavy, and it burns hotter and longer than the Juniper wood. So how do we compare this? The more complex, the more energy it will require to metabolize it. Just like Casein takes longer to metabolize than Whey, complex carbs need longer amounts of time to metabolize. Along with that, complex carbs have more to them, fill you up faster, making you eat less and feel fuller!

So what can we learn from all of this? Carbs, when eaten correctly, can help you lose weight, and give you the energy you need to supply your body.

Now, on to the most hated of the 3 energy sources: Fats.

Fats are unfortunately guilty by association with the name fat. Not all fats are the same and are actually vital to your health. Complete cut off to fats is like committing health suicide. Here is why:

For all of you that slept through biology, this will be new to you. For those that didn’t, here is a refresher. Our entire body is made up of cells. Cells are the basic building blocks of our organs and systems in our bodies. If you remember the basic structure of the cell, the outside wall or membrane is made of lipids. For those of you that didn’t know, that is another word for fats. Small molecules surround the wall. They are Hydrophobic (water fearing, fats and oils) on the outside, and then the inside is hydrophilic (loves water). So if every cell is made of fats and oils, and cells make up our entire body, how important again are fats and oils?

Go a step further, all of our neuron connections (the stuff that makes you feel, move, sense) are made almost purely of fats and oils. Do you guys see where I am going with this?? They are pretty darn important.

Like carbs, there is the dark side and a good side. The chart below speaks for Itself

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So for a quick review, stay away from saturated fats. A rule I like to follow is if it is a fat, and is solid at room temperature, it probably isn’t the best thing for you. While that is not always the case, it is a good rule to go off of. Look for items that have HDL cholesterol over LDL. HDL cholesterol is good for you. LDL or VLDL is bad for you. Also, stay clear of Hydrogentated anything. Hydrogenated means that an extra hydrogen molecule was added to the molecular structure. I wont do any more chemistry for the day, but suffice to say, it is not good for you.

 I know the chemistry isn’t always fun to go over, so for most of you readers out there’s sakes, I will stop at that. If you want more info, just let me know and we will go into depth. REMEMBER: FATS AND CARBS are your FRIENDS when EATEN CORRECTLY!!! Not only that, but they are important to your overall fitness. A quick example, Arnold Schwarzenegger. His diet in training was a 40% Protein, 40% Carbs, and 20% Fats diet. Im not saying you will be huge by eating that way, there are a lot of other factors. But to be in great shape and look shredded and cut, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to follow that type of guide.

That is all for today! Remember to eat! The best way to keep a fire burning is to keep wood on it! Keep giving your body food every 2.5-4 hours (good food) will keep your metabolism ramped up! Its hard to get a fire going with a couple of coals and putting on a lot of wood. Keep the fire going! 

Which would you rather have?? They both weigh the same---------->

THE CHOICE IS YOURS!