Do I really need to eat more carbs?

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ashleearoha
ashleearoha Posts: 165 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have been strict 100% paleo for a month or so now and loving it! I feel really great and I love how I am looking and I love eating heaps of veggies and meat and fats! To start with I was eating a small sweet potato before my crossfit workouts but I stopped adding them in a couple of weeks ago so my only source of carbs comes from veggies like pumpkin and broccoli or in my post crossfit bliss balls I made (made with dates and walnuts so they are high carb) and some days I have a smoothie with blueberries and banana.

I average around 80grams of carbs a day.

I am looking to build muscle at the moment and I am eating at maintenance. So around 2100 calories a day. I crossfit 5 times a week with 2 days rest on the weekend but I run about 3 times a week too.

Anyway do I really need to add carbs into my diet to get better results eg. muscle gain and fat loss (if I can say that). I see sooooo many articles saying eat more carbs! But then there are also the articles saying no carbs are bad!
The thing I miss most in eating paleo is oats! I miss a big bowl of oatmeal so damn much!

My dairy is open if you guys want to look at it. I eat like that every day, meal prep and all that sort of stuff.. If anyone has had a similar problem or experience I'd love to know what you did!

Replies

  • Petrusilly
    Petrusilly Posts: 37 Member
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    The short story is, do what makes you feel good.

    My experience with strict paleo: (about 3 months)... I felt pretty good, but my cholesterol went toward the high end (mostly HDL, but some LDL as well...) and I started getting some weird cravings, which lead to eating way too many nuts/fruit to compensate.

    I had never had a problem with cholesterol before (I'm thinkin the eggs /nuts and avocados are what did it)... In general, I am happier with whole grains as a part of my diet, so I added them back. Cholesterol went back to normal. Greek yogurt is also one of my favorite things, and I don't think peanuts/black beans are bad foods to eat. Paleo helped me start thinking about whole foods as "good", and I think some whole grains, peanuts, and beans round out the philosophy to make it work for me.

    Right now I take that food list, combine it with tracking my macros (1g protein per pound of lean body mass (2.225 per kg), .35 fat per pound of body weight (about .75g per kg), the rest whole grain or "clean" type carbs (sweet potato/yogurt), and it's been amazing for keeping my body in a good state of homeostasis... I don't crave anything, and when I do, it's usually because I'm especially low in one of the macro categories.
  • ashleearoha
    ashleearoha Posts: 165 Member
    Options
    The short story is, do what makes you feel good.

    My experience with strict paleo: (about 3 months)... I felt pretty good, but my cholesterol went toward the high end (mostly HDL, but some LDL as well...) and I started getting some weird cravings, which lead to eating way too many nuts/fruit to compensate.

    I had never had a problem with cholesterol before (I'm thinkin the eggs /nuts and avocados are what did it)... In general, I am happier with whole grains as a part of my diet, so I added them back. Cholesterol went back to normal. Greek yogurt is also one of my favorite things, and I don't think peanuts/black beans are bad foods to eat. Paleo helped me start thinking about whole foods as "good", and I think some whole grains, peanuts, and beans round out the philosophy to make it work for me.

    Right now I take that food list, combine it with tracking my macros (1g protein per pound of lean body mass (2.225 per kg), .35 fat per pound of body weight (about .75g per kg), the rest whole grain or "clean" type carbs (sweet potato/yogurt), and it's been amazing for keeping my body in a good state of homeostasis... I don't crave anything, and when I do, it's usually because I'm especially low in one of the macro categories.

    Thanks! I actually haven't had my cholesterol tested, a girl at my cf box told me she ended up with high cholesterol on her paleo diet. You look really good too :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    No, you don't need to add carbs. If you feel good (i.e.. have enough fuel for your body), and you're meeting your macro and micro nutrients you should be fine. 80grams is plenty. If you want more, eat more, but don't feel like you have to if you feel "right" now.
  • Petrusilly
    Petrusilly Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    The short story is, do what makes you feel good.

    My experience with strict paleo: (about 3 months)... I felt pretty good, but my cholesterol went toward the high end (mostly HDL, but some LDL as well...) and I started getting some weird cravings, which lead to eating way too many nuts/fruit to compensate.

    I had never had a problem with cholesterol before (I'm thinkin the eggs /nuts and avocados are what did it)... In general, I am happier with whole grains as a part of my diet, so I added them back. Cholesterol went back to normal. Greek yogurt is also one of my favorite things, and I don't think peanuts/black beans are bad foods to eat. Paleo helped me start thinking about whole foods as "good", and I think some whole grains, peanuts, and beans round out the philosophy to make it work for me.

    Right now I take that food list, combine it with tracking my macros (1g protein per pound of lean body mass (2.225 per kg), .35 fat per pound of body weight (about .75g per kg), the rest whole grain or "clean" type carbs (sweet potato/yogurt), and it's been amazing for keeping my body in a good state of homeostasis... I don't crave anything, and when I do, it's usually because I'm especially low in one of the macro categories.

    Thanks! I actually haven't had my cholesterol tested, a girl at my cf box told me she ended up with high cholesterol on her paleo diet. You look really good too :)

    Aww thanks :) I'm still craving that morning when I can look in the mirror and definitively count an ab or two, (or maybe 6!), but I'm finding my body is really happy eating about equal amounts (calorie-wise) of all macros. I'm pretty sure I spent all of my college years protein deficient (a combo of budget/lifestyle)... so getting that part right has been awesome!

    Edit--sorry for my sore overuse of the word "craving"... haha... I guess my "craves" have shifted toward the mirror instead of my stomach... so vain...
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    The short story is, do what makes you feel good.

    Yes I agree.

    I don't think you need more than 100g carbs a day, especially if wanting to lose fat and gain muscle I think 75g carbs from good sources is a good number.

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