Eat the Carbs

Put the Right Carbs on Your Plate, and Eat Up!

Eating carbs for losing weight goes against most programs in the weight-loss and muscle-gain industry, but it’s true! The X-Force Body program uses Ellington Darden, PhD’s lifestyle and dietary guidelines to get our participants the best body of their lives, quicker than anything else out there. In his meal plan, carbs are a big “YES.”

To be clear, we said eat the carbs, not eat all the carbs. There’s a right way and a wrong way to get your carbohydrate nutrients, and we highlight it all so that you’ll get the best results. Complex carbs like veggies, fruits, whole grains and legumes should make up 50% or more of your daily calories. Here are six reasons why eating certain carbs helps you in your weight-loss and muscle-gain journey:

• Carbs fill you up.
  Many carb-filled foods act as appetite suppressants. They’re even more filling than protein or fat, and that’s because they’re digested slower—they give you a sensation of being full longer.
• Carbs can curb hunger.
  Fiber and resistant starch found in carbs can raise levels of satiety hormones that tell the brain to flip the switch that stifles hunger and turns up metabolism.
• Carbs can control blood sugar and diabetes.
  The right mix of carbs is a good way to control blood sugar and keep diabetes at bay. Eat the carbs you want, but you need to combine them so that they don’t cause a spike in your blood sugar. Instead of eating white rice, switch to brown and combine it with beans, corn, or other good carbs to keep your blood sugar more balanced than in low-carb diets.
• Carbs can blast away fat and add muscle.
  Resistant starch increases the activity of fat-burning enzymes and decreases the activity in fat-storing enzymes, making fat cells less likely to soak in and store up calories as fat. Carbohydrates are more important in building muscle and maintaining good health overall than proteins.
• Carbs make you feel good.
  Most people trying to get in shape or diet start off miserably, and a lot of times that’s because they cut out all the carbs. By still being able to eat carbs on the X-Force Body program, your mind doesn’t feel like it’s missing as much or making a major life choice.
• Your brain needs carbs.
  Consuming carbohydrates such as those listed above provide high-quality fuel for brain function.

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