Carbs are not bad.

Read that a couple times and let it sink into your brain.

This post is an attempt to stop the anti-carb craze that is still around and sadly still part of the athletic community.

 I can go take a pack of demon white sugar and gulp it down and still be ok. Yes, I know that sounds like blasphemy to many athletes and people trying to lose weight.

While indulging in a pack of demon white sugar may not be the best thing, it is relatively harmless and if I am at mile 20 of an Ultra marathon, it may be a good thing.  However, eating several packs of demon white sugar during the day is definitely a bad thing.

Remember, moderation is a wonderful thing. A glass of wine can be good for your heart health, but drinking the whole bottle is bad (especially the next day).

This subject came up while talking with a client about her daughter who was trying the “Palleolithic Diet” that is the new rage and espoused by certain fitness franchises.  YIKES.

ANY respectable registered dietician and sports nutrition specialist will tell you that an endurance athlete needs carbs. Those dangerous HCG and Atkins type diets may work briefly for people that sit at a desk all day, but are pure poison for any athlete. Your body was not designed to burn “pure fat” and will produce a condition called KETOSIS which can be fatal. Ask any diabetic about it. So why would you want to induce a type of pseudo diabetes in your body?? And when your body is looking for glucose to run your entire nervous system (which will not utilize fat) it will break down healthy muscle tissue and then reconfigure the amino acids. Does that sound healthy?  DUH!

Yes, I agree that most Americans need to burn off some surplus fat, and YES, you do not need those GU packs on a 5K run; but we do need to keep our muscle glycogen at a proper level in order to train effectively.

What can be simpler than EAT A BALANCED DIET and EAT SENSIBILY?

So just remember fad diets are bad and at Coach K fitness we train smarter.