The Best Carbohydrates For Weight Loss

While popular thinking right now tends to be that all carbohydrates are evil when it comes to reaching your weight loss goals, this isn’t quite the case.

Weight loss will depend on total calorie balance, so if you can add carbohydrate calories to your diet while staying within your daily budget, you aren’t going to experience a weight gain simply because they are ‘carbs’. Weight gain comes from calories, not from one specific type.

Sure, the different types will have different effects on the body (protein increases metabolic rate the most, carbohydrates provide energy and cause blood sugar increases, and fats promote long term satiety), hitting that end daily total is what you should be most concerned with.

That said, there are some types of carbohydrates that are generally smarter to consume while on a weight loss diet simply because they will leave you feeling fuller and will not contribute as many calories to your daily total.

Here’s a look at the main ones to focus on.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of the best sources of carbohydrates on a weight loss diet due to its’ high fibre content as well as because it’s virtually sugar free (assuming ‘Peaches ‘n Cream’ flavor isn’t what’s on your grocery list). Try adding your own flavors to spice it up such as cinnamon, sugar-free maple syrup, or protein powder.

Oatmeal is also very cheap to buy and quick to cook, adding to its appeal.

Brown Rice

Rice is a more calorie dense form of carb, but if you have it at a time during the day you’re most active and keep it to a one cup serving, it too can be part of a weight loss diet plan. Just avoid cooking it in butter or oil, otherwise you’ll be adding excess calories to the dish that will really add up and contribute to weight gain.

carbohydrates

Fruit

Many people think that there is too much sugar in fruit to eat it, but the truth is it’s a natural form of sugar, and in all consideration, it doesn’t contain nearly as much sugar as what’s in most high-sugar food choices (soda, granola bars, ‘fruit’ bars, candy, etc).

Just watch how many total pieces of fruit you have each day as the calories will still add up. Try keeping it to 2-3 and you should be fine, provided your total calories are kept in check. When dieting, focus on apples, oranges, and berries, as they are the lower calorie fruits available.

Vegetables

Finally, vegetables always win hands down when it comes to fat loss dieting. They have so few calories, are filled with fiber, and offer a variety of important nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy.

Just watch that you aren’t adding calorie-dense sauces to the vegetables or cooking them in butter, since that will obviously make them not diet-friendly.

Also, keep in mind that peas, corn, and carrots are vegetables that contain a higher amount of ’starch’, which will add more calories to your daily total.

So, don’t think you have to completely avoid carbohydrates all together. With some smart planning in terms of your total calorie intake, you don’t have to do a zero carb diet in order to see successful weight loss.

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