There is way too much confusion about carbohydrates. Too many people lump them all in the same category and act as if grams of carbs or calories are the only relevant factor. That’s not the case.
Others act as if all carbs are “bad” – also not the case.
Some suggest that carbs are essential and even when pursuing fat loss we should consume multiple servings of quality carbs each day – that is untrue for most people.
Some people suggest that your metabolism works like an accounting system and we need to consume carbs in the morning if we wish to burn them off. That reflects a fundamental misunderstanding about metabolism and macronutrient utilization.
While it can be frustrating to hear conflicting opinions, I have some good news:
Carb strategies for sustainable fat loss are not complex or difficult
Your body will never lie about works & feels best for you
In today’s episode we’re clearing up the confusion and reviewing carbohydrate metabolism & storage for those seeking any degree of fat loss.
I am fasting this weekend. I’ve talked about fasting & my experience with it on the podcast – I even did a 5 day fast a couple months ago. I was incredibly unsure of my desire and ability to complete a 5-day fast but it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in any health pursuit.
It gave me a valuable new perspective on hunger and taught me important lessons about sleep, rest and hydration. I felt absolutely amazing after the 5 days.
I won’t be doing a 5-day fast this time, in fact, I’m not quite sure how many days it will be (but not 5).
I’m starting this afternoon, after lunch, and I’m doing it for a few reasons:
I feel like it (this is really the most important one)
it’s a rare weekend without obligations, which makes it easier
I want to work through my stored muscle & liver glycogen (more on this on Saturday’s podcast, episode 331)
to reduce inflammation
I ate breakfast this morning (balsamic glazed chicken with cherry tomatoes) and I’ll eat again after my workout.
Once the fast begins, I’ll stick to a SMALL amount of black coffee and lots of water. I won’t have any MCT oil or bone broth. That is simply my preference.
Today’s workout is pure endurance – I much prefer strength but I’m grateful for diversity and opportunity to work on areas of weakness.
It was pretty dang exhausting:
105 cals on the airdyne bike
2000m row
105 cals on the airdyne bike
The lactic acid burn in my quads during those bike rides was INTENSE. I am really glad that one is over but I’m psyched that it kicked off my fast because I sure tapped into that muscle glycogen!
(Glycogen is the storage form of sugar in your muscles. Your muscles have a limited storage space for dietary sugar. Once that storage space is full, and your limited liver storage is also full, any excess sugar gets converted to & stored as fat. Once in the muscle, however, glucose can’t leave the muscle. It has to be used by the muscle tissue. Your muscles lack the enzyme to release the sugar from the muscle tissue. It can only be used to fuel activity.)
On the food front:
I shared with you guys that I had grilled balsamic glazed chicken & cherry tomatoes this morning and my last pre-fasting meal after my workout. As tempting as it is to “eat all the things” before a fast, that would make the fast much more challenging as cravings would be through the roof and hunger would be less stable.
So, I made myself a super huge salad with grilled salmon, avocado and some macadamia nuts.
I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking lots & lots of filtered water.
That will be my last meal until I break my fast. Stay tuned!
Are vitamins and supplements worth it? Are they important? Do they make a difference? And how do you know which ones are good and which ones aren’t?
Rarely does a day go by when I don’t get some variation of these questions.
I’ve been on both sides of this conversation. Prior to starting Primal Potential I worked for a dietary supplement company and worked to both formulate & market protein powders, vitamins, minerals and other products.
I’ve also been a confused consumer, desperate to get healthy and eager to take any potion or product that would help.
Hopefully I’ll simplify this discussion dramatically in today’s episode! If you’ve got a million questions about supplements or a cabinet full of them, today is for you!
Yay for lessons! Today brought a great one. Sure, it’s one I already knew & one I teach my FLFT clients all the time, but as with all lessons, we have to learn them over and over.
Today, I re-learned. I’m so grateful for a good friend giving me a powerful truth.
My workout was brutal today. It was a combination of being a little sore & tired from yesterday and just a tough slog of a workout. I was bringing my best effort but definitely not functioning at my best.
Somedays I feel strong & energetic in the gym. I probably feel that way most days. But other days, things I’m normally good at, like rowing, feel really hard. Today was one of those days. Everything felt HARD.
The workout consisted of 3 back-to-back 21/15/9s
“Make It Rain”
21 – 15 – 9
Bike for Calories
Kettlebell Swings (53/35)
21 – 15 – 9:
Row for Calories
Burpees
21 – 15 – 9:
Medball Squat Cleans (20/14)
200 Meter Run
Let me clarify for those who aren’t familiar with this structure. I’m gonna condense it.
The clock starts and you’re looking to finish as fast as possible:
21 cal bike/21 kettlebell swings/15 cal bike/15 KB swings/9 cal bike/9 KB swings/21 cal row/21 burpees/15 cal row/15 burpees/9 cal row/9 burpees/21 med ball squat cleans/200m run/15 med ball squat cleans/200m run/9 med ball squat cleans/200m run
Oh, and the run was in the rain.
Here’s what I’m proud of – I finished the dang thing in a good-for-me time & I brought my very best effort.
After the workout, I texted my friend Nathan (who was also my personal trainer for quite some time before I moved) and I said:
I got my ass handed to me in my workout. I came in last.
He asked what the workout was & I told him.
He came back with EXACTLY what I needed to be reminded of.
I am not there to compete. I am not there to win.
I am there to improve myself, which has absolutely nothing to do with when I finish relative to other people.
Yup, it’s super easy to feel excited when I come in first or in the top few. And it’s super easy to feel crummy when you come in last.
But none of that matters. What matters is the effort I bring, the effort YOU bring every day.
You are interested in improving. I am interested in improving. That’s about you vs you and me vs me. We aren’t competing. We’re training.
I tell my FLFT clients this all the time. When they compare themselves to what others are doing or the results others are getting, I’m quick to remind them to keep their eyes on their own work.
Today, I needed that message to come through for me.
I’m not competing.
I’m training.
I’m not training against anyone else, I’m training to improve myself.
I can come in last every single workout for the rest of my life and still get dramatically better if I’m bringing my best effort.
I could also come in first in every workout, not give my best effort, and not get any better.
Training is training. It’s not competing.
And now I have an awesome reminder to keep my eyes on my own work & judge my workouts based on my effort & attitude, not the place in which I finish.
I’ll judge my weight & time compared to my previous workouts, not to anyone else’s weight or time.
Later in the afternoon, around 4pm, I did a little rowing workout – nothing crazy, this morning was enough – but skill building. Training. Me vs. Me.
I spent time alone on the rower working on my efficiency so that the next time I do this morning’s workout, I’m just a little bit better than I was today.
On the food front:
Holy voracious appetite mid-morning! I did the workout on an empty stomach (I worked out around 7:30am) and then got a massage. After the massage, I came home to eat 2 servings of coconut crusted chicken strips from Paleo Power Meals.
I can’t say I’ve ever done that before but I’ll adjust accordingly. I definitely didn’t need lunch after that!
Dinner was intentionally heavier on the veggies since I hadn’t had any yet – cobb salad from Paleo Power Meals with added spinach. I added about 4 cups of spinach to the salad.
Since I got a massage today, I made sure to drink lots & lots of water to help facilitate detoxification.
I was in bed at 9p last night and happily bounced out of bed at 5am today. I got in a couple hours of work before heading to the gym early.
I planned some time to work one-on-one with a coach on improving my toes-to-bar form. It’s not something I’ve worked on much and I know I’ll improve more quickly with focused coaching than by practicing on my own. It was fantastic!
After working through form drills and doing some back & core strength work, I did my workout. Holy smokes it was a killer today!
“Dip Stick”
AMRAP 15:
15 Box Jump Overs (24/20″)
12 Ring Dips
9 Power Cleans (155/105)
I’ll tell you what: I was getting tired during those first 15 box jump overs. It’s at that point when I had a choice: I could use my thoughts to make the workout easier and more effective or harder and less effective.
Here’s what I noticed: around box jump over 9-10, I caught myself thinking,
“Shit, this sucks. This is going to be a brutal workout. 15 minutes is going to feel like an eternity. Maybe I should scale the weight or the number of reps.”
Instantly (because I work on this mindset stuff all day every day with myself) I thought:
Elizabeth, you can use your thoughts to encourage, empower & inspire or you can use them to discourage and frustrate. Which is it going to be?
As I moved to the next movement in the workout I thought:
With every ounce of effort, with every moment of discomfort and with every drop of sweat, I am getting fitter and stronger.
As I glanced up the clock and noticed a thought of “Jesus this is going to last forever” I thought:
All day long I will either be proud of my effort or I’ll know I could have given more.
It’s 15 minutes of my day. Bring your best effort.
I had a choice. I could dial into each rep and meet it with maximum effort & enthusiasm or I could focus on the difficulty, sweat and pain and miss the opportunity to bring my best.
I chose the former.
The timing of a mentally challenging workout was pretty great, actually.
Last night I was watching the pilot episode of Billions and I re-wound it to record this clip.
See, this trader goes into the company psychiatrist’s office complaining about how his performance isn’t up to par. He feels like he’s lost his mojo. This is how she responds.
After my workout, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw this awesome quote:
When you let your mind wander, make sure it’s to a beautiful place!
Don’t let your mind wander to frustration, fear, difficulty, anxiety or negativity.
Whether we’re talking about relationships, finances, workouts, nutrition, body image or anything else, YOU are the one who controls where you allow your mind to wander.
Make sure it’s to a beautiful place!
On the food front:
It’s Paleo Power Meals delivery day!! I stocked up on a couple salads, chicken strips, stuffed peppers, ground turkey & all sorts of yummy stuff!
Between the one-on-one skill & strength workout this morning and the workout after that, I was hungry when I got home around 9am.
I enjoyed the chicken cobb salad from Paleo Power Meals and some cold brew coffee.
A few hours later I had the coconut crusted chicken strips and dinner was one of the stuffed peppers with cauliflower rice.
You’ll probably see a lot of Paleo Power Meals over the next several weeks but just remember: if it doesn’t work for you or they don’t deliver near you, you can still make this stuff yourself! There’s nothing magical about their food delivery, but even seeing what I purchase from them can give you some ideas on how you can cook for yourself or your family!
If you do give them a go, use the coupon code ebprimal20 to save 20% on your first order!
