Carbs For Dummies (Part Two)

How to eat them, use them, and stop being scared of a potato.

Right.

If Part One hurt a few feelings… good.

Now let’s get practical.

Because carbs aren’t just “not bad”.

Used properly?

They actually make fat loss easier.

Yes. Easier.

Not sexier. Not trendier. Just easier.

And easier wins long term.

When Carbs Actually Help Fat Loss

This is where diet culture gets it backwards.

Carbs help fat loss when they:

• fuel your training

• improve recovery

• reduce stress hormones

• stop you bingeing later

• keep energy stable

Low energy = low movement.

Low movement = fewer calories burned.

Fewer calories burned = slower progress.

You cutting carbs to “lose weight” often just makes you tired, moody, and less active.

Which means…

You end up doing less and craving more.

Smart.

When Should You Eat Carbs?

Not “never”.

Not “only before 6pm”.

Not “only if Mercury is in retrograde”.

Eat them when they make sense.

1️⃣ Around training

Before or after workouts is prime time.

Why?

Because your body will actually use them.

Train hard → muscles burn glycogen → carbs replace it.

That’s not fat gain.

That’s fuel management.

2️⃣ Earlier in the day (if it suits you)

Some people function better with carbs earlier.

Better focus.

Better mood.

Less 3pm crash.

But this isn’t law.

It’s preference.

3️⃣ When they help you stick to the plan

If having rice with dinner stops you raiding the biscuit tin at 9pm…

Have the rice.

Fat loss is about sustainability, not carb timing superstition.

Portion Sanity (Without Weighing Like a Psychopath)

You don’t need scales.

You need eyeballs.

Here’s the simple method:

• Protein = palm size

• Veg = two fists

• Carbs = one cupped hand

• Fats = thumb size

Done.

Adjust based on:

• your size

• your activity

• your goals

If progress stalls?

Slightly reduce carb portion.

Not eliminate.

Reduce.

There’s a difference.

The problem isn’t carbs.

It’s when “one bowl of pasta” is actually enough to feed a rugby team.

Be honest with portions.

Don’t be dramatic.

Carbs Around Training (This Is Big)

If you train:

• kettlebells

• weights

• circuits

• running

• anything that makes you sweat properly

Carbs help performance.

Better performance =

More reps

More intensity

More output

More output = higher calorie burn.

Higher calorie burn = easier deficit.

See how this works?

You don’t get lean by starving your engine.

You get lean by fuelling it properly and controlling overall intake.

This is where most people get it wrong.

They under-fuel.

Train poorly.

Then blame carbs.

It’s like blaming petrol because your car won’t move without it.

Why Cutting Carbs Usually Backfires

Let’s be honest.

When people “cut carbs”, they don’t mean:

“I’ve slightly reduced my rice portions.”

They mean:

“I’ve declared war on bread and now live on chicken and sadness.”

What happens?

Week 1:

Water weight drops.

You think you’ve cracked the code.

Week 2–3:

Energy drops.

Cravings increase.

Social life gets awkward.

Week 4:

You’re face first in garlic bread whispering “I’m weak”.

You’re not weak.

You’re depleted.

Severe restriction triggers rebound eating.

That’s biology.

Not character failure.

How To Eat Carbs Without Guilt

This is the part nobody teaches.

You eat carbs without guilt by:

1️⃣ Choosing mostly real ones

2️⃣ Eating appropriate portions

3️⃣ Keeping protein high

4️⃣ Staying active

5️⃣ Not moralising food

Carbs aren’t “good”.

Carbs aren’t “bad”.

They’re food.

Guilt doesn’t burn calories.

Stress doesn’t improve metabolism.

Drama doesn’t accelerate fat loss.

Consistency does.

The Big Picture

If your goal is fat loss:

You don’t need to fear carbs.

You need to:

• manage total intake

• move consistently

• lift weights

• sleep properly

• reduce ultra-processed nonsense

Carbs can sit inside that just fine.

In fact, for most active people…

They should.

Lastly....

Stop fighting bread.

Start fighting:

• inactivity

• portion distortion

• ultra-processed food

• all-or-nothing thinking

Carbs aren’t the villain.

Extremes are.

Eat like an adult.

Train like you mean it.

Be consistent.

And let go of the carb paranoia.

You’ve got better things to worry about.

If you found this helpful, share it with a friend who needs to read it.

And if this hit home, i've put together a free book that goes deeper into why fat loss stops working the way it used to after 30 and how to approach it without starting over again.

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Here's to your success

Jason 'Keeping it real' Brownlie

Dad, Husband, Coach

www.kebofit.com

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