The Win On Purpose Podcast
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The Win On Purpose Podcast
Debunking Fitness & Nutrition Myths (Part 4): Do Carbs Make You Fat?
The carbohydrate fear has dominated nutrition conversation for decades, leaving many of us questioning whether bread, rice, fruit, or potatoes will sabotage our health and physique goals. This deep-rooted myth – that carbs inherently cause fat gain – continues to drive confusion and unnecessary restriction among even the most educated health-conscious people.
Our exploration begins by tracing how this fear developed. In the 1980s and 90s, low-fat diets dominated the landscape. When results disappointed, the pendulum swung dramatically toward low-carb approaches like Atkins, South Beach, and eventually keto and carnivore diets. These programs often vilified insulin (the hormone released after carb consumption) as the primary culprit in fat storage – a dramatic oversimplification of complex human physiology.
The scientific evidence paints a very different picture. Multiple high-quality studies, including metabolic ward research where all variables are tightly controlled, consistently demonstrate that when calories are equated, there's no meaningful difference in fat loss between low-carb and low-fat approaches. Kevin Hall's landmark NIH research found minimal differences between dietary approaches when calories were controlled. His 2017 meta-analysis reviewing dozens of diets concluded that calories, not macronutrient ratios, drive fat loss. Similarly, long-term studies show no meaningful advantage to either approach for sustainable weight management.
While insulin does rise after carbohydrate consumption, it also increases after protein intake – yet nobody blames chicken breast for weight gain. Fat accumulation stems from consistent energy surplus, not from specific foods. This clarification helps explain why some of the leanest, most muscular athletes consume substantial carbohydrates while maintaining exceptional body composition.
That said, some individuals, particularly those with insulin resistance or significant cravings, may feel better with moderately reduced carbohydrate intake. However, carbs offer tremendous benefits when coming from whole, fiber-rich sources – fueling workouts and recovery, supporting hormonal health, improving sleep quality, and promoting gut health through fiber content.
Ready to break free from carb fear and build a more sustainable approach to nutrition? Focus on quality carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, use them strategically to fuel your activities, and remember that energy balance – not carb avoidance – remains the foundation of body composition management. Visit transformhealthcoach.com to discover how our evidence-based coaching can help you build lasting nutrition habits without unnecessary restriction.
Study References:
- Hall, K. D., et al. (2015). Cell Metabolism
- Hall, K. D. (2017). Gastroenterology
- Johnston, B. C., et al. (2014). JAMA
- Nordmann, A. J., et al. (2006). Archives of Internal Medicine
5. Freire, R. (2020). Nutrition Reviews
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Welcome back to the Went On Purpose podcast, where we cut through the noise, unpack the science and help high-performing adults rebuild their health with clarity and confidence. Today's myth one of the most common and deeply rooted ones we see, which is eating carbs makes you fat this belief has been floating around diet culture for decades and it's led to confusion, guilt and unnecessary restriction, especially among people who are doing their best to make smart choices. So in this episode, we'll break down where this myth came from, what the science actually shows and how you can think clearly about carbs without fear, even if past diets have made you believe otherwise. All right, guys, we will see you on the other side.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast from health and fitness, business, personal development, relationships and more. We promise you will find inspiration to help you win on purpose in all areas of your life journey. Now for your host, adam Kelly.
Speaker 1:What's up, guys? Coach Adam Kelly here with the Went On Purpose podcast hosted by Transform Health Initiative, our private coaching program, our coaching facility, our coaching group here in Moore, oklahoma. So we are picking back up in our series Debunking Fitness and Nutrition Myths. This is a five part series. This is going to be part four, so if you haven't caught the first three episodes of this series, I promise you you want to go back and listen Now. They don't necessarily tie into each other so you can really listen to them in any order, but I promise you it's going to be worth going back and listening to, because we're definitely laying some things out and setting the record straight based on the most current evidence that we have and based on, you know, just what we typically see in human beings. So, like I said, today's episode this is part four of our series and it is called do carbs make you fat? All right.
Speaker 1:So we're going to look at carbohydrates what they are, what their purpose is and if they are actually causing fat gain independently of anything else, or if there's something bigger to this picture. So why? This myth won't die. So let's start with why this idea that carbs cause fat gain has stuck around for so long. So it's not just social media or diet books, it's decades of conflicting nutrition advice. First, you know, we saw that fat was the enemy, like 80s and 90s. Then suddenly, carbs were the new villain and with the rise of low-carb diets such as, like Atkins, keto, carnivore, the fear only intensified from there. So much of this hinges around insulin, which is a hormone that rises when you eat carbs. But, as we'll later discuss, insulin really isn't the problem, guys. The story is much more nuanced than just that.
Speaker 1:But first we are going to, before we bust this myth, let's clarify something real quick. What exactly are carbs? That's a great question to answer. So we have some context here. So what are carbs actually?
Speaker 1:Carbohydrates are one of the three main macronutrients, along with protein and fat, and they come in several different forms. So you have sugars, and those are like in things like fruit and dairy Starches, so these are found in grains and legumes and potatoes. So your beans, things like that, and then fiber, which is found in a lot of different carb sources, and that is the indigestible part. Some of it's digestible, but a big portion of it is also indigestible part of plants that support gut health. Okay, so very important there. So carbohydrates is not just bread and pasta. Carbs include apples and beans and quinoa, and oats and carrots and so many more healthy foods wall and oats and carrots and so many more healthy foods.
Speaker 1:So your body, and especially your brain, prefers carbs for fuel. They provide energy quickly and efficiently, which is why they're so important for physical activity and this is why, at Transform Health Initiative, we definitely promote a healthy, balance of carbohydrate consumption, really just a healthy, balanced diet in general. And carbohydrates are a big part of that because, again, they've been demonized so much and so why you might hear people talk about good versus bad carbs. What they usually mean is simple versus complex carbs, and that distinction refers to how fast they digest, not whether they're inherently good or bad. So we can remove the food titles that we put on whether they're inherently good or bad. So we can remove the food titles that we put on foods that they're good or bad, because no food inherently is bad and no food inherently is good. There's just trade-offs on both.
Speaker 1:So if carbs are normal and natural and beneficial, how did they become the enemy? So how the carb fear narrative started? So how the carb fear narrative started. So to understand the fear, we have to look back at diet culture history. So in the 1980s and 90s, low fat diets were all the rage. If you were there then you definitely remember. This was a little bit before I had to worry anything about diet, but I definitely, you know, through my research have seen the trends throughout the decades. So when that didn't work for most people, when most people cut their fats down and they still weren't losing weight, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction to low carbs.
Speaker 1:So this is where enter Atkins, south Beach and eventually more aggressive, restrictive diets like keto and carnivore diets. So these programs often blame insulin, the hormone released when you eat carbs, as the cause of fat gain. And while insulin does play a role in nutrient storage, it's been wildly misunderstood. All right, we're going to show you this. So much of this narrative was driven by personal antidotes, cherry pick data and aggressive marketing, not long term peer reviewed science. All right, so let's shift away from the opinions and what people think, because, again, at the end of the day, that doesn't matter and we're going to look into what the actual research says. All right. So what do we actually see in human beings? So this is where things get clear, all right.
Speaker 1:So a Kevin Hall study in 2015,. If you don't know Kevin Hall, he he's a brilliant man and you need to just look. I'm not even gonna tell you. Just look up the Twinkie diet, okay, and that'll tell you everything you need to know. So in 2015, a metabolic ward study from the NIH found that when calories were controlled that means calories were equal upon the different participants the difference in fat loss between low carb and low-fat diets is minimal, okay, not even worth mentioning. So, regardless of the diet, when calories are controlled, we don't see any real significant difference in fat loss between low-carb and low-fat diets.
Speaker 1:So another Kevin Hall's meta-analysis from 2017, which, if you don't know, a meta-analysis is basically a big study of other studies. It's like taking a bunch of studies that are all looking at the same thing and then making a conclusion based on all those different studies. So, instead of taking one off information like oh, this one study said this and you've got 50 other studies that say the opposite and people just boast this one study, meta-analysis is a way we can weed through and figure out what most of the evidence is pointing to. So in 2017, they reviewed dozens of diets and concluded that calories, not macros, are the primary driver for fat loss. Okay, calories, not macros, not your protein, carb, fat ratios, but our overall calorie consumption is the primary driver for fat loss. All right.
Speaker 1:So a 2014 study by Johnston et al this systematic review in JAMA showed no meaningful difference in long-term weight loss between low fat and low carb diets over 12 months. And this is very significant because a lot of your studies, a lot of your nutrition studies, aren't very long. They're not conducted over a very long time, it's very expensive and it takes a lot of work, but this one shows for over 12 months. So that's very convincing there. Okay, and, like I said, no meaningful difference between long-term weight loss, between low fat and lowb diets, which are conflicting diets. Those are diets. They're the, you know, polar opposite diets.
Speaker 1:And then we have another one from 2006. This is from Nordman. This is in the Archives of Internal Medicine, if you want to look this one up. So low carb works short term for some, but isn't superior when calorie intake is equal. So, again, when calorie intake is equal among participants, we do not see a benefit for low carb diets. Okay, now, again, it does say that it works short term for some, and we'll get into some of that nuance, because for some people things work better than for other people, but overall, as a whole, we don't really see this play out.
Speaker 1:And then another study in the nutrition reviews from 2020, this is by Freer I'm not sure how to pronounce it, it's F-R-E-I-R-E and I put all of our references in the show notes. So if you guys ever want to look at any study that I mentioned, I'm going to make sure that the references are there. So you guys know I'm not just pulling things out of a hat, but I'm giving you what you can actually go find yourself. So in this study, they reviewed the effectiveness of low carb diets and they found they're only helpful if they improve adherence and appetite control, not because they're inherently better. Okay, so again, that's getting into that nuance that I was talking about, that they found that it's helpful if they improve adherence and appetite control, not because they're inherently better. So for everybody, they don't help improve adherence or appetite control, so for those people it's probably not the best option. So that means that this is not a one size fits all for everyone type diet.
Speaker 1:Okay, hey guys, real quick. Sorry to interrupt the episode, but I have a little question for you what if this was the last time you ever had to start over? The THI Rebuild is an elite 90-day transformation experience built for high-performing men and women in their 40s and 50s who are done with the crash diets, the quick fixes and waking your identity, backed by real coaching, real accountability and a step-by-step system designed to fit your life, not take it over. We combine high-level strategy with personal support so you never have to guess again. Our clients don't just lose weight, they become unrecognizable to the version of themselves that once settled for trying. And when you're ready to stop trying and start transforming, here's what you do Go to transformhealthcoachcom, click apply and tell us why you're ready. Spots are limited, guys, and we only accept those who are actually ready for serious change, Because this time it's not about trying harder, it's about doing it differently. This is the THI Rebuild, and it could be the last program you ever need.
Speaker 1:All right back to the episode. So the takeaway is simple it's not the carbs, it's the calories, and it's about consistency, not restriction. Okay, but let's take a little closer look at the insulin conversation, because that's where a lot of the confusion still lives. Okay, and we want to get to the bottom of this. So next we're.
Speaker 1:Next we're gonna look at carbs, insulin and fat gain the real story. So insulin is a hormone that helps your body store nutrients, not just fat, but also carbs as glycogen, which is stored in your liver and in your muscle tissue, and protein for muscle repair. So, yes, insulin does go up when you eat carbs, but guess what? It also rises when you eat protein. And we don't see anybody blaming chicken breasts for fat gain. All right, a little joke there. But for real, who blame who's eating only chicken breasts and gaining fat? Nobody. Fat gain occurs when you consistently eat more energy than you burn, not because you had a banana or some rice. All right, that's just at the bottom line. Energy balance is still the way our biology works and that's still the rule. It's not because you had some carbs, it's because you're consistently eating more energy than your body is burning.
Speaker 1:So the carb, insulin to fat storage story is overly simple, simply simplistic, sorry, and leaves out key contexts like total intake, muscle mass activity and metabolic flexibility. So there's lots of other things to consider before we start worrying about insulin's effect on fat storage. So where are we now? If carbs don't inherently cause fat gain. When might reducing them make sense? So, again, we always want to show all sides of the story. We're not really here to be in favor of any one thing. We're about what works and what works for each person and making the most sense out of all the information out there. So when low carb works and when it doesn't. So there's no denying that some people feel better on low-carb diets, especially if they're insulin resistant or prone to cravings.
Speaker 1:Lower-carb approaches can reduce appetite and help stabilize energy levels for some individuals, but that does not make them magic or superior. Long-term success still depends on things like total calorie balance or energy balance, like I mentioned, nutrient quality so the quality of the nutrients we're consuming, the sources we're getting these nutrients from, lifestyle fit, so how this all plays out into our physical activity, our nutrition intake, our sleep, our stress management and then emotional stability, which brings us to the flip side. There are many ways carbs can help your health and performance. All right. So next we're going to look at when carbs actually help. So carbs can be powerful allies, especially when they're coming from whole, fiber-rich sources, which is definitely what we promote here at THI. So here's what they support.
Speaker 1:All right, fueling your workouts and recovery. All right, they provide quick, efficient energy to produce more force through the muscle. All right, because that glycogen is easily utilized by the muscle and they also help with recovery. They help kickstart the recovery process. They fill back up those glycogen stores. We use them for energy to, you know, be able to utilize the amino acids that we consume to build more muscle tissue and to recover muscle tissue. So they can also help with thyroid and hormonal health. Okay, this is why we see people sometimes, when they stay in low carb diets for too long, it throws especially women, it can throw their hormones off and things like that. It can help with improving sleep and serotonin regulation All right. So helping our sleep cycle, helping improve the quality of our sleep, how deep of a sleep we can have, and then also things like gut health and digestion, because fiber, at the end of the day, is prebiotics they're natural prebiotics All right.
Speaker 1:So when carbs are paired with protein, fiber and healthy fats this is the context they help you feel full and energized and mentally sharp. Ok, so this doesn't mean just drinking a whole tub of chocolate syrup because you're trying to get your carbs in. Ok, comparing this with a balanced, whole, balanced proportion meal where you have your lean protein source, you have your carbs that contain fiber and your healthy fats, because there are unhealthy fats but you have your healthy fats. Then this is really where they can provide the most support for you. So how do you apply all of this into your old day-to-day life? All right, let's look at some practical takeaways here, because that's what this is all about. So let's wrap up with some clear, actionable truths, all right.
Speaker 1:Number one carbs do not make you fat by themselves, independent of other things. Eating more calories than you need over time does make you fat, and this is what we want to avoid. You can lose fat and eat carbs, trust me, if you, if your intake matches your activity and goals and I can highlight this, guys, because this is something you know, being in the world that I am of health and fitness. I also work with you know competitive bodybuilders, and it just baffles me when I hear people say that, oh, eating carbs is going to make you fat. If you eat too many carbs, you're going to get fat and you're going to get diabetes and all these things. Carbs is going to make you fat.
Speaker 1:If you eat too many carbs, you're going to get fat and you're going to get diabetes and all these things, when some of literally the leanest, most muscular people in the world which is extremely hard balance to accomplish they eat more carbs than you would even imagine okay, on a day-to-day basis, but yet they're super insulin sensitive, their body fat is subpar for what's even natural to walk around at, and they are strong and have a ton of muscle mass okay. So if carbs inherently made us fat just by eating so many carbs, then bodybuilders having striations in their glutes would not be a thing. And if you don't know what glute striated glutes look like, then look it up and you'll know exactly what I mean. And you have to be you know, exotically lean to get to that type of conditioning. So I just like to put it as a side note, because that just crushes the whole in the whole. Carbohydrates will make you fat argument.
Speaker 1:So also still with our wrap-up and our clear, actionable truths. Number three focus on quality over quantity, okay, fruits, vegetables, legumes your beans, things like that and whole grains over your process options. So obviously, eating junk food is not a good idea over the long term in large amounts, in small moderation definitely can make it work into a healthy plan, but the majority of your carbohydrates should be coming from whole, minimally processed sources. That's where you're going to get the most nutrients, the most fiber, and just fill your best with the least amount of bloating and things like that. And number four use carbs to fuel your day, your workouts and your recovery, not to restrict or fear them. Okay, when you realize just how powerful carbohydrates can be for your gym performance, for your brain health, for your sleep, for your energy levels and so many different things, you learn really quickly that, hey, carbs aren't what I should be fearing, it's the overeating I should be fearing. All right, so if you've been stuck fearing carbs or you're swinging between restriction and overeating, it might be time for a new approach, all right.
Speaker 1:So inside the THI Rebuild, we help clients build evidence-based systems around food, movement and mindset no fads, no gimmicks. And the THI Rebuild is our 90-day program that is built specifically for high-performing individuals that are tired of being in the same cycles, the same loops with the same false information, and they're tired of failing at their goals, and they know that if they don't make a change now, they may never have the opportunity again. So if that's you, you definitely want in on this so you can learn more, or you can apply for our coaching program at transformedhealthcoachcom and if and when you're ready, okay, we will be here, ready to serve. So thanks for listening to the win on purpose podcast. Remember, guys, carbs are not the enemy, misinformation is, and that's exactly what we attack on this show. So next time we're going to tackle another big one, and that is are supplements necessary? So until next time, do something good for yourself, for those you care about, and, whatever you do, make sure you win on purpose. We'll talk at you next time, thank you.