Why Does Weight Decrease After Increasing Carbohydrates?

1. Why Increasing Carbs Can Help with Weight Loss

Carbohydrates act like a fire for burning fat!

To completely oxidize body fat, sugar metabolism (carbohydrates being glycogen) must be involved. The sugar metabolism process produces "oxaloacetate," an important substance for fat oxidation and consumption. Therefore, when we eat too few carbs, body fat cannot be fully burned.

Benefits of Increasing Carbs:
   1. Increases fat-burning efficiency: Carbohydrate-glycogen metabolism products help in fat burning.
   2. Reduces body stress: Insufficient glycogen (carbs) in the body leads to high stress hormone cortisol, causing water retention. Properly increasing carbs reduces stress hormones, flushes out excess water, and thus lowers body weight.

2. Who Needs to Increase Carbs

1. People with High Exercise Frequency
For those who exercise frequently, body stress increases, so it's necessary to replenish carbs in time, provide energy, reduce stress, and help the body better complete fat loss tasks.

2. People on Low-Carb Diets Who Aren't Losing Weight
Especially those with a low BMI (BMI < 24), who experience weight plateaus or constant rebounds after extensive dieting, are advised to increase their carb intake.

Indeed, people who followed this advice started to lose weight.

Ultimately, it's best not to diet excessively; a healthy diet can also lead to weight loss.

3. How Much Carbs to Increase

For fat loss, you can determine how much carbs to eat based on one of the following:

1. Carbs should make up 45-50% of your total caloric intake

This is a healthy range for carb intake during fat loss, but individual needs vary. Adjust based on your weekly changes.

2. For women, the amount of carbs should be twice their body weight in kilograms (in grams)

For example, if you weigh 50 kg, your daily carb intake should be 50 x 2 = 100 g. Start with this amount and adjust based on your own changes over time.

If you're not eating enough carbs or are significantly lacking, it's time to increase your carb intake!

4. Optimal Times to Consume Carbs

The best times to consume carbs are at breakfast and after exercise, for two reasons:

1. Glycogen Depletion
Long periods of fasting overnight deplete liver glycogen, and muscle glycogen is depleted during exercise.

2. Elevated Cortisol Levels
Cortisol levels peak in the morning upon waking and again after exercise. Both glycogen depletion and high cortisol levels require timely carb replenishment. Carbs consumed at these times will be used preferentially for glycogen storage, reducing cortisol levels and preventing muscle loss, which helps avoid becoming increasingly bloated.