What is your carb sweet spot?

Each one of us have a unique body type and it goes without saying that no diet is perfect. You need to have your own customized eating plan in your weight loss journey. Often people question about the right amount of carbs we need to eat to achieve an ideal weight or for losing weight. The carb tolerance of every individual is different and each of us must find our own sweet spot for carbs. Here we discuss what is carb sweet spot, and how to find our personalized sweet spot for carbs.

What is a carb sweet spot?

Human beings have different levels of carb tolerance. While your diet must include adequate amount of protein and fats, the same cannot be said about carb intake. Carb intolerance is very customized – you may be able to tolerate less than 50 grams, and there may be some who do well with 100-150 grams. Again, there is another group that can handle any amount. Carb sweet spot is the amount of carbohydrate you can consume at your ideal weight (or on track to weight loss). At the sweet spot an individual experiences balanced energy, mental clarity and no cravings for sugar.

How to find your sweet spot for carbs

The sweet spot for carb intake varies for every individual. Start from a stable baseline as you are tuned in to your body on how you feel about different types of food. At this point you can experiment with different levels of carbohydrates and how your body reacts.

Adopt a ketotarian diet (a mix of ketogenic and vegetarian diet) with 50 grams or less of carb intake for at least 30 days, to reach your stable baseline. It will reset your body’s carbohydrate consumption level and train your mitochondria to get energy from fats. Once you reach the base, you can start experimenting with different levels of carbohydrates on your plate. Gradually increasing your carb intake to 75 grams, and if you are still ok with 150 grams.

Finally, make an assessment of your digestive health, energy level, mood and hanger levels as you increase the amount of carbohydrate in your meals. Notice how you feel as you increase or decrease the carb levels. Only you can decide what works for you – some individuals feel better with lower carbohydrates, while others feel better with higher carbohydrates.

Remember, your sweet spot for carbs depends solely on you. All you need to do is to manipulate the quantity, quality, and timing of your carbohydrate consumption, while tracking the levels of your CHARGE (Cravings, Hunger, Attitude, Rest, Gut and Energy).

Quantity

In simple calculation, one bite of carbohydrate is roughly equal to 5 grams of carbs. Most of us eat 5-10 bites of carbohydrates in a meal and feel good. However, some may need more and some may need less carbohydrates to feel better.

Quality

The best carbs come from non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, kale and beans. Even starchy vegetables count, especially the clean carbs that aid in weight loss. Add carbs to meals with caution as per your metabolism as they add up quickly. Some of the clean carbs you can experiment with are quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes and plantains.

Timing

The best time for carbohydrate consumption is post workout (within 1 hour) as the body is receptive to insulin. Most people do well eating carbs at breakfast & lunch, and opt out or significantly reduce it at dinner. People with insomnia do well with carbs at dinner, as it helps them to fall asleep. Always accompany carbs with protein.

The bottom line

There is no one “carb sweet spot” for all. What works for your best friend may not work for you - everyone metabolizes carbs differently. With a little trial and effort, you can determine what is your sweet spot and arrive at your ideal weight.