Why is it that so many people today (including many health club members and in some cases, even club owners) believe that carbohydrates are so bad? For example, many actually believe that carbohydrates are the main culprit that have made millions of people fat – to the point of being overweight, or even worse, obese. Still others think that those “bad carbs” are totally responsible for the many hundreds of thousands of individuals who are now afflicted with diabetes, elevated blood pressure and/or cholesterol and even low back pain! In many cases health and fitness professionals have even “joined forces” with the food and beverage industries and are treating carbohydrates as unwanted nutrients and vie to see who can produce, promote, and/or sell the “lowest” low carb products. But, in truth, could these groups be getting it all wrong? And if so, what can club owners do to bring back this wayward lot and overcome the mind set that has resulted from this misinformation?
In responding to this question (and also given the current political climate), I can not help but be reminded of the now famous campaign slogan of the Presidential election of 1992 – “It’s the Economy, Stupid!” Translated, this simple four word sentence meant that – “If you do not know it is the economy – then you are stupid!” I will save my political analysis for another time as to whether, at that time in history, that was a correct statement or not. However, I am prepared to suggest that a slight alteration to that statement could help our industry get back on track with the real facts on weight management, and specifically, the critical issues of excessive weight. My suggested alteration – “It’s the Consumption. Stupid!” Translated to mean – “If you do not know that the total daily caloric intake has more to do with weight management than the composition of that intake – then you are stupid!” Perhaps some would say this may be a little hard, harsh, and even for some, offensive. However, is it not “offensive” (if not fraudulent and/or unethical) when a health and fitness “professional” encourages a member/client to embark on a faddish, unproven, and often unsafe and unsustainable weight management/loss program?
Today there are many professionally managed health and fitness facilities that have successfully responded to some of these misdirected trends and fads by developing informative as well as creative “softer” solutions and approaches to their clients than my “Consumption Stupid” one. And, most of those alternative programs have as their core the simple and proven facts associated with weight gain and weight loss. As such, they clearly emphasize how, for most people, weight management has far more to do with food consumption than with the “tweaking” of the nutritional make up of the foodstuffs they consume. Again, the main culprit of the over weight and obesity crisis in our country is actually the consumption of too many calories (overeating), combined with not enough calorie expenditure (lack of exercise). Simply stated, weight gain, loss and maintenance are all about the balance of calories. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you burn more than you consume, you’ll lose weight. And if calories in = calories out, then you will maintain your weight. While most sound, balanced diets call for a mixture of approximately 50 percent complex carbohydrates, 25 percent protein and 25 percent fat, when it comes to weight management one could conclude that minor adjustments to the mixture of these macronutrients is far less important than the total number of calories they represent. Because, it is what you consume and the amount of energy you expend through your daily activities and structured exercise programs that determines weight gain or loss. Fortunately, no other industry is in a better position to provide professional help for both of these factors than ours.
Like the other Macronutrients, (proteins and fats), carbohydrates are essential for life. Our bodies convert the carbohydrates we eat into glucose for immediate energy and into glycogen for reserve energy. However, even though our bodies can use protein or fat for energy, carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of energy.
And this factor becomes particularly acute when it comes to exercise. For just like the octane preference for high performance automobiles, adequate, readily available, and stored carbohydrates are our best fuel for human performance. Not surprisingly, many people who drastically cut their carbohydrate intake experience feeling lethargic and sluggish. Not surprisingly, often these feelings result in a far from optimal, taxing, and nonproductive exercise experience. Or, worse yet, a person will reduce or stop exercising altogether! Further, when these reductions occur, one is also deprived of the many other health enhancing aspects provided by carbohydrates as these macronutrients also contain high amounts of antioxidants and phytochemicals that fight cancer and other chronic diseases. And it’s carbs, not protein or fat, that have fiber, which can help digestion, improve intestinal function, lower blood cholesterol levels, and even aid in weight control.
So thinking of “carbs” as bad or greatly restricting the intake of healthy carbohydrates should not be a part of a professionally designed weight management program. Rather, your program should be concerned with the quality of those carbohydrates and the total daily calorie count. Also, I would suggest that you regularly remind your members that fruits and vegetables are classified as carbohydrates, just as potato chips and chocolate cake are labeled. But produce provides many more vitamins, minerals and fiber than those “junk food carbs”. Fruits and vegetables are very nutrient-dense and calorie-dense. In other words, you get a lot of “bang for your buck” with very few calories. A great example you can use to make this point is the carrot. Carrots contain high quantities of vitamin A, vitamin C, minerals, and fiber, but only have about 40 calories per cup. Whereas a cup of pudding or slice of cheesecake contains very few vitamins and minerals, almost no fiber, and may have 300 to 400 calories!
And finally, always be cognizant of the fact, a person can gain excessive weight just as easily by eating “healthy” foods as they can by consuming “junk” foods! Just as in the case of excessive consumption of fat and protein being converted to fat for storage , the same applies to excessive consumption of carbohydrates.
I can assure you that if you offer a quality weight management program that provides both the appropriate mixture of complex and nutritionally dense food stuffs as well as balance, with respect to energy intake and energy expenditure, you and your program will never be called “stupid”.
Robert Karch, Ed.D. is the Chairman of Biometrics Nutrition & Fitness. He can be contacted at 866.BIO.1922, or by email atBob@BiometricsHealth.com.
