I’ve gained a lot of weight in the last 7 years even though I live and eat and move my body in a way that supports a healthy weight.

It’s a journey I’m still walking with great care.

As much as I know about food, eating, and healthy living, I decided to work with a clinical nutritionist – someone who could look at my diet and my weight from a very numbers oriented perspective to see if there was something I was missing or overlooking, or if somehow, I was consuming a massive number of extra calories and didn’t know it.

I meticulously tracked my food intake for a month, noting every drop of water and every ounce of food I put into my mouth. In some ways it was good practice for me to be that aware of every little thing I consumed.

In other ways it triggered a lot of old dieting programming that didn’t feel good at all. I was reminded of why I don’t work that way with my clients, but also thankful to have flexed those science-focused muscles to get a crystal clear picture of my food-calorie-input-output situation.

After such careful tracking and reporting, the clinical nutritionist told me she’d never seen a diet that was as clean, well balanced, and high in fiber as mine. She was in awe of how much colorful produce I consume, and how much care I put into my food choices.

Her only recommendation to me was to slightly increase the amount of healthy carbs I was eating. 3 things went through my mind when she shared this feedback with me:

#1: If it’s not my diet that’s causing the weight gain, then things are far more complex, and I have to look deeper… How much deeper can I go? *cue groaning and tears 😩

#2: Slightly increasing the amount of healthy carbs in my daily diet doesn’t account for, nor will it will it radically change the weight gain I’m experiencing – which she couldn’t explain

#3: As much as I like to avoid dieting trends and labels (like paleo, keto, raw or whatever it is), I was in fact unconsciously restricting the amount of carbs I was eating 👀

When I dug a little deeper, I realized that the current carb-avoidant trend in eating had crept into my food choices, and I didn’t even realize it.

The incredible thing is that when I started adding more carbohydrates into my diet – things like sweet potato, squash, berries or maybe half an apple – I felt better. I had more energy and less brain fog.

Honestly, I think that reducing or removing carbs from your diet for a specified purpose and a specified period of time can be helpful, especially if you’re monitoring what you’re doing, and you have a clear goal of healing in mind.

But most of us aren’t doing that. Most of us have started fearing carbs as a result of today’s current diet trend. We’re consciously or unconsciously avoiding fruit, starchy vegetables, breads and grains. We fear what will happen if we consume too many carbs.

As a result, many people aren’t consuming enough healthy carbohydrates. Instead, they’re walking around with brain fog or rapid mood swings – because their bodies aren’t getting enough of the fuel their bodies (and brains!) need to function their best.

Carbohydrates are the #1 fuel source for your body – you can’t survive without them. Instead of vilifying carbs, please remember:

• The quality of the carb is what counts. Start replacing the highly processed carbs in your diet with whole foods and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

• Eating carbs with leafy greens, proteins and/or healthy fats will help your body to burn them more slowly, which can help you maintain a healthy blood sugar balance and mood.

My healing journey continues. I have moments when I get angry and cry because I don’t like what my body is doing… But once I get beyond that, I choose to be on my body’s side.

I trust my body knows what it’s doing and there is a brilliance playing out that I can’t currently understand.

What I do know is that eating more healthy, whole food carbs does help me to feel better right now. I continue to listen for what’s needed and follow through as best as I can.

If you find yourself fearing or villainizing carbs, remember not all carbs are bad. In fact, if you consumed more healthy carbs, you might look and feel better in ways you didn’t expect.

PS: If you haven’t grabbed my free Green Smoothie Guide yet, it’s filled with recipes to help you look and feel your best.

You’ll get a powerhouse of nutrition into your body – including colorful and healthy carbs – that you might otherwise miss out on. Check it out for yourself and see!

PPS: If you want to look more deeply at your diet from a non-numbers perspective, and learn what ratio of carbs to proteins and fats you should be eating to optimally support your body, book a no-pressure chat with me here.