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"You clearly don't know what you're talking about. Carbs are bad for you. There are no essential carbs!" We NEED to stop demonizing macros and making sweeping statements like this. One size doesn't fit all. I have clients who NEED lower carb. I have clients who NEED higher carb. And carbs themselves are not evil. They have a purpose. But type and quantity make a huge impact. I also always find this argument very interesting...that there are no "essential" carbs. People will occasionally argue there are no “essential” carbs like there are essential fats or amino acids. This is their reasoning to cut out all carbs and preach low carb. However carbs are involved in many bodily functions AND can really aid in improved performance while creating that anabolic environment for muscle growth. Carbs play an integral role in keeping our hormones at optimal levels - specifically T3 (a thyroid hormone), cortisol and testosterone levels. If T3 decreases this can not only hinder our weight loss results, but also impact our energy levels, negatively impacting our workouts. Thyroid hormone problems can also lead to anxiety issues and contribute to menstrual irregularities (aka missed periods!). These issues can be compounded by a calorie deficit while training hard on lower carb. Not to mention, carbs serve as immediate fuel to help us avoid muscle catabolism and even assist in creating an anabolic environment, which is essential to promoting muscle growth! When we consume enough carbs, especially if we are exercising regularly, we can keep our testosterone, and other anabolic hormone levels higher and our cortisol levels lower. Basically we create hormone levels that PROMOTE muscle growth. Now this being said, the shift in hormone levels we see with perimenopuase and menopause may mean LOWERING carbs as we can become insulin resistant. Yet...again...we have to pay attention to what we need as simply then demonizing carbs could negatively impact our thyroid health if we are more of an endurance athlete. I don't say this to confuse you but more to realize that part of what works is based on what YOU need. And then being ok with assessing and adjusting as your body, needs, goals and lifestyle shift. What worked to get us to one goal even, may hold us back from reaching our next goal at a different phase and stage of life. So just remember, no macro is evil and while each of us is unique and may function better with different macro breakdowns, carbs actually do play an essential role in many bodily functions and simply demonizing them could sabotage someone else's results and health. - Cori For more on how to adjust your macros to achieve amazing definition and feel fabulous, check out my Metabolic Shred. Yup. Shameless plug hehe LEARN MORE: https://redefiningstrength.com/the-metabolic-shred?sl=fbcarbs