Absolutely! As we’ve discussed in the other fuelling articles – The car needs fuel! Eating carbohydrate (carbs) in themselves won’t stop you from reducing your body fat, and losing weight. It’s your overall daily energy (calorie) intake from all nutrients; carbohydrate, fat, protein and not forgetting alcohol!

That’s why important to consider the overall amount in your day.  If you’ve had a day stuck behind the desk, cut down on the fuel. Often the easiest way is to reduce your carb intake at lunch or dinner. Instead, just increase your portion of protein (e.g. fish, poultry, pulses) and mixed vegetables to bulk out the meal. And cut out the snacking between meals.

The timing of when you eat them becomes extremely important, to fuel the body for training, and then reduced later in the day (e.g. you won’t require so many when you’re stuck behind the desk at work!).

Finally, like all nutrients, think about the type. As not all are created equally. When trying to reduce body fat (lose weight) the focus on lower glycaemic index (low GI) carbs – E.g. sweet potato, rye bread, porridge oats, basmati rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and lentils – these contain more fibre and digested more slowly – so giving a sustained energy release, but also keeping your feeling satisfied for longer.