Should Skinny Fat People Eat Carbs? The Answer Might Surprise You.

Low-carb diets have become incredibly popular in recent years, as many people follow them to improve their health and lose weight.

But is the zero-carb approach truly that beneficial for us? More importantly, would skipping carbs help fix the skinny fat physique? Or might there be a better alternative?

Let’s discuss.

What Are Low-Carb Diets And What Benefits Do They Offer?

A low-carb diet restricts your carb intake to fewer than 100 grams per day for men and 75 grams for women. Keto dieting takes things one step further by eliminating almost all carbs from your diet. Following a keto diet means you cannot consume more than 50 grams of carbs daily. For reference, a single bagel has about that many carbs.

Let’s take a look at some low-carb diet benefits:

1. Quick Initial Weight Loss

A notable benefit of low-carb diets is that most people experience quick weight loss in the first week. It’s not uncommon for someone to lose up to three, five, or even seven pounds of scale weight in the first week of keto (1). Because of that, many regard keto as the single best weight loss diet.

But, here is the thing:

The significant weight loss you experience initially is not fat tissue. Most of the weight you lose will come in the form of glycogen and water. Glycogen is the complex carb form we store inside the skeletal muscle and our liver for later use. Each gram of glycogen holds three or four grams of water (2). So, if you lose 300 grams of glycogen, you will also drop 900 to 1,200 grams of water. That’s the equivalent of 2.6 to 3.3 lbs less on the scale.

Still, you will likely experience some rapid weight loss, which can be beneficial for morale and kickstart your journey. But, keep in mind that the rate of weight loss won’t be as high forever.

2. Greater Satiety (In Some Cases)

Another reason why many people praise low-carb diets is because of the greater satiety they feel during the day (3). One potential reason for that effect is that cutting carbs from your diet would mean that you’re increasing your intake of fats and proteins. Both nutrients have high satiety scores and can fill you up nicely. Plus, many fibrous veggies are low in carbs and fill your stomach.

Another explanation for the greater satiety are the steadier blood sugar levels. Consuming fewer carbs leads to less insulin released in response to eating and a lower risk of spikes and drops in blood sugar. One significant issue with sudden blood sugar drops is intense hunger, often coupled with cravings for carbs.

3. Steadier Energy Levels

The third prominent benefit of low-carb and keto diets relates to your energy levels. Many people who reduce their carb intake report feeling steadier energy levels with no associated energy slumps. To explain the effect, we again have to look at blood sugar levels.

When eating more carbs, your blood sugar tends to fluctuate. Levels creep to baseline levels, shoot up in response to a meal, and go back down in the following hours. The trouble is, your blood sugar might drop more quickly due to a higher insulin release in your bloodstream. As a result, you feel symptoms, such as (4):

• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Sleepiness
• Loss of motivation

In more severe cases, you might even experience dizziness, shakiness, anxiety, and cold sweat (4). The condition is called postprandial hypoglycemia and can be associated with an underlying issue, but not always. Healthy people can also experience it.

In contrast, following a low-carb or keto diet reduces the possibility because you don’t experience the same spikes and drops in blood sugar levels. As such, you save yourself from this rollercoaster and can experience stabler energy levels throughout the day.

Five Reasons Why Skipping Carbs Could Do More Harm Than Good

Despite offering some benefits and having a large following, keto might not be the best option, especially for skinny fat individuals who want to build muscle and get fit. Let’s go over the five reasons why:

1. Loss of Athletic Performance

The most notable reason you should avoid cutting carbs is the impact on athletic performance. Like them or not, carbs are the primary fuel source for your body. As such, your body needs carbs to produce much of the necessary energy for muscle contractions and recovery.

Numerous papers find that following a low-carb diet leads to performance declines, especially in endurance athletes (5). A significant drawback here is that loss of performance would mean that you can’t follow a productive training plan, which would prevent you from building muscle mass.

2. Poor Mood And Low Energy Levels

People often praise low-carb diets for their beneficial effects on mood and energy levels. But what if not everyone responds in the same way?

Just as low-carb diets can lead to loss of athletic performance, they can also impact your mood and energy levels, turning you into a grumpy, tired, and confused mess. Keto flu refers to the initial period of adaptation to the diet. During that time, most people experience symptoms, such as (6):

• Brain fog
• Excessive fatigue
• Muscle weakness
• Irritability
• Constipation
• Sleep issues

The great thing about the keto flu is that it passes, and most people start feeling okay afterward. But, not everyone recovers, and some people continue to feel bad until they re-introduce carbs in their diet.

As discussed in my post on diet tips for skinny fat folks, a low-carb approach might offer some benefits, but cutting out the nutrient will likely result in poor mood and low energy levels.

3. Possible Adverse Impact on Thyroid Function

The thyroid gland is located in the neck and is responsible for producing and releasing thyroid hormones: T3 and T4. Both hormones play an essential role in metabolic function, brain health, core body temperature, bone mineral density, and more (7).

According to some research, T3 is quite sensitive to our overall calorie and carb intake (8). When carbs drop, so do levels of T3, which can lead to a range of adverse effects, including:

• Feeling sluggish
• Gaining weight despite eating less
• Being cold all the time
• Having difficulties concentrating

4. A Reduction in Testosterone Levels

Testosterone, the primary sex hormone in men, plays numerous vital roles in our health and well-being. One of testosterone’s most notable roles relates to growth and development. Having adequate testosterone levels promotes muscle growth, athleticism, and strength (9). The hormone is also essential for a healthy sex drive, cognition, motivation, confidence, fat loss, and more.

The issue is that going on a ketogenic diet and reducing your caloric intake too much can suppress testosterone levels (10). (Researchers are still trying to determine if a calorie-balanced ketogenic diet would have the same effect on testosterone.) As such, you might experience:

• Muscle loss
• Fat gain
• Impaired athletic performance
• Anxiety and depression
• Low sexual drive and erectile dysfunction

And much more. As you can imagine, testosterone is a crucial element in the skinny fat equation, so maintaining healthy levels is essential.

5. Direct Adverse Impact on Muscle Growth & Maintenance

There are multiple reasons why not consuming enough carbs would impact your ability to build and maintain your muscle mass. For one, as discussed in the previous point, going on a keto diet can lead to a drop in testosterone levels (10). Given the hormone’s crucial role in muscle growth, a decline would likely mean muscle loss.

Second, reducing your carb intake leads to a drop in insulin (1). People often associate the hormone with fat storage, but its overall anabolic properties make it essential for building and supporting muscle tissue (1, 11).

Third, the lack of carbs can severely impact your athletic performance and training quality, regardless of what program you follow. As a result, you might fail to accumulate the necessary training volume and cause a substantial growth stimulus (12). You might also struggle to make steady progress, which is crucial for long-term muscle gain.

One reason is that your body needs carbs to synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, which support all cells in our body and provide the necessary energy for muscle contractions. Sure, ketones can replace carbs as the primary source of fuel for your body, but most papers find a significant drop in athletic abilities for people who avoid carbs.

In addition, as discussed in the previous points, the lack of carbs can hinder several vital hormones, which would impact your well-being, motivation, energy levels, and overall training performance. These effects might also lead to poor recovery between workouts, preventing you from staying consistent with your training plan.

What You Might Want to Do Instead

1. Follow a Balanced Nutritional Plan

Proteins, fats, and carbs are the three major nutrients with numerous roles inside the body. In an oversimplified way:

• Protein promotes growth, development, and recovery
• Fats support our hormones, cells, and organs
• Carbs provide the necessary fuel the body needs to operate

Cutting any of these nutrients from your diet can eventually lead to severe problems related to your health, fitness, and quality of life. Because of that, I stand by balanced nutritional plans as the only sustainable approach to leading a healthy life and reaching your fitness goals. 

2. Consider Tracking Your Macros (For a While)

Tracking macronutrients is beneficial for numerous reasons. The most notable ones include:

• It ensures greater accuracy with your calorie intake
• It ensures an adequate intake of all three macronutrients
• It makes it easier to enjoy some treats while working toward your goals

Tracking macronutrients is also an excellent way to become more familiar with how much food you need and get better at eyeballing your meals. The longer you track macros, the easier it will be for you to estimate how many calories there are in meals – a valuable skill that will make it easier for you to gain or lose weight in the future.

Conclusion

Cutting out a macronutrient from your diet is a huge decision and one you should never take lightly. If you do want to experiment with a low-carb approach, consult your doctor and share your reasons for doing so.

For most people under most circumstances, I recommend eating a balanced diet and paying attention to your caloric intake.