will I gain weight from carbs?

In order to know if carbohydrates are the cause of your weight gain, we need to go through what carbohydrates are. Carbohydrates is a collective name for different types of sugar molecules. Fiber, sugar, starch.

Refined sugar is an example of the fastest process. Refined sugar consists of a glucose molecule and a fructose molecule. This means that there is only one bond that the body needs to break in order to get a glucose molecule to use for energy. Because our body don't need to do as much with this molecule it will therefore be sent directly into the blood and transported to where the energy is needed. The fructose molecule is not wasted, but is sent to the liver, which converts it into a glucose molecule and is then sent further into the blood. Because this type of carbohydrate breaks down quickly, we get hungrier faster and may even feel more cravings for even more refined sugar. This includes sweets, sugary drinks, pastries.

Then we have fiber, or dietary fiber as it is also called, which is important for our gut microbiota and also for bowel movement. There are two different types of fiber. Prebiotic which is food for the good intestinal bacteria. Then we have fibre, which does not break down but collects fluid and helps with bowel function. This includes vegetables, fruit, berries, whole grain products.

Starch is a polysaccharide, which means a molecule made up of several glucose molecules. This takes slightly longer for the body to break down and it slowly enters the blood, which contributes to a longer feeling of satiety. This includes potatoes, rice, pasta and bread.

Although all types of carbohydrates will eventually be converted into glucose to be used as energy in the body, this process takes different lengths.

Because it is a faster process for the body to absorb carbohydrates, it is the body and brain's favorite source of energy. If we eat more calories than we burn off, the body stores these extra calories in different ways. The body stores carbohydrates primarily as glycogen in the liver and in the muscles, when these depots are filled the rest is stored as fat.

When we exercise or move, we burn both carbohydrates and fat. Depending on the intensity we perform, we burn one more than the other. If we run an intense session where we run intervals, the body likes to burn carbohydrates in the first place because here the body quickly needs energy for the muscles that have to do the work. If, on the other hand, we do a low-intensity session such as power walks or light cycling, the body will primarily choose fat as this does not require as fast an energy supply. Of course, you also burn glycogen during low-intensity exercise and fat during high-intensity exercise, so one does not exclude the other, but the body chooses on a higher scale the energy source that is most favorable for the activity you perform.

It is therefore important to understand that in the end it turns into the same molecule, glucose. Regardless of where it comes from, what differentiates carbohydrates is the nutritional content as well as the size of the molecule. If we talk about weight loss, it's only about calories out, calories in. Weight loss is easier if you feel fuller for longer, as we don't tend to eat as much during the day than if we feel full longer. Therefore, it is to one's advantage to eat more of the slow carbohydrates such as starch and fiber. Carbohydrates as food are not the reason for weight gain, but it is how many calories you eat daily that determines whether you gain weight or not.