Protein is your floor. Fat builds the system. Carbohydrates are the lever.
Carbohydrates are not required. They are used. Some people need more, some need almost none. Context determines the dose.
This week you learn which carbs serve you, which ones cost you, and how to make one deliberate swap.
Reflection on Week 2
Before we add anything new, answer these honestly:
Did you replace your cooking oil this week?
Did you check any ingredient labels for seed oils?
Is your protein target still holding?
You'll carry this into this week's decision.
Week 3 Tool
Week 3 Tool
Glycemic load equivalence scale
Interactive
Pick a processed food and see how much whole food it takes to match the same blood sugar hit. One bagel equals an absurd amount of broccoli. See it for yourself.
Very high
vs
Minimal
—
GL (processed)
—
GL (whole food)
—
Times more impact
GL values from Foster-Powell et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2002. Typical serving sizes used throughout.
Why carbohydrate quality matters
Carbohydrates are the most misunderstood macro. The old advice was to eat more of them. The better question is not how much — it is which kind, and whether you need them at all.
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Carbohydrates are not essential
There is no dietary requirement to eat carbohydrate. Your body can make the glucose it needs.
Carbs are optional, not foundational.
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Carbohydrate tolerance varies
Carbohydrates are a fuel source, but not everyone handles them the same way. Some people stay steady. Others get hungry faster, crave more, or lose control more easily.
Tolerance helps determine the dose.
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Carbohydrate quality matters
All carbohydrates are not equal. Intact vegetables and fruit land differently than juice, flour, cereal, bread, and sugar.
Some carbs cost more than others.
Eat these carbs
Vegetables — all non-starchy
Sweet potato and squash
Fruit — small amounts whole only
Some starch around training
Avoid these carbs
Bread pasta bagels crackers
Cereal and grains
White rice
Fruit juice and sweetened drinks
Any added sugar
On 'whole grains.' The USDA recommends them. We do not. Whole wheat bread still spikes blood sugar rapidly and delivers far less fiber per gram than vegetables. Vegetables are the better carbohydrate in every measurable way.
Glycemic index tells you how fast a food spikes blood sugar per gram. Glycemic load multiplies that by how much you actually eat. GL is what matters in the real world.
A bagel has a high glycemic index and a high load. Broccoli has essentially zero load at any serving size.
The rule of thumb: If it grows in the ground and looks like it did before cooking, the glycemic load is probably fine. If it came in a package, it probably is not.
Before training
No need for carbs by default
Most sessions do not require them. If you use anything, keep it small and whole — and only if performance actually drops without it.
After training
If you are going to use starch
This is where it makes the most sense. Some people tolerate it better when demand is high. Keep it simple, whole, and proportional to the work.
At rest
Vegetables first
Carbohydrate demand is low when you are not training. Non-starchy vegetables handle it. That is enough for most people.
This week's challenge
Week 3 Challenge
One change. Seven days.
Protein target holds. Fat swap holds.
Replace one processed carbohydrate with a whole-food alternative.
Do it once. Hold it for the week.
Bread → potato Crackers → fruit Cereal → remove or replace with protein
Log it once. Compare.
You'll report this at the end of the week.
Hollis Molloy
Vegetables are the carbohydrate. Everything else is optional — and most of it is not worth it. Make one swap. Hold it for seven days.
