The Real Truth About Cutting Carbs
Every few years, diet culture finds a new villain; carbohydrates are often the first to be blamed. From keto to Atkins to the newest low-carb trends, the idea that “cutting carbs” is the secret to weight loss has persisted for decades. Yet the real science tells a different story, one rooted not in restriction, but in moderation and consistency.
“This is a bit of a grey area,” says Bethan Crouse, a performance nutritionist at Loughborough University. She wouldn’t advise the athletes she works with to completely cut out carbohydrates, foods such as bread, grains, potatoes and sweets. “However,” she says, “reducing carbohydrate intake can be beneficial for weight loss if we can moderate total energy intake.”
Weight loss ultimately comes down to energy balance; consuming fewer calories than you burn. Reducing refined carbohydrates can help create that deficit, but not because carbs are inherently “fattening.” It’s because other macronutrients such as fiber, protein, and fat are more filling, helping people feel fuller for longer. “If we spend more of our calorie budget on these foods, we feel fuller for longer,” Crouse says.
She adds that it’s not about removing carbs altogether, but about choosing the right kinds. “You’ll feel much better for eating a balanced, high-protein meal with vegetables and some healthy fats. It’s a much better investment of your ‘calorie cash,’” she says. Refined carbohydrates such as white bread and sweets are digested quickly, leading to blood sugar spikes and hunger soon after. “Instead,” Crouse advises, “higher-fibre varieties at mealtimes, such as brown rice and wholemeal bread, release energy more slowly.”
Crouse also explains that carbohydrate needs aren’t static. “Consuming more carbohydrates on days when you’re working out reduces the risk of illness and injury and supports exercise adaptation,” she notes. “On rest days or less active days, cutting back on carbs can help to reduce your overall energy intake, as long as you still include protein for muscle repair, plus plenty of fruit and vegetables for vitamins, fibre and antioxidants.”
The message is clear: carbs aren’t the enemy. Consistency is.
And that’s where many people struggle. Most people don’t fail at improving their health because they lack information; they fail because they lack systems that help them act on that information consistently. Behavior change is rarely about willpower. It’s about structure, feedback, and reinforcement.
That is where behavioral tools like Shapa’s Numberless Scale® come in. Instead of displaying a single number that can fluctuate from day to day, Shapa helps people focus on patterns and progress over time. This approach removes the emotional rollercoaster of daily weigh-ins and helps individuals understand how small choices add up to larger trends in their health.
Shapa also encourages sustainable change through daily “missions,” which are small, evidence-based actions that support lasting habit formation. Missions might include taking a mindful pause before eating, adding a few extra minutes of walking to your day, or drinking water before your morning coffee. These micro-goals are designed to help users strengthen the behaviors that create long-term results.
Because true health isn’t built in a week; it’s built in the patterns we repeat every day.
Cutting carbs can be a useful starting point, but without a behavioral framework, it’s just another temporary fix. When people learn to understand their own health patterns and focus on consistency over perfection, they gain something far more valuable than a lower number on the scale; they gain control over their habits, their mindset, and ultimately, their long-term wellbeing.
In the end, sustainable health isn’t about restriction. It’s about awareness. It’s about replacing rigidity with rhythm and short-term intensity with long-term consistency. And that’s what truly changes lives.
