Feeling tired and run-down?

My husband and I love to watch YouTube videos of people building houses. DIY'ers and professionals alike - we don't discriminate.

There's one show that's our absolute favorite - a bunch of professional carpenters that live out East. We've watched them for several years, and throughout those years, we've seen some of the guys gain and lose weight multiple times. They usually sneak in some details of what they're doing to "eat healthy" or lose weight, or whatever scheme they're currently on.

And one time they decided to go carnivore.

It was fascinating to watch their carnivore experience play out!

They got super grumpy. They were exhausted all the time.

And they were wondering what on earth was going on to make them so. I wanted to yell out to the TV.... "It's obviously the carnivore diet yo! How can you not see this?!"

It didn't take long until they were not longer on the carnivore diet. 😆

One of the main reasons you need carbs in your life?

⚡ Energy. ⚡

And not just the “get through the day” kind of energy—I'm talking about metabolism (that's converting your food to actual fuel), fat-burning, and little things like keeping your body running smoothly. Making your heart pump - things like that.

Yet diet culture has convinced us that any kind of blood sugar spike is evil and will kill us. Guess what? Your body was created to have blood sugar spikes and handle them just fine.

After I was diagnosed with PCOS in 1998 I set out on a mission to heal myself by limiting carbs as much as possible. Cause that's what I was told I had to do. Oh it was a miserable life, though there were some things I refused to get rid of entirely (I swapped white bread for the brown, nutty kind, same with rice, cause supposedly the brown ones were better for me). And I low-carbed it for years.

But what actually happens when you eat too few carbs for too long?

🚨 You feel like garbage. Also, you screw up your metabolic pathways big time. 🚨

Here’s why:

1. Low-carb slows your metabolism.

Your body stores carbs as glycogen, which fuels your muscles, brain, metabolism, and basically your entire body. But when glycogen is constantly low, your body panics and slows down your "calorie burn" to conserve energy.

This is why low-carb dieters often hit a weight-loss plateau—their metabolism is stuck in energy-saving mode.

2. Fat-burning requires carbs.

Yes, just like I mentioned last week. Your body needs a mix of carbs and natural fat to efficiently burn fat. Without enough carbs, your body actually breaks down muscle to convert it into glucose—which is the opposite of what we want to be doing if we want to be healthy.

3. Low-carb increases stress hormones.

When carbs are too low, your body pumps out cortisol (the stress hormone), which:

❌ Increases belly fat storage

❌ Makes you feel wired but exhausted

❌ Disrupts sleep and cravings

❌ And makes you feel snappy, overwhelmed and super grumpy!

Cortisol isn't bad all the time, but we don't want to be pumping it out chronically, which will happen when you eat low-carb.

If you went low-carb and lost some weight, the reason for that is simple. Carbohydrates literally hydrate your cells, so when you cut carbs, you drop a bunch of water weight real quick. Also, in a stressed out state, your body may choose to lose weight initially instead of pack it on, but if you want to feel energetic and healthy, this isn't ideal.

Long story short: low-carb might work short term, but it’s not sustainable or good for your metabolism, and you will likely be in a constant low energy state and dragging yourself through your day unneccessarily.

So, what’s the fix?

✅ Eat the carbs. Your body thrives on them. Fruit, grains, all the good things.

✅ Balance your meals. Carbs, protein, and fat work best together. Just because I'm super pro carb doesn't mean you don't need all the macros. They really do well when combined.

✅ Ditch the extremes. You don’t need to go low-carb to lose weight—in fact, doing so might just make you sad both in the short-run and in the long-run. You also don't need to protein stuff. There's just no reason for it.

You'll learn all about this in GLP-1 Done Right—because if you’re lucky enough to be on a GLP-1 medication, and you want it to work for you long-term, you gotta eat the carbs.

And if you’re looking for a step-by-step plan to rebuild healthy eating habits without restriction, Healthy Habits Done Right will walk you through how to create a plan that will work for you. This 10-day program will be available some time in March.

So if you’re constantly exhausted, struggling to lose weight, or stuck in “low energy” mode—let’s fix it.

Because your metabolism isn’t broken—it just needs the right fuel.

Hugs & Smoothie Smiles,

Coach Camille PN, SSR

P.S. If you’ve been feeling drained lately, or fighting the grump, try adding back some real carbs (fruit, potatoes, rice) and see what happens. Your body and brain will thank you. 😊

P.P.S. I'm working on revamping my membership site to be your one-stop-shop for all things "Done Right". It's called The Done Right Wellness Vault. 🤩 Once I get that up and running, you'll have access to Healthy Habits Done Right, my new 10-day habit forming program that will have you hitting those big goals in no time!