• Carbs For Fat Loss


    by Obi Obadike Bodybuilding.com

    Q I'm trying to lose fat.
    Do you have any tips for carb intake?

    Your understanding of how carbs work and when you should eat them will be fundamental to attaining your low-fat physique. You can definitely keep carbs in your diet and burn that unwanted fat, but you'll need a solid plan. Let's hit the basics first.

    Carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient. They are your body's preferred energy source, and they're a great source of fuel for any physical activity you might do during the day. But, if you don't use carbs the right way at the right times, they can add an enormous amount of fat to your body.

    Here's the right way to eat carbs and stick to your goals:

    1/
    Wakey, Wakey:
    Eggs and Oatmeal!

    It's best to consume carbs in the morning when your body is calorie-deprived from sleeping. Your glucose tolerance is typically at its highest during the morning, so having breakfast with a big portion of your daily carb intake is very important.

    Complex, slow-absorbing carbs like oatmeal are great choices for a delicious, nutritious breakfast.

    2/
    Need a Good Finisher?
    Eat Carbs
    It's also a great choice to consume your carbs right after you work out. Your body is ready and primed to suck up the carbs for recovery and energy replenishment.

    Fast-absorbing carbs like fruits, fruit juices, and honey contain simple sugars that are great to have roughly 1 hour after you train. If you go by the numbers, I would shoot for 40 to 60 grams of post-workout carbs.

    3/
    Cancel Your Nightly
    Bowl of Chips
    Unless you do a late-night gym session, avoid eating carbs at night. My rule is that, generally, you shouldn't eat carbs after 7 p.m. If you consume carbs when your body isn't doing enough physical activity to burn them, then your body will just store them as fat.

    4/
    Don't Put All Your Carbs
    In One Basket

    Your complex and fibrous carbs like legumes, whole grains, and veggies should be spread out evenly throughout your meals. That means you should eat veggies with all of your meals except breakfast.

    Don't eat all of your daily carbs in one sitting. Instead, spread them out over small portions to keep your energy high and your body fueled.

    Source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-...loss-tips.html
    Comments 61 Comments
    1. EasyEJL's Avatar
      EasyEJL -
      Originally Posted by AaronJP1 View Post
      I understand not eating processed carbs that sort of garbage.
      The part I Want to understand is a slow carb vs. A fast carb. Let's say a red potato plus a sweet potato, nutrients aside...,
      Do people put faith in that faster carbs such as a white potato will most likely be stored as fat over slower carb as a sweet potato?
      it depends on volumes too. but more total over calories/under
    1. AaronJP1's Avatar
      AaronJP1 -
      Originally Posted by AutoKal47 View Post
      "Carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient"

      False, end of the reading.
      I agree to a certain extent as well, cause I like carb lol....
    1. hvactech's Avatar
      hvactech -
      Originally Posted by AaronJP1 View Post
      I understand not eating processed carbs that sort of garbage.
      The part I Want to understand is a slow carb vs. A fast carb. Let's say a red potato plus a sweet potato, nutrients aside...,
      Do people put faith in that faster carbs such as a white potato will most likely be stored as fat over slower carb as a sweet potato?
      i have not seen a difference as far as fat storage form hi/lo gi carbs...and i eat a ton of starchy carbs
    1. AutoKal47's Avatar
      AutoKal47 -
      Originally Posted by AaronJP1 View Post
      I understand not eating processed carbs that sort of garbage.
      The part I Want to understand is a slow carb vs. A fast carb. Let's say a red potato plus a sweet potato, nutrients aside...,
      Do people put faith in that faster carbs such as a white potato will most likely be stored as fat over slower carb as a sweet potato?

      It's bs: Carb source doesn't matter
    1. androsoft's Avatar
      androsoft -
      ^^ and what is you're current body fat %?
    1. xGenericx's Avatar
      xGenericx -
      Originally Posted by AutoKal47 View Post
      I think I feel the same way on this one.
    1. AutoKal47's Avatar
      AutoKal47 -
      Originally Posted by androsoft View Post
      ^^ and what is you're current body fat %?
      Mine? 4%
    1. JudoJosh's Avatar
      JudoJosh -
      Originally Posted by EasyEJL View Post
      "behind the times" says who? A bunch of other nutritionists, with no scientific data backing them either. Gluten sensitivity seems to be way over-reported. Here's an article on that

      http://bostonherald.com/entertainmen...ways_necessary

      If you feel better after cutting white bread out of your diet that doesn't mean you were gluten intolerant before.
      I dont demonize all grains the way the majority of the paleo crowd does, but as far as gluten is concerned, I really dont think is is ideal for human consumption. Some people may have a obvious pathological reaction and some people have a subjective reaction or over reaction to it but this doesnt mean gluten is ok since they are over reacting.

      PMID:20637226
      PMID:20514534
      PMID 21224837
      PMID:20052669

      Seem to suggest that gluten does inherently inflames the human intestine and the last study seems to suggest that even if you have a healthy level of git flora (which most do not) it still doesnt completely protect you from the inflammation.

      Do you feel that gluten in itself is not pro inflammatory Easy?

      I can agree that most people become too dogmatic about dieting and never really stop to question why things are being done or said.
    1. EasyEJL's Avatar
      EasyEJL -
      It may be somewhat pro inflammatory but enough to make a significant health/goals difference? Exercise is pro inflammatory and we still do it. There definitely are people who should avoid gluten but eaten moderately (on the order of less than 60g or so of gluten containing grains) I don't think it's an issue for most of the population
    1. JudoJosh's Avatar
      JudoJosh -
      Originally Posted by EasyEJL View Post
      It may be somewhat pro inflammatory but enough to make a significant health/goals difference?
      This I do not know but it is a interesting question to ask. I would imagine that you would have to take all other factors (i.e genetics, rest of diet, current health, etc) into consideration and not just gluten in order to determine if it will be detrimental to progress and health.

      So while gluten itself may possibly be intrinsically pro-inflammatory, on its own it may not make or break your health/fitness goals. I can agree with this

      My question then is why eat it when there are so many other options? Besides convenience, is there any real benefit to a diet including gluten?

      Originally Posted by EasyEJL View Post
      Exercise is pro inflammatory and we still do it.
      couple things with this line. First lets differentiate between systematic inflammation and acute inflammation.

      How can you compare the acute inflammation response to exercise, to the chronic systematic inflammation response to eating gluten?

      Second, the idea that exercise is pro-inflammatory really isnt that clear cut to begin with. In fact, some research have demonstrated that regular exercise actually lowers CRP (which is the marker for systematic inflammation). Now this isnt to say that exercise itself isnt pro-inflammatory (especially since inflammation is how our body heals and protects itself) but more to echo your question, to what degree is this inflammation and will it hinder performance or health? If anything I would call the inflammatory response to exercise a good thing, wouldnt you? Especially if you take into account the research showing the positive effect it can have on decreasing systematic inflammation markers.
    1. EasyEJL's Avatar
      EasyEJL -
      It mostly is convenience, and its not that easy to ignore convenience. Busy lives, work, learning, gym, families, etc. a sandwich is convenient way to get your carbs and protein. And gluten free bread is more expensive.

      Ok, the exercise being inflammatory is different, but there are plenty of other pro inflammatory foods. Depending on who you get info from, honey, potatoes, rice and any non-free range meats are proinlammatory too. I'm not saying go ahead and eat as much inflammatory food as possible but just that the gluten free craze has already gone too far. Gluten free bread made witb hfcs and canola oil is probably not much less inlammatory to average person than bread with gluten.

      I mean Christ how many places now sell gluten free cookies, cakes and cupcakes? Sure if you have celiacs that's nice, but otherwise?
    1. JudoJosh's Avatar
      JudoJosh -
      Originally Posted by EasyEJL View Post
      It mostly is convenience, and its not that easy to ignore convenience. Busy lives, work, learning, gym, families, etc. a sandwich is convenient way to get your carbs and protein. And gluten free bread is more expensive.
      No offense but this sounds more like an excuse than a reason. How hard is it really to pack a chicken salad in some tupperware and bring to work? Or even in the car on the go, how hard is it to have a shake? And even if the scenario is that it is damn near impossible to sit down and eat something, then dont? With the recent wave of this IF trend I am sure most know the old rule of "having" to eat every 3 hours is false.

      So is there a scenario where a sandwich is necessary?

      Originally Posted by EasyEJL View Post
      Ok, the exercise being inflammatory is different, but there are plenty of other pro inflammatory foods. Depending on who you get info from, honey, potatoes, rice and any non-free range meats are proinlammatory too.
      references for those? I only ask because red & sweet potatoes and rice make up the majority of my carb intake.

      Originally Posted by EasyEJL View Post
      I'm not saying go ahead and eat as much inflammatory food as possible but just that the gluten free craze has already gone too far. Gluten free bread made witb hfcs and canola oil is probably not much less inlammatory to average person than bread with gluten.

      I mean Christ how many places now sell gluten free cookies, cakes and cupcakes? Sure if you have celiacs that's nice, but otherwise?

      Like this



      I couldnt agree more!!! The same thing has been happening with "organic" food or "all natural" food. Once something becomes popular and starts getting attention then there becomes a potential to make money off the fad and these big food companies will notice that. Thats why you have companies like kellogs or general mills buying out the much smaller companies (not that this is necessarily wrong). In my eyes the term organic has lost just about all creditability. I much rather try and buy locally than go out of my way tryin to buy organic food.
    1. EasyEJL's Avatar
      EasyEJL -
      I almost never eat sandwiches, i'm more thinking in terms of general population. Its never necessary, but the same can be said about half of what its in the grocery store, if not more.

      For inflammation, even nutritiondata.com shows potatoes as mildly inflammatory

      http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...roducts/2910/2

      And that last part its my real issue, like carbs in general were the last decade's boogeyman, looks like gluten is this decade's. For most of the population, a moderate amount of gluten containing foods now and then shouldn't cause an issue
    1. OrganicShadow's Avatar
      OrganicShadow -
      I had a sandwich today. I was my cheat day and I was feeling sick so I wanted it. Bu enough of that. The difficulty, it seems, is more carb choice than timing. The availability of high glycemic processed carbs way overpowers that for more rudimentary and basic carb sources. Red/sweet potatos, steel cut oats, and Uncle Bens converted brown rice are all my intake. And grapefruit during cut.

      Protein/carbs = acidic = inflammation
      Fats/dietary fiber = alkaline = anti-inflammatory
    1. AaronJP1's Avatar
      AaronJP1 -
      Based on daily macros what's considered low carb? 25% of overall daily calorie intake?
    1. AutoKal47's Avatar
      AutoKal47 -
      Originally Posted by AaronJP1 View Post
      Based on daily macros what's considered low carb? 25% of overall daily calorie intake?
      A % that force your body to switch to a different source for energy I'd say.
      Otherwise I wouldn't see the point..
    1. AaronJP1's Avatar
      AaronJP1 -
      Originally Posted by AutoKal47 View Post

      A % that force your body to switch to a different source for energy I'd say.
      Otherwise I wouldn't see the point..
      Yeah but if you ate that more in the morning and not later in the day hopefully you could burn them off in the earlier part of the day, either way I never tried it so I'll have to.
    1. AutoKal47's Avatar
      AutoKal47 -
      Originally Posted by AaronJP1 View Post
      Yeah but if you ate that more in the morning and not later in the day hopefully you could burn them off in the earlier part of the day, either way I never tried it so I'll have to.
      I'll run the risk of being very unpopular but I truly believe it doesn't change a rat's a## when you eat them...
      Body comp's turnaround is not that fast
    1. EasyEJL's Avatar
      EasyEJL -
      Originally Posted by AaronJP1 View Post
      Yeah but if you ate that more in the morning and not later in the day hopefully you could burn them off in the earlier part of the day, either way I never tried it so I'll have to.
      even if that was true and possible, why eat them in the first place then? Why not eat something that has more health value?
    1. AaronJP1's Avatar
      AaronJP1 -
      Originally Posted by AutoKal47 View Post

      I'll run the risk of being very unpopular but I truly believe it doesn't change a rat's a## when you eat them...
      Body comp's turnaround is not that fast
      Well I respect your answers cause your avi tells all.

      EJ, people like carbs right? Sometimes it's hard to escape...
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