i hate to feel like i'm an idiot, but i've searched and searched and all i'm looking for is maybe a list of complex carbs.. i guess i found out that brown rice is, but how much... thanks in advance.. while im at it what are simple carbs.. and whats the best time to take either.. i here after workouts take simple carbs so they break down easier.. and feed muscles faster.. now i also here to take complex carbs b4 workouts.. so they will last.. i'm not a big fan of oatmeal though so i need other advice.. thanks everyone.. i'm kinda new to this diet thing.. i always just ate whatever whenever but the more i keep doing it the better results i have so i'm trying to perfect it..
Hey newbie
Hah, couldn't help it, I mean it with love. Complex carbs are simply long chains of monomers (most commonly glucose). The 3 umbrella sources of complex carbs are:
refined grains (oats, rice, barley, wheat, all flour-based products such as bread, pasta, etc),
starchy vegetables (peas, beans, corn, potato, yam, etc)
semi-starchy vegetables (squash, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, jicama, brussels sprouts, etc), which have about half the calorie density as the aforementioned categories.
Simple carbs are available in naturally occurring forms (honey, sugar cane, milk, fruit, & a small amount in carrots & beets), as well as extrinsic/added forms (sucrose, also known as table sugar, dextrose, syrup, etc).
Added sugar should be kept to a minimum, I personally don't like to see a diet exceed 10% of total kcals coming from that. As far as the rest of the carb types, achieve a variety of the stuff you like. Strike a balance between the grain products & the starchy veggies, & you'll be a stud. If you're unaware of the nutritive/caloric value, go to fitday.com or nutritiondata.com.
Finally don't worry about the details of timing simple carbs here, complex carbs there, it will have minimal impact compared to getting enough in total, which will take some trial & error on your part. you can focus on the fancy stuff once you get a good grip of the basics. Funny thing is, the more advanced you get, the more appreciative of the basics you become. Here's more reading:
http://anabolicminds.com/forum/nutrition-health/54814-new-working-out.html