To carb or not to carb

[xPINKx]

And at the top of all of it is the manipulation of your pancreas and the sensitivity to the insulin it produces when it comes to lean mass.

I believe the whole insulin-topic to be a little overhyped. I value decent performance in training and everyday life over marginal gains I could make by manipulating my insulin levels at certain points in the week. Low carb-days suck, especially the day after an intense training session.

 

[bambammccoy]

I believe the whole insulin-topic to be a little overhyped. I value decent performance in training and everyday life over marginal gains I could make by manipulating my insulin levels at certain points in the week. Low carb-days suck, especially the day after an intense training session.

I don't think I can disagree with you on that. I had too many factors introduced when I introduced a diet centered around insulin sensitivity so I'm sure it made it seem more significant than it really was.

I do like being allowed more cheat meals than normal because of that low carb day or two but I try to keep it on off days or cardio days so I don't feel like death lol

 

[xPINKx]

Sounds sensible! And it really is a very individual thing after all.

 

[Senzo Tanaka]

I think low/moderate carb works best. I've done extremely/no carb (keto) and while it's interesting and you drop a ton of water weight, it also made me feel weak and you REALLY have to make sure you get your fats and electrolytes in. It's hard to maintain and if you eat something with carbs when you are in ketosis, it really crashes your system. If you are going to do super low carb, you've gotta stick to it. You can't cheat at all.

Intermittent fasting combined with moderate carb seems to be ideal. With IF, you are only eating a certain number of hours and fasting the rest. It's easy to do and it's keeps you from eating too many calories while giving your body a long time to burn what you ate for fuel. And if you do cheat with some bad meals, it doesn't crash your system.

 

[therealdope]

The idea that a person needing to worry about getting enough carbs, while needing a weight loss of 100-120lbs, is beyond absurd.

I would personally cut alcohol, all added sugars and minimize carb intake -- which will still likely amount to more carbs than needed. i would look to add fiber wherever possible.

As several posters have mentioned, insulin response with a modern diet is not metabolically healthy.

 

[therealdope]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with consuming carbs. Pretty much all grains, fruit, tubers, and legumes can be part of a healthy diet. People who say otherwise are usually part of the keto crowd who ignore all evidence that shows these things are totally fine to eat. No, you will not “mess up” by eating quinoa. IMO your main focus should be in consuming whole foods that aren’t extremely processed and are, in general, low in sugar and saturated fats, watching your calorie intake, consuming vegetables and a good amount of fiber, while getting a good amount of protein from lean sources (animal or plant is mostly irrelevant from what I’ve seen, as long as you consume adequate amounts to support physical activity, ~1g/lb of lean BW). And this doesn’t mean you can’t consume sugar or saturated fats, but I’d keep an eye on those and do so in moderation.

I missed this post. All spot on.

As mentioned above, you will consume carbs while mining a diet full of vegetables and fiber. What I would specifically avoid is adding a carb (rice, potatoes, pasta) because you think you need standalone carbs.

 

[therealdope]

One last thing that I will add, if you eat legumes, veggies, some fruit, fish and nuts, you'll have sufficient carbs for just about any sort of activity.

 

[Vapezilla]

I’m all in on carbs for lifting, if getting bigger and stronger is your goal, yes eat as much as you want IMO.

Carbs should only be minimized if you’re cutting/trying to lose weight quickly. Id even say if you’re trying to lose weight eating carbs are fine as it’s really all about calories in and out in the end.

Muscle tissue is 70% water, plying yourself with protein won’t make your muscles grow bigger after you have reached your required amount. Also the CNS is primed for glucose intake.

 

[TeTe]

Carb cycling through the week is my most effective way of dieting.

I don't count calories, only macros. 100g of carbs on low energy output days like off days/lazy days, 250g carbs on gym days, 500+g of carbs on high energy output days like intense leg workout/extended cardio sessions and usually have a reasonable cheat meal on those days. Protein is the same except on high carb days its lowered slightly, and on low carb days fats are increased some to help slow digestion and deal with hunger pains. Taking berberine through out the week also helps my bg levels and combines well with carb cycling.

This is what I do. I do full body workouts three days a week. I'm 185 lbs but eat 350 grams of carbs before I hit the gym those days. Every other day I eat around 150-175g of carbs.

180g of protein every day though.

 

[bambammccoy]

This is what I do. I do full body workouts three days a week. I'm 185 lbs but eat 350 grams of carbs before I hit the gym those days. Every other day I eat around 150-175g of carbs.

180g of protein every day though.

Holy fuck 350g preworkout ur workouts must feel fun as hell. Crazy pumps and hella strong.

I eat 6 meals a day so 125g carbs pre and post on my high days is all im allowed but 100g carbs all other meals after that.

Medium days I'm around 250g-300g for whole day but I'm 200lbs

 

[Long Dark Blues]

Low carb always aggravates my hemmies.

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with consuming carbs. Pretty much all grains, fruit, tubers, and legumes can be part of a healthy diet. People who say otherwise are usually part of the keto crowd who ignore all evidence that shows these things are totally fine to eat. No, you will not “mess up” by eating quinoa. IMO your main focus should be in consuming whole foods that aren’t extremely processed and are, in general, low in sugar and saturated fats, watching your calorie intake, consuming vegetables and a good amount of fiber, while getting a good amount of protein from lean sources (animal or plant is mostly irrelevant from what I’ve seen, as long as you consume adequate amounts to support physical activity, ~1g/lb of lean BW). And this doesn’t mean you can’t consume sugar or saturated fats, but I’d keep an eye on those and do so in moderation.

This seems like good advice to me. I went keto basically for about 6 months, lost heaps of weight (60 pounds or so in 9 months) through that and boxing training. I wouldn't say I got skinny (190 pounds and I'm 6 foot 1) was toned but not much size.

Anyway I started eating carbs again in moderation and I'm currently around 200 pounds but with my training I've actually put on mainly muscle I think and look a lot better as a result.

I'm not an expert but now I pretty much do what you're saying, vegetables and fruits, meat and carbs, generally speaking avoiding processed foods, that's about it.

 

[Trabaho]

It's because majority of people are fat AF slobs. They are 10X in surplus.

If you got the resources, do a 21&me and get the data transcribed. See what you respond with. See how best to exercise and train. Know what sort of issues you are pre disposed too among a variety of things. Alternatively, you can play trial and error.see what you respond too. Personally I rather know and get to it vs spinning my wheels.

I was 97kg last summer. I'm 87kg now. I responded to calorie reduction in intermittent fasting. I mix in extended fasts 24-50 hours working towards 72hrs. No cheat days or meals. No pastas. Leafy greens. lean meat. Turkey, chicken, fish, etc. I run outside and I walk. Walking around is underrated. I highly recommend it.

Finally, maximize sleep. 8 hours is benchmark minimum. While there's less than 1% who can utilize under 8 and be optimal, you or I aren't that guy. It's a genetic outlier. Not thr norm. It's virtually IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight with fucked up sleep with any consistency. Search up Matt walker. Great resource. I saw him on JRE. It will change your life. When young, I would have late nights out and pushy crush. I won't compromise my sleep nor health for modern women. Not worth it.

TS single minded focus. Eliminate EVERYTHING that will hinder you and your progress. Weigh in every Sunday Sametime. I pick noon before I break my fast.

I got a Ancestrydna test which I can upload. Where did you get it "transcribed"

 

[ryun253]

I was carnivore for almost a year. Energy levels and recovery times were terrible for me post workouts. I still most only eat meat, eggs, dairy, etc but I recently included split peas, lentils and sweet potatos as part of my diet.

Great for weight loss if you need to shed a some weight and low intensity exercises like zone 2 running, bicycling though

 

[biscuitsbrah]

I’ve been dieting and cutting back on carbs slightly. Been noticing I’ve been more tired for my workouts. Starting to burn out so I might need slightly more carbs pre workout.

On the plus side my body has been looking really good and lean.

I’ve also been doing more strength workouts so I think my body requires slightly more carbs. The only downside is that it’s so easy to overdo it and get fat lol. Slowly gonna raise it

 

[Wetarmpits]

Only egg and salat, friends.

 

[ROcknrollracing]

Consume your carbs pre training and post training or do not eat carbs all day the day before a session and carb load the night before. Stay away from sugars/refined carbs as much a possible.