CICO & Carbohydrates

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  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    coleg04 wrote: »
    Does anyone else believe that timing of carbohydrates matters? I did low carb and it's hard to get the idea that if I am going to eat carbs it should be earlier in the day (so i have a chance to burn them off) instead of at night. With CICO obviously its the same but some thinking dies hard.
    For workout performance, possibly. For weight loss, absolutely not. Your metabolism works 24 hours a day, it doesn't stop burning carbs at night. There's no clock inside the body telling it when to start and stop utilizing any particular macronutrient. And there is no net fat storage while in a caloric deficit, regardless of your macro composition and/or when you eat it.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    coleg04 wrote: »
    Does anyone else believe that timing of carbohydrates matters? I did low carb and it's hard to get the idea that if I am going to eat carbs it should be earlier in the day (so i have a chance to burn them off) instead of at night. With CICO obviously its the same but some thinking dies hard.

    It matters somewhat, but not in the way you're talking about. (As in, you don't "burn them off" differently if you eat them at a certain time of day.) For some people, they get more sustained energy when they mix carbs, protein and fats, so eating them all at breakfast isn't a great idea unless you want a giant crash later on. Beyond that, nutrient timing really doesn't matter.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    coleg04 wrote: »
    Does anyone else believe that timing of carbohydrates matters? I did low carb and it's hard to get the idea that if I am going to eat carbs it should be earlier in the day (so i have a chance to burn them off) instead of at night. With CICO obviously its the same but some thinking dies hard.

    In the sense you are talking about, no. However carbs pre-workout can be beneficial for fueling your workout and I find help me get a better pump.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    coleg04 wrote: »
    Does anyone else believe that timing of carbohydrates matters? I did low carb and it's hard to get the idea that if I am going to eat carbs it should be earlier in the day (so i have a chance to burn them off) instead of at night. With CICO obviously its the same but some thinking dies hard.

    The timing doesn't matter for any sorts of foods, it always comes back to CICO rather than the timing of when we eat.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    coleg04 wrote: »
    Does anyone else believe that timing of carbohydrates matters? I did low carb and it's hard to get the idea that if I am going to eat carbs it should be earlier in the day (so i have a chance to burn them off) instead of at night. With CICO obviously its the same but some thinking dies hard.

    If you want fuel for a workout, some timing might matter.

    For weight management? Timing doesn't matter at all.
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