Personal trainer says no carbs til dinner

elliej

Is this a thing? Maybe my scepticism comes from the fact it doesn't really fit my preference... just wondering if anyone has experience of this type of diet - specifically as suggested by a PT (not a nutritionist)

elliej

... forgot to mention, main goal is weight loss but also strengthening my back (it has the desk job lazies)

JaydedMiss

Hes an idiot.

TR0berts

I'll keep it simple.

Your personal trainer has absolutely no clue regarding nutrition.

ccrdragon

it's bro science and your trainer has bought into it.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

Your trainer sounds pretty freaking clueless.

BruinsGal_91

Time to get a new trainer.

coreyreichle

Personal trainer is stupid.

peaceout_aly

Personal trainers and nutritionists are totally different. Carbs have no reason to be limited or restrained until dinner. In fact, I like to eat carbs before or after my work out to replenish my energy level.

CafeRacer808

+1 for bro science. Your trainer should leave the nutritional advice to someone who knows what they're talking about.

GauchoMark

um... I'll go against the grain here...

NO carbs is pretty unreasonable, but what he probably means is to LIMIT carbs. The idea is to keep blood sugar levels steady for as long as possible then increase them before and during the workout. If you work out at night, that might be why he says to eat your carbs at night. Here is a pretty good article if you are interested - http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

jemhh

Dinner is defined as the main meal of the day. My main meal is breakfast. Aren't I the lucky one, getting to eat carbs all day long?

Seriously, OP, ignore the trainer on this issue. I'm not going to say dump him entirely, because he could provide good actual training advice but bad advice about this. I don't ask my doctor for plumbing advice or my hairstylist for tax tips and I wouldn't ask a physical trainer for nutrition advice. Any of those people can offer their opinions on the other subjects and I'd just smile, nod, and go on my merry way.

JaydedMiss

GauchoMark wrote: »

um... I'll go against the grain here...

NO carbs is pretty unreasonable, but what he probably means is to LIMIT carbs. The idea is to keep blood sugar levels steady for as long as possible then increase them before and during the workout. If you work out at night, that might be why he says to eat your carbs at night. Here is a pretty good article if you are interested - http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

Main goal is weight loss even if i believed in that being beneficial (i dont) Itd make no difference. Cutting out carbs for weight loss is pointless, Unless it helps to lower your calories, But as she said it doesn't fit her preferences so would do more harm thn good.

Ignore the trainer, Eat your carbs. I eat majority of carbs because thats what i personally find satisfying and managable.

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls

it's actually extremely bad practice (and I think illegal, though it might be a grey area of the law) for someone who is not qualified in nutrition to be giving out nutritional advice from a professional front (i.e. being paid for it, selling their opinion as concrete professional advice). If you feel like you need guidance with food and your diet, seek out someone who's qualified

cwolfman13

Did he mention why? My wife's trainer told her to have her for breakfast or lunch, but no grains/starches with dinner...but it was simply a method of keeping calories in check.

Lounmoun

elliej wrote: »

... forgot to mention, main goal is weight loss but also strengthening my back (it has the desk job lazies)

I don't think carb restriction is needed for eithet of these goals.
Calorie restriction and working those muscle areas is.

Cat3141

Ask your trainer what specific training they have in nutrition. The answer is likely none, or only what they read in their personal trainer's textbook (a.k.a. basically none). Taking nutritional advice from someone with no background/training isn't a good idea.

Cat3141

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls wrote: »

it's actually extremely bad practice (and I think illegal, though it might be a grey area of the law) for someone who is not qualified in nutrition to be giving out nutritional advice from a professional front (i.e. being paid for it, selling their opinion as concrete professional advice). If you feel like you need guidance with food and your diet, seek out someone who's qualified

Great advice!
Side note: Whether it is legal to give nutritional advice without proper training/certification depends on the location.

JaydedMiss

I already called him an idiot but id like to point out maybe a question,

Anyone have thoughts on why they think trainers dont make it a priority to properly research nutrition before handing out broscience? Like seriously if it was my job to make someone fit and healthy id research all aspects. Wonder why its not part of their schooling. Even i know thats rediculous and iv done no schooling just basic research on what my body requires for my journey.

Way to common.

futuresize8

I wonder why? I imagine you can eat carbohydrates at any time of the day you like but might the body have longer in the day to work on burning them through active hours by eating them earlier versus later??

colors_fade

GauchoMark wrote: »

um... I'll go against the grain here...

NO carbs is pretty unreasonable, but what he probably means is to LIMIT carbs. The idea is to keep blood sugar levels steady for as long as possible then increase them before and during the workout. If you work out at night, that might be why he says to eat your carbs at night. Here is a pretty good article if you are interested - http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

This. (P.S. Nice link GauchoMark)

Regulating insulin levels to optimize fat burning is not "bro science".

Your trainer may not have explained the reasoning behind his logic because he's just trying to direct you in the most efficient manner possible. So it's up to you to engage him in a more detailed conversation as to the reasons why. Before determining if this guy is "stupid", as so many posters are ready to label him, I'd ask him for a reason why he wants you to do this and see if his reasons match up with science.

You want to lose fat, so you want to keep your insulin levels low for as long as possible during the day. Generally speaking, "carbs" are the main culprit for insulin levels to spike. This is a good thing after a workout (insulin release - read Gaucho's link), but not during the remainder of the day while you're trying to burn as much fat as possible by being in a caloric deficit.

That said, all carbs are not the same. It is the glycemic index of carbs that you want to pay attention to. The GI level of a carbohydrate tells you how fast it is digested. The higher the number, the faster it is digested, and the more likely to raise insulin levels. Higher insulin levels mean the fat-burning mode is shut off while the body preps for nutrient uptake.

What this means is that you don't have to cut out carbs until dinner if you wish to eat low-GI carbs during the day.

Ask your trainer if he is okay with you eating low-GI carbs during breakfast/lunch/snacks. If regulating insulin levels is the reason for his terse advice, he should be okay with this, and will likely laud you for doing some homework on the subject.