No carbs at dinner?

2spamagnet

An extra 3500 calories (over what you burn) will be stored as 1 lb of fat. It does not matter what those 3500 calories are made from, you'll still end up with 1 lb of fat stored to be used when you are at a deficit. At that time, your body will convert stored fat into the form it needs at the time.

I call FALSIES!!! 1) If you lift weights, extra calories can go towards muscle building! 2) Alcohol is metabolized by the liver so an extra 30 pack of lite beer doesn't turn directly into fat either!!!

Call whatever you want, but know your facts. It's good you are optimistic, though.

1. Muscle needs about 5 calories/lb to maintain. That is insignificant in your daily routine. You need protein to build muscle, and very few calories/day to maintain it. "Extra calories CAN go towards building muscle" while a technically true statement, is not a very good argument when talking about 3500 calories = 1 lb of fat. Considering that the older we get, the slower we can add muscle (about 1 lb/month is a good goal), eating an extra 250 calories a day (for example) while strength training will become almost entirely stored fat (about 0.5 lbs per week), not muscle.

2. Alcohol is metabolized in other parts of the body, not just the liver. But most is in the liver. And what does the liver metabolize alcohol into.... fatty acids. These are stored in the liver, or transported to other parts of the body to be... stored. Maybe the whole "beer belly myth" should be explored next on MFP?

ajaxe432

I love the forums were everyone has a PHD in exercise and in nutrition. OP I can not speak for your trainer, but I do say this. I have had friends and clients that reducing carbs worked for, and others it did not. I personally keep my carbs at a minimum and it works for me. The best advice is to find the way that works for you and it may or may not be reducing carbs. Everyone is different. Good luck:)

As long as it is in a healthy way!

gabbygirl78

Meats and non starchy veggies or salads. I eat most of my carbs early in the day and try to stay carb free at dinner.

erickirb

yes he's right. nicknamed nocturnal ketosis. helps reduce insulin in your bloodstream during the night and encourages body to enter ketosis (fat burning) at night. I restrict my carbs to breakfast only.

That might, might being operative, be the case at maintenance intake, but if you are in a caloric deficit it will not matter as you are in an energy deficit for the day so fat stores will be used to make up the difference. If you eat the carbs/cals at night, you would have lost the fat during your waking hours, does it matter if you lose the fat during sleep or awake if the total 24 hour period is the same fat loss?

No need to make things more complicated then they have to be.

arrseegee

It doesn't matter when you eat your carbs. Some people find that restricting them to earlier in the day prevents them from overeating at night, however carbs are not metabolised differently depending on what time of the day you eat them. Unless you have a medical reason to avoid them at night then I don't think you should be scared of them. Plus I also think a nutritionist telling you to avoid eating carbs, without giving you information on what you should be eating instead, is really bad practice! (and I am a nutritionist!!)

ellenaj52

I have been on one diet after another all of my life. When the low fat high carb craze began a while back I followed it faithfully and packed on the pounds. I tried many diets. I finally decided on my own to do the reverse of the low fat high carb diet. Now I especially watch my sugar intake from ALL foods I eat even healthy foods like fruit. I have tried to stay at or under the recommended allotment from My Fitness Pal. Well, for the first time in my life my weight is dropping! I eat every 3-4 hours but when I eat I always eat some protein or fat with the carbs that I eat. I keep my daily carbs from bread, rice, and noodles low but I eat them. I eat carbs that process slower, stay away from most simple carbs. I don't think I could totally stay away from carbs. I feel we need some but often eat too many! It is a matter of balance. Always eat some fat or protein with a meal to keep your blood sugar balanced.

I think it is important to eat "whole" foods. Stay away from prepackaged foods. Prepare them yourself! Once you start checking labels on foods you begin to realize how much sugar is added to foods. We have become used to eating like this and want the sugar fix. Sugar has no nutritional value. Our body does not need it except that we have learned to love the taste!

Check the sugar content in most cereals. I found it can be a third of my sugar allotment for the day. I would rather have an apple, which even though is a healthy food, has a lot of natural sugar. Jams, ketchup, cereals, smoothies have an overload of sugar. Always balance, balance, your foods so the body is not flushed with too much sugar at one time. My advice would be eat the less processed carbs and don't worry about what time you eat them. Have popcorn with a little butter! The fat will slow down the absorption of the carbs. Yet, use the real butter not fake, real sour cream, etc.

Don't drink diet pop at all. We need to get used to not liking the sugar taste so much. Plus diet pop is harmful to our bodies in many ways. Just lower your total sugar content. It has made a BIG difference in my journey.