carb timing? does it make a difference?

ruthjulia

would love your perspective on whether carb timing makes a difference / is worth doing to lose the last bit of fat.

i've read some things that suggest that consuming your carb intake to mornings works best and other theories that carb back-loading works best. and others that say it's really about timing carbs around your work-outs. given that i work out first thing in the am, i'm assuming that if i try carb timing i should go the morning routine.

but really what i'm wondering is if any of these studies prove that makes a difference or is it really a matter of trial and error to see what works for an individual.

if it makes a difference, i'm not looking to lose more weight (i'm 123 lbs and 5'6' and a bit and wearing mostly size 2 clothing), but would like to continue to whittle down my body fat (i'm around 17% based on calculators, my ozeri scale, and comparing how i look to others in the body fat estimation thread :laugh: )

thanks!

Daniloveshockey94

Tagging - bc I am interested in the answers here!

SideSteel

I'm not aware of any significant advantages to any specific carb timing for reasons outside of performance benefits.

Altering carb timing for performance reasons is very valid and should be done, IMO.

dirtnap63

I'm not aware of any significant advantages to any specific carb timing for reasons outside of performance benefits.

Altering carb timing for performance reasons is very valid and should be done, IMO.

So if someone works out first thing in the morning is it recommended to load up on carbs just before the workout, or would that be leaving it too late? Would a carb load up the night before be more beneficial?

SideSteel

I'm not aware of any significant advantages to any specific carb timing for reasons outside of performance benefits.

Altering carb timing for performance reasons is very valid and should be done, IMO.

So if someone works out first thing in the morning is it recommended to load up on carbs just before the workout, or would that be leaving it too late? Would a carb load up the night before be more beneficial?

In my opinion that's going to vary quite significantly from person to person.

Some people will perform very well by eating a large amount of carbs at night followed by fasted training the next AM. Others would perform better with pre workout CHO.


Edit: And I think general dieting preferences also need to be integrated into this. For example, if a protocol dictates a specific carb timing but the dieters preferences oppose it, it's not going to be a good idea.

chrisdavey

agree with SS.

Total daily (/weekly) intake is more important than when they are consumed. And the timing part of it just comes down to how the individual responds in the gym. Some are better fed and "loaded" and others are better fasted or with minimal carbs. So that is personal preference.

If you are down to stubborn fat areas, some carb cycling may be a good idea. I personally love it for stubborn fat. Something like Lyle McDonald's UD2 has worked well for me.

Sarauk2sf

I'm not aware of any significant advantages to any specific carb timing for reasons outside of performance benefits.

Altering carb timing for performance reasons is very valid and should be done, IMO.

So if someone works out first thing in the morning is it recommended to load up on carbs just before the workout, or would that be leaving it too late? Would a carb load up the night before be more beneficial?

In my opinion that's going to vary quite significantly from person to person.

Some people will perform very well by eating a large amount of carbs at night followed by fasted training the next AM. Others would perform better with pre workout CHO.


Edit: And I think general dieting preferences also need to be integrated into this. For example, if a protocol dictates a specific carb timing but the dieters preferences oppose it, it's not going to be a good idea.

^^agreed

When I was cutting and when I worked out in the morning I just ate more late at night (not focusing on carbs as such, even though my evening meals are usually quite high in carbs) to give me energy for my workout which was mostly fasted (I drink coffee with whey in the morning).

The problem with this is that if I did not get to the gym in the morning and had to train in the evening, my sessions were crap (and certain people had to listen to me whine) as I ran out of stream really quickly from not eating that much in the day.

At the end of the day, imo, the quality of my workout far exceeds any possible insignificant benefit of specifically timing macros for weight loss (or muscle gain). If you have a crappy workout the rest becomes moot.

SideSteel

agree with SS.

Total daily (/weekly) intake is more important than when they are consumed. And the timing part of it just comes down to how the individual responds in the gym. Some are better fed and "loaded" and others are better fasted or with minimal carbs. So that is personal preference.

If you are down to stubborn fat areas, some carb cycling may be a good idea. I personally love it for stubborn fat. Something like Lyle McDonald's UD2 has worked well for me.

To clarify on the above, I'm going to assume you're referring to someone who is already lean and trying to get "really lean"?

Additionally, at the point that someone is lean and trying to get leaner, it's usually a good idea to introduce refeeds at some set frequency, such as weekly or 2/week. At the point that you're refeeding, you're basically doing a simple form of carb cycling since looking at it weekly you'll see ~5 low to moderate carb days and ~2 really high carb days.

It raises the question as to whether or not the cyclical method is just showing the benefit of refeeds. Either way, I do think it's a good idea for already lean people trying to get leaner.

chrisdavey

yep, sure was.

Something like UD2 is just an extreme carb cycling setup. You can still gain weight on it if you try really hard though :laugh:

ruthjulia

thanks for all the input. so i'm not going to mess with carb timing at this point as i'm happy with my performance (like sara, i work out fasted in the am and tend to eat about 1/2 of my daily calories at night).

but i would love more info on the benefits of concentrated refeeds / carb cycling vs gradual increase of carbs to reset / fix / rebuild metabolism. I've been trying to verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry slowly increase calories and carbs (like increase my average daily intake by 25-50 cals each week and trying to eat an avg of 100g carbs a day and then maybe add avg 5 g / day each week). is there a reason why a concentrated carb load / refeed day is a better approach? there are psychological pros and cons for me - nice to have a day to indulge a bit, but then the bloat / scale impact might scare me off from continuing. but if i knew one approach was going to be more effective, i would opt for it.

thanks!

SideSteel

thanks for all the input. so i'm not going to mess with carb timing at this point as i'm happy with my performance (like sara, i work out fasted in the am and tend to eat about 1/2 of my daily calories at night).

but i would love more info on the benefits of concentrated refeeds / carb cycling vs gradual increase of carbs to reset / fix / rebuild metabolism. I've been trying to verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry slowly increase calories and carbs (like increase my average daily intake by 25-50 cals each week and trying to eat an avg of 100g carbs a day and then maybe add avg 5 g / day each week). is there a reason why a concentrated carb load / refeed day is a better approach? there are psychological pros and cons for me - nice to have a day to indulge a bit, but then the bloat / scale impact might scare me off from continuing. but if i knew one approach was going to be more effective, i would opt for it.

thanks!

Regarding refeeds, see here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820526-thoughts-information-on-refeeds

Also check Youtube for "Eric Helms refeeds" for some good discussion. He's a great resource to listen to.

Regarding walking your carbs up slowly, that's something separate from a refeed and you would do it for slightly different reasons. So I wouldn't view it as an either/or.

chrisdavey

second that Eric Helms vid. Very clearly understood and well spoken guy who clearly knows his stuff.

Sarauk2sf

Locking so we can keep track of active threads. If you have further questions and wish for the thread to be unlocked, please feel free to PM either myself or SideSteel, including a link to this thread and we will unlock it so you can.