Craving lots of carbs...

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  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
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    50% is about right for runners. I think it would be fine if you were to find something to replace that white rice with.
  • clrcms
    clrcms Posts: 3 Member
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    SHBoss - can you give some specific suggestions for how much and what type of carbs to eat before a workout. Weekends are not such an issue because I am at home but on Tuesday and Thursday I have started going to Water Aerobics after work. I really enjoy the class - but find that I need to eat more before class in order to "make it through". I am trying to figure out what I can eat 2 hours ahead (while I am still at work) . Complicating matters is the fact that I am a vegetarian. If you could give general guidance on what you would recommend- I can then substitute the non vegetarian items..
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    SHBoss - can you give some specific suggestions for how much and what type of carbs to eat before a workout. Weekends are not such an issue because I am at home but on Tuesday and Thursday I have started going to Water Aerobics after work. I really enjoy the class - but find that I need to eat more before class in order to "make it through". I am trying to figure out what I can eat 2 hours ahead (while I am still at work) . Complicating matters is the fact that I am a vegetarian. If you could give general guidance on what you would recommend- I can then substitute the non vegetarian items..

    almost all veggies have carbs, a healthy serving of your preferred veggie about 1.5 hours before you work out should give you a little extra oomph. Veggies like eggplant, peas, peppers, carrots and even tomatoes all have decent carbs, but there are plenty that have a good amount of carbs. You just need to give them time to digest (thus the 1.5 hours). If you're really feeling tired at the end, bring a sports drink that has electrolytes and a LITTLE bit of sugar, just a little. Gatorade's actually pretty good for this, a little high in sugar, but not crazy (14g per 8 oz) but please note that a 16 oz bottle is TWO servings, which is way too much. Personally, I usually put 4oz in a bottle and fill the rest of the bottle with water, that's 7 oz of sugar, which is a decent amount to give you a boost, and also gives you a few electrolytes in case you're low on potassium and sodium (both important for sustained cardio).
  • rcatr
    rcatr Posts: 374 Member
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    arielle - this might sound silly, but are you pairing your carbs with protein or enough protein to make the carbs last longer?

    I run a lot so i definitely get the carb craving thing. i try and make sure my carbs last and i also follow up my runs with some LF milk for protein (and carbs)

    Hope this helps.
  • clrcms
    clrcms Posts: 3 Member
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    SHBoss - Thanx for the advice. This is great info. I am glad I asked. Adding exercise to the picture means I not only have to think about what I eat but also "when" I eat it. (and good idea about watering down the gatorade - I will do that).
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
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    I second the recommendation to limit carbs heavily for a few days then reintroduce them. That always seems to work for me.

    Back in the day when I was running heavily, 25-40 miles per week, I had some carb heavy days of the week for targeted re-feeds and I generally ate more carbs daily (about 175-250g). Now that I typically only focus on interval training and lifting (heavy), I don't have near the carbohydrate demands as I did in my running days. I eat around 55-90g now, and that's a good level for me. I"m sure that's low for some, but all our needs are different.

    I'm not sure I get the big fuss over the Tom Venuto article. He's in agreement that [low carb] diets which focus highly on protein and fat may lead to greater satiety. The down side is simply that for some, they're not easy to follow over time. But hey, is ANY form of healthful eating truly EASY to follow?
  • studentRN
    studentRN Posts: 440 Member
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    Perhaps your input would be better received on posts if you weren't constantly trying to shove low carbs down everyones throat. We get it....you believe in it....it works for you....thats great! If other people don't believe in it.....just let it be....instead of constantly challenging anyone who doesn't share your same point of view around carbs. I have noticed, as have many others on MFP that you are very confrontational on several posts.

    Agreed. It's repetitive and you often post your "opinions" in a very confrontational manner that is perceived as... well... annoying. Everyone knows this is a public forum and you're freely entitled to your opinions... but seriously.. I read things on this board that I disagree with on a daily basis... but I don't post to every single one of them. Why? Because my constant negative, contradictory opinions wouldn't make me out to be a very friendly person. Perhaps it would be better if you did the same. :flowerforyou:


    Now, as far as carb cravings... I say eat them. If it's only one day... no big deal. I have days like this every few weeks. Today happens to be one of them, hence why your topic caught my eye! I have no desire for protein today, I just want carbs... and I'm eating them... in a healthy manner. And no, I don't believe anything is wrong with me, or I have a metabolic disturbance or I'm insulin resistant or that I have an over-abundance of yeast growing in dark places or I'm about to turn into a frog or what-have-you... :ohwell: I eat plenty of carbs... I don't do well without them and I'm losing weight just fine. To the OP, I'm sure you will also. :drinker:
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
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    Please don't hijack my thread with your views of the low carb lifestyle. I lose weight fine eating plenty of carbs and I will continue that way.
    I lost 135 pounds eating carbs. :wink:

    That being said, I am a fan of the good carbs simply because they are better for me, keep me going and feeling satisfied longer.

    The fact is, your body needs all of it...carbs, protein, good fats...etc...to function properly.

    :flowerforyou:
  • HealthyKt78
    HealthyKt78 Posts: 439
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    Please don't hijack my thread with your views of the low carb lifestyle. I lose weight fine eating plenty of carbs and I will continue that way.

    Please do not berate me as I was not hijacking the thread, but merely giving my point of view on the article posted, which I have just as much right to do here as you or anyone else.

    that is what makes this Forum work, everyone giving their input.

    If you don't want everyone's opinion and only want to "hear what you want to hear" then I don't understand why you would post on a Public and Open forum.

    I really don't think Arielle was berating you....thats a bit of a stretch....she merely asked you not to hijack the post....which is what you tend to do on any post that has to do with carbs. It's like you have some built in "carb topic radar" which you respond to in a negative way .

    Perhaps your input would be better received on posts if you weren't constantly trying to shove low carbs down everyones throat. We get it....you believe in it....it works for you....thats great! If other people don't believe in it.....just let it be....instead of constantly challenging anyone who doesn't share your same point of view around carbs. I have noticed, as have many others on MFP that you are very confrontational on several posts.

    But hey, I'm just giving my input and point of view and I guess I have just as much right to do so as anyone else...right? After all it is a public and open forum.

    If you even read my post, I didn't push my beliefs on her or anyone else and I made a public apology in which I have not been confrontational with anyone.

    In fact, people are being confrontational with me. I have humbled myself and I don't expect or will not let anyone attack me.

    I understand that you do not believe you are being confrontational but you constantly come off that way. I'm not trying to attack you or offend you in any way and if you feel that I am please let me know and I will edit this post so that this thread is not deleted. I know you posted a thread apologizing for people taking you the wrong way but I personally haven't seen anything change. You're still constantly pushing the low carb lifestyle. We understand that it works for you but that does not mean it works for everyone else. Most of the posts I see from you are you negating a carb article someone posted. I don't think that's necessary. We all have different things that work and I am happy that you found something that works for you but it doesn't work for everyone. Maybe you could just take that into consideration before you feel the need to argue against someone eating carbs. Again, I would like to stress that I do not mean to attack or offend you but rather I'm trying to point out something a lot of people are noticing.

    To the OP- I think if you're having carb cravings you should eat more whole grain carbs especially if you are starting to run more. From what I understand good carbs give you energy that you would need to run.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    To Banks - I agree about the veggies! When I strength train, I try to do carrots & hummus as my last snack before dinner 'cause it allows me to get through my strength training and my cardio with enough energy, versus if I were to eat a fruit or something else.

    rcatr - Yeah. I always have protein. If I DO eat rice, it's about 1/2 cup with 4 oz. of chicken breast or tilapia. Is that not enough?

    So... I've been doing my interval runs for a few weeks now (consistently) and the last few times, I haven't eaten anything before... I'm only out MAXIMUM 30 minutes and I eat almost immediately afterwards. I don't eat before just because I do it in the morning before work and I really can't push myself to wake up 2 hours before just to eat and then sit around for 2 hours to go out... I keep reading articles saying that running on an empty stomach is okay and gives a better fat burn, so long as you're not long distance running or out for a long period of time.

    I seem to have more energy and better runs when I have the banana than when I don't but today I just chugged some water before and felt better than on days when I don't have anything in my belly so I may just start trying that. Hopefully I'm correct in assuming this is safe & okay to do.

    I've been eating more carbs than before because of the cravings and the cravings aren't as bad as they were before. I'm not going over on carbs (save for days where I go over by no more than maybe 10g) but am getting enough so I think I was just having withdrawals from not eating so many. I'm better about eating more veggies the last couple weeks too so I'm probably getting enough from those as well.

    Thanks everyone for your input!
  • rcatr
    rcatr Posts: 374 Member
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    To Banks - I agree about the veggies! When I strength train, I try to do carrots & hummus as my last snack before dinner 'cause it allows me to get through my strength training and my cardio with enough energy, versus if I were to eat a fruit or something else.

    rcatr - Yeah. I always have protein. If I DO eat rice, it's about 1/2 cup with 4 oz. of chicken breast or tilapia. Is that not enough?

    So... I've been doing my interval runs for a few weeks now (consistently) and the last few times, I haven't eaten anything before... I'm only out MAXIMUM 30 minutes and I eat almost immediately afterwards. I don't eat before just because I do it in the morning before work and I really can't push myself to wake up 2 hours before just to eat and then sit around for 2 hours to go out... I keep reading articles saying that running on an empty stomach is okay and gives a better fat burn, so long as you're not long distance running or out for a long period of time.

    I seem to have more energy and better runs when I have the banana than when I don't but today I just chugged some water before and felt better than on days when I don't have anything in my belly so I may just start trying that. Hopefully I'm correct in assuming this is safe & okay to do.

    I've been eating more carbs than before because of the cravings and the cravings aren't as bad as they were before. I'm not going over on carbs (save for days where I go over by no more than maybe 10g) but am getting enough so I think I was just having withdrawals from not eating so many. I'm better about eating more veggies the last couple weeks too so I'm probably getting enough from those as well.

    Thanks everyone for your input!

    Running on an empty stomach is absolutely okay in my book. I'm not saying that as an authority, but for me it works. If I eat before a run, I get sick. Now, before a long run - anything above 6 miles - if I don't eat anything, I run the risk of losing energy so I eat and then wait a while before I run.
    What do you eat after your run? I know it's a 30 min run, but you're running intervals so those are big bursts of energy. Have you considered having a glass of LF milk after your run? Some people swear by a glass of choc milk after a run...and what an awesome treat :) I don't know if it's the calcium or what, but it's supposed to help.

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