No carbs after lunch?

My PT at the gym said that I need to eliminate carbs after lunch. My body fat % is 30 % and I weigh 127.4lbs. I have already replaced most of my simple carbs with complex carbs. How do I eliminate carbs from dinner and snacks or lower them? I think it's impossible to eliminate them! Even fruits and vegetables have carbs. I usually have an apple for an afternoon snack. I thought fruits and vegetables were healthy? A little background I work full time and have 2 kids so I use a crock pot during the week and like one pot meals during the week.

Replies

  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    f that... ask for a scientific explanation and get a new PT if they cant give you a reasonable explanation...


    either that or tell them to refrain from giving baseless dietary advice and stick to training (assuming they actually know something about that)

    ETA:

    Quite frankly, that sorta advice only really makes sense for someone on a TKD (Targeted ketogenic diet) or something like that.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Disregard. Your trainer is wrong.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    :noway:
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    Disregard. Your trainer is wrong.

    ^This.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Dumb advice is dumb. I eat carbs at every meal, plus more carbs for snacks.
  • katro111
    katro111 Posts: 632 Member
    My experience with personal trainers has been the same... Not saying that all of them advise that way, though. The one I had a few years back automatically told me to eat 1200 calories (while working out 6 to 7 days a week for 60+ minutes at a time), don't eat carbs after lunch (even fruits and vegetables), don't eat ANYTHING after 6pm, etc. Also told me that when I plateaued it must be because I replaced the fat with gained muscle mass... while eating at an extreme deficit... :noway:
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Yeeeeahhhh...I wouldn't listen to that trainer.
  • I would not for sure to that trainer-I eat carbs with my meals-and I still lose-I don't mean to say this trainer sounds like he needs a nutrtinist-i do fruits veg, and I stay 1200 works for me
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    bunch of stupid bro science...

    I eat carbs at 9pm at night and am about 12% body fat...
  • sherreystl1
    sherreystl1 Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks everyone! That makes me feel better. It's weird because another personal trainer at the same gym told my husband the same thing. My carb percentage still seems a bit high at an average of over 50% and I need to increase my protein. I am trying, but it doesn't seem to change.
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  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    My PT at the gym said that I need to eliminate carbs after lunch.

    Get a new PT...
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Unless you are an endurance athlete, or doing some other form of high intensity training, it really does not matter when you have your carbs.

    Just stay in a deficit and you should see results.

    Good luck.
  • Hey!

    No carbs after lunch certainly makes no sense, BUT I had a nutritionist that recommended me not to eat grains, starchy roots and even fruit after 6pm (I was on a 1300 cal diet). I would certainly eat carbs, but they would be from vegetables (pumpkins, carrots, beetroot, green beans...) and dairy only. In fact, I was limiting a lot the amount of grains and potatoes from my diet, eating small portions only at breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack at the latest. I must say it made a huge difference for me. Oh, and that didn't apply if I went to the gym at night. In that case, she recommended a banana (and a whey protein shake) after the training session.

    Following that advice is easy for me because lunch is my biggest meal, and I don't miss the starch so much in the evening. And, of course, that advice was given to me by a professional based on my own habits and needs. Yours might be different...

    If you want, add me so that you can see my diary...

    Cheers!

    Edited to fix a grammar mistake. Oops!
  • pennyllayne
    pennyllayne Posts: 265
    High sugar carbs too close to bed time can affect your sleep if you have blood sugar problems or if you eat them alone, but I don't know of any scientific evidence that suggests a problem with eating carbs after lunch time. Your body doesn't know what time of day it is. Here's an article you might find helpful: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/carbs-at-night-fat-loss-killer-or-imaginary-boogeyman.html
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    that advice was given to me by a professional based on my own habits and needs. Yours might be different...

    This is key...
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    Agree with the above I eat plenty of carbs and have no issues. Has to do with deficit and to some extent the nutritional value if the food you eat. i know when I eat junk I feel like junk. When I eat more whole foood well I fell wholer (I made that up). Some people swear by low carb died and that is great for them but its not for me.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    I'm not sure where the bro-science "no carbs after lunch" notion started, but it somehow seems common in the personal trainer world. Bob Harper from the biggest loser used to say it, so that certainly didn't help.

    I think some personal trainers just give very crazy extreme advice to people b/c they assume their clients won't actually do it, but will do some sort of moderated version of it. So they'll tell you to eat 1200 calories per day assuming that you're actually going to eat twice as much as they tell you.
  • DeadliftAddict
    DeadliftAddict Posts: 746 Member
    When you see your PT again, smack the hell out of him/her.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
    I would get a 2nd opinion.

    for me, I eat carbs any time of day and Im losing 2-3 pounds per week. the carbs usually come from fruit and Greek Yogurt. and sometimes cereal.
  • PunkyDucky
    PunkyDucky Posts: 283 Member
    Yeah i've read books on this and it's sounds like it made sense but idk..The explanation for this is they think you have more energy during the day so your body burns more allowing you to eat those carbs. At night your body starts to wind down..when you eat those carbs at night they don't burn off as much as they would during the day.

    Made sense to me when i read the Bob Harper book..but typing it out now sounds silly
  • trybefan
    trybefan Posts: 488 Member
    Dumb. I eat the majority of my carbs (around 100-150) in the evening and still lose weight/BF.

    Time for an explanation or new PT
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    I'm not sure where the bro-science "no carbs after lunch" notion started, but it somehow seems common in the personal trainer world. Bob Harper from the biggest loser used to say it, so that certainly didn't help.

    I think some personal trainers just give very crazy extreme advice to people b/c they assume their clients won't actually do it, but will do some sort of moderated version of it. So they'll tell you to eat 1200 calories per day assuming that you're actually going to eat twice as much as they tell you.

    I think it may be because a lot of carb loaded foods are the "junk" food we all know and love and are packed with a lot of calories. Rather than tell someone that they can eat these types of foods if their calories allow or whatever the reason may be, they just use it as a blanket statement to make it easier on themselves.
  • crazie4lulu
    crazie4lulu Posts: 762 Member
    When you see your PT again, smack the hell out of him/her.
    yep.. this and im a personal trainer.i would never give that advice!!!!! hell i eat carbs when ever the hell i feel like it!
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
    Hey!

    No carbs after lunch certainly makes no sense, BUT I had a nutritionist that recommended me not to eat grains, starchy roots and even fruit after 6pm (I was on a 1300 cal diet). I would certainly eat carbs, but they would be from vegetables (pumpkins, carrots, beetroot, green beans...) and dairy only. In fact, I was limiting a lot the amount of grains and potatoes from my diet, eating small portions only at breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack at the latest. I must say it made a huge difference for me. Oh, and that didn't apply if I went to the gym at night. In that case, she recommended a banana (and a whey protein shake) after the training session.

    Following that advice is easy for me because lunch is my biggest meal, and I don't miss the starch so much in the evening. And, of course, that advice was given to me by a professional based on my own habits and needs. Yours might be different...

    If you want, add me so that you can see my diary...

    Cheers!

    Edited to fix a grammar mistake. Oops!

    Did your nutritionist give any reason for this? To me, it just sounds like another method of restricting calories. I'm glad you found something that works for you, I am just honestly curious about the reasoning behind this advice from a professional's standpoint.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    New.Trainer.
  • Did your nutritionist give any reason for this? To me, it just sounds like another method of restricting calories. I'm glad you found something that works for you, I am just honestly curious about the reasoning behind this advice from a professional's standpoint.

    Well, it's been a few years so I might be remembering incorrectly (that is, I'm not sure I heard this from her or if I read it somewhere), but I think she did mention that starch gives "easier", faster energy that was not needed in the evening when I was going to sleep soon.

    To put this in context, you have to know that where I'm from, we have big lunches with rice and beans, while dinners are typically lighter (soup, sometimes a sandwich), but it can also be that we eat leftovers from lunch. And at that time I was going to the gym at around 9am. So for me it just made sense that I got my daily amount of starch right after the gym and at the time that I was used to getting them anyway.

    But I agree with what you said: it could be that her recommendation was to prevent me from eating another big meal in the evening (leftovers) or eating sandwiches with too much bread, too little protein, and favoring something lighter but filling (omelets with salad and veggies, for example).

    But if you are truly curious, I can send her a message and ask :)

    Cheers!