Does carb intake at different times of day affect your energy?

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ana3067
ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
edited December 2014 in Food and Nutrition
I've been eating low carb in the mornings and afternoons because I thought that too-high carb was making me hungrier, but I do wonder if it's affecting my energy levels.

Do you guys notice much of a difference between eating most of your carbs during the day vs in the evening re: energy?

ETA I don't eat low-carb, overall I get in at a minimum 150g or into the 200s (300s atm while at maintenance).

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  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    For me personally, no. I have had plenty of days where I'm going really heavy on carbs at dinner and dessert and I fine the same as if I scattered it throughout that day.

    And no differences if you have a hgih-carb breakfast? I really do think that carbs make me hungrier in the morning (or the poor macro ratio at least), so if it's not likely to influence energy too much then I'll not bother testing out high-carb breakfasts

  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
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    Absolutely. The best time for me to eat carbs is before bedtime or if I wake up and can't get back to sleep. Toast or bread with lots of honey puts me right to sleep. Pretty much anything high in sugars or simple starches makes me feel groggy and a high carb lunch leaves me totally useless for the rest of the day.

    Obviously, I don't eat a lot of carbs for the waking part of my day and mostly run on the energy that I get from fat and protein.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    mike_ny wrote: »
    Absolutely. The best time for me to eat carbs is before bedtime or if I wake up and can't get back to sleep. Toast or bread with lots of honey puts me right to sleep. Pretty much anything high in sugars or simple starches makes me feel groggy and a high carb lunch leaves me totally useless for the rest of the day.

    Obviously, I don't eat a lot of carbs for the waking part of my day and mostly run on the energy that I get from fat and protein.

    Hm, interesting. I haven't bothered to see if there is a connection between low energy and eating carbs, although I don't recall noticing this effect for myself. Unless it's chocolate, that can make me tired haha.

    Maybe I will play around during my Christmas break since I'll be at home most of hte time so I can more easily eat if I get too hungry, or nap if needed :p
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    For me personally, no. I have had plenty of days where I'm going really heavy on carbs at dinner and dessert and I fine the same as if I scattered it throughout that day.

    And no differences if you have a hgih-carb breakfast? I really do think that carbs make me hungrier in the morning (or the poor macro ratio at least), so if it's not likely to influence energy too much then I'll not bother testing out high-carb breakfasts

    Not really. Although I will generally have 2 breakfast. I'm up at 5am and I'll get a bagel with cream cheese between 7 and 8 am. Then a few hours later I have 2 eggs, 5-8 egg whites, bacon and an apple. By that time it's around noon and I'm set until I eat again before leaving work. It's all really up to the individual and you have to find what works for you. I know plenty of people that eating a bagel every day would mess up their hunger levels.

    Thanks, I'm gonna have to test this out for myself over this month and see how I feel!
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
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    When i was younger i was a competitive dancer and our instructor suggested that we all eat lots of "energy foods" in the mornings. The items she pushed the most were like spaghetti and buttered bread and mashed potatoes or hash browns. This didn't work well for me. I felt heavy, like there was a brick in my belly. Then i was insanely hungry before the morning routine was over and the hunger would go on and on all day. I did much better spreading it out through the day. Other girls did great eating that way.

    I agree with MrM27. Every Body is different.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    CarrieCans wrote: »
    When i was younger i was a competitive dancer and our instructor suggested that we all eat lots of "energy foods" in the mornings. The items she pushed the most were like spaghetti and buttered bread and mashed potatoes or hash browns. This didn't work well for me. I felt heavy, like there was a brick in my belly. Then i was insanely hungry before the morning routine was over and the hunger would go on and on all day. I did much better spreading it out through the day. Other girls did great eating that way.

    I agree with MrM27. Every Body is different.

    Thanks for the insight! I will just try it out and maybe keep a written account of it so I can better remember/associate carb intake with energy and hunger.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    The only time it really impacts me is if I skimp on my intake pre-workout and I've been up and moving around for a while already during the day.

    I can wake up and train fasted if I'm early enough. However, If I go around say 1-2 PM with no carbs in my system... energy not nearly as efficient.

    I eat most of my carbs post workout before bed 300-400g usually.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    LolBroScience wrote: »
    The only time it really impacts me is if I skimp on my intake pre-workout and I've been up and moving around for a while already during the day.

    I can wake up and train fasted if I'm early enough. However, If I go around say 1-2 PM with no carbs in my system... energy not nearly as efficient.

    I eat most of my carbs post workout before bed 300-400g usually.

    i definitely have had energy issues at the gym for sure. I usually work out in the afternoon or later. I will have to see if higher carb intake for my morning and lunch meals improves performance in my lifts, maybe it'd be something I could focus on doing on lifting days if I find it leaves me too hungry otherwise.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    I try to avoid going with large amounts of carbs at dinner only because I feel like it takes me too long to digest it and I wake up feeling... blah.

    Not to say I don't eat carbs at night or anything silly like that, I just try to limit the portion of whatever grain or starch I have so I don't go to bed with that over-full feeling. I doubt anyone could accuse me of being "low carb" :)
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    edited December 2014
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    LolBroScience wrote: »
    The only time it really impacts me is if I skimp on my intake pre-workout and I've been up and moving around for a while already during the day.

    I can wake up and train fasted if I'm early enough. However, If I go around say 1-2 PM with no carbs in my system... energy not nearly as efficient.

    I eat most of my carbs post workout before bed 300-400g usually.

    Going off training purposes I enjoy training early in the day but can't due to work but many of the times when I would go I would eat anything simply because I wasn't hungry, performance was never an issue. The only days I found I had to eat something prior was if I was training leg (heavy). If I trained legs without eating first I would get super nauseous to the point of almost puking. It didn't have to be a big meal. Anything would suffice. Pop tarts, bread, eggs, it didn't matter.

    When I did this last year I had to eat something (usually a smoothie with some protein powder), otherwise I was super hungry. But it also took me almost 2 hours from waking up to getting into the gym itself.. perks of working out on campus and being a commuter, woo.

    Although now I can eat lunch at 11, work out at 4 no problem, and still be okay to not eat until I get home after 7ish (did I mention yay commuting, by BUS?)
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    The time of day that I eat carbs doesn't have an affect on me. I absolutely cannot do low carb though. Then I find myself starving ALL day.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    I've never gone low-carb (to my knowledge) so I have no idea if I'd be starving without them! I love carbs too muhc.

    But I ate lots of carbs for breakfast and lunch, and then came home and napped for a while. I also took melatonin the night before so that might be why, but yeah IDK. I think I prefer carbs at night :p
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    I've never gone low-carb (to my knowledge) so I have no idea if I'd be starving without them! I love carbs too muhc.

    But I ate lots of carbs for breakfast and lunch, and then came home and napped for a while. I also took melatonin the night before so that might be why, but yeah IDK. I think I prefer carbs at night :p

    I got very hungry when I started going low carb so I would load up on carbs from time to time for about two months but then got serious and cut to <50 grams a day and the craving for sugar and other carbs left. Many find protein gives the most 'full' feeling. When to eat what seems to be very different for different people.

  • PeterSedesse
    PeterSedesse Posts: 124
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    The amount of time it takes carbs to become energy depends on what type of carbs they are, and what they are eaten with. For instance, drinking water with a meal speeds up how quickly you get energy from the foods, eating soluble fiber as part of a meal will slow it down and spread it out over a longer period of time. So like two tablespoons of sugar in your oatmeal will convert to energy much slower than 2 tablespoons of sugar in your coffee.

    My opinion is that you should eat your bigger meals earlier in the day so that you have that energy available when you are awake. Your first meal of the day should include some simple sugars ( fruits) so you get that instant availability, and then more complex carbs to keep you going.

    I usually eat two breakfasts, the first is just some quick fruit before my workout, and then an hour later I get the oatmeal and heavier carbs that last me til lunch, when I have my biggest meal of the day. I only have a small snack/dinner at around 6pm that is mostly protein.

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