Carbs after lunch, yes or no?

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  • Woooolywool
    Woooolywool Posts: 136 Member
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    I don't eat a lot of carbohydrates if I am not going to be active but still need to be awake, mostly because I experience the "carb cycle"... Wherein you eat carbohydrates, your body's insulin levels raise, then crash shortly thereafter, making you a) crave more carbs and b) feel listless. Carbs are great for short-term energy, bad for prolonged energy.

    If this isn't a problem for you then I don't see a reason to restrict yourself.

    Well, doesn't it depend on the type of carbs you have? Sure, I'll agree with you there...if the carbs you consume are refined and more processed, like white pasta, or white bread for example. It's surely a matter of choosing one carb that's of a lower GI level that leaves you feeling fuller for longer, with slower releasing energy such as brown, wholegrain bread, in comparison to the more processed carbs in white bread that lead to spikes in energy levels.
    I'm no expert, but I've had both first hand experience of this, and have heard it from others.

    Actually, perhaps I mis-read your comment, if so, I apologise.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    He was promoting his new book that comes out in late May so... I won't know the logic behind it until it comes out. I was hoping someone would know so I could figure it out too.

    Is the book titled "Sh1tty dieting advice"?

    That's not a diss on you in particular, just FYI. I would disregard his carb timing suggestion.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    My first thought was "who the f is Bob Harper". So I googled... 'Robert "Bob" Harper (born August 18, 1965)[1] is a personal trainer, who appears on the television series The Biggest Loser (United States)."

    Ah, ok. Makes sense. Celebrity trainer. He's right up there with Dr. Oz.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Why not? I eat carbs all day, even right before going to sleep =P

    I eat carbs while I sleep. TAKE THAT!
  • Riverofbeauty
    Riverofbeauty Posts: 205 Member
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    There is so much debate on this. I agree that some people function better with not having carbs int he afternoon/evening. You have to work out what works best for you.

    I like carbs (lol), I eat them whenever I want, and have had no problem doing that during my weight loss.
  • tig_ol_bitties
    tig_ol_bitties Posts: 561 Member
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    Time of day has nothing to do with when you eat your macros. Period.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    I don't eat a lot of carbohydrates if I am not going to be active but still need to be awake, mostly because I experience the "carb cycle"... Wherein you eat carbohydrates, your body's insulin levels raise, then crash shortly thereafter, making you a) crave more carbs and b) feel listless. Carbs are great for short-term energy, bad for prolonged energy.

    If this isn't a problem for you then I don't see a reason to restrict yourself.

    Well, doesn't it depend on the type of carbs you have? Sure, I'll agree with you there...if the carbs you consume are refined and more processed, like white pasta, or white bread for example. It's surely a matter of choosing one carb that's of a lower GI level that leaves you feeling fuller for longer, with slower releasing energy such as brown, wholegrain bread, in comparison to the more processed carbs in white bread that lead to spikes in energy levels.
    I'm no expert, but I've had both first hand experience of this, and have heard it from others.

    Sorry to be unclear, I meant complex carbohydrates. Bread or rice in general. I've never personally noticed a difference between white bread and whole grain bread in terms of fullness or energy; the main difference between the two is the ratio of nutrients to calories (white bread has a really small amount of nutrients).
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,130 Member
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    Separating fools from their money, one book at a time.





    Next year he'll write one called, "Eat Breakfast Before 7:19AM And Lose Forty Pounds"
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    If this is true, then the banana I ate right before bed last night is going to be a problem.

    Oh wait...

    I've shed an entire person worth of weight. I eat carbs whenever I feel like it. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that, based on my experience, eating carbs in the afternoon is not going to hurt you.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    No veggies or fruit after lunch? That sounds crazy to me.
  • Mallory0418
    Mallory0418 Posts: 723 Member
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    :huh: News to me. And I've had success even with my ignorance so I'm thinking it probably isn't a big issue.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    I eat LOADS of carbs all day long--i have the body i want, i'll continue eating them. rules like that are just silly to me.
  • agleckle
    agleckle Posts: 235 Member
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    My guess would be that he means simple or refined carbs... the kind that break down into sugar super fast and then leave you with that crash feeling at 2:30pm and make you crave for more refined carbs. Complex carbs from veggies, whole grains, etc. don't do that so I don't see why those would be an issue. Perhaps he should be more specific.


    Edit: And really, you should avoid those refined carbs at all times of the day, but I think people complain about that "2:30 feeling" more than other sluggish times of the day...
  • CharliesAngel1
    CharliesAngel1 Posts: 70 Member
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    LOL! Yeah! I eat them whenever the hell I want, too!
  • Vegetablearian
    Vegetablearian Posts: 148 Member
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    I usually have carbs for breakfast and carbs for dinner that seems like a sensible idea to me as they are 12 hours apart ...
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,049 Member
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    Bob, say it ain't so! :sad:

    No way am I following that advice. I don't like to eat that much candy for breakfast!:tongue:
  • richgreenland
    richgreenland Posts: 2 Member
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    Each person's body is different, but as a general rule as long as you're eating complex carbs instead of the simple ones, carbs are great for you all day long. Just make sure you don't go overboard, just like with anything. Calories are still calories no matter where they come from and too many calories will sabotage your weight loss.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    So I was on facebook and I saw Bob Harpers recent post about it book. It said that you aren't suppose to eat carbs after lunch. Do you agree or do this?

    Easy way to cut overall calorie intake for the day. Carbs are easy to over eat I guess...

    Do you have to do this? No, that would be silly.
  • MusiqDiva
    MusiqDiva Posts: 6
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    Maybe he means processed or not as good for you carbs. The foods that are high in carbs because your metabolism slows down later in the day, right?!

    I'm no expert, but he is probably referring processed carbs...I mean, carbs are in veggies, so we can't just avoid them completely. Also, it's less time for you to burn them off later in the day, so maybe limited would be a more "understandable" term? IDK, just taking a stab.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Also, it's less time for you to burn them off later in the day

    ^ This is typically why it's recommended, but it is still a poor recommendation as the above isn't relevant.

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