Carbs are awesome, you know it’s truth that I speak.
In our North American society eating a meal without carbs is like salt without pepper, Starsky without Hutch, or Sir Mixalot without big butts (he can’t live without them, and he cannot lie). However, most people know that inhaling them by the truckload will have their love handles flapping in the wind so they avoid them like the plague in the quest to be lean.
I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way and you may actually be slowing your fat loss efforts by eliminating them from your diet.
Carbohydrates and fats are both energy sources and although we want our bodies to use up our fat stores we have to think about the type of activity we are engaging in and the goal. The goal of a fat loss training program should be to maximize EPOC (excess post exercise oxygen consumption) which basically means raise your metabolic rate at times when you’re not in the gym.
During times of low intensity activity (watching TV, sitting on the can, etc.) your body shifts to using the most efficient energy source for fuel, in this case being fats because they have more energy per gram. The process to burn this fuel is also slower because we don’t need the energy as quickly.
High intensity exercise and explosive contractions on the other hand require a faster energy source, this source being carbs.
Have you ever been working out and feel like someone just ripped the nerve endings out of your body? Everything feels three times as heavy and you seem to be moving half as fast as usual. You lack that “umph”. It feels like shit and it may be because you are low on carbzzzz.
Carbs fuel high performance sessions and in my opinion the goal of the training session itself is not to burn as much fat as possible at the time, but to set yourself up for a greater rate of fat burn in times where your body is predominately using fat as fuel.
This is where nutrient timing comes in. Scheduling your carb feedings around your workouts where they will be readily used as fuel or will be more likely stored as muscle glycogen ensures that you are making use of them and that your workouts are top notch.
The exact amount will vary based on the individual but you should play around with the amount and the timing to see what works for you. An optimal amount will allow you to enjoy that “stick to your ribs” feeling you love while powering awesome training sessions and shredding up that midsection.
