When to eat carbs....

[DayG]

Hi, I have a question on when to eat carbs while trying to lean out. My diet is pretty good, but maybe it can be tweeked a bit.

Meal 1:
1/2 cup oats w/ scoop of protein powder or
Kashi cereal w/ 1/2 banana and tbs. flax oil

Meal 2:
1/2 cup cottage cheese
10 almonds

Meal 3:
4 egg whites w/ 1/2 cup zucchini or
Tuna w/ soy maynaise

Meal 4: (dinner)
salmon or chicken
1/2 sweet potato

Gym

Meal 5:
Protein shake

sometimes if I'm really hungry, I'll have fruit or Kashi Go Lean bar between meals 3 and 4. It;s kinda hard to post an exact diet cause I eat different things some days, but this is basically what I eat. My question is, I try to just eat carbs around my workout, but is it still ok to have carbs in the morning, even though I work out in the evening? Or should I just skip the oatmeal and just have egg whites? On the weekend it's different cause I go in the morning after my breakfast.

[ACEHOLE]

when to eat carbs to lean? easy....when you wake up and after you work out.


move potato to post workout

[SNPiccolo5]

I would say you can have carbs BEFORE your workout too, as long as they are good carbs with some fiber- the sweet potato is perfect- it will enhance your workout and enable it to be more intense. I remember I forgot to have some sort of starch before a run once- and it was one of the worst runs ever.

I usually eat non-starchy vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onion, green beans, broccoli) all day, and eat starchy carbs (brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, sweet potato) before and after the workout. The majority of your carbs should come before and after your workout. Hope this helps.

-Tim

[sooner_ed]

I have learned one thing through experience that I have not seen anyone mention yet. We always talk about having carbs before and after our workouts but we never seem to take into consideration what our activity level is throughout the rest of the day. If you are very physically active throughout the rest of the day, you will need a steady stream of carbs. By all means, do NOT skip the oatmeal in the mornings. Oatmeal is a perfect breakfast food as it will give you energy throughout the morning. Not to mention the fact that you have all day to burn it off. You can never go wrong with oatmeal for breakfast. My advice is to take your activity level for the entire day in consideration and not just schedule carbs around your workout. I took on a new physically demanding job. I lift weights before I go to work and run up to six miles after works. Because of my activity level throughout the entire day, I need a steady stream of carbs throughout the day, especially if I'm going to make my run after work. You really just have to listen to your body. If you're not eating enough, your body will get tired. I have learned that I need plenty of complex carbs all day and not just simple carbs. I have had to start eating more baked potatoes, beans, oatmeal, and things like that to fuel my entire day. So if I were you, I would take a look at what my activity level is for the ENTIRE day and then plan your diet accordingly.
--just one man's opinion.

[DayG]

Well, that's the thing, I work in an office so I'm sitting all day long, with not much activity, so I thought maybe I didn;t need the carbs, but I LOVE my oatmeal in the morning, so I'll keep it!

[SNPiccolo5]

The oatmeal in the morning is fine- your body is practically in a post-workout state in the morning because it's gone a considerable amount of time without anything to eat! The oatmeal is perfectly fine. If you're in an office setting, then bring plenty of steamed/fresh vegetables. It's OK to have some starch during the day, just not as your primary carb source if you're not very active.

Also, if your job if physically demanding or if you are physically active throughout the entire day, then you are constantly in a "semi-workout" status, warranting the starchy carbs.

-Tim

[sooner_ed]

Originally Posted by SNPiccolo5

Also, if your job if physically demanding or if you are physically active throughout the entire day, then you are constantly in a "semi-workout" status, warranting the starchy carbs.

-Tim

I could not have said that any better Tim. I have learned from personal experience the importance of those starchy carbs throughout the day.