Eating non-primal around workouts alright? page

[ckayy]

I've been eating non-primal carbs like bread and cereal for breakfast (preworkout) and some non-primal carbs post workout like rice/pasta. (Everything is organic and whole grain and the rice is brown if any of that makes a difference lol.)

Do you guys think it's alright to eat these carbs around my workout, then eat primal the rest of the day, and also eat primal on my off days? I'm working out M/W/F, so three days a week.

I'm doing Starting Strength, and my goals are to get stronger and bigger, but with 100% primal diet, I just can't get enough calories; so I eat some carbs pre-workout and post workout to add calories, and help fuel my workout, then I try to eat primal the rest of the time.

Could you guys give me some pros/cons of this style of eating? Is this not effective? What are your opinions? etc.....

Thank you!

[NutMeg]

What is wrong with primal carbs? squash, fruit, other starchy veggies? I am a huge fan of fried plantain...yummy!

Honestly, I have recently learned from going through years of my food journals (I was required to have them for the military) that where carbs come from matter. I ate about 35-5-% of my calories from carbs all those years and couldn't lose weight. I was eating grains, potatoes, etc. When I switched to primal, I was still eating 35-50% of my calories from carbs. They came from fruits and veggies only. Switching to primal led to weight loss and improved cholesterol levels.

So, I would say the cons of eating the way you are proposing is damage to your health in the long term, point blank...it is bad for you.

[Bushrat]

Fat has 9 calories per gram. Carbs have 4 calories per gram. If you need more calories go with a fattier food. Try a breakfast of bacon and eggs or an omlette.

Also, don't fall for the old 10 kg in 3 month crap. I gained that much mass but I also became five inches bigger around the waist. I was doing Starting strength and eating non primally. Though I gained muscle I also gained a lot of fat.

Most 'big' guys are more fat than muscle. Most of there big arms and almighty pecs is a bit of muscle sitting on top of a lot of fat. Eating carbs will make you 'big' in the sense that it will stuff your muscle full of fat, like marbling in a grain fed cow.

In fact, Christian Thibaudeau @ t-nation has a post that addresses this issue. Listen to the words of an experienced bodybuilder:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_..._about_bulking

The big bodybuilders of the 60s and 70s used to eat steak when bulking. Put this knowledge together with what you know about primal and it ought to be clear that eating bread and oatmeal is a bad idea. Stick to a paleo diet.

[muaythaimike]

Forget the pasta, I would go with rice post workout, it aint gonna kill you. You would have to back quite a lot because rice isn't that calorific for the amount of volume it has.

Also, what about potatoes post workout? I personally like to go high carb low fat post workout and eat rice, root veg and some meat.

[Diana Renata]

I've been eating non-primal carbs like bread and cereal for breakfast (preworkout) and some non-primal carbs post workout like rice/pasta. (Everything is organic and whole grain and the rice is brown if any of that makes a difference lol.)

Do you guys think it's alright to eat these carbs around my workout, then eat primal the rest of the day, and also eat primal on my off days? I'm working out M/W/F, so three days a week.

Nope.

Eat real food. If you want more calories eat fat. Don't try to justify non-Primal foods. Half-assing it isn't worth it.

[Sempronia]

I spent years doing intense workouts and eating carbs around because I was tired and that is what I was told to do. I lost weight but never close to my goal and stayed 20-30 lbs from my goal for years doing this. I would do more intense workouts and just have worse carb cravings.
Reading mark's book changed everything. And now the weight is flying off. If you need calories go fat and if you are still tired then maybe you need to do a different workout or sleep more... not eat carbs.

Just my thoughts from a relative newbie

[MikeEnRegalia]

You can get tons of calories with bacon, cream, coconut oil etc.. What's wrong with having some stirred eggs and bacon, cooked in coconut oil?

BTW: I think it can be beneficial to have some carbs post workout - but about 50g of net carbs will be plenty, like for example a small banana. Eating more can, if you're overreacting to the carbs in terms of insulin, be counter-productive.

[iniQuity]

Eat more tubers if you want to get carbs. More sweet potatoes (even regular white potatoes are better than bread and pasta, but sweet potatoes/yams are more nutritious and lower glycemic) squash, cassava, name, turnips, carrots, etc.

Read www.anthonycolpo.com he's a bit of an asshole but he eats a very primal but higher carb diet and those are the ones he recommends. Lasly, do a search on this board for a thread called "starchy carb sources" started by Rivvin and read that too.

You don't need the highly processed, nutritionally devoid carbs you're eating, when you could be eating nutritious ones.

[ckayy]

Alright, thanks for the thorough advice guys!