The right Amount of Carbohydrates page

[22599]

Hey: I lift heavy things daily, do a lot of cardio and am wondering how may carbs and what type I should be eating to properly "refuel" my body after workouts. Should I stick to the low carb PB formula or increase my carbs to reflect my increase in cardio? If the latter, should the carbs be in the PB form of more fruits, nuts, and other lower glycemic foods that contain carbs? Or, should I be eating some foods I am currently staying away from, like quinoa and sweet potatoes. i assume the grains and rice should always be off limits but looking for confirmation of that. New to Primal so looking for advice. Thanks!

[@lex]

Eat any carbs from a healthy source like root vegetables,starchy fruits like bananas,and white rice.Yes,white rice is a grain but as far as grains go it's pretty inert,and is generally treated as neutral by the higher carb paleo folks.The amount of carbs you eat should increase if you're taxing your body and muscles with strenuous activity,but the actual amount is more up to your body and activity level than a set in stone number.The best advice I can honestly give you is to experiment and find what works best for you.Don't be afraid of carbs when they come from healthy sources,much in the same way you don't fear fats that come from healthy sources.

[IcarianVX]

You really only need to eat carbohydrates after lifting, not "cardio." You aren't utilizing enough muscle glycogen during your cardio training to warrant either the need to replace said glycogen or the insulin spike - for lack of a better term.

[sbhikes]

Roots and tubers are a good place to get carbs. Not grains. Too many anti-nutrients.

[Owly]

Sweet potatoes are awesome. Lots of folks around here eat them, and I'm not quite sure why you're avoiding them but are eating fruit. Also, you can use white potatoes. If you're concerned about glycoalkaloids, peel the white potatoes and avoid any greening (an indicator of solanine).

White rice is a pretty neutral starch since all the anti-nutrients are in the rice bran, which is removed from white rice. It's mostly just pure starch. Quinoa has to be properly washed to remove the saponins before you cook it.

Also, some people around here will freak out about fructose from fruit, but if you're eating whole fruits, are very active, and don't have any issues (fructose malabsorption etc.) then you're fine. As an active person at a healthy weight, I happily eat fruit pretty much every day (including things like pineapple, banana, oranges, and so on) and I'm still losing fat.

[Dirlot]

Eat the healthy carbs you need depending on your goals. PB isn't really low carb unless you are trying to loose weight. 150g of carb that PB recommends for effortless maintenance is just that an average maintenance number. If you are working harder and need more get some carbs from veggies and other good sources that will fill and fuel you up - If you are working hard enough to eat more do so.

[22599]

The reason why I have been afraid of carbohydrates is because of weight gain. I am afraid if I eat high fatty foods and carbohydrates, even with exercise, I will gain weight...something I do not want to do. I want to sustain my weight or gain muscle weight if anything. maybe its just trial by error?

Sweet potatoes are awesome. Lots of folks around here eat them, and I'm not quite sure why you're avoiding them but are eating fruit. Also, you can use white potatoes. If you're concerned about glycoalkaloids, peel the white potatoes and avoid any greening (an indicator of solanine).

White rice is a pretty neutral starch since all the anti-nutrients are in the rice bran, which is removed from white rice. It's mostly just pure starch. Quinoa has to be properly washed to remove the saponins before you cook it.

Also, some people around here will freak out about fructose from fruit, but if you're eating whole fruits, are very active, and don't have any issues (fructose malabsorption etc.) then you're fine. As an active person at a healthy weight, I happily eat fruit pretty much every day (including things like pineapple, banana, oranges, and so on) and I'm still losing fat.

[@lex]

The reason why I have been afraid of carbohydrates is because of weight gain. I am afraid if I eat high fatty foods and carbohydrates, even with exercise, I will gain weight...something I do not want to do. I want to sustain my weight or gain muscle weight if anything. maybe its just trial by error?

You wont get fat from eating healthy carbs on days that your body wants them.You'll get fat from pounding junk food into your face,eating excessive amounts of food,and sitting on your ass,but not from eating healthy carbs in a sensible way.

[jens522]

Regarding glycogen depletion, every resource I read says something different. Lyle says only metabolic weight training causes this and the hormonal response while heavy weight lifting does not. Carbs will help recovery so incorporate fruit, yams, white rice into your diet. You will be overall happier as well. I tend do it after a full-body strength session ala leangains, but the whole glycogen depletion thing still has me puzzled.

[sbhikes]

There's a novel spammer. Harvesting someone's signature to fake a post.