Carb re-feeds unhealthy? page

[Lukey]

Hi guys, I am currently lifting weights heavily 5 times a week for an hour+. I usually have about 100g grams of carbs a day, and i would say that a re-feed day of 400-500g carbs would go to good use once a month to replenish muscle glycogen. My only concern is that is consuming 500+ grams of primal carbs in one day unhealthy in any way? any responses will be greatly appreciated.

[abc123]

Every body responds differently to the effects of carb surplus to this degree, my question would probably be what type of carbs & how do you personally feel after eating it & what kind of shape are you currently in? These are more "feel" issues imo, personal to the health of your digestive system & current condition of your body..

I assume we're keeping it primal with the nightshades & fruits in this refeed?

I don't think any particular number or amount is necessarily "unhealthy", pending your ability to burn the fuel, use it positively for energy.. My context clues lead me to guess you're a younger male? if you're young, already somewhat lean, don't feel miserable after eating a ton of carbs, I'd eat up..

[Lukey]

hey thanks for the reply. Yea i am 18 and in good shape, just hitting the gym hard at the moment to add more muscle. The carb refeed would be mostly white and sweet potatoes. I don't feel any personal health issues after eating carbs, i was just wondering if consuming such a high load after eating relatively low carb everyday would be bad in anyway.

[abc123]

@ 18, active, lifting hard, already lean, I don't see anything ill about a once in a while heavy carb load.. You're still growing, eat the clean carbs..

In my experience, & just my experience.. I'm 31 now, when I was 18-21 yrs old, I was adamant on "putting on size".. FOR ME (only in my experience), I started @ your age with giant carb refeeds, (in all disclosure I was eating some grain).. I put on a lot of muscle, probably 25lbs+ of lean size from your age to 21, & looked great.. Carbs did make me more hungry.. I became addicted to carbs (I swear they're like drugs), kept eating & starving without them.. I ate for many years a lot potatoes, some rice, a ton of fruits, etc. to keep up with my need to feed the sugar metabolism.. Kept growing, which what accomplishing the goal, but my guts were being punished..

Long story short, I'm 31 now, still in great shape, BUT my digestive system is still healing from years of "carbing up" to gain from age 18 through 25-26..

Enjoy the refeeds.. I would limit them personally like you plan even @ 18.. There's probably very little that will have negative effects on your young, active body right now, but stay discipline as you are bc the habits you create now will pay dividends when you hit late 20's & into 30

[Dirlot]

Can you give an example of your routine? 5 days a week lifting "heavy" for an hour + sounds very intense.

[ChocoTaco369]

No. There is nothing unhealthy about carbohydrate. A diet rich in primal carbohydrate and low in fats is superior to a diet rich in unsaturated fats/vegetable oils and low in carbohydrate. It's the individual foods that must be scrutinized. As always, eat the foods that make you feel best. If that's pork loin and potatoes, go for it. If it's steak and avocado, go for it. I find I crave starchy carbohydrate after heavy lifting, but not while I'm sitting around. I usually want meat, vegetables and fruits when I'm sedentary, so as a consequence I eat naturally low-carb while sedentary and naturally high-carb while active.

[Omni]

A diet rich in primal carbohydrate and low in fats is superior to a diet rich in unsaturated fats/vegetable oils and low in carbohydrate.

That sounds like the "whole grains are healthier than processed grains" type of argument, that is used to support the grains are healthy argument.
What you are basically saying is any primal diet is going to be superior to a SAD diet.

Question:
Is a diet rich in primal carbohydrate and low in fats superior to a primal diet that is low/moderate in carbohydrate and high in healthy primal mono & saturated fats?

[Lukey]

Ok thanks for the replies, I will have the re-feeds

[StackingPlates]

Question:
Is a diet rich in primal carbohydrate and low in fats superior to a primal diet that is low/moderate in carbohydrate and high in healthy primal mono & saturated fats?

Is a minivan better than a sports car?

[ChocoTaco369]

That sounds like the "whole grains are healthier than processed grains" type of argument, that is used to support the grains are healthy argument.
What you are basically saying is any primal diet is going to be superior to a SAD diet.

No, it's not. There are healthy fats and there are unhealthy fats. There are healthy carbs and there are unhealthy carbs. IMO, the unhealthy fats are worse for you than the unhealthy carbs, and I'd take a bucket of white sugar all day every day over a bucket of soybean and/or cottonseed and/or canola oil. What matters is nutrient density and toxin level - this is not a low-carbohydrate diet but rather a low-toxin/high-nutrient diet. I bet you use butter, coconut oil or bacon grease to cook in. A sweet potato is far more nutrient-dense than any oil you're going to use, and taking out a tablespoon of rendered fat and replacing those 120 calories with a medium sweet potato worth 120 calories is going to be a healthier choice.

Question:
Is a diet rich in primal carbohydrate and low in fats superior to a primal diet that is low/moderate in carbohydrate and high in healthy primal mono & saturated fats?

It depends on the source. I like a moderate approach on both. The most superior primal diet IMO is going to be rich in fat and carbohydrate. I tend to eat around 30% fat/40% protein/30% carbohydrate. I get plenty of all, and I'm able to maintain performance because the only thing I exclude from my diet are toxic foods. However, if I absolutely had to choose, I would choose to remove a little dietary fat and push it toward carbohydrate. At my activity level, I feel better cutting fats than cutting carbs. YMMV.