Gotta have carbs to burn fat

I was thinking about this today as I was writing a lecture.

The issue of low carb diets vs carb rotation has been batted around here for some time. I think as most of you are finding out; carb rotation is working much better than chronic low carb diets for fat loss and workout productivity.

The reason for this is that fat burning and the energy derived from it (ATP) will slow when you are running low on carbs, thus less fat is used and you become sluggish during your workouts because ATP production is decreased.

Bottom line, to keep the fat burning process running and have energy to have good workouts to preserve muscle mass, then carb rotation is the only way to go.

Thus the phrase, fat burns in the flame of carbohydrate.

W6

Do you have some sources for this?

I've been trying to find some scientific justification for carb rotation but am coming up with nothing but info from body building web sites... which state that it's the way to go, but not WHY. I'd love to know the WHY behind the carb rotation.

Is carb rotation the same as cyclic ketogenic diet? I thought ketosis was only reached with very low carbs... and the carb rotation I've seen posted here didn't seem low enough to be ketosis.

I've also read from some extremely educated exercise physiologists (I have a friend who was just published in the journal of NSCA - National Strength & Conditioning Assoc.) that cardio FTITM isn't necessarily best for avoiding catabolism.

My grasp of this issue is, however, much too tenuous at this point to chime in either way - but I'm tryin' to get there.

spatterson said:

First of all, you're asking W6 for sources? LMAO...he IS a source. I'm sure he'll provide you with a list though. This isn't a new fangled thang...just basic biology.

Click to expand...

I don't know about you, but I never take anything I read on the net to be 100% truth. Besides, I always like to know the WHY behind anything. I'm not saying I don't think it works, but I'd like to know that there's more justification behind it than a data sample that is statistically insignificant.

Second, I will volunteer to be a walking source. Carb rotating saved my ass....literally.

What's it called.... "Sampling Error"??
Just because it's worked for you, doesn't prove it works. I don't know what would be a statistifically significant sampling pool, but I do think it would be well into the triple digits of subjects, and other factors would have to be held constant to sufficiently prove cause and effect rather than mere correlation.

Try doing a search for carb rotating, if you can't find something, I'll be shocked.

I've already done a few. As I said, I've mostly found anctedotal info that it works, but no scientific justification for the REASON it works. I use google.com for searches, and if you actually type "Carb Rotating" you find technical info having to do with CARBURETOR - not diet advice.

I just re-read my post. Man I sound pissy, but I don't mean to!

I think I'm getting a cold

Anyway, all this info is so much to sift through, it gets very tiring. Especially when there are so many thing on which there is no consensus.
I'm always appreciative of insight & info!

-Gladi

W6,


What do you think of Dr. DiPasquale's anabolic diet? He says once you deplete the carbs you begin to get your energy from the higher fat intake, and from fat stores in your body. My experience with this diet left me feeling quite sluggish for a couple of weeks, but then i adjusted and had more energy.

The carb rotating saved my ass too! And my brain, because I really need carbs to think. Restrictive complicated diets never worked for me, meaning whatever weight I lost I couldn't sustain and always felt deprived and ended up blowing it and gaining more weight back.

The carb rotation is just something I do naturally. Every few days I just feel like a little something extra, so that's my "carb up". Because I'm making better food choices all around, I never feel like I'm on a diet or deprived, so I can't even remember the last time I had a binge. (A few YEARS I think...which is really saying something since it used to happen every 2 days or so.)

Thanks W6 for saying "gotta have carbs to burn fat". So many people are bad-mouthing carbs these days Everyone's different I guess, but I needs 'em - some of my best friends are carbs!

agree w all of the above.

carb rotating also helps w curbing cravings or cheat days. I used to have a cheat day once a week..now its more like once in 6.

w6.. a carb question realting to post resistance training;
when cutting should u take a high sugar recovery drink followed by a high protein low gi carb meal?
i tries this today for the first time (did legs and figured was a good day to experiment..)
my recovery drink stats:
per 100g;
20 cals
p=0.4
cho=8.8
sugar=7.2
f=0

it includes h20, cho polymer, l-leucine, l-valine, creatine monohydrate, l-glutamine, glucosamine HCL, l-isoleucine, l-histidine, l-proline.

was this a bad choice?

Not to mention that ATP is needed to convert unactive T4 in your liver into active T3...

Daeo said:

Not to mention that ATP is needed to convert unactive T4 in your liver into active T3...

Click to expand...

was that meant to answer my question? (not sarcastic)

"I just re-read my post. Man I sound pissy, but I don't mean to! "

Chicks..........


Rez,

8.8% CHO drink isn't bad right after a heavy leg workout, assuming you're not consuming more than 300 ml, the BCAAs are fine, but based on the recent lit., I'd use a drink that gives you all the essential AAs. As I said in other threads, Ms Wilson uses Met-Rx post workout and does fine while cutting. Met-Rx is as good as any. Probably my choice, although some might say less carbs, but you do need to replenish muscle glycogen and the best time is right after exercise.

Muskles,

you will adapt, but compare a chronic low carb diet to one that is rotating. Tell me which one works better overall.

Pissy (aka Glad),

You won't find lit on this. Probably take the scientific/nutritional community 10+ years to do a study. If you understand Krebs, fatty acid oxidation, the need for pyruvate to maintain Krebs cycle intermediates and how when they are depleted, fat oxidation slows and ketones increase and ATP production decreases, then it will all make sense. If you don't have a handle on these pathways, then it won't.

Ditto for Daeo. Chronic dieting decreases 5' deiodinase activity.

W6