BB competitors: do you use post-workout shakes (w/ high carbs) during a cutting diet?

[THeMaCHinE]

Machine- I just use carbs (starchy) around w/o time. Very small amounts. For example prior to w/o its only 2-3 ozs sweet potatoe, then first solid meal post w/o is 1/8 cup oatmeal added to eggs, then lunch maybe meat with 2-3 ozs sweet potatos or apple. All meals after those are lean meats with fibrous veggies. This is not a precontest diet. I used to lift on an empty stomach and now have just that little bit. Am lifting very heavy now and need the little extra.

Try different things and see how it works for you. I do carb up over the weekend, then I go lower protein very low fat and high starchy carbs. Then on Monday I have an awesome leg day!!!! I scheudule my w/o around that, I have more glycogen early in the week, so lifting heavy then and later in week do more cardio, when glycogen stores are low.

Best bet-keep a log-valerie

Great information and thoughts, thanks valerie

 

[THeMaCHinE]

valerie, does the solid food that you take in pre-workout ever weigh on you when you're lifting? Do you think an easily digestible liquid protein/carb source pre-workout would be preferable? Or do you time it out enough to where it's not heavy on your stomach when lifting?

 

[valerie]

Machine-Remember I am only eating 2-3 OZs of sweet potatoe and I do take 10 amino acid tabs, so it is a very little amount of food. Weigh it yourself and you will see. I eat this at least one hour before w/o. Gives me enough energy to lift heavy. I w/o in the am so the food is the only thing in me at that time. I prefer to eat my carbs as opposed to drinking them. The sweet potatoe is about 7 grams of carbs per oz, so that is only 14-21 grams plus 10 grams pro from the aminos. This is not taking into account the fiber in the sweet pot. This is just an idea you could sub. oats or other carbs. I don't want to use a simple carb or sugar. Personally for me I don't feel I need or want high insulin prior to lifting. Or really afterwards for that matter. I feel that just a simple protein drink is fine. The muscles are already primed to take up the aa's from the protein drink w/o the need for extra carbs. Also believe that men can get away with high carbs after wo unless fat. Just my opinion here-valerie

 

[THeMaCHinE]

Thanks valerie, your thoughts are very helpful.

 

[JJFigure]

"When you say you are limiting whey protein intake, do you mean whey specifically, or are you speaking in general real food vs. powder protein sources?"

I try to eat real food for my protein source and limit my supplemental protein (powders/bars, etc.). I'd rather get the thermogenic effect of digesting real food; I seem to lose fat easier when I take this diet approach. When I've been traveling while cutting and forced to rely on protein supplements for some of my meals, I tend to be hungrier and don't seem to lose fat as easily.

I'm also an oddball since I follow a cyclical very low carb diet for cutting, so keep that in mind. My body prefers a low carb approach, but I seem to be the exception to the norm.

 

[THeMaCHinE]

"When you say you are limiting whey protein intake, do you mean whey specifically, or are you speaking in general real food vs. powder protein sources?"

I try to eat real food for my protein source and limit my supplemental protein (powders/bars, etc.). I'd rather get the thermogenic effect of digesting real food; I seem to lose fat easier when I take this diet approach. When I've been traveling while cutting and forced to rely on protein supplements for some of my meals, I tend to be hungrier and don't seem to lose fat as easily.

I'm also an oddball since I follow a cyclical very low carb diet for cutting, so keep that in mind. My body prefers a low carb approach, but I seem to be the exception to the norm.

I hadn't thought about the thermogenic effect; makes a lot of sense. I guess pre/post-workout might be the time to think about powder as it is faster-acting and leave the rest to whole food ...

Sorry for the dumb question (long day here), but when you say cyclical low carb diet for cutting, what do you mean?

 

[valerie]

I'll answer for JJ- what she does and I do is to cycle our carbs thru the week. Low carb on weekdays and carb up on weekends. You can arrange this anyway you like. Could cycle carbs by eating them on w/o days, then eat lower amounts on non w/o days. There are a million ways to do this just consider your goals, lifestyle, lifting goals, etc.

In bb we cycle everything!!!!!!!!!-valerie

 

[THeMaCHinE]

I'll answer for JJ- what she does and I do is to cycle our carbs thru the week. Low carb on weekdays and carb up on weekends. You can arrange this anyway you like. Could cycle carbs by eating them on w/o days, then eat lower amounts on non w/o days. There are a million ways to do this just consider your goals, lifestyle, lifting goals, etc.

In bb we cycle everything!!!!!!!!!-valerie

How would this factor into a diet that dictated 100 gr/cho per day? (By what factor would you increase the carbs on workout days?)

Also, when you increase carbs, do you decrease protein or fat to account for the extra calories?

Thanks for the answers

 

[JJFigure]

Search on Spatt's cutting diet - it's a great example of cycling carb intake based on workout regimen.

My cutting diet is different; I cut using the Anabolic Diet and intake <30 g/day Mon - Fri and increase my fat and pro intake to compensate (ratios are 45-50% fat, 45-50% pro, <5% carb). Then, on Sat and Sun, I eat primarily low GI carbs (mainly oatmeal) and have very low fat/pro intake (20-25% fat, <10% pro, 65-70% carb). I increase my kcals 25% on carb load days and end up averaging 1600 kcals/day for the week.

However, now that I'm in single digit bodyfat % (finally!), I've had to change my diet to boost my leptin levels. Now I do three days low carb and refeed every fourth day with high GI carbs; I basically double my kcals on refeed days (1500 kcals low carb days, 3000 kcals on refeed days). Yes, I've actually had to increase my kcals to keep losing fat. Darn.

 

[THeMaCHinE]

Thanks JJ -- great information! I found the cutting diet spreadsheet that Spatt's put up, must have missed the cyclical diet ...