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What are carbs actually used for?
- Thread starter bilat
- Start date
carbs
A rise is blood sugar from eating carbs creates an insulin response which is responsible for shuttling aminos/nutrients into cells. I myself am doing keto right now and only have post workout carbs, I do belive that much of America has hyperinsulism and is screwed when it comes to regulating blood sugar, this causes fatigue , irritability and a host of other problems. Atkins revised book validates this with scienitifc research. I have been low/no carbing for years and I find with my hardginer type of trainer it works amazing well and helps me manage extreme leaness year round.
A rise is blood sugar from eating carbs creates an insulin response which is responsible for shuttling aminos/nutrients into cells. I myself am doing keto right now and only have post workout carbs, I do belive that much of America has hyperinsulism and is screwed when it comes to regulating blood sugar, this causes fatigue , irritability and a host of other problems. Atkins revised book validates this with scienitifc research. I have been low/no carbing for years and I find with my hardginer type of trainer it works amazing well and helps me manage extreme leaness year round.
THE HUMUNGUS
New member
carbs Spare Muscle from being broken down for energy.
sometimes people on workout boards forget that certain organs in your body DEPEND on glucose- carbs are necessary for many bodily functions. There is a reason you feel like shit while in ketosis.
As for the weight loss issue, you will lose weight if you have a calorie deficit. Regardless of your ratios. If you want to accelerate gains and maintain lean mass however, you probably want to take in more calories in the form of protein. ... if you want to keep your carbs low, you need to make sure they are all highly complex (low gi) so that your blood glucose levels stay constant throughout the day. The only time of the day a rise in blood glucose may be desireable would be post workout to induce an insulin spike. There is no minimum or maximum, there are simply RDA's and for MacroNuts, RDA is shit, every person is pursuing different goals and has their own "RDA"
-scatterbrained sorry for discontinuity
As for the weight loss issue, you will lose weight if you have a calorie deficit. Regardless of your ratios. If you want to accelerate gains and maintain lean mass however, you probably want to take in more calories in the form of protein. ... if you want to keep your carbs low, you need to make sure they are all highly complex (low gi) so that your blood glucose levels stay constant throughout the day. The only time of the day a rise in blood glucose may be desireable would be post workout to induce an insulin spike. There is no minimum or maximum, there are simply RDA's and for MacroNuts, RDA is shit, every person is pursuing different goals and has their own "RDA"
-scatterbrained sorry for discontinuity
Babyfaced Assassin
New member
Carbohydrates are basically sugar and starch. Apples, oranges, potatoes, grains, candy, bread… are all carbohydrates. Carbohydrates break down into glucose molecules. When used as energy, carbohydrates fuel become fuel for your muscles and brain. If your body does not have any use for the glucose, it is converted into glycogen and stored it in the liver and muscles as an energy reserve. Your body can store about a half a day's supply of glycogen. If your body has more glucose than it can use as energy, or convert to glycogen for storage, the excess is converted to fat.
Carbohydrates are divided into these two categories.
Simple Carbohydrates. Basically blood sugar or glucose. Foods containing simple carbohydrates are sweet tasting, like cookies, fruit, sugar, honey, candy, cake, etc… Simple carbs are already very close to being in the digested form, so they pass into your bloodstream almost immediately.
Complex Carbohydrates. These are found in foods prepared with grains and vegetables. Even though both simple and complex carbs provide needed glucose, the complex carbohydrates provide several nutritional advantages, such as additional vitamins, minerals, and fiber needed for good health and performance.
You can maximize glycogen storage by eating smaller and more frequent carbohydrate meals. Eating less food, more frequently, and cutting down on protein and fat will provide a steady supply of glucose to your muscles. This will aid in muscle recovery after exercise, as well as help you "load" carbs before a workout or climbing competition.
So, the amount of carbohydrate you eat determines the amount of glycogen stored in the liver and muscles, which in turn greatly affects your performance level. When you eat foods like fruit, cereal, or bread, glucose goes into your bloodstream quickly, ready to provide immediate energy to the brain, muscles, or other body tissues demanding energy. If glucose is not used right away, it is converted and stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen.
If you eat a low carbohydrate diet, it is less efficient for your body to store glycogen in your body. You may especially notice an energy drain if you do not take days off from your workouts routine. A glycogen drain will make you may feel listless and uninterested in exercising. You need to take a few days off from your work out to allow your body to recharge the glycogen stores.
Some climbers eat very little - or go without food altogether before a climbing competition. They think they will be lighter and therefore climb better - the fact is, reducing carbohydrates before a climbing competition will cause your endurance to drop by almost half. The end result is far worse on your performance than the effect of being a little bit lighter in weight. Cutting back on food the day before only uses up your precious glycogen stores. It takes less than 24 hours of fasting to completely drain your liver glycogen stores. Carbohydrates are the brain and muscle's fuel, so your body needs to use carbs even while you sleep. Even if you skip dinner the night before, your glycogen stores will be slightly less the next morning.
When you reduce your carbohydrate calories, your body will start to use up glycogen stores. Low glycogen forces your body to switch to using more body fat for energy and begin converting amino acids from proteins to fuel. Using fats and amino acids this way is inefficient - it pulls amino acids away from proteins. This has additional negative effects and potentially weakens your immune defenses. Protein is necessary in muscular development (but not as a fuel source).
The amount of glycogen you store determines how long and at what level you can perform activities and continue to exercise. On a low carbohydrate diet your endurance is cut in half, compared to a high-carbohydrate diet. A high-carb diet will boost your glycogen stores and give you more power and more endurance. You can build up your glycogen by carbohydrate loading.
AFTER EXERCISE
Long stretches of time depletes both your glycogen stores and vital body water lost as sweat. It takes anywhere from 24 to 48 hours for full recovery, provided you are eating a high carbohydrate diet and consuming plenty of fluids. An average man who weighs 160 pounds, for instance, needs about 2,400 carbohydrate calories to fill up his glycogen tanks. This represents 600 grams of carbohydrate, the amount found in 40 slices of bread. Eating this large amount of carbohydrate is usually manageable over a 1 1/2- to 3-day period. One gram of carbohydrate equals 4 kilocalories and a kilogram equals 2.2 pounds.
Eat carbohydrate within one hour after exercise. Research studies show that you can expect to achieve full recovery of glycogen stores only if you begin carbohydrate reloading almost immediately after exercise.
When muscle glycogen levels were measured again later, the cyclists who received the delayed feeding still had not resynthesized as much glycogen as subjects who had eaten the same dose of carbohydrates immediately.
The more carbohydrate you eat, the more glycogen you store. This process will continue until your full capacity is achieved. The key to keeping your glycogen stores filled is easy:
Eat Carbohydrates. Avoid fatigue. Eat smaller amounts more frequently and eat a sufficient amount of carbohydrate.
Rest. Since it takes 24 to 48 hours to recover spent glycogen stores fully, it is better to rest or exercise very lightly two days before a climbing competition and in-between intensive exercise sessions. This recovery time is needed to allow your muscles and liver time to re-build glycogen stores.
Summary: Carbohydrates efficiently replace the glycogen stores in the muscles and liver. Glycogen is necessary for muscle contraction. If you do not eat enough carbohydrate or get enough rest, the level of glycogen steadily declines, leaving you fatigued and unable to perform effectively. You can increase your stores of glycogen by carbohydrate loading. This will increase your energy for power and endurance.
Carbohydrates are divided into these two categories.
Simple Carbohydrates. Basically blood sugar or glucose. Foods containing simple carbohydrates are sweet tasting, like cookies, fruit, sugar, honey, candy, cake, etc… Simple carbs are already very close to being in the digested form, so they pass into your bloodstream almost immediately.
Complex Carbohydrates. These are found in foods prepared with grains and vegetables. Even though both simple and complex carbs provide needed glucose, the complex carbohydrates provide several nutritional advantages, such as additional vitamins, minerals, and fiber needed for good health and performance.
You can maximize glycogen storage by eating smaller and more frequent carbohydrate meals. Eating less food, more frequently, and cutting down on protein and fat will provide a steady supply of glucose to your muscles. This will aid in muscle recovery after exercise, as well as help you "load" carbs before a workout or climbing competition.
So, the amount of carbohydrate you eat determines the amount of glycogen stored in the liver and muscles, which in turn greatly affects your performance level. When you eat foods like fruit, cereal, or bread, glucose goes into your bloodstream quickly, ready to provide immediate energy to the brain, muscles, or other body tissues demanding energy. If glucose is not used right away, it is converted and stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen.
If you eat a low carbohydrate diet, it is less efficient for your body to store glycogen in your body. You may especially notice an energy drain if you do not take days off from your workouts routine. A glycogen drain will make you may feel listless and uninterested in exercising. You need to take a few days off from your work out to allow your body to recharge the glycogen stores.
Some climbers eat very little - or go without food altogether before a climbing competition. They think they will be lighter and therefore climb better - the fact is, reducing carbohydrates before a climbing competition will cause your endurance to drop by almost half. The end result is far worse on your performance than the effect of being a little bit lighter in weight. Cutting back on food the day before only uses up your precious glycogen stores. It takes less than 24 hours of fasting to completely drain your liver glycogen stores. Carbohydrates are the brain and muscle's fuel, so your body needs to use carbs even while you sleep. Even if you skip dinner the night before, your glycogen stores will be slightly less the next morning.
When you reduce your carbohydrate calories, your body will start to use up glycogen stores. Low glycogen forces your body to switch to using more body fat for energy and begin converting amino acids from proteins to fuel. Using fats and amino acids this way is inefficient - it pulls amino acids away from proteins. This has additional negative effects and potentially weakens your immune defenses. Protein is necessary in muscular development (but not as a fuel source).
The amount of glycogen you store determines how long and at what level you can perform activities and continue to exercise. On a low carbohydrate diet your endurance is cut in half, compared to a high-carbohydrate diet. A high-carb diet will boost your glycogen stores and give you more power and more endurance. You can build up your glycogen by carbohydrate loading.
AFTER EXERCISE
Long stretches of time depletes both your glycogen stores and vital body water lost as sweat. It takes anywhere from 24 to 48 hours for full recovery, provided you are eating a high carbohydrate diet and consuming plenty of fluids. An average man who weighs 160 pounds, for instance, needs about 2,400 carbohydrate calories to fill up his glycogen tanks. This represents 600 grams of carbohydrate, the amount found in 40 slices of bread. Eating this large amount of carbohydrate is usually manageable over a 1 1/2- to 3-day period. One gram of carbohydrate equals 4 kilocalories and a kilogram equals 2.2 pounds.
Eat carbohydrate within one hour after exercise. Research studies show that you can expect to achieve full recovery of glycogen stores only if you begin carbohydrate reloading almost immediately after exercise.
When muscle glycogen levels were measured again later, the cyclists who received the delayed feeding still had not resynthesized as much glycogen as subjects who had eaten the same dose of carbohydrates immediately.
The more carbohydrate you eat, the more glycogen you store. This process will continue until your full capacity is achieved. The key to keeping your glycogen stores filled is easy:
Eat Carbohydrates. Avoid fatigue. Eat smaller amounts more frequently and eat a sufficient amount of carbohydrate.
Rest. Since it takes 24 to 48 hours to recover spent glycogen stores fully, it is better to rest or exercise very lightly two days before a climbing competition and in-between intensive exercise sessions. This recovery time is needed to allow your muscles and liver time to re-build glycogen stores.
Summary: Carbohydrates efficiently replace the glycogen stores in the muscles and liver. Glycogen is necessary for muscle contraction. If you do not eat enough carbohydrate or get enough rest, the level of glycogen steadily declines, leaving you fatigued and unable to perform effectively. You can increase your stores of glycogen by carbohydrate loading. This will increase your energy for power and endurance.
