I don’t think I have any idea what the hell I am doing but so far I have had very good results. I am currently running around 50-100 carbs per day for about 2 weeks now. I have lost around 15-20 lbs and don’t think I have lost any LBM, I believe have gained some. Of course I am on some other “supplements” that help maintain LBM on a low carb diet.
The question is I am consuming all my carbs for the day preworkout and almost none the rest of the day. I am getting a major insulin spike after my preworkout oats and practically pass out for an hour before I head to the gym. Does anyone see an issue with this spike and is there anyway to avoid it?
I should note I have an amazing amount of energy during my workouts and for the rest of the night…
Really just want to make sure this spike is not dangerous and if there is anyway to avoid it if possible.
Thanks for reading…
Currently body weight is 260 lbs, BF around 10-13%?
how tall are you? I take it if it’s working it can’t be that bad, but i think you’re underestimating you’re body fat or you are beastly (which is quite possible). As long as you go back to a more “normal” eating pattern for a while you should be fine. I’ve found from personal experience that after long periods of low carb i start stalling. At that point I usually start eating higher carb meals and i break through the plateaus
[quote]rehanb_bl wrote:
how tall are you? I take it if it’s working it can’t be that bad, but i think you’re underestimating you’re body fat or you are beastly (which is quite possible). As long as you go back to a more “normal” eating pattern for a while you should be fine. I’ve found from personal experience that after long periods of low carb i start stalling. At that point I usually start eating higher carb meals and i break through the plateaus[/quote]
6’4" so not that beastly… I had my BF read by calipers about a week ago at 14% and have lost since then so I could be a little off.
I just stepped on the scale for the first time in 4 days, I have been avoiding it because I have worked so hard to get the number up, I hate to see it drop:( 255lbs… I did just get back from the gym so it could be water weight loss too?
i went for upto 6 weeks at a time , the closer i get to my goal weight the shorter it takes for me to plateau like that. right now im doing it about every 3 weeks that seems to work for me
I use a similar practice mainly for losing fat, except that I consume all of my carbs for the day immediately after working out, as opposed to prior.
Depending on my BF at the beginning I will usually go for anywhere from 6-8 weeks before I start stalling out, but by then I am usually around 7-8% BF.
[quote]Cheney wrote:
I use a similar practice mainly for losing fat, except that I consume all of my carbs for the day immediately after working out, as opposed to prior.
Depending on my BF at the beginning I will usually go for anywhere from 6-8 weeks before I start stalling out, but by then I am usually around 7-8% BF.
You can try cycling carbs instead.[/quote]
I have been wondering about eating them before or after… Do you get the same crash when you eat them after? Also I would think your workouts would be very difficult with no carbs at all in your system. Plus I workout late say 7 or 8 at night so putting the carbs on right before bed might be a bad idea. But like I said I am really just getting started messing around with cutting so I am really looking for some different ideas.
I am hoping that I will be around 8% in another 3 to 5 weeks. How do you adjust back into your carbs when you decide it’s time. I would think just going back to my normal diet (not bulking) would put a lot of access weight on very quickly.
You’re right, the workouts are very tough with such limited carbs. I usually sip some Surge during my workout (about half a serving or so) and take some more after and that constitutes the majority of my carb intake. I will generally increase my fat intake significantly while I am restricting my carbs. If you go to sleep RIGHT after your workouts then you might want to continue taking them prior to your workout. I workout for an hour after work, about 4-5 p.m., and don’t go to sleep for about 5-6 more hours after that.
Your adjustment back to a normal carb intake will depend on your sensitivity to carbs. I usually will start cycling carbs as I transition back to a normal diet, taking in the most carbs (300~400) on my tough workout days about 2 to 3 times a week and work my way back to normalcy. Sometimes I will trasition INTO this diet using the same method.
If you can, you may want to try and workout earlier or in the morning. If not everyday, then maybe a couple times a week.
EDIT: I haven’t noticed any sort of crash that you’ve mentioned but I will pay more attention over the next couple days and post if I experience such.
I’ve certainly been an advocate of keeping carbs around your workouts, even on low carb days, but bear in mind that you’re going to stall out with more regularity dieting in this manner (same amt per day) than if you made more of a cyclical approach, which would also keep your metabolism from slowing excessively as well.
As far as your major crash after even a complex carbohydrate source such as oats,… I admit to not really knowing what to suggest off hand. I doubt that not having any carbs all day should affect you so dramatically (I’ve had similar days myself, but maybe I just didn’t notice an effect because I was so depleted at the time). Perhaps some form of Glucose Disposal Agent (Vanadyl, Chromium etc) might help keep the blood sugar levels more stable? Or maybe simply incorporating ‘some’ other carbs at another point throughout the day would be a simple enough solution to the dramatic crash you feel.
I think there was an article talking about the hype of GDAs like Chromium and Vanadium.
You can try using bitter melon, gymnema and cinnamon capsules about 20-30 minutes before you consume carbs.
I read that the average person needs about 120-150g of carbs per day to sustain mood and optimal brain function, not that low to no carb would keep you from functioning (because you can supposedly make and use ketones) but I think the benefit of low carbing then carb up / refeed is for severely overweight people who are likely very insulin insensitive.