The BEST Time of Day to Eat Carbs

Jenn wrote:

Does the term intense exercise apply only to cardio workouts like HIIT? Or does this include pretty much any weight lifting session too?
I am just starting now to add higher GI carbs after weight workouts, I usually used fruit, but read that you really need a higher GI carb to be effective. But I was not planning on adding high GI carbs after cardio or HIIT, maybe that’s wrong?

A couple things:

1. Fruit isn’t the best source of carbs to use to replenish after a workout as fructose (fruit sugar) only refills liver glycogen and not muscle glycogen. You should be sticking with starchier carbs post workout.

2. I only recommend carb intake after high intensity resistance training during a fat loss phase. If not huffing and puffing during the workout, skip the carbs. As for cardio and other HIIT activities that do not directly put a huge stess on individual muscle groups (like resistance training does), I would skip the post workout carbs and instead just consume carbs in the mornings on those days.

All the best,

Joel

Ron wrote:

I’ve been doing both and it’s been working slowly (which is good). I’m not sure about eating pre-bed time time though. That seems like a good way to pack some pounds on. Plus, I’d end up thinking my protein/fat was a chocolate shake!

See my blog post on this site (use the search feature) on late night eating.

All the best,

Joel

clementina wrote:

Hi Joel! I have a question about carbs, what about If I do my exercises in the morning, before brekfast? That means that I shouldn eat more carbs in the rest of the day?
Grettings from Venezuela!

The general recommendation is to have your carbs in 2 out of 6 meals. So if you work out first thing in the morning, then just have carbs in your first two morning meals.

And hola from Florida! We’re not that far away :)

Joel

Dan wrote:

Thanks for the information! I was just curious what type of carbs are you talking about? Like, fruit and vegetable carbs or grains & breads? Is it okay to eat carbs like vegetables and fruit later?

Green veggies are always OK as they are high fiber and don’t cause a substantial rise in insulin. I’d save the fruit for the carb feedings (in the morning is a great time for fruit).

Joel

shib neddeff wrote:

For everyone who has 5 to 6 meals to ESE to Warrior Diet …confusion on when to eat gets crazier and crazier every day..and most always base feeding when workout late afternoon or early eve when 50 % of people either workout early morning or noon time..so the truth to all of this IS more what you eat as opposed to when you eat…being 57 and doing all of this stuff since I was 14 6’2″ 195 10% fat and worked out early morning , noonish and evening the real key is find out what works “best for YOU “

You’re never going to find out what works “best for you” if you have no clue what to try. The point of what I do is to provide direction.

All the best,
Joel

Ben wrote:

Hey Joel
How about pre-workout? If I plan on working out after breakfast then naturally I’ll have carbs for breakfast but if I plan on working out after lunch, I normally have a low carb breakfast (eggs or chicken with veggies) then I’ll have a quinoa porridge with 4 egg whites, 1 yolk and a cup of blueberries mixed in. Does that sound like a good eating plan?

Always carbs in the morning – there’s no reason to miss out on the best “carb processing” time of day.

Second feeding post workout.

This is for fat loss. If your goal was strictly muscle gain, we’d have an entirely different approach (carbs at every meal, etc).

Joel

Carolyn wrote:

I read something really interesting on Dr Mercolas site, he was talking with a fitness expert, mainly about high intesity workouts, producing a lot of growth hormone, which is what you want for fat burning. In their words,
“growth hormone targets fat like a heat seeking missile. ”
They also said carbohydrate stops GH in it’s tracks.
Their summary : if you are already lean, and more concerned with muscle recovery, then have carbs in your recovery meal.
However if fat burning is your goal, avoid carbs for two hours after your workout
I had never heard that before, so would really like your thoughts on it Thanks.

Intense weight training puts you in a catabolic state – so if you don’t mind losing muscle as you lose fat, avoiding carbs for 4 hours after an intense workout is a good idea.

I don’t think that is what anyone is doing, though, which is why carbs are suggested since your body is so primed to suck them right up without interfering with other catabolic processes, such as fat loss.

The state your body is in after an intense weight training session is much different than other times of day – basically, the situation you mention above wouldn’t matter after weight training since the body is basically craving carbohydrate.

Joel

Anthony wrote:

Thanks Joel. I do have a question related to getting down to single digit body fat (final phase). In order to get there, you have to do intense workouts, whether it’s cardio or weights or both at the same time, you really have to push yourself. After that, your glycogen stores are pretty much depleted. I know that it’s then that your body will tap into its fat stores, but it cannot synthesize glycogen from fat so, even during a real low carb diet (like the one you suggest in your Ninja Nutrition Tactics), shouldn’t you at least consume carbs before and after workout so as to make recovery easier and to be able to push yourself even more during those workouts. I’m always worried that if I skip the carb meal post-workout, I will lose muscle because the body can synthesize glycogen from protein, and that’s really not what we want, is it?
So long question, and I know you suggest eating carbs post-workout here, but does that apply to your real low carb approach as well?
Thanks for the post anyway. Keep on the good work, love reading you!

With a true low carb diet the body learns to derive energy from fat more efficiently. Also, going low carb short term can be a valuable tool…the tip above is more of a broad picture scenario to follow most of the time.

All the best,

Joel