do you add more carbs when you work out that day, or just calories?

[westcoast]

So if you know you will work out today, or you have just finished working out, do you add more carbs or do you just add more calories, but not in carb form, so protein, or fat? Or do you keep your calorie intake the same? I'm just wondering because I'm at the weight I desire..... and if I don't take in any carbs, what is my body using for energy? My own muscle? My own fat? I hope not because there isn't much of either to take away! Shouldn't I eat carbs to "make up" for the energy expended, or if I just keep eating the low-carb way, but more, in terms of calories, I should be fine.

[john_c12]

After I had gotten down to the the size I wanted to be (I don't care what I weigh), I decided that I wanted to add a lot of muscle and really bulk up. So, I added good carbs back into my diet; BAD MOVE, I got much bigger muscle-wise, but I also got a bigger waistline. I've gotten rid of carbs and I am close to my waistline being what I'd like (most people would call me names if they saw me and knew that I still was not happy with the way I look).

For me, I just make sure I take in plenty of protein, and I can lift just as much as when I was eating all those "good" carbs, cept I'm injured right now. :-(

[Gostrydr]

I totally have the same thing happen to me..carbs in, waist line expands.

It really is odd. You are adding muscle,but it seems that the extra "energy" that carbs provide find their way to your gut.

I am insulin resistant so that is a huge part of it..now that I know. But before I found out, I thought, "hell I'm just bulking up." I thought those pounds were needed.

But when I drop carbs the effects are almost immediate..

So do those who have super insulin sensitivity, avoid the gut?

Like Cs says, up the protein,but I would also up the fat.

[john_c12]

I totally have the same thing happen to me..carbs in, waist line expands.

It really is odd. You are adding muscle,but it seems that the extra "energy" that carbs provide find their way to your gut.

I am insulin resistant so that is a huge part of it..now that I know. But before I found out, I thought, "hell I'm just bulking up." I thought those pounds were needed.

But when I drop carbs the effects are almost immediate..

So do those who have super insulin sensitivity, avoid the gut?

Like Cs says, up the protein,but I would also up the fat.

I'd only wished I had been reading this board a couple of years ago when I made that stupid, misinformed decision (actually, I had signed up, just didn't read it, oops).

Those workout books can be great for the actual exercises, but they don't know what they're talking about when it comes to diet, "you MUST eat carbs to gain muscle", um WRONG!

[westcoast]

well, i wasn't eating enough calories to build up the muscle, so that was a waste of time, so now i need to take in more, but just assume it should be more protein. I ate a bunch of fat the last three days and , whoa, that was wrong - I guess because I ate too many carbs. I ate 3 fruits a day, and then lots of veggies, but no breads/rice, etc.... anyway, the fat was in the form of nuts and eggs, and I felt "full" but kind of gross.... so I'm back to just lifting but eating more protein. blah!

[alpdiver]

Westcoast,

I think you'll find some useful information at this forum:

http://www.lowcarbmuscle.com/forums/

[diemde]

I'm still in weight loss mode, but I eat what I call targeted carbs. I have a few carbs before strength training to ensure I have the energy to get through the workout and then a few more after the workout. This works very well for me. I am just getting back into my strength training, but when I did this before, I was able to begin lifting a lot heavier fairly quickly.

I think the amounts vary for men and women, with women needing fewer carbs after workout. I would recommend trying different amounts to see what works best for you. I am still trying to decide exactly how much I need, but it's in the range of 10-15 before and 3-5 afterwards. It also depends on how hard your workouts are. If you are truly working to muscle failure and you are doing a long session, you'll want a few more pre-workout. If you have a few too many before, then just tack on a little extra cardio afterwards to burn them off.

And I know it's controversial on whether you need any or not afterwards, but based on what I've read, it does help the muscles recover faster. I'm not an expert, though, so YMMV. Oh, and since I burn these off with the workout, I don't count the carbs as part of my daily carb amounts.