Carbohydrates and fat loss

clearing up confusion on Quantity, Type and Timing

It appears that it is still a common misconception among the general public that a low carb approach is needed for fat loss This is not exactly the case Prioritize finding a way you can sustain and enjoy yourself on a calorie deficit is going to be more important for long term health and fat loss However there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate whereas protein is broken down into essential amino acids and fats into essential fatty acids both of which are needed for life. Therefore the amount of carbs you have daily should be however many calories are left over after consuming the minimum amount of protein and fat you require.

Carbohydrate intake should match our daily needs; for someone doing low intensity aerobic exercise 2-3x per week and eating a moderate portion of carbs at each meal 3-4x per day, you’re carb intake will probably far exceed the amount of glycogen you are going to need to replenish from training The more insulin sensitive you are the more carbohydrates you will be able to consume daily Insulin sensitivity is defined as how much insulin the pancreas has to release to remove x amount of glucose out of the blood stream. The less required the better. The more muscle and less Body fat you have the more insulin sensitive you will be. The more intensely and frequently you train the better your ability to tolerate carbohydrates will be Quality of carbohydrate does matter to an extent however the small differences between 2 different types of carb E.G sweet and white potato are often overemphasized (1). Instead focus on the volume of food you get for the carbs it cost you , 200g new potatoes will give you less carbs than 200g brown rice and therefor has cost you less of you’re “carb budget ” . Also make sure you enjoy the carbs you eat, if you don’t like sweet potatoes don’t eat them forcing yourself to consume a food because it’s “healthier” or because its paleo is stupid and not sustainable.

The GI index is not a good measure of weather a certain carb is good or bad for fat loss as the study was done on just consuming that single food alone , who eats just new potatoes by them self ?

As soon as you pair a carbohydrate with protein/fat /fibre it drastically slows down the insulin response. The Glycemic index also doesn’t take into account the carb density of the food, for example watermelon has a high GI of about 72 but it’s about 92% Timing of carbs Again i wouldn’t worry to much about the timing of carbohydrates(2) for most people trying to lose fat there inconsistency , weekend binges , and lack of hard work put into gym sessions need to be considered first. However because carbohydrates stimulate a serotonin release which is needed to for deep sleep having some carbs later in the day/ before bed would be a good idea for most people No having carbs before bed will not make you fat if you are eating on a calorie deficit Post workout is another good time to utilize carbs for glycogen replenishment To summarise you need some carbs in the diet for recovery, satiety and performance Enjoy the carbs you deserve

references:

1: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26530933

2: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494

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