wondering if someone can explain why we carb up in the evening instead of earlier in the day so that the high amount of carbs get used instead of stored as fat during sleep when our metabolisms are slowest? Has anyone switched this to a morning carbup? Wouldnt that work? I usually workout in the early am (lift/cardio) wouldn't it be more beneficial to stoke my metabolism with these carbs after training earlier in the day? just a thought.plus the pm carb up makes me queezy..I am a new figure competitor.

Hi run4fun...I believe the purpose of the carb meal at night is to replenish glycogen stores in muscle...I would think that if you had them in the morning they would be used as fuel and defeating the purpose...I always felt energetic the next morning after the carb up meal...I know others will be able to explain this better than I just did...

There are several reasons for the carb up metabolic (continuous low carb diets, like Atkins, downregulate or decrease T3 levels, ie triiodothyronine a thyroid hormone, in the body which serves to decrease metabolism--the carb up restores T3 levels), EXERCISE PERFORMANCE (continuous low carb depletes glycogen which is key to firing up an intense workout, when glycogen is depleated around the evening of day 3, mood, energy, intensity and recovery suffer--thus the carb up to restore these), and ANABOLIC BENEFITS

SORRY hit the post button anyway ANABOLIC BENEFITS (periodic carb up takes advantage of the anabolic action of insulin while avoiding the lipogenic (fat producing) effects of a chronically high insulin level--which would exist if you ate a high carb diet. Additionally testosterone can be elevated with periodic carb ups by decreasing sex-hormone-binding-globulin (a protein that binds testosterone thus less protein that can bind to test means more FREE test, FREE test binds to androgen receptors to have its anabolic effect).

Why at night instead of in the AM? two reasons mainly, 1) to allow a period without food so that insulin levels will normalize (if you were to eat this carbup, then return to your normal lowcarb moderate fat diet, insulin levels would still be elevated from the meal a few hours later and the fat you eat in your meal would efficiently be shuttled into adipocytes for fat storage--by eating at night the 8-10h fast allows insulin to get back to baseline. 2) High carb meals increases hunger specifically carb craving. So if you are asleep you don't notice this and thus it doesn't happen, so when you wake up in the morning you restart your normal diet and start depleating glycogen again.

If the meal is making you nauseous or your so bloated you can't sleep slightly decrease portion size back to a comfortable level and then over a period of time, slowly increase portion sizes OR you can just eat until you're full, OR move the meal further from bedtime so that your food has a chance to settle before you lay down at night. I get so bloated from these meals that I eat them ~3 hours before bed, otherwise when I lay down I can't even breath. Hope this was helpful.

PharmD,
thank you for your explanation, it makes sense. I will take your advise and try to eat it sooner in the evening and cut back a little on portions.

Hi run4fun....I understand the reason/benefits of the carb up meal but I am not going to try it again, never. I must be the odd on on this board because everytime I try it, it does not work for me. I try it each time I compete (for a few weeks) and end up taking a step. I actually end up screwing my system up for that (the carb up) night and then the better part of the next day too. (anyone wondering see..."blood sugar crash" post...) So now I am going back to the way that works for me and that is a carbs at a meal 1 and 3 on Mon and Thur. I know this is not the recommended way but it works for me.

So, I think the keys is give it a good college try and if you think it is not suited for your system get in touch with your Advisor and I bet she may have suggestions for you.

Best to you

Leslie

I meant to type "step Backward" ...

Leslie

Leslie,

I actually had that happen to me this week. As I stated to you before, I suffer from low blood sugar too and tuesay night I had my carb up and i woke up during the middle of the night sweating and my sugar was really low. I felt like **** all day on Wednesday. The whole day my blood sugar was out of whack. In my carb ups before I would not eat the banana but Tuesday night I did. So that may be what caused it. I can't handle fruit very well at all even in my MP shakes. I usually only do 2 strawberries with them instead of 4 or 5. I was supposed to have another carb up last night but I missed it because I was not at home, but I am having it tonight without the banana and I will see if the same thing happens. Before incluing the fruit I never had a problem with the carb up's.

Lisa

Lisa, sorry to hear that. I sympathize. The hangover the next day is no fun either.

When I was in teenager & in college when ever I ate a banana I got a severe headache. I had given them up until I introduced the carb up meal into my diet, then I only used 2 oz.. I am sure it is a NO NO for you and me. I was wondering if it was an essential componant to the carb up meal.

Can you do the grapefruit ? I can, with my eggs. Never eat fruit on its own!! I don't use hate strawberries in my shake. I have a few flax caps instead.

Leslie

Have you all ever thought about monitoring your blood glucose before, and at different times during the carb up. I would be really interested to see what happens with your levels during these meals. If you have acess to a meter and don't mind the finger stick, try it sometime and post the results. With all the carbs in the carb up I wouldn't think that a banana would have such a drastic effect esp considering how many g of fiber are in the meal to slow the rise in blood glucose. I can certainly believe your crash during your sleep, that is really unpleasant. I really don't feel the banana is THAT essential. You might want to get the opinion of BI staff, but fructose will help to replenish liver glycogen preferentially, which really is NOT the primary objective. You would rather focus on muscle glycogen, thus fiberous non sugary carbs like the oats, brown rice, sweet potato, (I have used Whole wheat pasta--although some may not agree due to food allergy properties, it works for me). So I would guess that you could use a combination of these other foods to equal the amount of carbs needed and get a similar result. Just my $.02 though.