ANSWERS: 2
  • Depends on your workout goals and when you are working out. If you are trying to lose weight and you are working out in the evening (which I don't suggest, it will keep you up)avoid carbs, but if it is earlier in the day there is no problem with taking in "healthy carbs," whole grains, sugars from fruit and so on. Healthy carbs provide energy for the body, and if you are trying to bulk up a little as well, you will want to add some healthy low fat protein with the carbs (peanuts, lean cut meats like chicken) I DO NOT suggest a strictly low carb diet, rather, try replacing bad carbs (sugar) with good carbs (whole grains, fruit). Also you can speed up weight loss by taking in the majority of your carbs during meals before the last meal of the day. The rule of thumb with any diet is the less processed a food is, usually the more healthy. A quick list of carbs; any whole grain bread (not enriched) any organic fruit, and several veggies have healthy carbs-check label if you can make it 2 to 3 weeks without sugar or sweeteners, you will be surprised how sweet a piece of fruit can taste!
  • You're in luck. The post workout period is an ideal time to take in carbohydrates without having preferential fat storage occur. Whey isolate protein shake is a very good choice at this time as well. The reason is (as you've guessed) your body is looking to rapidly replace its muscle energy stores. This time period is sometimes called the "refeed window" and is one of the few times that you really don't have to worry much about fat accumulation. In fact, avoiding carbs during this period is a bad idea - periodic refeedings are necessary to reset body leptin levels which are your body's means to determine if it is starving or not. A starving body wants to drop its muscle, not its fat. Muscle is active tissue - fat is energy storage (a significant oversimplification but good enough for this discussion). Your body is still operating as though it was in dire survival mode in the Jungle - so it tries to keep you fat in order to let you survive the famine it thinks is coming :) It is good to add plenty of essential fats to your daily diet but not during the post workout window - here, stick to low-glycemic carbohydrates (and I disagree with the suggestion to use grains) and readily usable proteins with minimal fat (Whey protein isolate is ideal). Some non-stimulating weight loss supplements can be found in various online retailers such as http://www.fitbid.com

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