When Should I Be Eating My Simple Carbs?
Hey Dino,
First off Id like to say great job on your postings, very informative and helpful. (especially the calculator on Bodybuilding.com) Now my only question is when exactly I should be eating my simple carbs i.e.(just directly after my workout or continue to take them throughout the 2 hour window period?) or do I take simple carbs right after then begin eating more complex carbs and whole proteins for the duration of the 2 hour period?
Currently I'm ingesting whey protein with orange juice and some honey right after my work out... then 30 min later some more OJ and whey... then 30 min again some honey and whey or eggs, but I'm wondering if that's creating too much of an insulin spike.
I want to avoid becoming insulin resistant. Also is it ok to eat fats after that first high glycemic carb/whey shake right after the workout, I don't want to blunt my insulin spikes and I've noticed some people list fats as a part of their post workout meal while others say to avoid it? I apologize if my questions are confusing... I think I've read too many articles now, maybe you can help shed some light. Thanks. -D.
D.,
I thank you for the complement in concerns of my postings. Simple high glycemic index carbohydrates should be consumed in strategically spaced increments throughout your 3 hour (not 2 hour) window of opportunity, which begins immediately following your resistance training. You should begin eating more complex/fibrous carbohydrates (CHO), such as vegetables of non starch content and whole food protein after this 3 hour window has been utilized. That period will pretty much cover the remainder of your day.
Ingesting whey protein with orange juice is okay but it would be better to purchase a product (AST's HSC, Endurox-R4, Gatorade, Powerade, etc.) designed to spike insulin levels, which assists in loading both CHO & protein into the muscle cells. Honey, I do not recommend as a reloading CHO, as it does not really create an insulin surge and is primarily utilized by the liver rather than the muscles.
Begin to reload glycogen and initiate protein synthesis by consuming the first meal immediately following your training session, this meal should always be a liquid. 30 minutes later another meal should be consumed. Wait an hour and consume your third, finally at the 3 hour mark consume your last "loading meal."
Other sources besides OJ & Honey are: bread, flour wraps, potatoes, meal replacements that use maltodextrin at the beginning of their ingredient listing, rice, and corn to name a few. Protein sources can be whey/soy protein powders, lean meats, & egg whites to name a few. I would not worry about creating too much of an insulin spike during your 3 hour post training window of opportunity. There is no such thing as too much insulin during this period, if there were there would be a lot less bodybuilders using insulin in addition to what their body already produces, which is a quite popular yet extremely dangerous loading technique. You will not become insulin resistant by following these instructions. Resistance training keeps those receptors real clean and wide open so at that time you need those insulin spiking CHO, trust me.
Following your initial high glycemic carb/whey shake I would avoid the purposeful addition of fats. I do not see the logic in people adding it as a part of their post workout nutrition regimen. However, if it is one of the "good fats" in a supplement form such as flax seed oil or the one of the Omegas, that would be fine. Those fats are liquids and will not delay gastric emptying as saturated fats would. Even though you are using a "food" meal in the 3 hour time period you want them to be quick emptying/absorbing small meals. You were just a little confused on the ever controversial topic of CHO and insulin. I think you were right by saying that you "read too many articles" I hope to have shed the light of which you were in search of.