Carb weight and Carb Loading questions

**AZArmor** · 06-24-2012, 03:31 AM

Hey all you knowledgable people! I have two different sets of questions regarding carbohydrates that I'm hoping you guys can answer -

1) Does eating carbs cause a person to retain water or bloat, or cause someone to remain heavier for some reason? Why is it that cutting them out for a few days/weeks causes a person to shed weight lightning fast, but then once that initial burst is gone they have to adjust again? Why does carb loading cause a person to pack on a couple pounds in one shot? Or is it just my family and I that have to navigate that phenomenon? lol

2) What would be the best way to Carb load for an early morning fitness test? I have an APFT at 6 a.m. Thursday morning and I'm wondering whether I should load up Wednesday night or just wake up at 2 or 3 am Thursday and eat? What foods would you guys recommend?

I usually go for pasta or a sub sandwich, but preferably I'd like to eat something that won't bloat me or sit in my stomach while I'm pushing out two miles as fast as I can and keep the number on the scale as low as possible. I've been on a low-carb diet for a couple of weeks now(4 days of no more than 50g per day, then I do a day around 150g to get my energy back up, rinse repeat). Not sure if that would have any effect on your advice, but there ya go lol.

Thanks for the help!

**--->>405<<---** · 06-24-2012, 06:55 AM

az good questions man!

1. carbs are stored in the body in the form of muscle glycogen (and also bodyfat

). the ones stored as glycogen are stored in the muscle tissue. in order for them to be stored correctly they have to have molecules of water stored with them. i believe the ratio is @ 2parts water to 1part glycogen (or something like that.. mayeb 3:1). when u dont eat carbs for several days consecutively and workout ur body uses the muscle glycogen for fuel. when it does this since u are not ingesting carbs to replenish the glycogen ur glycogen stores become depleted. as ur body uses up the glycogen the water molecules get used up with it. i believe ur body has somewhere in the neighborhood of a capacity for 500g glycogen (dont hold me to that number

). as is obvious when u deplete most of (or all) ur glycogen as well as the water attached to it u will lose weight.

once u ingest carbs again from a depleted state ur body not only stores glycogen but also water. along with it comes weight.

2. if u have a fitness test in the am there are many sources of carbs u could ingest. speaking from personal experience (and from solely an energy perspective considering its a one shot deal) ive found peanut butter and jelly sandwiches work very well! real sugar jelly and good ole jif peanut butter (i like extra crunchy). maybe 2 of them 2 hrs before. ive dun them with white bread and whole wheat bread with good success! good luck!

**AZArmor** · 06-24-2012, 12:53 PM

Awesome! Just what I wanted to know. Thanks for the response man!

**gbrice75** · 06-25-2012, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by AZArmor

Hey all you knowledgable people! I have two different sets of questions regarding carbohydrates that I'm hoping you guys can answer -

1) Does eating carbs cause a person to retain water or bloat, or cause someone to remain heavier for some reason? Why is it that cutting them out for a few days/weeks causes a person to shed weight lightning fast, but then once that initial burst is gone they have to adjust again? Why does carb loading cause a person to pack on a couple pounds in one shot? Or is it just my family and I that have to navigate that phenomenon? lol

As stated, carbs are stored as glycogen which is a molecule composed of water and glucose. The ratio is 1g carbs + 3g water. As you can see, this explains why people feel (and to a lesser extent, look) bloated when they consume carbs. You are absolutely retaining water, however this is sometimes a desireable look - full muscles look better.

When carbs are cut out, glycogen stores are depleted and you lose 'weight' (mostly water weight initially). You'll see a 4-6lbs loss in the first week, but usually by the second week, this tapers down to a slower, more steady rate of .5 - 2lbs per week as you will by then primarily be burning fat (assuming diet is dialed in).

Originally Posted by AZArmor

2) What would be the best way to Carb load for an early morning fitness test? I have an APFT at 6 a.m. Thursday morning and I'm wondering whether I should load up Wednesday night or just wake up at 2 or 3 am Thursday and eat? What foods would you guys recommend?

I usually go for pasta or a sub sandwich, but preferably I'd like to eat something that won't bloat me or sit in my stomach while I'm pushing out two miles as fast as I can and keep the number on the scale as low as possible. I've been on a low-carb diet for a couple of weeks now(4 days of no more than 50g per day, then I do a day around 150g to get my energy back up, rinse repeat). Not sure if that would have any effect on your advice, but there ya go lol.

Thanks for the help!

Well pasta will definitely 'sit in your stomach', and I doubt a sub sandwich will be much better. IMO, don't wake up extra early to eat - sleep is more important. Eat right before you go to bed, and make it a good amount of complex carbs - oats, sweet potato, brown rice, etc. Eat with a slow digesting protein source like beef. Eat again in the morning before you leave, but don't wake up extra early to do so. Again, have a good protein source, good amount of complex carbs, and a bit of fat to go along with it.

My .02