I ❤️CARBS! (and so should you!)

Hey a question
I am fueling my workouts :heart: Carbs.
I have changed from preloading by now adding carbs❤️ During the 90min workout (50g sugar in 700ml water). Previous to this I was struggling to see an increase in muscle mass ( I weigh myself after each ride with biomag scale) I typically hovered at 36.6% and weight 87kg now I see an increase in muscle only 0.5% but is this related?

you weigh yourself AFTER a workout?

I am very torn either to go low carb or high carb. I am dependent on Insuline Shots as a Type 1 Diabetic. Whenever I have carb intake I have to inject insuline which makes it superdifficult to get through high intense workouts without a sugar breakdown / Hypo or a tough sugar spike after workout.
Would I go low carb (which I do now) I dont have to inject insuline but cant go high intense or even SS without burning out and having mostly to cancel the workout. Z2 is no problem, going for hours without any carbs, although I feel I do not recover so well and feel tired the day after.
So … what to do… curious what you suggest.

This has probably been answered already…

How long does it take for the carbs to hit your system?

i.e. its been said already that when you’re fuelling on the bike, lets say you’re doing the whole 80-120g carbs in 500-1000ml water thing, when do you take your first sip and how quickly should you consume it? Before you start? 10 mins in? Am I overthinking it? :thinking: :relaxed:

Just listened to an AACC podcast (234) that went into this in detail - 10-15 minutes for simple gels/drinks to start absorption and thus provide a benefit, those times getting progressively longer as the carbs get more complex and other macros are mixed with them. Worth a listen.

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And lets not forget that your brain sends a message to the rest of the body that carbs are coming just by sipping carbs :).
So start drinking from the beginning of the workout.

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I am wearing a Constant Glucose Monitor on my body which shows me that simple carbs / sugar get into the blood and body real quick, especially when these are liquids like softdrinks, gels etc… these take barely a couple of minutes.

It is almost scary to see how quickly white bread and rice etc. are processed and pushed into the blood, 10-20 minutes, not to speak about fast foods (fast!!) etc.

More complex carbs (nuts, wholegrain, beans etc.) take much longer, or almost forever when combined with some fat.

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Hmm, what about plain, cooked white potatoes? How long do they take? I need some REALLY quick whole food carb sources.

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Everbody is different. I feel like rice gets into my system superquick, potatoes take a bit longer but not long for sure, 15-20min

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I use sweet potatoes all the time
Golden beets are good and not as messy
Oats
Roasted carrots
Fruits are Whole Foods
Any tuber or root vegetable will work

I just mix up some sugar and water, frankly, for the 1 hour rides. I assume I’ve got some carbs in me so usually mix up 50-60 grams. Anything more than 1 hour I use a malto/fructose mix because I make more and the malto isn’t sweet. I add some salt and a bit of lemon juice as well.

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Yes, maybe. Carbs are stored in muscle with water.

FYI: All the at-home body composition analyzers use bioelectric impedance analysis. One major flaw is its sensitivity to hydration status and changes. Really sensitive!

Changing hydration status in a single user from very dehydrated to very hydrated could change their reported BF% from like 20% to 14%, no joke. BIA measures how much electricity is “lost” to your fat tissue which doesn’t conduct electricity very well. The more fat you have, the more electricity is lost between their sensors. The more water you have, the leaner it will report you. Likewise, the less water you’ve got onboard, the more fat it will report you as a percentage.

So, with any BIA measurement, if it is corroborated through visual inspection (looking at progress pictures or in mirror, or by what friends/family have been telling you, unprompted), by how clothing is fitting/feeling, or by what we’re seeing on the scale, then we can use it as another piece of semi-reliable data. But if it seems at odds with what we’re genuinely seeing in any of those measures, or it says something like you’ve lost muscle mass over a time period where you were gaining substantial strength in the weight room…then we should probably assume something is amiss.

This thread may have some useful discussion in it. “Ctrl+F” “diabetes” “Enter” “Enter” (or scroll down a ways!)
https://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/?post=last-7444621#first

When I clip in. Or, if it’s been >2hr since my last meal, as I’m getting dressed to get on bike.

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Thx, funny, I could have written the same post as flogazo did concerning longer lower effort workouts, absolutely same experiences on my side.

But what I am missing here is the question how to cope with higher intensity effort workouts: how to fuel up carbs longterm? How to fuel up shortly before workouts? When to reduce insuline before workouts? How to fuel during and after workouts? When to correct after high intense workouts without spoiling the muscle refill process… etc… so many question marks.

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This is great news for me as I always weigh myself first thing in the morning, at my most dehydrated. So the fat reported should be about as high of a % as possible.

That said - I really only look at weight, the impedance stuff has always felt a bit wishy washy on my home scale

You should work with my wife. Unfortunately I don’t know if she’s taking new clients at the moment. She’s got all the knowledge I have, plus clinical experience and interest in T1D.

Actually… I’ll see if I can twist her arm into getting onto this forum. Doubtful. lol

If not, I’ll copy-paste you’re inquiry into an email to her and discuss with her at dinner tonight. It’s a very interesting topic to me too.

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I sure love my carbs and have enjoyed nice gains and recovery from increasing my carb intake over the past couple of years. However, I have not enjoyed the increased gas and bloating that has come along with it. During my last physical my doctor assured me it’s normal and nothing to really worry about. My friends, family, and girlfriend beg to differ. Honestly, it’s become quite uncomfortable and annoying.

Has anyone else experienced this? I thought it was just a lactose issue a few years ago and I cut that out with no noticeable difference. Over the past year or so I’ve been eating mostly oats/oatmeal for breakfast with no thought that this was a cause. Turns out oatmeal and Oat milk are some of the worst culprits. Apples, other fruits, and veggies like broccoli also cause problems.

If any of you here on the forum have experienced this, how have you been able to meet your carb intake along with reducing bloating and gas due to the high fiber that a lot of these foods have?

Sounds like you might look into some Low FODMAP carb options by the sounds of it… some of us have guts that are more ’tender’ than others! I’m certainly one of them. I have to be very careful I don’t stack FODMAPS too much each day. If you have no idea what FODMAPs are, I’d check out the Monash University FODMAP app which is the best go-to place for the most up to date info. The take-home is - if you’re willing to look into using low FODMAP carb options (even just lower than what you’re currently doing), you’ll likely experience less of the uncomfortable (and stinky!) experiences you’re currently going through.

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This. Exactly this. Also chat with a gastroenterologist.

@jasonfkolar see here:
Low FODMAPs Diet Information

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Thank you!

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I do have a family member who has been diagnosed with IBS and other GI issues however, oats are his go to to prevent his issues. Looking through the Monash app and the link you sent there seem to be a good amount of foods that are low in FODMAP but also high in fiber. A gastroenterologist visit will be on my schedule soon.

Thank you for the link and info!

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