we need to have carbs after a workout
 

I was reading this news article that says we need to have carbs after a workout.

The full article is HERE Are they saying we will lose muscle mass? I also wonder how many carbs they think we need. I try to stick to 20 or under. I am not willing to change things. I believe it's just another stab at lowcarbers. Does anyone have any comments on this?

Actually, what is needed to "rebuild worn muscles" is protein. For weight lifting and other "sprint" sports, the glycogen in the muscles are used, but for endurance sports, fat is actually a better fuel.

My position on carbs is that you shouldn't eat more than you burn off. That's all there is to it. If you are strenously exercising, you can burn off the carbs and can have more. And for sports that require a "quick burst" of energy, having glycogen in your muscles is a good thing.

How many on this board are serious athletes? And how many serious athletes have weight problems? This is something that doesn't get addressed. At my present activity level, on Maintenance, 40-60 carbs a day is all I burn, apparently. So that's all I eat. It does make sense.

Anthony Colpo, a trainer and low-carber, basically says the same thing with the exception of the amount of carbs and types of carbs that this article seems to suggest. Check out his site at:

http://www.theomnivore.com/index.html

and particularly his bio

http://www.theomnivore.com/my_story.html

He does state that if you do strenous workouts you should be ingesting more of the right kinds of carbs.

Atkins' take on athletics and carbs
 

I found this to be quite informative from the Atkins site--some of us are trying to do more high intensity workouts which last for more than an hour, so it may be reasonable to add more good carbs.

These articles are more on pre-nutrition than post-nutrition, but I think that there is some truth to fueling back up with a balanced meal. I suspect that as we continue to get athletic that maintenance levels of carbs are more appropriate even if we are still trying to lose weight at the same time. It's certainly proportional to activity level.

Dr. Trager ate pizza after his triathlon *LOL*:

http://atkins.com/Archive/2003/11/21-571145.html

Because of the hormonal response associated with carbohydrate consumption,
some research has even suggested that there may be a deleterious effect from consuming carbohydrates immediately prior to exercise.1 Specifically, these authors have suggested that increased insulin in response to this
carbohydrate load can result in decreased available blood glucose for
energy. Although this topic is controversial, the most popular recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine and the
American Dietetic Association suggest that pre-competition carbohydrate
ingestion should occur at least three to four hours before activity begins.2

Because fat burning does require some carbohydrate metabolism, it is
recommended that in events lasting an hour or more, 30 to 60 grams of
carbohydrate should be ingested to enhance performance (amount depending
upon intensity and duration of exercise). 7

http://atkins.com/Archive/2003/5/16-246111.html

I'm a serious weightlifter. I also have way too much bodyfat and I have terrible trouble getting rid of it. The scale and I have major battles--in fact, right now I'm on a non-weighing phase because I just can't take it.

I did Atkins for nearly a year, and while I was happy with the weight loss, I was very unhappy with my performance in the gym. I "bonked" frequently, felt horrible during workouts, and didn't see much improvement in my lifting ability.

Things got better when I did a Body-for-Life challenge. I raised my daily carb limit to 100 and targeted it around the workouts. I lost about 10 lbs of fat doing this, if my calipers are to be believed. However, I ended up having energy only for the workouts, with little left over for anything else--I think that's because the intense exercise meant I was staying in ketosis even at ~100 carbs/day.

I am currently doing BodyRx, which is a high-protein and controlled-carb plan, rather than a low carb plan. The carb levels are high enough to keep me out of ketosis...and finally I have the energy to make big improvements in the gym.

We shall see what happens with the fat loss...it's too early to tell yet.

Wow, you guys are all so knowledgeable here. I knew I would get some great insight if I posted it. Thank you!