CARBOHYDRATE RATIOS

23 Jun CARBOHYDRATE RATIOS

I’m constantly being asked questions regarding proper amounts of carbohydrates (CHO) and protein. I’ve already discussed protein in a previous issue, so allow me to move on to CHO’s. There are several approaches to the regulation of CHO metabolism: one is the healthy way, one is the athletic way (CHO loading), and last is the less healthy, but aesthetically pleasing way. First of all, dietitians recommend that one derives 60% of their diet from CHO’s. Yes, this is healthy, but it also makes it very difficult to lose fat while maintaining muscle for a moderately active person. This is not to say that one can not lose fat on such a diet, it just takes longer. The other approach is to keep CHO levels down to 40-50% of the diet allowing metabolic processes to more efficiently burn fat. The problem is, chronic high protein diets may cause renal problems in the future without proper hydration. My personal solution for this is to simply apply the same principle as protein cycling (different science). Five days a week, maintain ~40-50% CHO’s a day, but move up to 60% CHO’s for two days while dropping protein and fat consumption so as to continue the same caloric level. This cycle should be repeated over and over. There is another important concept to apply here. The first meal (out of five) of the day should contain the bulk of the CHO’s and each meal thereafter should contain less and less CHO’s leaving the last meal of the day with no CHO’s. For example, the first meal may have ~100g CHO, the second ~75g, the third ~50g, the fourth ~25g, and finally the last would not supply any calories from CHO’s or fat. This whole system makes fat loss much more efficient. This material is not referenced, but originates from many years of experience and a degree. So, yes, this is my opinion!

Print PDF Version

Back to Articles