Physiology Question (Again)

[Ele'ill]

On a diet that is high protein, moderate fat, low carbs, would it be beneficial after HIIT workouts to have a handful of Skittles or other such source of dextrose/simple carbs, if the goal is to eat lite, cheap, low bf? My thinking is that it could play a part in preventing episodes of over-training.

The debate over this as I left it was that even after HIIT your muscle glycogen levels aren't even close to fully depleted and that a protein source with something like veggies is probably healthiest for you but the counter to this was something like but the dextrose or maltodextrin is still beneficial immediately post workout in aiding recovery quicker, which would be beneficial to someone like me who is not eating a lot but still working out a lot and walking around a lot after the workouts through the day.

[Ele'ill]

Also to note I am talking about literally a handful of skittles and not a pwo shake of some variety that has a ridiculous amount of sugar in it.

This is the other part of the studies where it showed no useful purpose for ingesting simple carbs pwo

http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/optimized-workout-nutrition-carbs-protein-revisited/

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

I can't remember where I got the idea, but I used to mix my post-workout protein shakes with water, dextrose and maltodextrin. Apparently (I don't have a source for this anymore but feel free to research it), the combination of dextrose and maltodextrin replenishes your sugar levels (or glycogen levels?) and also acts as a facilitator in terms of bringing protein to the muscles a lot quicker.

As I mixed it with water it didn't add up to a lot of calories either, just a high quality shot of protein with some well-directed, specific sugars.

I guess using the simple sugar from skittles could have the same effect, but you can probably buy dextrose and maltrodextrin cheaper in bulk online tbh.

[Ele'ill]

I thought that skittles, m&m's and the like were dextrose, the maltodextrin is the supplement you have to buy (or found in pwo shake mixes and the like). Ya, that is the theory, that it aids in recovery pwo but the link I posted and several other newer 'research' shows that it isn't the case, that the insulin spike isn't beneficial and the 'muscle flooding with nutrients' thing isn't that simple. So I seek to put the debate to rest. I guess as with most things, if you're not sure, if nobody is sure, and you're doing okay without it, just don't do it.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

^^interesting. I normally just go for protein with water these days post-workout, and any other time try to do protein with skimmed milk for some sugars.

[Ele'ill]

i don't think there's much science behind proving that this is a super worth while thing to do, don't get me wrong though i bought the skittles anyways and i eat one or two usually in the evening after dinner. when you're carb fasted and don't eat or drink processed sugar, things like creamy tasting fresh mangos and single skittles are pretty wild

[Ele'ill]

after posting that I decided to 'try one', it was green just like the one last night, so i have to get one that isn't green, the next one was green too, finally got a red, and in about 5 minutes i am going to throw them out because i can't stop eating them now

[Slavic]

If I recall correctly from the last thread your just trying to maintain your BMI right? And from my understanding you are pretty much in great shape.

The small amount of calories that you are getting from a packet of skittles post workout isn't going to throw you off much considering your diet as a hole.

Go nuts and taste the rainbow.

Also please don't carb fast. You need at least a baseline of carbs so that your brain doesn't start metabolizing ketone bodies.

[Ele'ill]

The small amount of calories that you are getting from a packet of skittles post workout isn't going to throw you off much considering your diet as a hole.

Right, over time they could add up as any calorie source can, especially as I move closer to or above bmr, they also spike insulin as severely as glucose tabs, from what I hear. That is 1/4 cup at 160 calories 40g carbs iirc. If they are not an outstandingly important addition to training I would rather not put my body through that. Also to note that I will often wake up early enough that I don't want to walk to the place where I do cardio so I will do pull/push and sometimes core work at another park, after I usually eat something. I don't think it would be a good idea to then spike insulin again even more dramatically (from my understanding) about two hours later after cardio with the skittles.




Also please don't carb fast. You need at least a baseline of carbs so that your brain doesn't start metabolizing ketone bodies.I guess I'm not really 'carb fasting', I am eating plenty of veggies and fruit. On my rest day, once a week, I usually will eat a lot more carbs from other sources so long as its generally healthy and fits into the bigger picture regarding calories. I feel great btw, my blood sugar and energy levels are the best they've been in years.