Carbs - what's your fuel?

[Marcus]

Not too long ago there was some discussion on the forum about various sources of carbs and people mentioned which type they prefer best.

I've recently noticed that if I eat potatoes I feel great - full of energy and not too heavy stomach.  However if I eat breads I feel sluggish and drowsy.  Pastas seem to fill me up quickly with only a small amount.  Lighter breads such as Turkish Bread is much better for me.  For some reason wholegrains and multigrains just make me tired.

Potatoes definitely make me feel the best though, and not just for a short while.  This is pretty much the opposite of what a lot of dieticians recommend.

What do you guys prefer as your source of carbs, and why do you think it makes such a difference?

[Fadi]

I’ve just finished my workout and I’m having WPI and Oatmass drink. So Oatmass rate very highly for me due to it being a food and because it does not cause any bloat but rather help in remedying this issue if it arises from another food source. I would consider Oatmass as a great replenisher of glycogen lost rather than glycogen loader like WMS and pasta.

As far as glycogen loading, nothing beats white shell shaped pasta for me, (not straight after training though).. I have absolutely no problem with any kind of potatoes as long they’re not fried. Like you Marcus, the medium to high GI of the potato does not affect me negatively even if I was to eat it absolutely plain with no other food beside it.

As far as bread is concerned, I get a great glycogen load from the Aussie bread irrespective whether white or wholegrain. I stay away from the wholemeal stuff as it gives me joint pain. Lebanese bread is good as filler but doesn’t have the same effect as the Aussie stuff of life on glycogen loading. Rice is fine as filler but can not beat pasta for driving the water into my muscles. I don’t think anyone can explain why two or more starches would behave differently. I suspect it goes back to the way our individual bodies metabolise and break down such polysaccharides.

WMS is another amazing glycogen loader for me after training; and I mean amazing. It’s right up there with pasta which I wouldn’t have an appetite for straight after training. So although one starch may be superior over another, timing has a lot to do with it and what exactly you're trying to achieve from it.

Whole grain wheat as you know has a high phytoestrogen factor attached with it; that may be causing you the problem, (in a form of an allergy to say the least).



Fadi.

[Fadi]

I’ve just made a stupendous discovery about the members of this great forum. Can you guess what it is before you read further; NO? Ok, I’ve discovered that everyone here except Marcus and me, is either a lion or an Eskimo. Take your pick; they both have something in common. Now we are getting closer to this discovery of mine. That was a hint back there, so can you guess what it is that I’ve discovered yet? Still no? Ok, Marcus and I are the only people on this forum who actually eat carbohydrates; everyone else is just like a lion or an Eskimo: exclusively protein and fat eaters with zero carbohydrate in their diet.

Why then I’m the only one responding to the administrator’s question on what carbohydrates do we guys eat and why! Let’s get the answers rolling please; who’s going to start?


Fadi.

[Ruys]

Easy there big fella...  Mr Administrator I apologize for my belated response. 

When it comes to carbs I know exactly what my body doesn't like- sugar. I'm so glad I've finally gotten on to oatmass and WMS because sugar in any form bloats me ridiculously, to the point where I had to force myself to eat my post workout meal even though it felt like I was about to explode. So I guess you could say I'm a fan of oatmass post workout and WMS pre workout.

At other meals I find that bread is quite filling and sits in my stomach a little heavy. I could eat pasta and rice until the cows come home but I think my Italian heritage makes me prefer pasta. I eat a fair bit of sweet potato but it doesn't really give me the same sort of feeling as pasta, rice or bread. I'd liken it to eating a large amount of broccoli or something.

[Ryan]

wholemeal bread, maple syrup on my french toast, 'decent" cereal like sustain or uncletobysplus ones, fruit, veges, dark chocolate, potatoes, chips occasionally.. whatever I can afford or have the time to make! I need sugar too. Not too much but just a little bit, like the odd small bag of mixed lollies, or that listed in those above. cheers.

[Fadi]

See I've learnt something about Ruys and that is we use Oatmass and WMS in the exact opposite way, which is good news really for anyone reading these replies. This says that Oatmass and WMS can be used either pre or post workout, depending on the individual. Thank you Ruys and Ryan and sorry if I came across a  bit on the blunt side, (it beats been sharp sometimes).


Fadi.

[hyperborea]

sweet potato, brown rice, buckwheat pasta and huge amounts of fresh tropical fruit... I can't eat enough fruit! it s just so good!

[Ruys]

Although I always hear gurus saying you shouldn't eat too much fruit cos of the fructose etc, I think its absolute rubbish. I challenge anyone to get fat from eating fruit. 

[hyperborea]

Yeah, I think starches are more likely to make you fat. I eat fruit throughout the day:Kiwis, mangoes, pawpaw, bananas, apples, dragonfruit, pineapple etc... I don't think I put on any fat from them. If I would be eating the same amount of starches I think I'd be getting fat...

[Fadi]

Yeah, I think starches are more likely to make you fat. I eat fruit throughout the day:Kiwis, mangoes, pawpaw, bananas, apples, dragonfruit, pineapple etc... I don't think I put on any fat from them. If I would be eating the same amount of starches I think I'd be getting fat...

I don't think it's so much the fruit or the starch that is in question here as it is the GI and GL component of that food and the timing of its consumption. Basically what I'm saying is that it all depends on how that particular food stimulate your insulin release and the timing it does so. There are times when your cells are insulin sensitive and other times when they are insulin resistance; you've got to capitalise on the sensitive times and minimise on the resistant times.


Fadi.

[methodice]

Well fruits are relatively calorific non-dense. Water mostly, some sugars, and some nice fibre.

I agree that it would be hard to get fat from eating fruit. But if you eat your maintenance calories in normal food and start adding fruit you are going to put on weight.

Hyperborea, yeh if you ate the same weight or volume of starches as you do fruit you would be getting fat as that would include alot more carlories... as above fruit is mostly water.

Fadi from what I have read GI and GL were once thought to be contributive but they don't think that anymore.

[Joey]

Being short on money, I'm almost living off oatmass,, LOL