Theory about carbs and exercise

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Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve got a theory and was wondering if it’s true or if anyone else has thought about this before. You may rememember a few weeks ago, I said I noticed that I could eat many more carbs, since I started exercising — and still stay in ketosis. Well, here’s my theory…. Assuming: -My treadmill says I just burned 200 calories. -Carbs are used as fuel before anything else (except alcohol — but I had no alcohol.) -1 gram of carbs works out to 4 calories. -I just ate something with about 50 grams of carbs in it Then: Did I just burn ALL (50×4=200) of those carbs off? Is there something wrong in my logic? Is that not the way the body works? If this is true, then could I eat somthing with 100 grams of carbs and then work out and burn 400 calories and be done with it. I should do some experimenting… or has anyone else experimented with this? JM 231/194/204 (10lbs to go) Atkins since 22 May ‘03

I personally do not believe that carbs are immediately burnt. I think there may be a variety of uses for them, such as brain food, replacing glycogen, etc. Certainly burning all of them is possible. But, if this is true, why do I get a lift of mental energy when I take in some carbs during a bike ride? I don’t believe that I get that much of a physical impact, but there’s really no way for me to test this. I do feel better, which could be psychological. Plus, it depends on when the carbs go into your system — better is while exercising or before (in terms of being burnt). —

Response:

Nothing wrong here. Calories are calories are calories. No magic or physics. Low carb, and carbs are sugars pure and simple, the fewer carbs you eat the fewer cals you will consume. Fat and protein make you less likely to binge or go crazy. Exercise is the key to ongoing weight loss and maintenance. I went from 158.5 to 131.5. Need to gain 3.5 pounds, and am pretty close. Here are my guidelines: -Fatty foods will increase your LDL – Calories count. Want to lose weight? Watch you cals. But carbos make you hungry, so watch you carbo intake. Less food = fewer cals. – replace your bad carbs with good ones. White bread to stone ground bread, white rice to brown rice, pasta to whole wheat pasta (and not the blends). -look to lose 1.5 to lbs/week. With diet and exercise you can do this. Now back to exercise, it is the key.. Rich

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve got a theory and was wondering if it’s true or if anyone else has thought about this before. You may rememember a few weeks ago, I said I noticed that I could eat many more carbs, since I started exercising — and still stay in ketosis. Well, here’s my theory…. Assuming: -My treadmill says I just burned 200 calories. -Carbs are used as fuel before anything else (except alcohol — but I had no alcohol.) -1 gram of carbs works out to 4 calories. -I just ate something with about 50 grams of carbs in it Then: Did I just burn ALL (50×4=200) of those carbs off? Is there something wrong in my logic? Is that not the way the body works? If this is true, then could I eat somthing with 100 grams of carbs and then work out and burn 400 calories and be done with it. I should do some experimenting… or has anyone else experimented with this? JM 231/194/204 (10lbs to go) Atkins since 22 May ‘03

Response:

Hi, I’ve got a theory and was wondering if it’s true or if anyone else has thought about this before. You may rememember a few weeks ago, I said I noticed that I could eat many more carbs, since I started exercising — and still stay in ketosis. Well, here’s my theory…. Assuming: -My treadmill says I just burned 200 calories. -Carbs are used as fuel before anything else (except alcohol — but I had no alcohol.) -1 gram of carbs works out to 4 calories. -I just ate something with about 50 grams of carbs in it Then: Did I just burn ALL (50×4=200) of those carbs off? Is there something wrong in my logic? Is that not the way the body works? If this is true, then could I eat somthing with 100 grams of carbs and then work out and burn 400 calories and be done with it. I should do some experimenting… or has anyone else experimented with this? JM 231/194/204 (10lbs to go) Atkins since 22 May ‘03

Response:

Exercise is the key to ongoing weight loss and maintenance.

The key to weight loss and maintenance is reduced consumption. Period.

Response:

Consider that carbs won’t immediately put you out of ketosis. You need to add about 100g of carbs to your liver glycogen store to drop out of ketosis, but at the same time you’re replenishing muscle glycogen (exercise may deplete muscle glycogen, giving you a larger "carb sink" on average), powering ongoing activity, etc etc. It’s not just a simple "eat carbs, drop out of ketosis." So, while exercise may use up carbs (it depends on the exercise – light enough exercise may only burn fat), it also sets up your body to be able to absorb more carbs later. Additionally, routine exercise may increase your base metabolism, allowing other parts of your body to burn carbs faster too.

Response:

I don’t think that is exactly right. They will be burned as fuel first, if there is a demand for them. I think what happens (for a person who exercises a lot) is that the capacity for storing glycogen is active. Everytimne you exercise hard, you burn out your glycogen. When you eat carbs right after exercising hard, or during, or perhaps even before, the carbs are used to refill the glycogen in your muscles. That glycogen won’t be burned first unless you put a load on the system, ie hard exercise. Otherwise, the body happily continues to get energy direct from food in the system or from fat, because you aren’t demanding a lot. -1 gram of carbs works out to 4 calories. -I just ate something with about 50 grams of carbs in it Then: Did I just burn ALL (50×4=200) of those carbs off? Is there something wrong in my logic? Is that not the way the body works? If this is true, then could I eat somthing with 100 grams of carbs and then work out and burn 400 calories and be done with it. I should do some experimenting… or has anyone else experimented with this?

I think you are right. martin — Wesley Clark for President www.AmericansForClark.com Martin Smith

Response:

Exercise is the key to ongoing weight loss and maintenance.

No it’s not.

Response:

Jim, The calorie counts on the machines bear no relation to reality. I’ve found this to be true for myself when logging food and exercise very closely and have read the same thing in several books including Dr. Bernstein’s latest "Diabetes Solution." You’ll have to log what you eat and how much exercise you do (and what the machine says) for a fw months to determine how the calorie counts on the machines match up with how your weight loss proceeds. For me the reality of calories burned is about half what the machine shows, if that. — Jenny 168.5/137 Low Carb 9/1998 – 8/2001 and 11/10/02 – Now http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings * Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats * Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * Exercise Starting from Zero * NEW! Do Starch Blockers Work?

Response:

Yes it is. Lazy people cuts their cals and their carbs, and lose some weight. It never stays off, just look at the research. You must move your body a few hours a week. Break a sweat, watch your diet, and you will stay thin. Rich R.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Exercise is the key to ongoing weight loss and maintenance. No it’s not.

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