Q: Do I have to eat carbs after an intense training session?

A: It can be tempting to think that if you train intensely and then deprive yourself of all ‘typical’ carbs (rice, grains, potato, etc.) that you will lose more weight and body fat.

 

 

However, this is not the case. Any intense training session will deplete fuel stores and cause damage to muscle tissue. Which is usually not a problem – provided that you refuel and rest adequately so that your muscles can recover and repair, ready for your next tough session.

If you deprive yourself of adequate carbs after a session, you really will be short cutting your muscular replenishment and recovery. This will lead to a loss of muscle tissue, a drop in training performance, hormone imbalance (especially thyroid), a suppressed metabolism, and therefore an eventual increase in body fat levels.

Keep in mind that carbs are not evil and are an essential component of a sensible and sustainable fat loss program. You just need to know what types to have, how much to have and when to have them. (If you’d like to eliminate all of the confusion with your nutrition, be sure to inquire about our 12 Week Body Fix System Program.)