Comments on: Carbs Be All Hard to Understand http://www.ampedtraining.com/hating/carbs-be-all-hard-to-understand Intelligent Strength Training, Bodybuilding, and Fat Loss Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:51:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Glenn http://www.ampedtraining.com/hating/carbs-be-all-hard-to-understand/comment-page-1#comment-658 Glenn Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:30:52 +0000 http://www.ampedtraining.com/?p=945#comment-658 Gotcha. Thanks for the taking the time to respond in detail! Much appreciated. Gotcha.
Thanks for the taking the time to respond in detail! Much appreciated.

]]> By: Matt Perryman http://www.ampedtraining.com/hating/carbs-be-all-hard-to-understand/comment-page-1#comment-656 Matt Perryman Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:11:56 +0000 http://www.ampedtraining.com/?p=945#comment-656 Glenn: The problem with that notion is that the rate of gastric emptying is going to confound things. Smaller meals will digest faster, having a relatively quick effect on blood levels of nutrients and hormones. You make up for the smaller impact on insulin etc. by eating more frequently. Sounds good. But when you eat larger meals, digestion/gastric emptying is slowed down. A small meal might keep you "fed" for an hour or two. A big meal might keep you fed for 5-6 hours; so you might have a bigger impact from feeding but the net result over time is that the space between meals balances things out. There's also the fact that we're speaking in abstracts now: generally speaking a well-rounded meal of protein, carbs, and fats isn't going to "spike insulin" the way people like to claim. If you're mainlining sugar, maybe, but protein and fat slow down digestion enough that the end result is a slower, steady release of nutrients anyway. Glenn:

The problem with that notion is that the rate of gastric emptying is going to confound things. Smaller meals will digest faster, having a relatively quick effect on blood levels of nutrients and hormones. You make up for the smaller impact on insulin etc. by eating more frequently. Sounds good.

But when you eat larger meals, digestion/gastric emptying is slowed down. A small meal might keep you “fed” for an hour or two. A big meal might keep you fed for 5-6 hours; so you might have a bigger impact from feeding but the net result over time is that the space between meals balances things out.

There’s also the fact that we’re speaking in abstracts now: generally speaking a well-rounded meal of protein, carbs, and fats isn’t going to “spike insulin” the way people like to claim. If you’re mainlining sugar, maybe, but protein and fat slow down digestion enough that the end result is a slower, steady release of nutrients anyway.

]]> By: Glenn http://www.ampedtraining.com/hating/carbs-be-all-hard-to-understand/comment-page-1#comment-655 Glenn Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:47:48 +0000 http://www.ampedtraining.com/?p=945#comment-655 One other clarification about more frequent smaller meals (I guess you can see where I am coming from, haha.) Wouldn't there be a marginal increase in maintaining insulin senstivity? A large, hypertrophied individual who trains hard, and therefore consumes a lot of calories, might want to avoid three big meals (and thus three big insulin spikes) in favor of more spaced-out meals to maintain more stable insulin levels, more consistent nutrient uptake... and thus a better metabolic response when doing a cutting diet. One other clarification about more frequent smaller meals (I guess you can see where I am coming from, haha.)
Wouldn’t there be a marginal increase in maintaining insulin senstivity? A large, hypertrophied individual who trains hard, and therefore consumes a lot of calories, might want to avoid three big meals (and thus three big insulin spikes) in favor of more spaced-out meals to maintain more stable insulin levels, more consistent nutrient uptake… and thus a better metabolic response when doing a cutting diet.

]]> By: Alan Aragon http://www.ampedtraining.com/hating/carbs-be-all-hard-to-understand/comment-page-1#comment-654 Alan Aragon Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:30:28 +0000 http://www.ampedtraining.com/?p=945#comment-654 Nice work, P-Money. Misinfo always deserves a good ole smackdown. Nice work, P-Money. Misinfo always deserves a good ole smackdown.

]]> By: Nicole http://www.ampedtraining.com/hating/carbs-be-all-hard-to-understand/comment-page-1#comment-650 Nicole Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:24:34 +0000 http://www.ampedtraining.com/?p=945#comment-650 LOL'ed at work, galileo LOL’ed at work, galileo

]]> By: Matt Perryman http://www.ampedtraining.com/hating/carbs-be-all-hard-to-understand/comment-page-1#comment-649 Matt Perryman Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:52:28 +0000 http://www.ampedtraining.com/?p=945#comment-649 The only effect I can imagine would boil down to availability of circulating amino acids, which is important regardless of goal; you need this when trying to grow and when trying to diet, only the amounts will vary (i.e., you typically need a higher protein intake on a diet to help spare LBM, due to increased AA oxidation). You could maybe make the case that frequent feedings would keep circulating AA levels higher than less-frequent meals, but I think this would depend on the diet. A full meal of protein, carbs, and fats can keep you "fed" for 5-6 hours (that is, food's digesting in the GI tract and releasing AA the whole time), so I'm not sure there would be any real issue with any realistic feeding strategy. A lot of the research in this area is hampered not just due to the subjects but due to the design methodology: a lot of effects observed in fasted conditions don't pan out in conditions where someone is eating regularly (regardless of nitpicking over frequency). The only effect I can imagine would boil down to availability of circulating amino acids, which is important regardless of goal; you need this when trying to grow and when trying to diet, only the amounts will vary (i.e., you typically need a higher protein intake on a diet to help spare LBM, due to increased AA oxidation).

You could maybe make the case that frequent feedings would keep circulating AA levels higher than less-frequent meals, but I think this would depend on the diet. A full meal of protein, carbs, and fats can keep you “fed” for 5-6 hours (that is, food’s digesting in the GI tract and releasing AA the whole time), so I’m not sure there would be any real issue with any realistic feeding strategy.

A lot of the research in this area is hampered not just due to the subjects but due to the design methodology: a lot of effects observed in fasted conditions don’t pan out in conditions where someone is eating regularly (regardless of nitpicking over frequency).

]]> By: Glenn http://www.ampedtraining.com/hating/carbs-be-all-hard-to-understand/comment-page-1#comment-648 Glenn Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:25:24 +0000 http://www.ampedtraining.com/?p=945#comment-648 Good article. Are all these factors the same for a sedentary individual compared to someone who trains intensely on a nearly daily basis. (I.e does the frequent meal idea have more merit for weight-trainers?). Most studies of the type you cite (most studies, period) do not use advanced athletes as test subjects. Good article. Are all these factors the same for a sedentary individual compared to someone who trains intensely on a nearly daily basis. (I.e does the frequent meal idea have more merit for weight-trainers?). Most studies of the type you cite (most studies, period) do not use advanced athletes as test subjects.

]]> By: galileo http://www.ampedtraining.com/hating/carbs-be-all-hard-to-understand/comment-page-1#comment-641 galileo Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:04:00 +0000 http://www.ampedtraining.com/?p=945#comment-641 In Soviet Russia, carbs eat you. In Soviet Russia, carbs eat you.

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