Cometh the hour, cometh the

carb.
Introduction.
In recent times associating the word carb with fat loss has become a demonized
concept within the gym community. In fact for merely making the connection
between the two (carbs and fat loss) one becomes exiled, similarly to a leper in
medieval times.
Just like werewolves appear with the full moon, should one expose their body to
carbs after dusk a tight waist transforms into a muffin top in an equally shocking
transformation. Thus some diet philosophies place nutritional constraints upon the
modern dieter, and require them to enter the zone of zero carbs after a particular
time.
One of these transformations is a myth, and thats why I sleep with a gun and silver
bullets under my bed, and have van Helsing on speed dial LOL. However being in
the zone of zero carbs is reducing your bodys efficiency to burn fat, it could
even make you fatter.

But carbs after six will make me fat?

I always ask a follow up question why will they? Usually there is just a blank stare
or the repetition of pseudo nutritional advice, from the big guy at the gym or some
column in a magazine.
However all myths start somewhere, this one has emerged through the
misinterpretation and misunderstanding of research which states:

Carbohydrates aid with the recovery

from anaerobic activity, or they increase
fat stores during periods of low activity
(Miyaki, 2009)

The myth considers sleep as a period of low activity and thus consuming carbs at
such times will add those hated inches to your waistline, as result of slower
metabolic rate.

However the link is not so simple, in fact studies have shown that preforming
exercise, in fact increases an individuals metabolic rate whilst he is
sleeping (Mischler, et al., 2003). Meaning that an individual is burning an enhanced
level of calories whilst they are resting. Further research has shown that the
individuals with a healthy body fat percentage, can actually have a metabolic rate
which is quicker than their resting metabolic rate whilst awake (Zhang, et al., 2002).
So in fact by not consuming carbs at night your body could be burning away muscle
while you sleep, thus you could unwittingly be wondering into the cycle of antigainz:

Less
Muscle

Fatter

Less calorie
expenditur
e

Slower
Metabolsim

Poor
training
level

In addition to this, research has actually shown that by consuming carbs

mostly at later periods in the day can actually aid the body in weight loss, by
improving insulin resistance and the amount of adiponcentin present (Sofer,
et al., 2011).

The role of carbs.

Carbs are a critical component which determine your bodys ability to
recover, and your ability to build muscle and lose fat.
Consider this real life scenario many of you probably experience:
You finish work at 5:00pm
Get home for 6:00
Get to the gym for 6:15

Train hard for an hour 7:15

Go home 7:30
You have just utilized your bodys fuel (glycogen stores), your body is thirsty
for glycogen. But according to the above philosophy you should not eat carbs
at night, so how will you recover effectively from your workout without
carbohydrates? You cant. Research has concluded that the ingestion of
carbohydrates after resistance training improves the anabolic effects of
exercise (Brsheim, et al., 2004). In fact it is the combination of protein and
carbohydrates after resistance training has been found to provide the
greatest anabolic response (Bird, et al., 2006).
By placing an unwarranted stigma on carbs you are actually
compromising the effectiveness of your results.

Conclusion.
Carbs are you best friends, when used correctly during a diet you can
achieve fat loss and muscle gains (The Holy Grail). Any regime which
places constraints on your nutrient intake without a solid scientific
foundation is not going to be effective in helping you reach your desired
goals: in fact as the literature shows it could be causing you to burn away
precious muscle.
When it comes to dieting, it is crucial to try to preserve as much muscle as
possible, not only so the individual can maintain a high training intensity but
also to maintain a fast metabolism. This also preserves abundant levels of
anabolic hormones present in the body, both of which will help you burn fat
effectively.
So dont shy away from those late in the day carbs those stigmatized
sugars could actually be giving you those holiday abs, or bringing you closer
to having that thigh gap.

References
Bird, S., Tarpenning, K. & Marino, F., 2006. Independent and combined effects of liquid carbohydrate/essential
amino acid ingestion on hormonal and muscular adaptations following resistance training in untrained men.
European journal of applied physiology, 97(2), pp. 225-238.
Brsheim, E. et al., 2004. Effect of carbohydrate intake on net muscle protein synthesis during recovery from
resistance exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 96(2), pp. 674-678.
Mischler, I. et al., 2003. Prolonged daytime exercise repeated over 4 days increases sleeping heart rate and
metabolic rate. Applied Physiology, 28(4), pp. 616-629.
Miyaki, N., 2009. Intermittent feast. [Online]
Available at: http://www.mensfitness.com/training/pro-tips/trainer-qa-are-carbs-bad-eat-bed
[Accessed 16 05 2015].
Sofer, S. et al., 2011. ., Kaplan, S., Voet, H., Fink, G., Kima, T., & Madar, Z. (2011). Greater weight loss and
hormonal changes after 6 months diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner. Obesity, 19(10), pp. 20062014.
Zhang, K. et al., 2002. Sleeping metabolic rate in relation to body mass index and body composition.
International journal of obesity, 26(3), pp. 376-383.