Is 'No Carbs After 7 PM' Just A Gym Myth?

By Russ Howe


If you do not know how to lose weight and have been looking for advice, you may have came across a theory that you cannot eat carbohydrates late at night. Today's post is going to look at this common myth and reveal why it is not strictly true.

Let's face it, there is an overwhelming amount of contradicting information in the fitness industry. Everywhere you turn there are people trying to out-yell each other with their latest tips. More often than not, this leads many regular people to be scared of trying to build a better body.

Despite all of the different approaches and the massive confusion out there, the basic principles of a successful diet are the same as they were two decades ago.

This is largely due to the fact that there is a lot of money to be made in the fitness industry. Therefore you will have countless companies telling you to buy their latest product and over complicating the relatively simple lifestyle change required to drop some unwanted pounds.

Thanks to the rise of celebrity culture over the last ten years, there has been a rise in the belief that carbohydrates are your enemy if you are trying to lose body fat. This has led to many ill-fated carb cutting diets to hit the scene, creating countless yo-yo dieters in the process. This belief stems from that culture. Can your body tell when the time is when you eat a meal?

Of course not. This myth is a generalization which has been taken slightly out of context and, as a net result, has misled a whole generation of dieters into believing they must starve their body after a certain time of day even if they are hungry.

Let's take a look at the actual research in this area.

In a series of tests, scientists allowed two separate groups of people to consume the same amount of carbohydrates throughout a 24 hour period. The only difference being, however, that the group of people who ate their carb intake around physical activity stored considerably less fat.

How does that explain or debunk this myth?

This craze originated from celebrity following magazines which have a core audience eager to discover the 'next big thing' in easy fat loss plans. Regardless o whether they work or not, they have built a solid foundation on providing the latest fad each month. That core audience tends to work between 9-5 in office jobs and not go to the gym afterwards.

This is how they were able to put an actual time on the moment you should stop eating carbohydrates. This stereotype of somebody working in an office all day, not exercising regularly and then being completely inactive after 7 o'clock each night simply doesn't fit everybody.

The actual research doesn't state that it is bad to eat carbohydrates late at night, it states that it is bad to eat carbs while you are in a long period of inactivity. Depending upon your individual lifestyle, that could occur at any point in your day.

So how do you use this to your advantage?

Figure out which point of the day tends to be your busiest period and make sure you fit your biggest intake of carbohydrates around this period. Your body will be able to use the fuel, rather than simply storing it as fat. This can also be applied to those gym members trying to figure out how to build muscle, as it is one of the main factors in muscular hypertrophy.

This myth is very common throughout the world now. Almost everybody who wants to know how to lose weight has encountered somebody giving them instructions on never to eat carbs after a certain time of day. Now you know the facts, you will be able to structure your nutrition far more effectively throughout your day.




About the Author:



Enregistrer un commentaire