By: Trinidad Guardian

Tuesday September 07,

­­­So you are a follower of the Atkins Diet and you have lost a lot of weight by restricting your carbohydrate intake. You have done all this without adding exercise to the equation. The only problem is that even though you have lost weight, you still look flabby and lack muscle tone. You would like to start an exercise programme, but you just don’t seem to have any energy. This is probably due to your carbohydrate restriction on the Atkin’s Diet. You now seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place. You know that you will need carbs as fuel for a workout, but you have developed a phobia and you are worried that if you started ingesting carbohydrates you may get fat.

My answer to your problem has three phases. First, you should come off of the Atkin’s Diet which, in my opinion, is not a healthy practice over a long term period. Second, you should learn to identify “good carbs” from “bad carbs” and be selective in your carbohydrate intake. Third, you must learn how to time your meals in relation to your exercise programme.

Carbohydrate selection
Use of the glycemic index will help you to identify carbohydrates that quickly spike your blood sugar (bad carbs), from carbs that are digested slower and which do not cause a quick rise in your blood sugar (good carbs). As a result these carbohydrates will not create an insulin rush. Remember, when a lot of insulin is circulating, you are more prone to fat storage. Eat carbohydrates that provide long-lasting energy and ensure they also carry a low G.I. rating, such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal etc. Eating “bad carbs” (candy etc.) before you exercise may in fact dramatically lower your blood sugar and decrease your performance. These carbohydrates create a pendulum swing, whereby you go from hyperglycemic to hypoglycemic.

Also, avoid foods like broccoli, baked beans etc, right before your workout, because these foods produce gas, which may cause discomfort (to you and others) during exercise. Limit fatty foods, such as cheese, meat etc, as these foods take long to digest and could make you feel sluggish and tired.­­­­­

Timing your carbs
Try not to eat within two hours before you exercise, because this will affect your performance. As a matter of fact, if you are interested in enhancing your fat burning efficiency, try doing your cardio first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Remember, for the eight hours you are sleeping, you are not dead. There are still metabolic processes taking place in your body that require energy. As a result, when you start your cardio on an empty stomach, your glycogen stores are already partially depleted, which means you are going to tap into your body fat stores quicker.

Stay well-hydrated by drinking seven to ten ounces of water every 20 minutes, but stay away from drinks with caffeine, as they actually cause your body to lose fluids. Water helps to regulate your body temperature, helps deliver oxygen to the tissues by keeping blood volume up and assists the kidneys in removing waste products. Check with your doctor before making any adjustments to your diet.

Keep training.