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During your workout, your body extracts glycogen (stored carbohydrates) from your muscle cells as one of its primary fuel sources for hoisting those dumbbells into the air. If you don't replace this muscle glycogen fast following your workout, your muscle cells won't be able to repair themselves at optimum levels and you may actually experience muscle loss, or at least "less than desired results" from your weight training program.
To quickly replace muscle glycogen and avoid further muscle breakdown, consume about 100 grams of high-glycemic carbs (GI rating over 70) within 1 hour after your workout.
Post-Workout Carb Selection with Glycemic Index Rating.
Oatmeal, Instant, Sweetened 87
White Rice 81
White Bread 100
Banana, Ripe 90
Pineapple 94
Mashed Potatoes, White 104
Table Sugar 92
Donut 108
Throughout Your Day:
Other than immediately after your workout, you should try to avoid high-glycemic carbs as much as possible throughout your day.
By avoiding the associated "insulin rush" that comes from highly processed and sugary high GI foods, your body will draw more from your fat stores to help provide fuel rather than looking to the quickly digested carbs in your stomach.
Not only will you feel energized and alert all day long, but you'll also have ignited a long, slow fat burn that will help you finally get a peek at the washboard abs you're trying to uncover.
Before Bed:
When you sleep, your body's metabolism slows down considerably and makes it easier to store excess calories as fat. Although you should certainly avoid high GI carbs before you go to bed, you should also try to limit your consumption of "dry carbs" after 4:00 pm to avoid excess fat storage while you sleep. These would include things like pastas, breads, rice and potatoes.
Here is a short list of "approved" carb choices:
Pre-Bedtime Carb Selection
Glycemic Index Rating
Grapefruit 26
Peach 30
Apple 49
Milk, Skim 46
Yogurt, Plain 32Custard 59
Tomato Soup 54
