I really appreciate the tag @T3hPwnisher. May I point out: I always think it’s awesome where you’re able to say “this isn’t my approach, but that doesn’t invalidate it as an approach.”
Anyway, @cantfitinjeans, I’d look at this as a good, better, best situation… and I wouldn’t try to go from 0 to best - there’s simply no need.
I am making the assumption, based on what I read, your two primary goals are losing bodyfat and maintaining workout performance. So I am going to talk about carb timing, but you have to keep in mind that it’s in context of your whole day. The carbs we put in around your workout are not additive; those calories have to come away from somewhere.
So, if I’m looking at a “best” situation (let’s start with the end in mine), the general principle would be:
- Some pre-workout carbs, without hypoglycemia. Protein isn’t a bad idea here, either, simply because it’s a meal and a feeding opportunity. The goal here is energy for workout performance.
- Intra-workout carbs. This one is situationally dependent, but can really pay off when you’re leaner and using higher volumes. This one is a blend between recovery and performance; the idea being you get a head start on those post-workout carbs.
- Post-workout carbs. This one is all about recovery, and the jury is kind of out on how important it is if you aren’t doing multiple sessions that day. That said, you’re more insuling sensistive at this time and, if you’re cutting and having carbs, they may ass well go here as anywhere else.
So where would I start for you?
I’d look at the pre-workout carbs first. You want these to digest really easily, but not leave you crashing halfway through your workout. A little fat (like 8-10g) can help a lot here, but rice wouldn’t be my choice. In your situation, waking up and then going to the gym, I’d recommend ~30g or so from fruit. I like pineapples, oranges, apples - in that order.
If we want to think about your prior night dinner as the pre-workout, that’s ok… I just never really found it worked for me. I don’t want to eat the second before I go to sleep, I don’t want to go to bed stuffed, and it just doesn’t seem to hang with me for the next morning. Some recent research shows just feeling hungry hurts workout performance every bit as much as actually being depleted, and I think that’s going on here. Anyway, if you do this, I’d consider more satiating carbs - like potatoes instead of rice.
For post-workout, I’d make this your last priority because you don’t indicate recovery is really an issue. If you still have carbs to use, though, put them here; as stated above, there’s really no reason not to do so.
So what about the intra? This is just such an easy button. If you wake up in the morning and don’t feel like eating (I get it), start sipping an intra on the way to the gym and finish it up as you train. You’ve covered your bases this way and it’s fool-proof; you don’t have to think about anything. Surge Workout Fuel is by far my favorite. I think this is about 25-35g of carbs unless you’re gigantic.
If you want to tell me how many carbs a day you’re having, your eating preferences, and whether you want to try an intra, I can tell you exactly what I’d do.