Carb Backloading Macros During the Day?

Diet and Nutrition
1

Ok so i am currently carb back loading, had a friend of mine figure out my macros and this is is the result;

288g Protein
200g Carbs
91g Fat

I am 6 feet tall, 240lbs.

I have a questions regarding CBL with these numbers. What percentage of carbs/fats/proteins would one consume during the day for CBL? I tried figuring it out and have it like this;

50g carbs, 204g protein, 43g fat, then the remainder for post workout. The majortiy of carbs is coming from a supplement called Carb ION 60 minutes preworkout.

Are these numbers ok? should fats be mostly consumed during the day (pre workout) and kept minimal at night? is protein intake too high during the day?

Please help out!

2

I have been carb backloading for nearly 2 years now, I didn’t research it or anything i just fell into it for convenience reasons.

When I was bulking, I gained a bunch of muscle and very little fat doing the following:

9am: 40g whey
430 pm Pre workout: 40g whey
6pm Post workout: 40g whey
7pm: 150-200g carbs from literally 2 footlong subs or a bucket of kfc with 4 fries. I didn’t count the protein but I estimated it around 60 for the subs and 100 for the kfc.
10pm: If I had subway I would eat 6 egg whites to get enough protein for the day.

You shouldn’t notice a loss in performance in you workouts if your loaded with carbs from the night before.

Im sure KFC buckets aren’t the healthiest way to eat but its easy to get in 3500+ cals that way post workout.

Obviously adjust the macros depending on your goal, but I had the best results and best workouts not having carbs prior to my workouts.

3

Not sure if i can do that, as there are days i dont get to the gym until 930 pm…

Im more more less just worried if im eating too many carbs during the day for the back loading portion, and that i should just stick to my 30g carb shake preworkout, then load after.

As well as fats. consume most, if not all, during the day?

4

Are your workout effected by not having carbs pre/intra? I’ve been CBLing for most my lifting career and have tried it a bunch of different ways, but I think whether carbs help performance for you personally matters a lot

5

Honestly, yes and no. I work long days, im tired regardless when it comes to gym time but i push it anyway.

I know CBL does great things, with my job schedule i find it hard to meal prep and find time to eat during the day. So quick protein snacks/shakes/meals are ideal.

Currently using CARB ION, which gives me 30-40g of Carbs pre. Is the idea in CBL to consume ALL carbs post? or is what im doing ok?

6

Well are you bulking or cutting ?

I have the same problem I hate cooking/meal prep more than once per day.

I tried all sorts of diets, 6 meals, 3 meals, Intermittent fasting results were mediocre and no doubt my best results were from pulsing protein around the clock and carb manipulation/backloading.

I guess it depends on your will power, I had workouts late in the day 8-9pm, I would just do the same thing pulse 4 protein shakes through the day and have 1-2 large meals after my workout.

Since I am cutting, I extend the carb free phase to a whole day.

Day 1: 250g protein under 20g fat 0 carbs, my workout depletes me further of carbs.
Day 2: 200g protein, 100g fat evenly through the day, 100g carbs FROM FOOD 3 hours prior to workout, 150g carbs after workout. The pump will be so strong and last for the majority of the day.
Day 3: Wake up feeling FULL+LEAN, NOT FLAT AND MISERABLE that normal dieters experience. Repeat day 1 protocol and believe me you won’t need any carbs to fuel your workout if you ate enough the night before.

On the Carb ION, in my opinion if you really want to create that sponge effect where your muscles just soak up all the carbs you shouldn’t have carbs prior. I have experimented with both ways and had better results with no carbs prior.

7

Im cutting at the moment. I just dont have time to eat. legit. drinking is so much quicker and snacking. 9PM gym sessions fuck after working 13 hours that day too.

Your protocol im gonna try and see how that works with my numbers. I was thinking of this protocol too though;

2 protein shakes during the day. 6 egg whites 4 whole eggs (for the fat), 25g of Carb ion before my workout for some energy and boost, then CBL after.

would this approach work? what about my fats. how do i spread those out? throw those into the CBL? even if i dont CBL around 11pm?

8

I spread nutrients the following way in both a bulk and a cut and it has worked for me:

Pre Workout Phase: 50% Protein, 0%carbs, 0%fats
Post Workout Phase: 50% Protein, 100% Carbs, 100% Fats

I don’t think Its really gonna matter whether you have fats spread through the day or not.

On non workout days I drop the carbs and fats completely. This is only if I want to lose fat at an accelerated 2-4lb per week rate.

9

Well honestly I feel better workout without many carbs, if any at all, and just make sure to get in some proteins and some fats. However, working out late, I think you could potentially get the benefits of CBL AND just in general Pre-WO carbs. When I worked longer days and had to work out late, I’d usually eat a Pro shake + 2 PB and J’s lol. The carbs with some fats after a long days seemed to get me through long grueling sessions, and plus I’d pretty much been carb-free for 14-16 hrs of the day, which was long enough IMO to reap the benefits of CBL.

If you’re cutting, though, I’d do what feels best. I save almost ALL my calories for late at night when cutting ,so I go to bed full.

10

Fuck me. this might be tricky. especially to get all 200g of carbs, 90g of fat in one meal after my 9pm workouts…cause sleep would also be nice…sleep, whats that again?

ok…great advice, thank you! im gonna play with the 20-40g of carbs during the day and then the protein days and see what happens…

11

If backloading doesn’t work for your schedule, don’t worry about man! It’s not magic, other diets work just as well!

12

I know its not magic, but the idea of eating less during the day and then a shit ton after my workout appealed to me.

4/5 days a week i work 7am-9pm…if theres a diet suitable for this schedule, please do tell!

13

@ESP, there really is no need to feel like you have to squeeze all those carbs in at that time. The most important thing by far is getting your macros totaled by the end of the day. In my mind it also makes more sense to load up on calories and nutrients BEFORE the workout to power through, and have enough to recover afterwards.

My personal preference lately is to have most of my carbs and calories throughout the day before my workout, 2 scoops Plazma with the workout, then a protein/veggie meal with some carbs (only if I need them still, usually I’m carbed out by dinner and just have lots of veggies and greens with my protein), and a MD shake after if I’m still hungry. If you train that late, then try to spread your meals out throughout the day, carb up before and during your workout, and have a small meal afterwards, you’ll be fine and will no doubt continue to make gains!

This is not to say CBL doesn’t have its place, or doesn’t work, I’m just saying with your schedule it seems like it would be far more trouble than its worth, and there’s no real proof that you’ll have better gains with CBL than you would eating more calories throughout the day. For me, after drinking a ton during my workout, I am not ready to eat a huge meal afterwards, so I have most of my food during the day and knock out the rest after the workout.

14

Ya, you are totally right. I enjoy not eating tho…to be honest. I feel great on an empty stomach, dont get tired.

I’m gonna play with this, for sure. This is what today looks like during my 7am-9pm work day.

6oz Chiken breast plus brocoli (around 30g protein, 4g carbs, 0 fat)
10 eggs ( 7 egg whites, 3 whole which works out to be around 70g protein and 15g fat)
protein shake with almond butter (50g protein, 16g fat , 7 carbs)

then preworkout itll be my carb ion shake which gives me 30g of carbs

post workout, ill get the rest in…this is roughly what ill be doing all week.

Gonna see how i respond. I woke up lean as shit today after having a friday and saturday. then zero carbs all day yesterday. its incredible

let me knoe what you think of this approach for the day.

15

Well, the first question is what is your main goal for your training and nutrition?

If the macros in your original post are accurate, I’d say you’re in for a rough night!

288g protein - you’re consuming 150g throughout the day = 130g to go
200g carbs - you’re consuming like about 50g during the day including your shake, so that’s 160g to go
91g fat - you’re consuming about 30g during the day, so that’s 60g to go

That’s like 1500 calories, that’s a lot of food! My inclination is to think eating a 1500 calorie meal before bed routinely is not a good idea. Do you have a peri workout drink, like Plazma, after your 30g carb pre-workout shake? Also, what are you eating post workout?

16

Im currently leaning out.

Ya, you are right. CBL at 11pm was a bit tough. I ate, a lot, but not enough i think. I think im gonna have to invest in some peri workout drinks for the carbs. Protein and fats are gonna be a bit easier to increase during the day.

However, my workout last night was…well…great! I had quite the pump going and a fair amount of energy!

I enjoy how i felt during the day on high protein/low carb/decent fats. I felt light, alert, didnt get hunger pains.

Im gonna increase my fats and protein during the day. Maybe up my carbs a bit too.

2 more questions;
Other than Plazma or Surge, any other peri workout drinks? Shipping to canada lately is super expensive.

What other foods are high in fat but low in carbs?

17

Post workout last night i ate sweet potatoes, pork chops, brocolli, ezekiel bread and peanut butter…bad? good?

18

[quote]ESPguitarist1990 wrote:
Im currently leaning out.

Ya, you are right. CBL at 11pm was a bit tough. I ate, a lot, but not enough i think. I think im gonna have to invest in some peri workout drinks for the carbs. Protein and fats are gonna be a bit easier to increase during the day.

However, my workout last night was…well…great! I had quite the pump going and a fair amount of energy!

I enjoy how i felt during the day on high protein/low carb/decent fats. I felt light, alert, didnt get hunger pains.

Im gonna increase my fats and protein during the day. Maybe up my carbs a bit too.

2 more questions;
Other than Plazma or Surge, any other peri workout drinks? Shipping to canada lately is super expensive.

What other foods are high in fat but low in carbs?[/quote]

Well, the most important thing here is to:
A) Figure out your macros for cutting, I recommend carb cycling as it’s a good way to get your carbs in on training days and maintain as much muscle as possible as you cut. Use a RMR calculator to figure out your resting metabolism, (don’t forget to factor in activity level), then you know how many calories a day you need to maintain. Start by creating a deficit that works for you, maybe 300 cal a day or something, and slowly go from there after you see how your body responds. The Carb Cycling Codex

B) Once you know your macros for the day, you can figure out your food. Based on your schedule, I would highly recommend getting most of your food in during the day and before your workout. Your food choices seem good, but again I just can’t imagine routinely eating like 1,000 before bed is a good idea, especially if you’re trying to lean out. While getting your macros in does take priority over timing, timing DOES help if you can manage it, and you’ll get leaner faster eating smaller meals before bed if you can get them in earlier in the day.

C) High protein/low carb/high fat diets will allow you to feel great for now, but you WILL stagnate on routinely very low carbs.

Overall, it sounds like you’re guessing at how much food you’re getting, and it’s totally not enough, so that will for sure lead to stagnation. Don’t guess! It sounds like you’re motivated about your training, and the fact that you’re asking lots of questions is great and shows you really want to reach your goals. SO, read the carb cycling article, figure out your numbers, macros, etc. If you have any more questions, READ MORE FIRST and try to answer them yourself, the answers are all in there, trust me. If you STILL need some info, post away and we’ll help you out :slight_smile:

19

[quote]ESPguitarist1990 wrote:
2 more questions;
Other than Plazma or Surge, any other peri workout drinks? Shipping to canada lately is super expensive.

What other foods are high in fat but low in carbs?[/quote]

I cannot speak for the quality of other peri workout drinks as they are mostly garbage, fillers and caffeine. Literally. I was at Stu’s seminar last week and they had a LARGE amount of pre-workout free samples from another company (much appreciated of course!) but the ingredients were crap, garbage, more useless stuff, and a ridiculous amount of caffeine.

Biotest is having a sale right now, I’d recommend taking advantage of it and ordering in bulk, it’ll be WELL WORTH IT. Seriously, if you are serious about your training, don’t waste money on supplements that are garbage and won’t work. Get the good stuff!

If you really can’t get Plazma or Surge, I’d recommend a more solid pre-workout meal, rather than a bad quality workout drink. 4-6oz of lean protein, or a couple scoops of protein powder, oats/rice/potato, basically good quality protein and lots of good quality carbs.

High fat/low carb good choices - I get most of my fats from: raw nuts (brazil nut, cashew, hazel nut, almond, etc.), raw nut butters, good quality cheese, olive oil, coconut oil, grass fed butter, good quality bacon.

20

those were my macros for cutting, up above. got them figured out by a coach.