If I’m doing Meltdown Part 1 primarily for fat loss/muscle preservation, should I still consume high-GI carbs during/after the workout? If I do, will it inhibit my fat loss ability??
If not, how can I minimize muscle loss?
Hey, there, notreallyadawg!!!
As a general rule, eat green veggie carbs only before your workout and starchy carbs like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, yams and brown rice in the one or two P+C meals following your workout.
Normally starchy carbs tend to elicit more of an insulin response than green veggie carbs (which are usually high(er) in fiber). But post-workout (PWO) your body is better able to handle starchy carbs because it is trying to refill glycogen stores.
Are you keeping a food log and getting 1.5g of protein per pound of lean body mass (LBM)? That and are you eating 6 meals a day, with some protein in every meal??
Interesting, thanks a lot for the response. I’ve been reading T-mag pretty consistently and trying to train smart (T-mag style) for about 6 months, so I’ve read a lot on here about insulin and carbs, but I still sometimes feel like I suffer from newbie disease-- so much highly scientific and sometimes conflicting information that I have trouble seeing what’s really, you know, the bottom line…
as far as starchy/fibrous carbs, though, aren’t things like whole grain bread and brown rice pretty high in fiber? are they starchy too? are they not as high in fiber as I thought?
As many studies that JB would proudly point out have shown, there is a wealth of reasons to eat high GI durin/after working out, the obvious of which being that it allows for great intensity in future workouts which allows for greater gains and caloric expenditures.
As far as brown rice/whole wheat bread being starchy. Of course they are, whole wheat pasta is “starchy” too, but not necessarily in a bad way. Brown rice/whole wheat bread should be regulated to PWO if you are out for fat loss. One of the main reasons btw, that whole wheat/whole grain food is pushed is for fiber/micronutrient content. It isn’t because it is significantly lower in GI and thus can be eaten whenever, it is simply because it is macro/micro superior and so in a carb meal (PWO), you are better off eating whole wheat xxx because it will provide more fiber/micros than eating normal pasta…
I guess what I am getting at as they are used for substitution, not for breaking rules 
Best of luck. J.
notreallyadawg, don’t get overwhelmed by all the information. Self education is a process. Read, raise your level of knowledge, cross-reference things, ask questions about those things that confuse you. And finally, if you read something and don’t quite buy into the logic, take it under advisement. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
Brown rice has a little fiber, not a lot. Brown rice is “better” than white rice (as Sexy J aluded to) because of its macronutrient profile. Broccoli has signficantly more fiber than brown rice. Increasing your fiber intake is a very good thing. But PWO, your goals are a bit different; you want to refill muscle glycogen as quickly and efficiently as possible, and fiber slows down that process.
Even though your goal is to refill muscle glycogen as quickly and as efficiently as possible and higher GI carbs facilitate that process, don’t use that fact as an excuse to eat garbage carbs like kiddie cereal. Go with quality starchy carbs like the one I listed.