Carbs, how low on a contest diet?
- Thread starter Gatorr
- Start date
midwtchamp
Banana
Your body cant function properly if you take in no carbs, I say the least you should do is a half cup of oatmeal which is like 22g carbs I think either 22 or 44......
rippedchef
New member
4 weeks out my only carbs were 1C oatmeal post training and 6 oz sweet potato 2 hours before my workout-however I am VERY carb sensitive-you'll have to go by "feel"-I cut carbs until my training "suffers" then slowly add some until I "feel" able to train hard
VA MadDog
New member
It all depends...
Gatorr - You ask a simple question but the answer is not simple. I would need to know more about where you are in your prep cycle, what your diet looks like now and what your goals are - for example if you have 10 lbs to drop over 8 weeks you get one answer, if you have 40 lbs to drop you get a different answer.
In general you should drop your total kcals by about 500/day from what your maintenance level is when you start in on a cutting diet. Initially that drop can be an across the board drop P/F/C in relation to your current P/F/C percentages. The type of carbs and when you consume them are more important than how much. It is a big subject.
I think that for most people, dropping under 125 grams of carbs a day is going to kick your butt when you try to workout at an intense level. Towards the end of a pre-contest diet you will drop your carb intake, maybe down to 50 - 100g a day, but just at the end. Of course during your carb depletion days during the final week carbs can be even lower, but you will replace the calories with added F/P calories.
A rough idea of a typical pre-contest carb scheme might be starting at around 200-250g/day say 10 weeks out, then cutting that back by about 25-50 g/day every week or two.
As mid said - you need some carbs to continue to work out intensely - plus your brain needs carbs to function normally. Your overall diet plan is more important than grams of carbs, but the carb mix is a part of it. Starting your pre-contest diet early enough to avoid huge calorie drops is the key to holding on to muscle and maintaining a good energy level. If you can have a plan that has you losing no more than 2lbs/week it is best.
Hope this helps. Do a search on competiton or pre-contest diets and you should hit on some other related threads.
Gatorr - You ask a simple question but the answer is not simple. I would need to know more about where you are in your prep cycle, what your diet looks like now and what your goals are - for example if you have 10 lbs to drop over 8 weeks you get one answer, if you have 40 lbs to drop you get a different answer.
In general you should drop your total kcals by about 500/day from what your maintenance level is when you start in on a cutting diet. Initially that drop can be an across the board drop P/F/C in relation to your current P/F/C percentages. The type of carbs and when you consume them are more important than how much. It is a big subject.
I think that for most people, dropping under 125 grams of carbs a day is going to kick your butt when you try to workout at an intense level. Towards the end of a pre-contest diet you will drop your carb intake, maybe down to 50 - 100g a day, but just at the end. Of course during your carb depletion days during the final week carbs can be even lower, but you will replace the calories with added F/P calories.
A rough idea of a typical pre-contest carb scheme might be starting at around 200-250g/day say 10 weeks out, then cutting that back by about 25-50 g/day every week or two.
As mid said - you need some carbs to continue to work out intensely - plus your brain needs carbs to function normally. Your overall diet plan is more important than grams of carbs, but the carb mix is a part of it. Starting your pre-contest diet early enough to avoid huge calorie drops is the key to holding on to muscle and maintaining a good energy level. If you can have a plan that has you losing no more than 2lbs/week it is best.
Hope this helps. Do a search on competiton or pre-contest diets and you should hit on some other related threads.
Bently
MuscleChemistry Registered Member
Another method is to cycle carbs right at the start of your diet. For example I would do something like:
day1-200gm
day 2-150gm
day 3-100gm
day 4-50gm
then repeat back at day 1-200gm. This way you get a couple low days to burn fat but you also get the high days to replenish energy and keep from losing muscle and/or sanity. Obviously you would adjust the actual amount to fit your needs.
KR
day1-200gm
day 2-150gm
day 3-100gm
day 4-50gm
then repeat back at day 1-200gm. This way you get a couple low days to burn fat but you also get the high days to replenish energy and keep from losing muscle and/or sanity. Obviously you would adjust the actual amount to fit your needs.
KR
midwtchamp
Banana
I always run constant amt. of carbs, and throw in a high carb day...this keeps my body guessing and I burn more calories in the end like this...
VA MadDog
New member
Choices
Gatorr - I have never tried kidroks method but it does work for some people. In a way it is similar to what mid added in his second post - have a high carb day/meal once a week to boost your metabolism and to replenish muscle glycogen. I have tried that and it did seem to work well.
11 lbs in 5.5 weeks is certainly doable. Best is to be at or near the weight you want one week out so that you can concentrate on other aspects the final week. As you may have seen in other posts you should lose several pounds the final few days when you carb deplete, drop sodium and manipulate water. To be safe, however, it is best to be at your contest weight by 7 days out if possible. On a rare occasion an individual may not drop those final few pounds - we are each different in how our bodies react.
We are just talking nutrition and water manipulation here. If you choose to use A/S that is another factor in body weight and water retention that you have to understand and plan for. Others on this board can say more about that.
Are you doing cardio now? That works for a lot of people who need to drop weight. Some will wait to add it in until 3-4 weeks out, others add it early and then step it up a bit if necessary. Others, and I'm one of those lucky ones, don't have to add in any cardio.
Have you thought about asking Skip for help? He will work with people on a shorter term basis like the last 4-6 weeks before a contest. Send him a PM and chat with him about it if that interests you. I can guarantee you that you will learn a lot from him and that you will feel that you got your money's worth. Having a coach who knows what they are doing greatly reduces the stress of a pre-contest phase.
Gatorr - I have never tried kidroks method but it does work for some people. In a way it is similar to what mid added in his second post - have a high carb day/meal once a week to boost your metabolism and to replenish muscle glycogen. I have tried that and it did seem to work well.
11 lbs in 5.5 weeks is certainly doable. Best is to be at or near the weight you want one week out so that you can concentrate on other aspects the final week. As you may have seen in other posts you should lose several pounds the final few days when you carb deplete, drop sodium and manipulate water. To be safe, however, it is best to be at your contest weight by 7 days out if possible. On a rare occasion an individual may not drop those final few pounds - we are each different in how our bodies react.
We are just talking nutrition and water manipulation here. If you choose to use A/S that is another factor in body weight and water retention that you have to understand and plan for. Others on this board can say more about that.
Are you doing cardio now? That works for a lot of people who need to drop weight. Some will wait to add it in until 3-4 weeks out, others add it early and then step it up a bit if necessary. Others, and I'm one of those lucky ones, don't have to add in any cardio.
Have you thought about asking Skip for help? He will work with people on a shorter term basis like the last 4-6 weeks before a contest. Send him a PM and chat with him about it if that interests you. I can guarantee you that you will learn a lot from him and that you will feel that you got your money's worth. Having a coach who knows what they are doing greatly reduces the stress of a pre-contest phase.
W
WeirdAl
Guest
when depleting in the last week, I was at 12g a day (1/4 cup oatmeal) for like 3 days.
I didn't have much trouble on 24-50g of carbs, once I got used to it, as long as I kept my protein high, and my fat in there for energy
I didn't have much trouble on 24-50g of carbs, once I got used to it, as long as I kept my protein high, and my fat in there for energy
Similar threads
