We’ve all heard this tidbit –

“Want to lose weight?  Don’t eat carbs after 6 pm and don’t eat before going to bed.”

BOTH ARE WRONG!….

…ESPECIALLT ON THE LEANGAINS or IF EATING PLAN!

Why?

Well there is a lot of science that goes into it but it pretty much boils down to how our bodies use carbs and fats.

Most of us know our body uses any easily accessible sugar reserves first.  It then goes into our more complex sugars.  Then your Fat storage is turned into energy.  And finally, IF YOU HAVEN’T EATTEN FOR ABOUT 3 OR MORE DAYS, the body starts eating its own muscles…but most of us don’t wait 3 or more days before eating again….let alone a few hours.

SO THE PECKING ORDER FOR ENERGY IS:

  • Simple Carbs
  • Complex Carbs
  • Fats
  • Muscles

It is important to note that all extra Carbs NOT used during the day WILL TURN INTO FAT.

So, knowing that, lets say that you are following the LeanGains eating style.

If you are, then you are not eating more than 10 calories an hour for 12-18 hours of the day.  This puts your body into a fasting state.  This means your body is burning your current reserves for energy.

In other words, your body is first burning its Simple Carbs, then its Complex Carbs, and then your Fat storage.

Now, it is important to note that at about the 12th hour of not eating…YOUR BODY BURNS A COUPLE OF THOUSAND TIMES THE AMOUNT OF FAT!

 And that’s the magic of LeanGains – everyday you burn all your Carb reserves (simple and complex) and…

…YOU EAT INTO YOUR FAT RESERVES (1000 FOLD) EVERYDAY!

So, because your body uses Carbs first for energy, and you’ve used all them for energy while fasting, when it is time to eat…

…YOUR BODY WILL BE BEGGING FOR CARBS!!!!

 This is why you can enjoy the cereal right before bedtime…especially if you’ve fasted for a 24 hour period…which I do at least once a week.  Your body will use the Carb intake to immediately replace the Carbs you used up while in the fasting state.

The Carbs burned during the fasting state are Carbs that, if you had not fasting, might not have been used.  And if the Carbs aren’t used you start running a surplus of Carbs in your tank which is turned into Fat.

So, what’s the point of this post? 

If you change nothing in your life, no new workout or eating habits, but follow the LeanGains or Intermittent Fasting eating plan you will start to burn more Fat on a daily basis.  Less of your Carb intake will turn into Fat because you will depleting the body of its Carb reserves during the day and lessening the Carb surplus in your body – and the Carb surplus will TURN INTO FAT!

Now, with this being said, let’s say you follow my exact eating and workout schedule:

Fasting State: From 9 pm to 3 pm the next day everyday

Feeding State: From 3 pm to 9 pm

Workout: 5 am workout

This means I workout with no food intake for 9 hours and then I wait another 9 hours before eating after working out.  So, on top of using my normal everyday energy my body has to tap into my Carb and Fat reserves to repair the muscles I broke down during my workout.  This means my Carb and Fat reserves are even more taxed during the day and by the time its time to start eating my body, and especially my muscles, will be screaming for the new Carbs…

…USING THE LATE NIGHT CARBS FOR MY MUSCLES BEFORE THEY GET TURNED TO FAT!

So…

….if all my Carb intake is going to my muscles where does my energy for the next day’s workout and normal life come from…? 

It’s MAGIC

…and that magical post will be writen another day….I have to keep y’all coming back somehow!