Podcast Summary: Dr. Mike Israetel on How to Use Carbs to Lose Fat & Build Muscle at the Same Time

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Carb Intake Tips to Optimize Performance (00:01:09)

  • Consuming enough carbohydrates throughout the day is crucial for muscle glycogen restoration, optimal performance, recovery, and muscle growth.
  • The timing of carbohydrate intake is less important compared to having enough carbohydrates overall.
  • Pre-workout meals should be consumed 1-3 hours before training, while post-workout meals should be consumed as soon as possible after training.
  • A post-workout meal with protein and carbohydrates is important for replenishing glycogen stores and promoting recovery.
  • Carbohydrates should comprise approximately 50-60% of total daily calorie intake, with the remaining meals evenly distributed throughout the day.
  • Avoid excessive carbs in the last meal of the evening to prevent sleep disturbances and digestive issues.
  • Carbohydrates have an anti-catabolic effect, meaning they can help prevent muscle breakdown.
  • Carbohydrates can help improve performance during resistance training, leading to increased muscle growth.

Anti-Catabolic Effect of Carbs (00:09:50)

  • Carbohydrates have an anti-catabolic effect, helping to preserve muscle mass during intense training.
  • Endurance athletes, who engage in frequent and prolonged training, require more protein than sedentary individuals due to the anti-catabolic effect of carbs.
  • Consuming protein and carbohydrates together can mitigate muscle breakdown during long endurance sessions.

How Much Cortisol You Generate From a Workout Influences Gains (00:11:15)

  • Carbohydrates blunt the cortisol response to training, promoting recovery and muscle growth.
  • Insulin, stimulated by carbohydrate consumption, helps lower cortisol levels.
  • Transient increases in cortisol during workouts are associated with better training adaptations, while chronic high cortisol levels can be detrimental.
  • Post-workout carbohydrates facilitate psychological and physiological recovery, creating an optimal environment for muscle growth and repair.

Keto & Stress (00:13:49)

  • Strict keto can lead to chronic stress.
  • Consuming 50 grams of glucose after a workout can help reduce stress and improve sleep.

Keto vs Low Carb (00:14:27)

  • There's a fine line between being in ketosis and being low carb.
  • Low carb can feel like "metabolic purgatory" because the body is not producing ketones yet.
  • Some people feel better on a full keto diet or a normal diet, while the boundary layer of low carb can feel uncomfortable.
  • The first week of keto is typically difficult due to the transition period.
  • Stretching out a keto diet for eight weeks can keep someone in the transition phase the entire time, making it feel like keto is not working.
  • Replenishing glycogen reserves with 50-75 grams of carbs before a workout can prevent bonking 30 minutes into the workout.

Carbs for Sleep (00:15:30)

  • Consuming a considerable amount of carbohydrates 1-2 hours before sleep can improve sleep quality for individuals on a hypocaloric diet.
  • Carbohydrates before sleep can provide a parasympathetic state, promoting relaxation and sleep.
  • For individuals not trying to lose weight, excessive carbohydrates before sleep can lead to disrupted sleep.
  • A low-carb, high-protein meal before bed is recommended for individuals not trying to lose fat.
  • Experiment with different carbohydrate intake in the evening to find the optimal amount for sleep.

Carbs & Muscle Growth (00:17:52)

  • Protein is the priority for muscle building, but combining protein and carbohydrates has synergistic effects.
  • Carbohydrates are anti-catabolic and parasympathetic, which means they help shuttle protein into the muscle machinery.
  • A mixed diet of carbs plus protein is better for long-term muscle gain than a diet of almost exclusively protein.
  • Carbohydrates have several other benefits, including potentiating training, improving sleep, and boosting mood.
 
@predrag On the one hand this is overly complicated.

On the other hand, Israetel is an actual bodybuilding and sports science coach. He’s often dealing with like….guys at 7% BF trying to get show ready where you’re deep in the diet, everything suck, training drags, you’re getting other effects from the low calorie low body fat like bad insomnia.

It’s also good to have a rough context on how your body metabolizes carbs and protein and understanding how that fits in with a goal of performance, gaining muscle or losing fat. Even if you don’t use it personally it gives a frame of reference for like when weird broscience poorly explained diet creeps up as it does.
 
@predrag As someone who can’t even be bothered to count my calories, I agree with this.

However, if you’re already weighing and tracking everything you’re eating anyway, these are but small additional steps that will make their micromanaged diet more tolerable
 
The last post people found useful so I did another one. If its not useful content, I will stop posting these.
 
@adutmj This information is from a SPORTS SCIENCE perspective!! Much of this research was done for the optimization of athletics and measured on a short time scale.

DO NOT EQUATE ANY OF THIS INFORMATION WITH LONGEVITY OR HEALTH SCIENCE.

I’m in both fields. I’ve been to many similar conferences and am steeped in much of the same research. He’s not sharing any misinformation, but also his advice is almost purely for athletes and body builders.

For example, eating before bed is bad for longevity in regards to diseases of the brain and all cause mortality, but what he claimed isn’t wrong if your goal is to optimize performance over health risks.
 

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