Hello J and big thanks for great articles & links

I'm coming from the angle of (endurance)sports and the need to plan nutrition before and after training (plus to avoid my kids getting carb-addiction), so I have some related questions, to which you might have understanding.

Q1) I try to avoid getting any carbs just before aerobic training(1-3 hrs). E.g. train before breakfast, avoid sports drinks before or during, min 2 hours in between meal and trainings etc.. I.e. I try to train with normal/low blood sugar level. But I always get carb&protein (~80/20%) after the training. Purpose is to train the body for better fat burning (-> Marathon endurance & general health).
---> Do you see any risks in this kind of method ?
(Male, 43 years, BMI 21, celiac desease--> glutein free diet)

Q2) ..about protein intake after training. In some earlier comments I saw, that whole protein (e.g. meat) will be available longer time in blood stream. Would that be sufficient also as a protein for post training needs. I.e. Steak during lunch and just carbs after training at 6 PM ?
Sometimes you just don't have optimum refil available.

Q3) sometimes I have a pause in my training, e.g. running 1 hr to see my son's match (45 mins) then running back home and then eat. Occationally I feel a bit week after that, but I could easily run 2-3 hours continiously with just water, withoiut such weakness feeling. Does the pause in training initiate some processes (muscle-protein-recompositions...?) which would require carb&protein ? ..or something ?

...There are not many places where one could expect any help for these questions...
-JP-

Big thanks for quick and clear answers !
(...which triggered hunger for more..)

-What if one only get protein as a recovery meal and no carbs
(so if I just happen to carry beef jerky with me)?

- I had to search "autophagy", so it kind of clears your cells from garbage and "resets the errors" ?

..beef jerky, here I come !

JP, from Finland

[...] Notice that none of the options for incoming sugar is “build muscle.” That’s because you can’t build muscle on an all sugar diet. In fact, you’ll be guaranteed to break down your own muscle to provide the amino acids your body requires. Obviously, an all-sugar diet is extreme, but this muscle breakdown happens even with an all-sugar snack. [...]

Hi J,
great blog, thanks. I have a quick question about snacking. It's a bit confusing.

1. I like to have a big breakfast of fat and protein with a little carbs and for lunch a little fruit with a lot of sour cream. Would 1/2 apple with raw grass-fed sour cream for lunch, as an example, be considered snack or meal? Sour cream has only a little protein.

2. Also, you said "if your body needs to cannibalize itself for protein, it starts with the stuff that needs replacing anyway", so why do you always need to eat protein with carbs? Wouldn't you just cause autophagy by eating carbs without protein and that's a good thing (assuming the carbs cause only a small insulin spike)?

thanks!

Paul, thanks for your reply. Snacking makes sense now. But I'm still confused on when autophagy kicks in. It's just more of a scientific curiosity. Does it only happen during intermittent fasting? I've read a bit about it and it looks like insulin spike inhibits autophagy, presence of amino acids also does.

So a low protein and low carb breakfast you are eating is similar to IF and will actually promote autophagy.

Interesting article on that:
http://knol.google.com/k/ron-mignery/protein-cycling-diet/2s3nmvrwklbxs/1#

[...] has all the essentials in roughly the optimal ratio. The whole article is well worth a read: Why Snacking Makes You Weak, Not Just Fat - GNOLLS.ORG Reply With Quote   + Reply to Thread « Previous Thread | [...]

J, thanks for your very detailed answer, it makes sense now.

Hey J,

Curious. When blood sugar and insulin are high (more proteolysis going on), where does all that protein leaving muscles go? Converted to enzymes? Membrane proteins? Shunted to the liver for gluconeogenesis? These don't seem like viable options. So, where do these amino acids go? Urea cycle? Or are they just recycled back into the muscle once the blood glucose re-normalises? Confused.

I followed the proteins down the road you paved--the one that leads to lean muscle loss (which I believe makes intuitive sense, btw)--but I came to a fork in the road and noticed the proteins had gotten away. Where did the go? I'm sure it'll come to me or someone else will figure it out. Thanks for the great read once again.