The Carb Time Change Experiment

There is a lot of talk out there about when to eat carbs (such as grains, beans, etc). Some say only during the first part of the day. Some say anytime you want. Some try to avoid most all together. When I say carbs I mean all three types (starches, sugars, fiber). I have yet to figure out what works best for me. For quite awhile since coming back to California we had been having carbs with our meals throughout the day and late in the evening. I was working out harder than I had before with much more intense cardio included and still had not seen the results I had been working toward.  My fiance' recommended a change in our daily menus. A long time ago we purchased some exercise equipment by Gold's Gym that came with a little booklet of diet suggestions for building more muscle. It suggests making every meal count (including snacks) and having 6 meals a day. From 7am-7pm. The first 3 meals are protein & carbs and the last 3 are protein & veggie.

Hmm. Why not? Let's give it a try! I had cut out dairy and sugar (recommended by my herbalist) again recently, why not make a few more adjustments? So we figured it all out and started right away. The first few nights my stomach was not happy with me in the evening and I had to go to bed hungry with cravings for things like popcorn and chips. It was kind of miserable. But after the third day my body started to adjust. The hardest part was getting my water in during the day. I had been used to drinking most of my water in the morning but eating the first meal so early I didn't have much time to do that. It also meant exercising with out fasting. I am starting to see a little difference in my weight (less bloating) already even without the intense workouts I had been doing. I'm hoping that as I build back up my workouts the muscles will start to respond to the added protein I'm getting in. Will let you know the results after a couple of months of experimenting. Any thoughts on carbs and what has worked for you?