How Many Carbs..

Should I be having per meal? And how many would be "too much"?

Generally, you want your carbs to be roughly 1/2 of your caloric intake (I shoot for about 40%).

At 2500/day (idk what yours is, bear w me), thats 1250cal from carbs (if you go by 50%)

1g carb = 4cal so uhm... brb calculator time... would be about 310g carb/day (312.5)
4 meals/day @ 50%= 78g carb/meal
5 meals/day @ 50%= 62g carb/meal

Or 40% (like me!) would be 1000 (okay this I can do in my head)
gives you 250g carb/day
4 meals/day @ 40% = 62g carb/meal
5 meals/day @ 40% = 50g carb/meal

In reality, you should concentrate the carbs where you need them:
Breakfast, pre w/o, post w/o.

Does that help? O para espanol, pulse dos.

Ok so 1 serving of my Wheatabix is 1 cup, which has 44g of carbs. Should I have 2 servings worth in the morning? EDIT: Dunno why I asked that..

Also, should all of my carb intake be complex carbs?

As much as possible should be complex. Sugars are going to slip in, which is fine. Yogurt, for example -- Dannon 100% natural pure yogurt (which is nothing but milk) has 12g sugar (lactose is a disaccharide). And that's the plain kind. Or fruit. Fruit also has fiber in it. Apples I think have both insoluble and soluble (soluble is what helps lower cholesterol by stealing ur bile). Those are okay. But bread, pastas, etc, should be as whole grainy as possible. Make sense?

Oh also, if you have (insert meal here) and you are still hungry, have a slice of cheese or something. Not crackers or ... something crackery. They will not fill you up. Proteins and fats do that.

Lol I'm glad you said that because earlier I had my 2nd meal of the day and I got hungry a little while later, so I had crackers but with cheese on them. it was like HelluvGood Monterrey Jack and Jalapeno cheese. Just a few cracker+cheese sammiches and I was content

Another thing. What in the world is a disaccharide? >.>

Wolf's Journey into the world of Carbs!!
By: LP With contributions by Wiggles.*

Monosaccharides: C6H12O6. They are the simplest of simple sugars. There are three of them: glucose, fructose and galactose.
Your body can ONLY use glucose for energy. Ever. Proteins and fats must be converted to glucose for use by the body. Carbohydrates must be broken down into single sugar molecules to be used by the body. Fructose and galactose must be converted to glucose to be used by the body. Fructose is the sweetest sugar.
Dissaccharides: 2 sugars together: Let's do some math!
Glucose+Fructose=Sucrose! Table sugar is sucrose.
Glucose+Galactose=Lactose! Milk sugar!
Glucose+Glucose=Maltose! Also Neat!

Lactose is broken down by lactase (a protein) to galactose and glucose. Some people either lack the proper protein to break down lactose, or it goes all wonky. They are lactose intolerant. This is why yogurt is sometimes okay for them (or at least a better option than milk). Yogurt has live cultures in it, which can help break down the lactose. Some people make a few "air bubbles" when they have milk. These "air bubbles" are evacuated from the body. To you and me, this is called a "fart".

Once carohydrates are broken down into their constituent sugars (glucose fructose and galactose) they are sent to wherever. Galactose and fructose go to the liver for conversion into glucose, so they body can use them. Glucose is ready steady to go. When your blood glucose levels rise, the liver tells the pancreas, and the pancreas releases insulin. If you are a type I diabetic, your pancreas hates you and doesn't give you insulin. If you are a type II diabetic, your pancreas releases insulin, but your cells do not respond. In its early stages this is called hyperinsulemia. Insulin allows the passage of glucose into your cells to be used for energy.

Simple sugars are quick & easy. They go into the bloodstream quickly. That is why when you have them, you should temper them with something that takes longer to digest. This will keep you from having a sugar high, followed by an insulin spike, then a crash. This is a good way to develop a resistance to insulin (type II diabetes). Complex carbs are still made of sugars hooked together, but they are broken down and broken down and broken down. There are A LOT of chains to break, and it takes longer for the individual sugar molecules to hit the bloodstream. This is why people call them "awesome" or "time release carbs".

Fiber is a carbohydrate as well. It is sugar molecules all hooked together. The difference is fiber is more of a "matrix" of glucose, and complex carbs (polysaccharides, if you will) are more of a "chain" of glucose. We do not have the ability to break down fiber. We cannot get to the crosslinks, so they stay relatively solid, and we evacuate them. Soluble fibers hook to bile in your stomach. Bile, made by the liver and stored by the gallbladder, is a fatty substance (used to emulsify fat), made primarily of low density lipoproteins, or LDLs. When its job is done, the bile is taken back into the bloodstream and sent back to the liver to be used again. When you eat soluble fiber, it will stick to the bile, and the bile is evactuated. This means that your liver must pull LDL (or 'bad' cholesterol) from your bloodstream to create more bile. This is why "Cheerios may help lower your cholesterol". Solubles fibers are "sticky". Think: oats, whole grains, and fruit meat (the apple of the apple, not the skin), corn, psyllium (metamucil I think is psyllium).

Inulin and Chicory root are fiber additives found in many foods. They are insoluble fiber. Insolubles are often found in fruit skins, corn. root skins, whole grains. They help balance the pH of your large intestine. Which is pretty important cos your stomach is a pH of around 1-2, and the intestines are more neutral. Not that it is hard to be more neutral than a pH of 1-2. I think the small is actually kind of basic, around 8-8.5 and the large is more neutral, closer to 6-7. I'd have to double check though. It's close (:

You eat a carb. 2 Things happen: Use or Storage.
Glycogen is the storage form of glucose in the body. It is found in the liver and the skeletal muscles. I believe the total glycogen stores in the body are in the 'hood of 2400cal or so. This is a branched chain of glucose molecules all hooked together. Kind of looks like a tree. Super qt. When you exercise, this is where you get your energy from (at first, anyway... sustained exercise moves on to other sources of energy in the body, like fat and protein)! That is why the post w/o meal is a good place to toss in simple carbs (if you must). Your body is most responsive to carbohydrates at this time, because it is working to replenish glycogen stores.

Excess glucose is stored in the body as fat. Fat has 9cal/g. It is *very* energy dense. It is also *very* hard to break down, as anyone who has ever tried to lose weight can tell you. (Calories are a unit of energy. 1 calorie is the energy it takes to raise 1g of water 1C)

Ask for the time...

*jk she's not allowed in here cos she chews on the wires.

Excellent work, but a few things I felt obliged to mention, out of politeness not to criticise .

LDL Cholesterol is not actually bad, unless it exceeds 100mg's per litre, or contributes to a total Cholesterol level of 200mg's+. Without that Cholesterol you would die, Docotrs calling it bad is like say Books good, chopping down trees bad. LDL is not bad Cholesterol, it's essential Cholesterol. Anything is bad in excess including Copper, Selenium and Fat Soluable Vitamins.

Glutamine and Vit C being two things, I've seen little evidence for in relation to negative effects at high doses, but that doesn't rule them out.

Lipoproteins are merely transport mechanisms for Cholesterol. LDL for essential Cholesterol, HDL for damaged or dead Cholesterol. Bile is made of Cholesterol, but I don't think it contains any Lipoprotein content, though I could be wrong.

Simple sugars take 30 calories per minute into the bloodstream, complex Oligosaccharides, (3-20 molecules), take 2 calories per minute.

Lactase belongs to a group of carbohydrate digesting enzymes, with a longwinded name, abbreviated to Transferases.

These include Fructase, Sucrase, Lactase, (Galactose digester), etc etc. Not sure they're Proteins, but could be wrong.

Proteins also can interact with the Kidneys, hence the reason for Kidney stones, caused by excess Protein and too much Red Meat.

Maltose, (Beer carbs), is also broken down into Glucose, but via Amylase in the Mouth, and possibly Amylopsin, produced in the Pancreas, not a Transferase. Transferases only break down Simple Sugars to my knowledge.

Starches are digested by Ptyalin, I think the Enzyme in mouth Amylase.

Not sure Bile emulsifies Fat. Emulsifiers bind Fat and Water together from memory, and Bile is used to help break down Fat not bind it.

Never heard of Proteins converting to Glucose, could be wrong though. Trypsin in the Pancreas, Pepsin in the Stomach, Bromelain in Pineapple, Papain in Papaya and Ficin in Figs, are Proteases, that break Proteins down into component Amino Acids for use.

Their production along with Bile and Carbohydrate enzymes, are in part governed by the Duodenum, tha part of the Intestines between the Stomach and Jejunum, which creates things like Secretin, Motilin, Resistin and Pancreozymyn, that also exert other effects like Smooth Muscle contraction.

Resistin from memory also plays a part in Insulin resistance.

Fats are also regulated by things in the Stomach called Adiponectin, Leptin and Ghrelin, that help with fat burn for energy, or fat metabolism. Ghrelin also helps produce GH in the Pituitary gland.

Excellent work, but a few things I felt obliged to mention, out of politeness not to criticise .

LDL Cholesterol is not actually bad, unless it exceeds 100mg's per litre, or contributes to a total Cholesterol level of 200mg's+. Without that Cholesterol you would die, Docotrs calling it bad is like say Books good, chopping down trees bad. LDL is not bad Cholesterol, it's essential Cholesterol. Anything is bad in excess including Copper, Selenium and Fat Soluable Vitamins. Hence the quotation marks, love. Cholesterol is a part of the cell membrane. It is responsible for Vitamin D production in the sunshine. I don't knock Cholesterol. I love Vitamin D!

Glutamine and Vit C being two things, I've seen little evidence for in relation to negative effects at high doses, but that doesn't rule them out. Vit C, in excress, actually causes 'rrhea, which kind of cracks me up. These effects are almost immediate and short lived as Vit C is water soluble and is not stored in the body.

Lipoproteins are merely transport mechanisms for Cholesterol. LDL for essential Cholesterol, HDL for damaged or dead Cholesterol. Bile is made of Cholesterol, but I don't think it contains any Lipoprotein content, though I could be wrong. Bile is made from LDL. Your liver must pull LDL to make more bile if yours is excreted.

Simple sugars take 30 calories per minute into the bloodstream, complex Oligosaccharides, (3-20 molecules), take 2 calories per minute.

Lactase belongs to a group of carbohydrate digesting enzymes, with a longwinded name, abbreviated to Transferases. Sucrase and Maltase being others. I just mentioned Lactase because it is a fairly common thing for people to be missing, and I wanted to say "fart" in my post.

These include Fructase, Sucrase, Lactase, (Galactose digester), etc etc. Not sure they're Proteins, but could be wrong. They are enzymes. Enzymes are proteins. More specifically, they are proteins that lower the activation energy so a reaction can occur. In this case, it is a catabolic, exergonic reaction that breaks down disaccharides to monosaccharides so that they may be used by the body.

Proteins also can interact with the Kidneys, hence the reason for Kidney stones, caused by excess Protein and too much Red Meat.True. Excess Vit C can also cause gout issues and kidney stones, but I have yet to see a case of it. Nor have I met a dietitian who has. But it is a toxicity symptom of Vit C

Maltose, (Beer carbs), is also broken down into Glucose, but via Amylase in the Mouth, and possibly Amylopsin, produced in the Pancreas, not a Transferase. Transferases only break down Simple Sugars to my knowledge. Transferases are actually used to transfer a functional group. Glucose requires no transferase, as it is already in proper structure for use by the body. Transferases also play a role in DNA replication.

Starches are digested by Ptyalin, I think the Enzyme in mouth Amylase. Maltose and dextrin, specifically.

Not sure Bile emulsifies Fat. Emulsifiers bind Fat and Water together from memory, and Bile is used to help break down Fat not bind it.Emulsify is to mix (or disperse) into solution. Fat groups together, as it is hydrophobic, so it does not mix with the rest of the bolus in the mouth, or chyme in the stomach (kind of like oil in water). Bile breaks down fats so that they can mix with the chyme. The bile dump occurs in the duodenum I believe. This is why people who have had the gallbladder removed have problems with fatty foods (fried especially). The fats stick together and are not properly broken down, because a steady stream of bile is available, since there is no storage for it. The dump cannot occur at times of high fat consumption, and the fat "slides" out.

Never heard of Proteins converting to Glucose, could be wrong though. Trypsin in the Pancreas, Pepsin in the Stomach, Bromelain in Pineapple, Papain in Papaya and Ficin in Figs, are Proteases, that break Proteins down into component Amino Acids for use. Proteins break down into amino acids, which can be converted to glucose for energy. This is the idea (however ineptly) behind the Atkins diet. That guy was a moron.

Their production along with Bile and Carbohydrate enzymes, are in part governed by the Duodenum, tha part of the Intestines between the Stomach and Jejunum, which creates things like Secretin, Motilin, Resistin and Pancreozymyn, that also exert other effects like Smooth Muscle contraction. I don't know that I understand this sentence.

Resistin from memory also plays a part in Insulin resistance.This is a controversial point. Resistin is produced by adipose tissue (fat cells), and as a result has links with obesity and Type II diabetes. I would not be surprised to learn that it does play a role, but I'm not positive.

Fats are also regulated by things in the Stomach called Adiponectin, Leptin and Ghrelin, that help with fat burn for energy, or fat metabolism. Ghrelin also helps produce GH in the Pituitary gland.Fat storage is governed by a great many things. Irregardless, if too much energy is taken in and not enough is used, you are gonna get a lil more junk in yo' trunk sts. Interestingly enough, when leptin was discovered (in mice, and produced by adipose tissue), it was thought that people with obesity issues were unable to produce it. There was much ado about using leptin as a possible weight loss treatment, when it was discoverd that the ob gene could mutate, causing overheating, decreased energy expenditure and obesity. Mice respond well to leptin injections, decreasing energy input and increasing energy expenditure. It was discovered, however, that leptin is found in obese humans in high concentrations, and they do not respond the same way to injections of leptin.

SO. MANY. BIG. WORDS. x.x

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We built you a clock.

<3,
Boss & LesP

And why do I need a clock?? >.>

I. Am. So. Conuzzled.

"Ask for the time, and he'll build you a clock"

I think a wise man said it. Or a wise ass. Either way. Ask a simple question.. (:

SO. MANY. BIG. WORDS. x.x

dictionary.com my dear

Lipoproteins are merely transport mechanisms for Cholesterol. LDL for essential Cholesterol, HDL for damaged or dead Cholesterol. Bile is made of Cholesterol, but I don't think it contains any Lipoprotein content, though I could be wrong. Bile is made from LDL. Your liver must pull LDL to make more bile if yours is excreted.

I was referring to the possibility ,that the LDL Lipoprotein itself, as opposed to the Cholesterol contained within, may not become a part of the Bile. As I said, I can't be sure of that.


Their production along with Bile and Carbohydrate enzymes, are in part governed by the Duodenum, tha part of the Intestines between the Stomach and Jejunum, which creates things like Secretin, Motilin, Resistin and Pancreozymyn, that also exert other effects like Smooth Muscle contraction. I don't know that I understand this sentence.

I was referring to substances such as those mentioned, being produced in the Duodenum, that affect things like Digestive Enzyme, Bile and Insulin production, as well as things like Smooth muscle contraction.

Hopefully that clarifies things.

As for the stuff about Leptin, Adiponectin and Ghrelin, yes I believe in obese people, some or all of those can be produced less, making it harder for their Fat affecting activities to be as beneficial.