Post: #1

Any of you guys supplement with carb powders in addition to protein?

I've been using Waxy Maize for a while now after MikeCF mentioned it some time ago for bulking. It seems to work pretty well, especially since my lifting and BJJ has kicked back up into high gear and I need extra carbs. Only thing is that it is a corn-based product, but it is non-GMO corn. It's also really sticky so you gotta be somewhat careful mixing in a work setting or it gets all over your pants, shirt, etc.

I'm a fan of powder for 2 primary reasons:
1) Don't need a blender- so when I just have a shaker bottle that does the job.
2) Ratio Control - Unlike a weight gainer powder or whole milk, etc - I can proportion it to the level of carbs I want on that particular day. If my body is in recovery mode after a tough workout, I can dial it up. But if I've taken a couple days off or had a light workout or whatever, I can dial the carbs down while maintaining protein/fat intake.

I'm going to try blending oats to make homemade oat powder next time I hit up Costco. It looks like it will be more cost effective than waxy maize in terms of cost per calorie, but not by a whole lot so I'll have to weigh that in relation to other factors involved (taste, convenience in regards to making it, shelf life, etc)

Post: #2

I've been adding dextrose to my workout drinks. (Basically it's just pure glucose.)

Post: #3

You can blend up store bought oats. The oats will kind of clump together while blending so you have to stop and push them down a few times.

I don't use them much anymore, but I have some swedish oat starch from truenutrition. They also have sweet potato powder, but I haven't tried that.

Waxymaize is supposed to by high glycemic index. That is one of the carbs a lot of people recommend for post workouts and stuff to spike insulin. Probably not a huge deal for you though. Any form of oats/sweet potato are supposed to be low GI. That's only if you worry about stuff like that.

I'd have to check the packaging so I could be wrong, but waxy maize is simply carbs and really nothing else. That isn't a bad thing. Oats will give you fiber and vitamins and other stuff too. That can be beneficial. I primarily eat my carbs rather than use powders these days, but I've had no problems using powders in the past.

Post: #4

Good thought on the low/high GI index.

I love Sweet Potatoes from a nutritional and taste standpoint, so the powder version definitely sounds interesting. Seems to be about double the price of Waxy Maize on a cost-per-calorie basis, I'll probably still try it out.

Just had a thought - Brown Rice Flour would be low-GI too, right? has anybody tried mixing that in a shake? This is organic for a decent price: http://www.amazon.com/Arrowhead-Mills-Or...001O8MPDW.

I have a blendtec, and it looks like I can make it from scratch easily, which would definitely save a fuckton since I can buy it at Costco super cheap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdOPPbC42xI.

Side note- swear I'm not trying to troll or derail my own thread with video of tiny asian chick in bikini, she was the top result in Google for "how to make rice flour with a blender"

Post: #5

+1 for dextrose

You want an insulin spike with your protein shake after a workout.

Post: #6

Dextrose

Dates

IMO Waxy Maize is a Bodybuilding fad scam. Its processed corn dust, cornstarch is the same thing but way to fine to mix. Dextrose and Dates will give you the same insulin spike at a 10th of the cost.

If it fits your convenience then roll with it but you can achieve the same with some dates. Dates are extremely high in GI and yet still have beneficial nutrients intact.

Post: #7

Really confused.

Are you guys not getting enough carbs from normal food? If you're supplementing dextrose, why not just put sugar or honey in things?

If you're supplementing waxy maize, why don't you just eat tortillas or whatever.

Rice, potatoes, plantains, sweet potatoes, if you want to be natural.

Make a protein shake with bananas or berries.

Put sugar in your coffee.

Eat a sandwich or have some pasta.

Is there some specific reason you wouldn't just incorporate carbs into your normal diet? It seems crazy to me to be using all these "supplements" when the problem with carbs is that most people get too much of them.

Post: #8

^^^

1.) "Standard American diet" might be applicable if I was a standard American -and I doubt most people in this forum consider themselves standard americans. Personally I'm lifting AND doing intense BJJ workouts (3 hours) several times a week. With my body type and metabolism, I need additional carbs to maintain my muscle mass, let alone make strength/mass gains, which is my current goal.

2.) RE "alternative" nearly all the options you listed involve some form of complication/preparation. A powder (the reason I started this thread) you can throw into a shaker bottle without needing a blender. This helps so I can keep it under my desk in my office. The only exception you listed is powdered sugar in coffee, or I suppose I could throw that in a shake too. I just don't like the super sweet taste. And I feel like crap afterwards. I don't get that sugar high/crash feeling with Waxy Maize. I suppose I could just start eating candy or drinking soda if I really wanted to pack sugar. My gut is that is going to have more negative health consequences than Waxy Maize, but either way, I don't like the taste/feeling that stuff gives.

To reiterate, adding Waxy Maize has worked well for me. The rest of my diet is largely the same, but I've put on around 5lbs of mass in the past few weeks I've gone from being stuck 179/180 up to 186, and my abs are still just as visible, and lifts are going good. Guys I roll BJJ with are commenting on my increased strength. Again this is also due to the fact that I'm lifting heavy consistently, but I don't think I could keep up my training regimen without carb supplementation.

Check out the NLU interview between Nate and Jay of D&P, he drops some knowledge about how most young guys training heavy are overdoing it with the low carb: https://soundcloud.com/nate_moneyh/inter...oung-dudes

If I was leading a more sedentary lifestyle, or just lifting without BJJ, I'd probably scale my carbs back a bit. But right now my goal is to maintain my BJJ and keep lifting heavy and gaining mass - that's a tall order and I need to give my body the fuel it needs to pull that off. So far, so good.

Post: #9

I train on an empty stomach at 6am so I need to drink something so I don't get dizzy, I've been drinking this for six months and I have gained more clean muscle:

1 scoop of Gaspari Nutrition Glycofuse
1 scoop of Gaspari Nutrition Aminolast

This drink does not make me bloated, it goes smooth and it mixes easily in a shaker bottle.

I could not attribute my phyisical improvement this year just to the drink but I like how I feel, considering the rest (clean diet, juicing, lifting heavy). My only problem is sleeping ~6hours and drinking.