Questions in Need of Answers.. Carbs after lunch?

ok, so I apologize if this is lengthy! I am a 20 yr old female, very active (run 4 days a week, 2 day of hi-intensity on the treadmill or elliptical followed by circuit training weights) sometimes i double with an easy run and a spin class, or something, and last week was spring break, so i took a few extra days off. ANYWAYS

I gained weight when i transfered to school in the fall, i am 5'3, currently 122-124. I have come down from about 135lb since December. My usual, comfortable weight is 115-117.. so as you can imagine, my pants fit, but are still a little tight, and i don't feel back to myself yet. My main question/concern is this: I had a trainer over christmas break which jump-started my weight loss. He said no grains after lunch time, and yes this did help. i also cut back to 1000-1200 kcals which i dont think is/was enough for me. 

When i went home for spring break i weight in at 120, now 10 days later (after a cabo vacation and eating my fill of brownies at home!) i am back up to 123 ish like i said! and everytime i went home in between and had carbs, i always felt a slight weight gain again.

so can i lose weight if do eat grains after 4 pm?? don't people lose weight eating a sweet potatoe for dinner, or a piece of whole grain toast along side a salad? I just want to get back to myself, but NOT gain weight back every time i eat carbs at night, or something. my trainer said i could lose weight this way, but MUCh slower. this seems so odd to me. anyone with knowledge/advice... help!! i am driving myself crazy thinking i wont lose weight anymore

Okay, you CAN lose weight if you eat grains after 4pm. As an informed student nurse I recommed you have grains with dinner to make sure you get your daily intake for the food group! The general rule I find most people follow is to not eat after 6pm, because if you don't work it off your body stores it as fat. I think your trainer went a little bit extreme, but I think the main point is no late-night snacking! It is one of the worst things to do if you are trying to loose weight.

I am in the same position, I am around 119lbs, and trying to loose a few because I ganied weight over the winter, and stressed out over the hardest midterms I have ever written. But Since I have cut out eating after 6pm I have been loosing weight (I weighed around where you are now) and I definately eat grains with almost every dinner!

Hope this helps you out!

-Katie

Hi Jinder, you may want to check this out and see if any of it makes sense for you, I am in the process of evaluating it all myself-see my journal if you are interested.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2209576_determine-met abolic-type.html

Good luck.

There's nothing wrong with good complex carbs at any time of day.  But complex carbs doesn't mean brownies.  There's also nothing wrong with the occasional treat like a brownie, if you can watch your portion size.  Sticking to complex carbs (veggies, whole grains, etc) should help you maintain your goal weight, and it's also been shown that eating the proper amount of whole grains helps fight sugar cravings.

There must be a factory somewhere that churns out trainers, pre-programmed to recommend daft diets to people.   I'm sure your trainer is very good at pressing buttons on equipment and looking butch in a pair of shorts but he  should leave nutrition well alone.

Weight-loss comes down to consuming slightly fewer calories than you use up each day.  Because you're a healthy weight for your height this is going to be excruciatingly slow, whatever you do.   Stick with good, general healthy eating principles such as getting plenty of vegetables, some fruit, wholegrains, lean meat/fish etc.... space meals out evenly throughout the day... drink plenty of fluids.  And keep about a 500-700 cal deficit between the energy you use up exercising (and that's going to be very high) and the amount you take in.  Hint... it won't be 1000 - 1200 cals it'll be a lot more.  Use the CC calculator to work out how many.

And next time your trainer gives you dietary advice, nod, smile and then completely ignore him.

Yah gi-jane, you hit the nail on the head!!!!  

 It's just another trick to make you limit energy intake without actually counting calories, just like the low-carb, low-fat, no-sugar, no-fruit or no-donut diets.

 Well, the no-donuts diet makes sense.

If you've got a client who refuses to count calories I can see resorting to telling them to not eat carbs after lunch to stop them from having donuts, chips and cookies in the afternoon, but it's no better or worse to have that sort of carbs at any point during the day. Your body doesn't know the clock, it works on calendar time ;)

A no donut-diet makes no sense at all! Shame on you Melkor! LOL

(Sometimes go for a walk to grab a coffee and a donut after supper if my calorie intake allows it) But that's a secret, don't tell anyone.

You especially need grain since you're so active. Aim for 6 servings of grain a day. Just make sure you're not eating white flour - this is the kind of "grain" that is bad for you. Eat oatmeal, multigrain bread, brown rice, wheat pasta, and other grains that don't have white enriched flour. Potatoes are good, too. 

thank you everyone for your replies! i appreciate and like gi-jane said, i figured my weight loss will be slow, but i am hoping it does at least happen!! i am so frustrated and have NEVER had a weight problem before. in fact, i used to eat pretty much whatever i wanted (always being highly active) and it was fine. so yes, i do not have too many treats and i do not drink anymore, so id imagine that helps. I am also aiming to have 90-100 g protein and also going to incorporate healthy carbs into my dinner time. sound ok? thanks again