www.leangains.com
This is the type of thing where if you ask 10 different people you get 10 different answers.
Here is my experience..
Every time I tried the whole “no carbs after 6 pm” thing I would run into a real problem.. I couldn’t sleep. I tried Melatonin, Simply Sleep, Valerian, 5 HTP, ect..nothing worked. When I finally did fall asleep I would wake up a couple hours later only to eat some carbs and fall right asleep.
There are a lot of things I can be disciplined about in my life but not getting sleep is not one of them. I work anywhere from 55-70 hours per week and train 5-6 days per week. I have to get 7-8 hours per night.
To fix the problem I started compromising. I basically keep carbs at a moderate level through out the day then have a pretty good amount in my final meal within an hour before I go to sleep. The limited carbs I consume thorough out the day keeps me focused with plenty of energy then the heavier dose I have at night puts me right to sleep!!
As for the way I look, I started leaning out immediately when I did this. My muscles are fuller through out the day, I look tight first thing in the morning. Right now I am experimenting with Alpha Lipoic Acid, taking 300 mg 3 times per day on an empty stomach 30-45 minutes before a meal, one of those meals being the last carb meal before sleep. ALA may have no impact but like I said I’m experimenting.
Its good to see other people have recognized this strategy and I’m not imagining stuff. At first I felt guilty like I wasn’t displaying the willpower but as mentioned I couldn’t sacrifice the sleep and had no other answer. The results were welcomed!!