lacking energy
 

Hi Guys,
I've been low carbing for about 5 weeks and have found I'm struggling to get through my normal excercise routine. I go to the gym 5 times a week and regularly do 2 classes while I'm there. I don't seem to have as much energy as I did before I began low carbing. I have however lost some weight which is good. What do I need to do/eat before I excercise to get me through with enough energy. I usually go to the gym in the morning after I have dropped the kids of at school. I hope someone out then can help me. Thanks Jen :help:

I've just been working through the cardio part of it.

I am fairly strong, but I'm struggling with doing 3 sets of 10 (lifting weights) exercises with dumbells. I'm lucky to get through 8 non-weighted squats at a time. I just rest for longer (45 seconds) and do more sets.

I am hoping my body will adjust.

I haven't been eating anything to prepare - I can't do that. All off-plan foods lead to bingeing for me.

I don't know it I should eat more protein or more carbs. Is a high carb breakfast cereal enough to give me the extra energy or am I on the wrong track? I desperately need help I need more energy. Thanks Jen

A hi-carb breakfast will stimulate insulin, leaving you more tired than before. The carb needs to be in the bloodstream when you are working out. If you eat at 6:00AM but don't workout til 10 or 11 by then the carbs have been moved out of the bloodstream.

IF you're really tired, that could be low blood sugar. The simplest solution is eat some carb shortly before the workouts. Hammergel uses maltodextrin, a quick energy source that doesn't stimulate insulin. The fastest energy source would be potatoes. Bananas get absorbed quickly. They're also a good source of potassium in case your problem is an electolyte deficiency.

Carbs won't derail your low-carb diet. The carbs get used up quickly in the workout. After weeks of low-carbing you may find that only a small amount of carb is needed. It's a matter of experimenting. Try half a banana. If that doesn't work, try a whole one. If that doesn't work try an oatmeal cookie.

IF you workout tired you aren't getting the full benefit of the workout. Also tired muscles are more prone to injury.

Drink Whey Protein Smoothies!

2 scoops of protein powder
in 3 cups of skim milk with
some pysillium husk for fiber
and you will be good to go til
lunch. For a background on the
many diet and fitness benefits
of Whey Protein Powder, visit
http://www.wheyoflife.org and
read the links under the IN
THE NEWS and BENEFITS
sections to read many studies
proving the benefits of this
AMINO ACID rich by product
of milk and cheese. AND IT
Is NO FAT, and NO CARBS!

Just what you need, I guarantee! :agree:

Thank guys for the advice I will try it next week and let you know how I go. Jen

Hi again guys,
I guess I should give you a few more details about what I am actually eating. During a normal day I have about 80g protein and 25-30g carbs. Breakfast 20g p and 5-7g c, lunch 20g p 20g c and tea 40g p and 20g carbs. I have breakfast at about 8.15am and I commence my workouts at about 8.45am and sometime go til 11.30am but mostly I finish at 10.30am. Where would it be best to increase for energy and what should I eat. I would rather increase my food intake than take supplements as I find supplement too expensive and I have a large family to feed. I hope this give you more info to help me with my dilemma. Thanks Jen

You can eat more FAT
if you want. Apparently
there are some who claim
that will help you lose
weight, but if you UP your
protein intake to about 140
grams a day and cut the fat
you will burn some of the
protein and the next thing to
be used will be the body FAT.

You can add the whey powder in
other things you already eat.

And it keeps you satiated so you
don't wanna eat any junk.

I would add a few more calories (quality protein) to each of your meals and see how that works for you. You've only been lc for a few weeks, so it's possible that you are not fully fat adapted. Your carb intake seems to be about right considering your current stats. It's not necessary to micromanage with specifically adding fats, just don't always go for the extra lean cuts of meat.

Thanks nedgoudy, I'll try more fat. It's hard tp get out of the mind set of not eating fat. I'm just scared I'll put it straight on my hips and butt. I'll just have to change my wat of thinking as well as my way of eating.
kbfunTH I'll take your suggestion on board too. I guess I'll have to keep adjusting my fat ans protein intake until I'm satisfied with my energy levels and also maintaining weight loss.
I was told before I started low carbing that I would notice the increase in energy straight away but that wasn't the case. I guess I'll have to play with it a bit until I get it right.

thanks Jen

Most people do have to work the diet composition to get the right balance that works for them. Good energy levels from the start, are not unheard of, but you will need to be consuming enough calories. In the absence of carbs, stored and ingested fat are the primary sources of fuel. Proteins also provide a fuel source, which you'll want to make sure you have enough of. This is especially important the closer you get to your ideal weight, because it's at this level that you start sacrificing a higher percentage of your weight loss to the loss of lean body mass. Optimal amounts of protein and muscle stimulous can minimize or reverse this.

Thanks for that info kbfunTH as I am new to this I need all the help I can get. I want to stick to this WOE because I have found that is is also helping my IBS which has been an added bonus. I'll keep it up. I only have about 9lbs to lose now so I'm nearly there. I can't wait.
Jen

I agree with Kaypeeoh, if you are not getting enough liquids and potassium, calcium and magnesium you will get exhausted-- happened to me when I started. I am fine now and can even work out in the hot weather. I drink plenty of water-- no pop. I also added "salt substitute" which is just pure KCL (potassium chloride) to my food and I take Ca, Mg, Zn pills I found at the dollar store. I eat flax meal and walnuts daily for Omega-3 essential fats. I am not a big fish eater, but I have catfish once a week.

Hi Jen -

I've been trying to do tennis training on very low carbs with mixed results (approx. 9 months now). Some days it seems I am 'ok' on the court - can manage on low carbs. However other times it has been a real drag and I am really exhausted.

Right now I'm taking the plunge with eating quite a few more carbs just before my training, as yesterday was really awful and I was very low on energy. Today I just ate around 500 calories for breakfast which included a large banana, a tangerine, eggs, cream, cocoa powder + sweetener (home-made shake). This came to around 40g carb which is HUGE for me (I usually just have eggs, cream and butter for breakfast which is very low carb).

I use up a lot of sprinting energy though which even after 9 months on low-carb I can not do very well without carbs.

However, before you jump into carbing up, I will say that for other exercise - for instance swimming, I do very well on no carbs. This is a more relaxed exercise and I can swim well over a mile easily on no carbs. So it might be that you just need to give your body time to adapt, or it might be the type of exercise you're doing is just too intense for very low carbs.

Whichever way - I think if you eat more carbs before exercising you will definitely burn them off anyway so you don't need to worry about weight gain. Also, just make sure you don't have a carbs only breakfast - eat them with protein and your blood sugar will be stable too.

Good luck!

I would like to add that even with the addition of a high carb item like a banana and some chocolate, I have no trouble getting right back into ketosis after tennis - in fact I wonder how far I've been knocked out sometimes as I am not hungry after tennis at all after these carbs.