Low-carb diet is kicking my ass :(

[GearTripper]

for about a month now, i've been more strict wtih my diet than i have in many years. i've lost a lot of weight which is good, but i have ZERO fucking energy. it's like all my desire to hit the gym is going away. i also got a lot of business problems now with my company so i know that's a factor too. any suggestions for morning meals that can get me going?

[trip]

My preferred's are 1/2 bag of frozen corn, has no sodium, healthy and clean, course m-wave, or else 3 slices rye bread.

Yeah, great you are being strict, you have too carb up sometime for energy and brain function needs.

If you minimize intake and space out you should be fine, what is bad is two or three days in a row where you say hell with it and grab some hy-glycimic carbs, donuts or chips or whatever, that will spike the insulin and bring onset of cravings.

If you like fruit you can also try that, almost any type is fine.

Good Luck

PS- my biz just got whacked also, 3 months of work, poof up in smoke, just remember this too shall pass and you will be better for it

[RebelAngel]

How low are you trying to stay with your carbs? and how big are you now?

I 'low carb' around 40-60 g's of carbs a day with twice weekly carb up meals at night. and at my current weight of 145 I will easily loose 1.5-2 lbs a week that way. You could probably go higher than that as I'm sure you weigh more.

M1 for me is eggs, meat, veggies and grapefruit.
M2 is a protein shake and 1/2 c. dry oats
M3 is meat and veggies
M4 is protein and berries
M5 is meat and veggies
M6 is egg whites or chicken and veggies

Twice a week I replace the last meal of the day with LOTS of oatmeal, bananas, sweet potato, rice, etc. typically exceeding 100-150 g's of carbs for that meal alone. It gets ya full and sleepy like thanksgiving dinner and ya sleep through any carb induced hunger instead of going back into the kitchen for more.

that gives me a little carb energy in meals 1, 2 and 4... enough to get me through the day and that late afternoon sinking spell. I simply cannot *live* on super low carb 20 g's or under crap... need to nap off and on all day and cant focus on work or anything else for that matter.

good luck

[believer]

I might be wrong but I think I remember reading that even if someone is very strict with carbs, your first meal of the day can contain a fair amount of carbs with very little impact on blood sugar levels (low to mid glycemic carbs, of course).

Keeping that in mind, here's what I eat:
1/2 cup western omlette Eggbeaters
1/2 cup oatmeal with cinnamon and 1 package Splenda
1 cup low-carb 1/2% milk
1 slice fat free sharp cheese
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 scoop protein powder

This comes to 500 calories with around 35 grams of carbohydrates.It fills me up for about 3 hours. I've checked my blood sugar an hour after eating such a meal and it's read 85 so no worries about gaining fat.

[JACKAL]

you taking anything for energy? like clen, etc.

[ski]

Start carb cycling.Do 3 low carb days followed by 2 slightly higher days and you`ll have more energy and still lose bodyfat.

[goliath]

i was doing a CKD for about 3 weeks....i just could not focus and my workouts sucked.

[D Animal]

Yea when I eat low carbs my strength in the gym just drops....I need my carbs I guess.I dont know how you people can go push up that weight on so few carbs dunno.

[meat12]

all i got to say is you need carbs, your loosing muscle tissue. your burning protien when you exercise which is a last resort energy source, your not gonna stay on this diet for the rest of your life so get off it its really unhealthy. Dr. atkins when he died weighted 280lbs, and had heart problems and people are taking this guys advice come on the only real diet there is is a balanced diet. quit falling for these low carb fad diets. just balance your diet and increase your output of energy over your input. then will feel a hell of alot better.

[the dude]

You feel like crap cause your kidneys are gettin overworked with all that protein. Your kidneys are a filter, they filter protein when there is too much they become overworked and strained. Carbs give you energy, especially complex carbs, your doing long term damage to your kidneys by being on this diet. Your body only takes the amount of protein it needs the rest is flushed or turned to empty calories, or fat. The whole thing with more protien more muscle is a hoax, thats like saying since calcium helps bone density, you take more calcium you get bigger bones No.. dont think so... Both do what they are supposed too..but an excess really does nothing but harm.Get off it and you will feel a world of a difference

[redMachchick]

Originally posted by ski
Start carb cycling.Do 3 low carb days followed by 2 slightly higher days and you`ll have more energy and still lose bodyfat.

Does anybody know of any good LINKS that lists guidelines and the actual food your supposed to eat and not eat for this diet, and the amounts???

Cause its kicking my ass too!!!!

[Sootybaby]

No probs with lowering carb intake. Just stick to complex i.e. non refined carbs. And if you gonna train eat carbs in morning and train during the day (long lunch hour syndrome) I must say that bigger guys have more issues with low carb diets initally than lower weighters. I went from 15 1/2 stone to 13 1/2 w/o loss of energy on low carb restriction but then i'm 6'2" and restricted my diet 'cos of injury and didn't want weight to turn to flab rather than aggressive weight loss. Also the main idea of this diet is to restrict overall consumption of carbs and as far as training goes, also restricting the times that you scoff your carbs. Yuck, watching Dawn of the Dead on TV atm and this is putting off meat!

[Chris]

Low-carbs suck balls. I'm fat and I want my carbs!

Chris

[meat12]

yeah need to get the energy from somewhere

[Trail_Demon]

I tried CKD for about a month until hiking season officially started; you can't really hike effectively without carbs. So now I just eat carbs in the morning and have none (or just high-fiber veggies) after 1 pm. It's much more condusive to my workouts!

[Nikosan]

when doing a low carb diet it takes time for the body to adjust then energy levels will pick back up. Try doing a timed carb diet which seems to work very well.

Also, when doing a low/no carb diet your fat intake must be 40-50% or the diet is gonna fail because its gonna start burning the protein for your engery

[PointCove]

Niko is exactly right. You must eat high fat on the diet. It takes time to get into ketoacidosis which is the goal. You will feel lousy until it kicks in. You cannot add carbs in the morning or whenever. You can have a carb day or two each week, depening on what version of the diet you are on. Most serious body builders follow the CKD, Metabolic or Anabolic diets. You can find much info about all these on the internet. There has been much learned about this type diet in the past few years. If I had to recommend only one book, it would be the Metabolic Diet.

[PointCove]

Here is a good link to a site dedicated to the CKD diet.
http://www.c-k-d.com/forums/index.php

[aquiles]

I am in a low carb diet......but not to low...is like 50% protein -40%carbs...whole bread every solid meal(3 per day) 4 protein shakes between meals,20 grs glutamine peptides .When I go lower than 40% carbs....I feel my hands shaking....then I know whats happen....I need more carbs....probably you need some caffeine or ephedrine,ginseng....Just my two cents.

[redsquirrel]

Originally posted by the dude
You feel like crap cause your kidneys are gettin overworked with all that protein. Your kidneys are a filter, they filter protein when there is too much they become overworked and strained. Carbs give you energy, especially complex carbs, your doing long term damage to your kidneys by being on this diet. Your body only takes the amount of protein it needs the rest is flushed or turned to empty calories, or fat.

The only way he is doing long term damage is if he is not drinking enough water. High water consumption on these diets is necessary, and will hinder damage.

[redsquirrel]

GT- what about flax oil, or other health fats? If you send your body into ketosis for too long you will end up burning muscle. It happened to me while dieting for my show! You need to do 2 carb meals a week, AND eat at least 1tbsp of flax a day. Your body will use the fat for energy and burn IT, instead of muscle. The carbs will keep your body guessing and regulate seratonin. On Monday and Thursday, replace your last meal with this:

1 8oz sweet potato
3/4c. precooked oatmeal
1c. green veggie
2 tsp. real butter (for the sweet pot..YUM!)
1 medium banana

..don't forget the flax, either!! It's best to take it with your shakes because the fats help slow digestion and help your body absorb the protein rather than it going right through you.
Try this for a week or two, and see what happens.!

[king]

Redsquirrel, I'd have to disagree with adding fats to a PWO shake. He would be better off adding some dextrose to refill glycogen and "deliver" the protein to where it is needed. Don't ya think?

[meat12]

hey RS would you reccomend the flax seed in oil or capsule form? thanks

[redsquirrel]

Originally posted by meat12
hey RS would you reccomend the flax seed in oil or capsule form? thanks

I take the liquid form..Barlean's. Unless I'm taking it real close to contest, I ALWAYS throw a couple of squirts of Balsamic Vinaigrette, otherwise I can't stomach it. With the caplets, you have to take so many, the liquid is just easier.

[meat12]

ok cool thanks

[redsquirrel]

Originally posted by king
Redsquirrel, I'd have to disagree with adding fats to a PWO shake. He would be better off adding some dextrose to refill glycogen and "deliver" the protein to where it is needed. Don't ya think?

NOWHERE did I mention adding flax to a PWO shake. I assumed he is eating 2 MRP's a day, which is where the recommendation is to be utilized.

He shouldn't be eating a PWO shake with any dextrose or glycogen in it. Although it can help with recovery, PWO shakes with those nutrients are best used when bulking. It would be superflous anyway because it wouldn't give him the energy he is complaining about. Low carb and low sugar PWO if he is cutting.

[king]

Well, I suppose there are many variations of a low carb diet. The dextrose won't hurt a thing as long as he is counting up the calories in the days totals. It may not be an issue for some people, but for me, I'd like to retain as much muscle as possible while cutting=refilling glycogen post workout.