Whole30 first timer. I feel amazing, but the second I hit the weights, I feel like I haven't eaten in a week.

[Robmasterflex]

So I'm on day 5 now and this is the third time I went to the gym and felt absolutely lethargic. I'm even lifting less weight and it's really irritating me. It's so bad, I feel like eating a pound of cereal before I workout. I'm actually having to decrease the weights because of my lack of energy. I lift weights 4x per week and sometimes do medium intensity cardio afterwards (30-45 minutes jogging, not sprinting). On the days In-between, I do high intensity interval training in the form of kickboxing for 1.5 hours.

 

No matter what I do, how much protein/fat/starchy carbs I eat throughout the day, before and/or after the gym, I can't kick the loss of energy and feeling weak.

 

So far this is sort of what my meals look like:

 

Supplements throughout the day: Multivitamin, Omegas (Salmon oil), Calcium/Vitamin D/Magnesium/Zinc

 

 

Morning: 1-2 pieces of bacon, 4-6 eggs, handful of spinach/tomatoes in an omellete

 

Snack shortly after: Coffee black or with almond milk, banana and/or orange. maybe some almonds

 

Lunch: 1-2 large chicken pieces or fast-fry steaks or pieces of tilapia (Can't afford salmon/ a lot chicken breasts), Large plate of baked vegetables or salad, sweet potatoes.

 

Snack: Similar to first snack, almonds, canned fish, avocado, berries

 

Pre-workout: The same omelette as I have for breakfast (If I'm too lazy to make anything else), banana and an orange.

 

Post-weightlifting, pre-cardio: 1.5 scoops of protein powder in a shake with almond milk or organic milk

 

Post-workout: Large meal similar to lunch

 

Snack before bed: Canned salmon, Sardines, any food leftover

 

 

 

Right now, I'm spending 3 times as much on food as I used to and I still can't afford to buy anything organic/grass-fed/no hormones/whatever, I eat an insane amount of "Good food" and don't know how much steak, vegetables and sweet potatoes I can fit in my stomach before working out. I have half the energy I used to and eating twice as much.

 

I also get plenty of sleep, drink tons of water throughout the day, Non-smoker, Non-drinker.

 

Any thoughts?

[orca_chick]

The first week is the hardest.  Usually my workouts really suffer and I feel like I haven't slept in days.  Don't worry, just stick with it things should get better.  I start seeing results in my workouts between days 8 and 15...

[Tom Denham]

Many people have low energy for a good two weeks. Your body is adjusting to a new fuel system. It takes time. The energy comes back higher than ever before. So basically, wait for it.

 

Now here is the bad news: Eating protein powder or organic milk hits the reset button on your Whole30. Protein powder may be the standard post-workout meal of most gym rats, but it is not okay during a Whole30. And hey, milk? Milk? It doesn't matter that it is organic. No dairy may pass your lips. 

 

Look these documents over carefully...

 

http://whole30.com/downloads/official-whole30-program-rules.pdf

 

http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

[Robmasterflex]

Thanks a lot ladies and gents.

 

Tom, thanks for the links and the info. 

 

The only reason I take the protein powder is because I haven't found a cost-effective, reasonable replacement for it.

 

Any suggestions?

[GFChris]

Chicken is a popular choice. Read through the Whole30 for athletes forum for ideas.

[melbournegirl]

I suggest trying having some extra fat at lunch and doubling or trippling your veg at breakfast and including sweet potato and fruit also at breakfast. My running took 12 days to get back to normal

[Tom Denham]

I ate a can of tuna packed in water as my post-workout meal when I was lifting heavy in the gym.