dwaynefishel Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Hey All...On Day 29 here. Got a few observations and could use some help. Quick background on me: 44yo, big guy (started W30 at 270), former college football player, do what I call heavy CrossFit (CrossFit Football for those who know), and some cycling. Prior to this W30, ate mostly paleo with some cheese, oats, and some craftbeers. So, the switch over to W30 wasn't a big deal..worked through some issues (muscle cramps, frequent nighttime bathroom) but expecting some decent weight loss and lower measurements. I noticed that I really didn't get the energy boost that some friends got. Other things being equal (amount of sleep, etc) I found it MUCH harder to actually get up in the morning, not sure if that was due to better sleep? Not sure. My overall energy is off during workouts and strength is off a bit. Day to day stuff, going to work (desk job), and what not I feel fine, just don't have the normal 'pop' during a workout that would give me any desire to push it at all. In fact, a few times I stopped before I was completely finished. As I arrive to Day 30, I'm trying to figure out what to do, to understand the energy component. Do I need to eat more? Eat different stuff? I followed the meal guidelines, and bumped them up slightly due to my overall size, and didn't worry a whole lot about snacking (approved stuff). What resources are there to help me with this? What recommendations do you all have? I want to keep the weight loss moving along, but I also want to get my power and energy back. I realize this is a wide open discussion, just looking for tips from those experienced in rolling through W30. Thanks for taking a minute to read this long post, and thanks in advance for any information you can provide!! - Dwayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 It would be helpful to see what you've been eating, drinking and your activity level to give you specific feedback. Can you post 2-3 days worth of a typical food/activity log? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninglawyer88 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Are you eating any starchy veggies? For me an intense workout requires carbs in order to feel good. What do your workouts consist of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaynefishel Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Are you eating any starchy veggies? For me an intense workout requires carbs in order to feel good. What do your workouts consist of? I generally don't do any pre/post food, even before W30. I typially train right after getting up - around 5:15AM. I'm doing olympic lifting, and CrossFit workouts.. It would be helpful to see what you've been eating, drinking and your activity level to give you specific feedback. Can you post 2-3 days worth of a typical food/activity log? Sure - Let me pull it together and post up here in a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninglawyer88 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Well, if you're not eating a carb rich dinner then I'd guess you're pretty depleted when your AM workout rolls around and that's why you're lacking energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaynefishel Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 OK, snow is dealt with. Here's yesterday and today, when I have a workout involved (during the week, weekend schedule is more variable) All the pork is unusual, had Superbowl leftovers and other stuff in freezer that I was trying to use up. No Workout Tuesday 7:30 Meal 3 whole eggs plus 3 whites, in an omelet with 3-4 diff veges (mush, peppers, spinach, tomato) bacon Banana 2T almond butter 12:00 meal 8 oz boneless pork Mixed green salad with broccoli, carrots, egg, cucmbers, jalapeno peppers, sunflower seeds, 2T of olive oil, one t of balsamic vinager 7:30 meal Taco salad (beef, tomato, onion, seasonings) on bed of romaine Handful of pistachios 5:00AM Workout 7:30 Meal 3 whole eggs plus 3 whites, in an omelet with 3-4 diff veges (mush, peppers, spinach, tomato) apple 2 T almond butter 12:00 meal 8 oz pork loin Romaine/spinach salad with carrots, egg, onion, banana peppers, 2T of olive oil, one t of balsamic vinager 7:30 meal (hasn't happened yet, but will be) approx 8 oz turkey meatloaf salad with peppers and carrots oil/vin dressing handful of pistachios Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaynefishel Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Well, if you're not eating a carb rich dinner then I'd guess you're pretty depleted when your AM workout rolls around and that's why you're lacking energy. Didn't eat that prior to W30 and was pretty much paleo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 In your intro you said you were "mostly paleo with cheese, oats, and beer" Are those the only "non-paleo" things in your regular rotation? How frequently? Cutting both oats and beer will cause a pretty large drop in carb intake if you ate them regularly even in the context of a mostly paleo diet. Honestly your food log doesn't look like enough food and very low carb for the level of activity you are requiring of your body. I agree that you should be eating starchy vegetables every day at least once a day. Instead of egg whites make your omelette with at least as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand. I'm a pretty small female and I eat 3-4 whole eggs almost every morning. I would advice you to give the pre/post workout meals a shot. While not in the rules the recommendation for your best Whole30 results are to follow the meal template for all 3 meals and include those extra meals when you workout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaynefishel Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 In your intro you said you were "mostly paleo with cheese, oats, and beer" Are those the only "non-paleo" things in your regular rotation? How frequently? Cutting both oats and beer will cause a pretty large drop in carb intake if you ate them regularly even in the context of a mostly paleo diet. Honestly your food log doesn't look like enough food and very low carb for the level of activity you are requiring of your body. I agree that you should be eating starchy vegetables every day at least once a day. Instead of egg whites make your omelette with at least as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand. I'm a pretty small female and I eat 3-4 whole eggs almost every morning. I would advice you to give the pre/post workout meals a shot. While not in the rules the recommendation for your best Whole30 results are to follow the meal template for all 3 meals and include those extra meals when you workout. 1/2 cup oats every morning cheese - on eggs, and in salads, I would say not all that much beer - a couple a day (part of the reason I did W30 was to get that out of the mix and make it more 'once in a while' I never really ate much starchy veges, but if that's the trade off, will need experiment with that, good tips I just haven't been a pre/post WOD food guy, I've been weight training for well over half my life, and done competitively bodybuilding and was never in that routine (even though I'm well aware of how the body reacts to nutrients, just never got in that habit...I've tried whole food post WOD, and it's not appealing at all...If I was routine at anything post WOD, it was a protein shake. As I come off W30, may reintroduce SFH whey for that and some carbs. I'm trying to get away from old habits and understand how I might make this work...appreciate all the feedback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninglawyer88 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Starchy veggies are just your primary carb source while doing the w30. As Physibeth has mentioned, your carb intake would decrease due to you no longer drinking beer...the same is true if you're eating less fruit than before. It's hard to compare your pre whole 30 routine in a meaningful way because there are lots or changes occurring that could impact your energy levels while working out. Are you taking supplements now and were you before? Are you drinking coffee now and were you before? How are you sleeping? Have you always worked out at this time? are you experiencing any stressors in your life? Since your diet wasn't extremely different beforehand my best guess that this is either an issue of not eating enough in general or simply not eating enough carbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrayS Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I know I've posted this on several threads now but I can't emphasize enough the difference that eating enough starchies (sweet potatoes are my fav) has had on my energy levels. I eat 1-2 sweet potatoes on a daily basis. More like 2 now that I am stepping up my workouts as of this week. But honestly I need them regardless of my exercise level. I don't know why, and everyone's different, but I just do. I feel like crap without them. If you're going to experiment with sweet potatoes (can you tell I love sweet potatoes?) try them in the oven, one hour at 400. Bake an entire bag at a time so you can throw them in the microwave when you want them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I'm trying to get away from old habits and understand how I might make this work... not to play devil's advocate here, but ok I will . If you are trying to get away from old habits, and one of your old habits was to skip pre and post-WO nutrition, why not give the recommendations a try? Pre can be really really small, but it is key with early morning workouts. Post is the most important. Even if it doesn't "seem appealing" I would consider it a worthwhile experiment (says me who just took on this very same experiment after resisting through over a year and a half of whole30-style eating). Also, eat more at your other meals. Protein/non-startchy veggie portions seem good, but it looks like you are lacking in starchy vegetables and good fats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaynefishel Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Starchy veggies are just your primary carb source while doing the w30. As Physibeth has mentioned, your carb intake would decrease due to you no longer drinking beer...the same is true if you're eating less fruit than before. It's hard to compare your pre whole 30 routine in a meaningful way because there are lots or changes occurring that could impact your energy levels while working out. Are you taking supplements now and were you before? Are you drinking coffee now and were you before? How are you sleeping? Have you always worked out at this time? are you experiencing any stressors in your life? Since your diet wasn't extremely different beforehand my best guess that this is either an issue of not eating enough in general or simply not eating enough carbs. Understood. I realize it's kind of a broad discussion with lots of factors that could be added in. I guess I was looking for some generalizations at a high level. Which I did get! So, that's cool. I wanted to start big picture, see what I was missing or needed guidance with. With tomorrow being Day 30, first thing I need to do is assess my progress (I've not weighed or measured my waist). I need to find a balance of enough carbs to fuel workouts, but at the same time allow for continued gradual weight loss. I've kept the supps the same, except I had to add a higher dose electrolyte product to ease some muscle cramp issues. Coffee has increased a bit. Sleep has been a topic of discussion - been finding it really hard to get up, super slow to get moving...not usually this bad...yeah, I like to sleep as do most of us, but this seemed to be something I noticed... Thanks for your insight. not to play devil's advocate here, but ok I will . If you are trying to get away from old habits, and one of your old habits was to skip pre and post-WO nutrition, why not give the recommendations a try? Pre can be really really small, but it is key with early morning workouts. Post is the most important. Even if it doesn't "seem appealing" I would consider it a worthwhile experiment (says me who just took on this very same experiment after resisting through over a year and a half of whole30-style eating). Also, eat more at your other meals. Protein/non-startchy veggie portions seem good, but it looks like you are lacking in starchy vegetables and good fats. I think that's what I am saying! I am trying to understand what I might be missing, and what I need to do to help fix it. Sounds like i need more starchy carbs and fats...and implement some pre/post WOD protocol. Need to plan for that this weekend as I food shop. Appreciate all the tips here everyone. Part of what I've enjoyed about doing W30, was the ability to access all the content on here and ask questions! Thanks much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 If you're not taking a magnesium supplement, you might need one. It's essential for muscle and you have mentioned cramping issues a few times. Magnesium also helps you sleep sounder, which may help with morning energy.http://chriskresser.com/9-steps-to-perfect-health-4-supplement-wisely I think the others are on the main track though, recovery carbs. If you don't like solids after working out, soup can be as liquid as a protein shake, but made with real meat or eggs I don't lift anywhere near as much or as heavy as you do (but I lift, no cardio), but I found plantains are awesome workout carbs and I find them quite different from sweet potato & pumpkin (my other main starches), in terms of blood sugar. For the same carbs I get a very different impact on blood sugar. Not replicated with bananas. If you're trying to keep blood sugar even, more fats help (except for post-WO). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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