serious muscle fatigue and post-workout protein/carb ideas

[honeyrider]

I am on day 9 and while I've had no issues adjusting and feel great, I'm noticing a big difference in my workouts. I now can't get through the 1.5 hour workout that was extremely difficult but manageable before. The muscle fatigue is intense! 

 

I don't eat before working out and I'm trying to do the recommended protein/carb within 15-30 minutes of my workout but I'm not sure what qualifies as a good carb in this instance. I can't eat sweet potatoes/squash 2 times a day, every day. Today I had an egg white and a carrot. Are there other carb options? Is fruit not okay?

 

Thanks!

[Tom Denham]

It usually takes at least 2 weeks for your body to adjust to burning fat as its most important fuel, so having problems with a 1.5 hour workout would be normal at this stage. 

 

Sweet potato or butternut squash are probably the best post-workout carbs, so you might want to arrange the rest of your day to consume these post-workout. And if you are working out heavy, eating starchy veggies twice per day is fine. Any of the starchy veggies like carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, plantains, etc. are a good choice. Fruit is not a good post-workout food because of the fructose and I believe fruit preferentially replenishes liver glycogen and not muscle glycogen stores. 

[msssjenna]

I usually doing 1 can of tuna, mashed with 1/2 sweet potato.  What is wrong with eating 2 sweet potatoes/day?

[littleg]

When I first switched to paleo a few years ago I felt like I was running with ankle weights for weeks.  It was awful.  But I promise it gets better!

 

My husband just finished the W30 and he was a mess at CrossFit for about 2-3 weeks as well. Now he can't believe how much better his performance is (15 fewer pounds to move helps but I think he is pretty surprised how well he can maintain high energy efforts as well).  

 

Point being: stick it out.  Its normal to feel pretty bad for a while but realize that you will get through it and probably end up with some nice PRs at the end!

[honeyrider]

What is wrong with eating 2 sweet potatoes/day?

 

nothing wrong with it per se. i just fear the repetitiveness of eggs and sweet potatoes. tuna was my first thought; unfortunately i already had tuna/avocado salad premade for lunch! i wonder if sardines are a good idea or too high in fat for PWO.

[honeyrider]

 

Point being: stick it out.  Its normal to feel pretty bad for a while but realize that you will get through it and probably end up with some nice PRs at the end!

 

it's very reassuring to hear that other people experienced the same thing with their workouts and that it does, indeed, pass. thank you! 

[Tom Denham]

nothing wrong with it per se. i just fear the repetitiveness of eggs and sweet potatoes. tuna was my first thought; unfortunately i already had tuna/avocado salad premade for lunch! i wonder if sardines are a good idea or too high in fat for PWO.

 

When I did CrossFit, I ate either a can of tuna packed in water or sardines packed in water as my post-workout protein. Cold water fish is not the leanest choice you can make, but the stuff packed in water works well anyway. There was a downside though. The owner of my gym banned me from throwing my empty cans in the trash when I was done because she said they made the gym smelly later. And then she banned me from eating sardines inside the gym. I had to go to the parking lot to eat!

 

My strength went up significantly when I started eating Whole30-style. Within about 6 months I went up from backsquats with 145 pounds to 205 pounds and similar improvements with deadlifts. Unfortunately, my glass shoulders starting causing problems as I got stronger and I shifted to kettlebell work at home where I don't injure myself as frequently as I did while CrossFitting.

[Guest Andria]

I am not sure why no one has mentioned this yet, but I would think you would want to have a PRE WO meal, especially with a challenging 1.5 hr workout.  A pre WO meal would consist of fat and protein, no carbs.

[honeyrider]

I am not sure why no one has mentioned this yet, but I would think you would want to have a PRE WO meal, especially with a challenging 1.5 hr workout.  A pre WO meal would consist of fat and protein, no carbs.

too much eating!

[honeyrider]

There was a downside though. The owner of my gym banned me from throwing my empty cans in the trash when I was done because she said they made the gym smelly later. And then she banned me from eating sardines inside the gym. I had to go to the parking lot to eat! .

 

ha, idk what it is but i find that many americans are very sensitive to the smell/sight of sardines. i can never bring them to lunch because people act like i just pulled out uranium to eat.

 

i'm so glad to hear a few people say this whole muscle fatigue issue is temporary!

[puppypower]

Today I had an egg white and a carrot. Are there other carb options? Is fruit not okay?

 

Just curious: how come you don't eat the yolk as well?

[missmary]

Just curious: how come you don't eat the yolk as well?

Post workout is the one time we would suggest whites only: you want lean protein so it digests quickly. Save the yolks for another meal or go with a different kind of lean protein like chicken breast, lean roast beef, tuna, etc.

[puppypower]

Post workout is the one time we would suggest whites only: you want lean protein so it digests quickly. Save the yolks for another meal or go with a different kind of lean protein like chicken breast, lean roast beef, tuna, etc.

 

Thanks for the clarification!

[karibear28]

I'm a personal trainer and I always recommend the complex carbs (sweet potatoes!!!) and a banana after a workout; the potassium content in bananas is great for muscle fatigue and soreness.  I am a CrossFitter as well and I take a magnesium supplement everyday for muscle recovery. That being said, the first 2 weeks of my Whole30 all I wanted to do was lay down on the gym floor and take a nap during the workouts.......after that 2 week adjustment period, my energy levels spiked and my endurance is better than ever!  The tiger blood definitely kicked in  I am on day 56 of my new diet (the only cheat I had was on Easter) and will never go back.  Eat to perform is my new lifestyle.

[missmary]

I'm a personal trainer and I always recommend the complex carbs (sweet potatoes!!!) and a banana after a workout; the potassium content in bananas is great for muscle fatigue and soreness.

Sweet potatoes are a great supplement to protein, post workout, but protein is the most important component.

 

We also caution on using fruit for this context--although a banana is more glucose than most fruit, it is still about 1/2 fructose, which is slower to replenish glycogen stores than starchy veg.

[gardnermer]

Also, depending on the size of your sweet potato, it has more potassium than a banana. Protein is super important post workout!

[honeyrider]

Just curious: how come you don't eat the yolk as well?

i do but PWO, i eat whites only for the protein.

[karibear28]

I forgot about the protein in my previous post - I also eat either 2-3 or eggs or an RX Bar.........gotta have your protein!

[karibear28]

i do but PWO, i eat whites only for the protein.

You may want to watch how often you just eat just the whites in eggs - your body needs biotin (usually known as vitamin B7) for energy production and egg yolks are a great source of biotin.  Egg whites contain a protein called avidin that can bind up biotin and prevent your body from using it.  If you eat more egg whites than yolks you can develop a biotin deficiency.  Other good sources of biotin are sardines, cauliflower, pecans, and bananas.  Also, biotin deficiency can cause insomnia, skin problems, and hair loss.

[ultrarunnergirl]

My solution is to precook some hardboiled eggs for the week. I eat 2-3 yolks by themselves as a small preWO meal in the morning, and take the whites to the gym to eat for my postWO meal with some sweet potatoes.

[Ruby Red]

I've been reading a lot of recommendations to eat sweet potatoes post-workout, but to avoid fruit. Sweet potatoes are one of the tubers that are higher in fructose unlike variants of the yam or potato. Isn't this focus on macronutrients a little bit against the whole idea of focusing on eating real foods… the true goal of the program? Here people are agonizing over whether or not to eat a banana after a workout. That seems counter-intuitive.

The sugar/carb load from bananas and sweet potatoes are actually pretty close… both are low on glycemic load, with bananas actually being lower, 18, compared to 23 for a sweet potato. 

 

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1846/2
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2668/2