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Preworkout foods that aren't nuts or eggs


ach324

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I'm trying to cut down on eggs/nightshades and also not trying to do nut/nut butters because they make me a bit gassy. Any ideas for LIGHT preworkout meals? I workout either first thing in the morning or right after work (which is about 5-6 hours after I've eaten lunch) and I do a mix of cardio and weight/strength training. So, I definitely need a bit of an energy boost but because I'm running fast it can't be too heavy or I get sick. For my post workout meals I usually have a few slices of compliant deli meat and that works great. Would a few tbsp of guac with carrots be ok pre workout? Or do the carrots count as sugar the way fruit does? My other idea was a few slices of compliant prosciutto since it's got protein and fat! Curious what you think...

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Hey there

 

Your carrots are a carb and not recommended preWO as you're providing your body with an instant supply of sugar to burn when really you want to be burning fat.

Have you tried a few bites of roasted chicken? The brown meat from the thighs works well here as it can be quite fatty... or breast with some mayo... or some pork loin... You don't need to be eating a HUGE amount - just a few bites to let your body know it's time to waken up & get started...!!

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I can't stand canned tuna the smell makes me dry heave and sardines are too expensive in the UK. What about anchovies that were packed in evoo? I like those a lot and they're cheap. I also thought maybe a couple slices of roast beef with a scoop of guac might be a good one? 

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I've been struggling with pwo meals, too...and though I understand smoothies are generally to be avoided, I discovered a product called Paleo Protein Powder (made of powdered egg white protein, whole egg protein and lean beef protein); 1 scoop provides 25g of protein. I mixed with full-fat coconut milk, half a banana and quarter cup frozen blueberries and strawberries...Does this make a decent pwo meal? What's the consensus on this product?It's made by PaleoPro. Thanks!

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I've been struggling with pwo meals, too...and though I understand smoothies are generally to be avoided, I discovered a product called Paleo Protein Powder (made of powdered egg white protein, whole egg protein and lean beef protein); 1 scoop provides 25g of protein. I mixed with full-fat coconut milk, half a banana and quarter cup frozen blueberries and strawberries...Does this make a decent pwo meal? What's the consensus on this product?It's made by PaleoPro. Thanks!

This product is off-limits for a Whole30, as it contains stevia  - sorry. No sweeteners allowed on a Whole30, per the rules.

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The unsweetened flavor, which is the one I used, has no stevia. If there's no sweetener, is the combo I describe above a decent pwo? I think the cocnut milk provides adequate fat...but worry that the berries are too much simple carb.

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...but worry that the berries are too much simple carb.

And the banana & the strawberries....

Really you should be aiming for NO carbs preWO as they will provide an instant supply of glucose when really you're wanting your body to learn to tap into it's fat stores - which it won't do if there is glucose available.

Honestly, it's only 30 days. Give it your best shot. 

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Thanks - that's the answer I needed!! I just feel so weak when I do my cardio...eggs and W30-compliant deli meat hasn't helped so far. I'm on day 20...if that makes a difference.

I'd wonder how you're feeling the rest of the time....

Can you give us a run down of a few typical days worth of food/liquid/activity etc?

Maybe you're not eating enough in general, or composing your meals effectively...

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Here's a sample (non-exercise) day:

 

Breakfast

2 salmon cakes on a bed of arugula with two dollops of avocado-oil mayo; half a grapefruit

 

Lunch

3/4 cup tuna salad (containing mayo) on romaine with vinaigrette dressing; 1.5 cups puree of broccoli soup (contains coconut milk)

 

4pm snack

Granny smith apple slices with almond butter

 

Dinner

Ground turkey sauteed in olive oil with with tomato and spinach; sweet potato with ghee

 

If it's an exercise day, I add a pwo - hard-boiled egg with a slice or two of turkey.

 

Lots of water all the time.

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I should add that I'm pretty active even when not working out (I do 10,000+ steps every day without trying). I'm also slim (140, 5'7" at 50yo) and have low blood pressure.

Otherwise I feel terrific on the W30 - never, ever slept better, depression has abated, thinking clear - never had a carb hangover or headaches on the program, My worst side effect (if the diet is even to blame) is this weakness when doing high-intensity cardio - seems like my heart rate is much higher than usual when doing this kind of exercise (haven't actually measured HR - just my impression).

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Your meals look a little light to me, and I figure if you increased the size of your meals overall you'd cut out the need for that afternoon snack and have increased energy.

When do you work out?

Are you only taking a preWO? Or are you also inclduing a postWO meal?

Consider that around 50% of the protein you eat peaks in the blood as energy between 2-4hrs after consumption. Then factor in that whilst only 10% of the fat you eat is converted to energy that it is available to use for up to 10hrs after consumption. Bearing this in mind you can tweak the protein & fat composition of your earlier meals to allow your body to tap into those resources which will give a much more sustained release of energy than any type of carbs.

Hope this helps.

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Thanks, @jmcbn. My meals looked light to me, too, once I typed them out... :unsure:

 

I work out between breakfast and lunch, usually - and have lunch within an hour of getting in from the gym - so no additional post-wo meal.

 

Here's how it goes...Breakfast at 8am; pwo at 11am; work out from 11:30 to 1pm; lunch at 1:30; snack at 4; dinner at 7:30/8.

 

Maybe I just need to size up my portions and perhaps add a few more starchy veggies to the rotation. I must say, having the Paleo Protein smoothie today as a pwo worked pretty well from a work out perspective - I felt relatively strong doing the stair-stepper. Maybe it was the coconut milk??

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I'd be inclined to up the quantity in all your meals but specifically the protein & fat in your breakfast, skip the preWO, add in a postWO of a lean protein & starchy carb (your body needs recovery fuel more than it does a preWO considering you've already eaten meal one), then have meals 2 and 3 as normal.

By skipping the starchy carbs in the postWO meal you're not replacing the muscle glycogen you need for cardio.

As I mentioned above only the carbs in that preWO would be hitting your blood stream during your work-out because they are converted to energy so quickly, but they are also preventing your body from tapping into those fat stores - and when it can learn to do that efficiently that is when the magic will happen.

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