Fergatron Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'm currently on day 24 of my whole30 and I've noticed a big dip in my general performance in my training. I generally do crossfit football and take part in athletics twice a week. On those days I cut my conditioning down and only do some lifts, or reduced effort lifts. My coachs have noticed this as my strength numbers are lowering and they think I need to gain a bit rather than drop or maintain weight. Has anyone ever had a problem like this before? If so how was it fixed? I'm really enjoying eating this way to be honest but my coaches want me to bulk with rice, pasta, oats etc (no thanks!)...my sleep has improved and I've seen other great benefits but my energy levels suck. I'm eating a lot, based upon the guidelines in the book and maybe a little extra fat and protein. I make sure I eat sweet potatoes etc and I don't hold back on them. Though it hasn't improved anything. Any help would be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted October 9, 2012 Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2012 Your situation is puzzling if you really are eating enough. I was hoping you were low carb so I could tell you to eat sweet potatoes, but you've got that base covered. And you are sleeping better. My numbers in the gym rose markedly when I started, so I don't understand yours going down. If you have a fast metabolism, you may need to eat more than you currently think. As in, you may need to eat 2 palm-size portions of protein per meal and maybe four meals per day instead of three. And depending on your size and the size of your sweet potatoes, you might want to eat two per day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Fergatron, how tall/large are you, and how much are you eating? If your performance is tanking, the options are either that you are working out too much or you are eating/sleeping too little. How IS your sleep btw? If you're a power athlete, as CF Football would suggest, and a large male, it's going to be incredibly difficult for you to eat the number of calories you need to support your activity level. Whole9 posted Dallas' Performance Menu article on clean mass gain last week, you should take a look at that. Dallas' metabolism is absolutely ridiculous and as such, it was WORK for him to put on the 12lbs in 5 weeks. Seriously. A full time job of eating. Yes, that's for mass GAIN, but even maintenance (depending on your size) is difficult. Tom's guidelines are spot on, but I really think you need at least a sweet potato at every meal, plus green veggies. (again, this recommendation changes based upon your size...but...generally). And to be honest, it is completely possible that white rice is a carb source that you should look into reintroducing for the long term, just from a convenience standpoint. John Welbourn has recommended his power athletes add rice back in to as a safe starch. It is not ideal, and I don't recommend that you ditch your W30 for it, since you're so close...but if you were going to experiment with anything, that is the first thing that I would add back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergatron Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 Sorry I forgot to add my size etc. I'm 23 and I'm 6"5 and I'm sitting in around 76kg. So I know that is far too light for my size and build. I was a lot heavier a while back. Sleep has improved greatly to be honest. I've started napping when I can, as this was a problem before. Pretty much at each meal I'm now eating 8-12ox of meat, a mount of veggies that ranges from anything and my fats, that I've ramped up a little too. Sweet potatoes PWO but I can see maybe I need them more during the day. Thanks for the replies, I know the best way is to eat more... But I'm 100% sure about rice and other stuff like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 But I'm 100% sure about rice and other stuff like that. I'm not sure what you're 100% sure OF here. That you're, hard stop, not adding it back in? Considering this is a W30 forum, I'm not going to start pushing rice or other grains on you, I'm just going to encourage you to experiment with reintroducing it. Of all the grains, white rice is the least problematic and it's really just a dense, empty source of starch and calories. You just flat out may need this stuff post W30. Also, 76kilos?! jesus christ! EAT MORE! Seriously. Eat everything in sight. I'm 5'8" and female and I weighed 76kilos last month. It's really no surprise that your performance is tanking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergatron Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'm not sure is what I mean but I fully understand. I'll have to stop fearing it! Their suggestion was oats also but I'll wait untill post whole30. Thanks for your time and I really appreciate the information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted October 9, 2012 Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2012 A dietician calculated that I was eating over 4000 calories per day when I weighed about 76 kg years ago. I could tell she thought my food report was inaccurate because I was skinny at 6"2. However, my metabolism was fast and I was training at least 1 hour per day and sometimes 2 hours per day 6 days per week. You probably would benefit from eating 5 meals per day. I only stopped eating 5 meals per day about a year ago and I'm 55 now. I don't think you have to add grains to get enough food in you unless you need cheap calories. But you might add avocado to one or two meals per day and a handful of nuts to dishes that might accommodate the taste and crunch. And you might want to snack on olives to add healthy fat calories. If your goal is to gain weight, you may need to restrict the amount of time you train. This past year, I shifted from training 60-90 minutes 4 or 5 days per week to training 30 minutes 3 times per week and gained 10 pounds over 3 months. The 30 minute sessions were intense, but even then my total work time was really in the range of 5 to 10 minutes. Pure strength and technique can be improved by working long hours, but you can gain significant strength and bulk by limiting workouts to 30 minutes. I was doing a kettlebell complex routine, but you could do barbell work with similar intensity. Now that I have seen how well short workouts work for me, I set a timer and only train 30 minutes per session. I might train 6 days per week, but every session is short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergatron Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 Tom, thanks for that. I really need to sort it out before it becomes a problem! But I'm greatful for the information and advice you've provided. I'll put it into practise and see how things go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Another thing to consider is that if you're looking to gain mass, cut your conditioning down or out if it's not directly sport-specific and required for your athletic performance. Eat more as suggested, and rest. Don't run when you can walk, don't walk when you can stand, don't stand when you can sit, don't sit when you can lay down, and don't just lay down when you can sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergatron Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 I read the article on mass gain and I can see a border picture. That's a lot of food! One thing I noticed though... Where does tapioca fall into this? Would that be a smarter move over rice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Yes, tapioca's better than rice...but it doesn't taste awesome without the milk, sugar and vanilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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