Carbs doubt... Please guide.

[avisinai]

Hello friends,
I guess I am stalling or maybe something's not happening right. Probably diet. 3 workouts ago I couldnt finish my squats. last workout was the same. Finally I decided that this time I will try very hard and if no then deload strategy. I did 4 complete sets and 3 reps on last set.

I eat very clean and try to maintain my calorie intake somewhere around 3000. I work as a baker which is pretty physical straight 10 hours on legs. I can only workout in the evenings. I constantly feel tired, weakness and less energy throughout the day. I think I might not be eating enough carbs. Mehdi suggests to eat carbs only post workout. How can I know the exact amount of carbs that my body is asking for my type of routine. ?

I think of munching some raisins or carrots as a snack. Any other dried fruits like dates, apricots, etc also has been in my mind.

Another question is, according to my weight I need 170 grams of protein everyday. I can get these from my food itself. Do I still need to take whey powder for extra boosting or I might hurts the balance?

PLease Advise.

Thanks in advance

[thefinalsql]

How many carbs do you eat in a day?

I take BCAA powder pre and post workout and whey post workout.

I found some good advice here, there are multiple articles: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... _n6116973/

[dylanamus]

It's probably got more to do with the quality of your sleeps, being on night shift.

I don't eat carbs at all and I don't have problems with energy... just eat a well balanced meal about 2-3 hours before you workout and have a protein shake with oatmeal or banana afterwards and you'll be fine.

Whey protein isn't a steriod or some kind of enhancer - it's just a supplement. Meaning that if you are getting enough protein already from your diet, then it does nothing other than supply an expensive and not so great tasting source of calories.

[jakemcmillan]

Maybe too many carbs to be honest. Too many carbs will definitely make me feel sluggish. I mainly eat meat(red meat, eggs, fish), vegetables & fruit and feel great. I eat carbs mainly only post-workout, sometimes pre-workout.

What are your stats?

[avisinai]

I am 30 years old, weighing 172 pounds. Today's update : Squats - 105lbs, deadlift - 95lbs, overhead press - 70lbs, bench-95lbs, chinup/pullups-0(still stuggling), inverted row 3x7, push ups 3x10.

Can we conclude one thing that whey protein in just a supplement. That means if I get 172 grams of protein from my diet then it(whey) can not be effective anymore?

[jakemcmillan]

Yes more protein than about 1g/lb of bodyweight is not going to make you any stronger. Whey protein will get you more calories, and is good if you don't have enough time to cook meat all the time, but real food is always the best.

But anyway, could be lack of sleep, too many carbs...etc. Try things out...oh and one last thing. Drink lots of water if you aren't already, I find that I get really get sluggish and tired when I don't hydrate enough.

[jakemcmillan]

So here I am at 11:40 at night and get this idea. You say your tired all the time...check this video out. He's good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_zEJGb7Gy0

[ricepower]

If your looking for a small energy rich snack food go for nuts.

The dried fruit like raisins is high sugar, meaning youll get a small rush then a low afterwards making you feel even more tired.

Nuts are mainly fat & protein, this is slow release energy. Of course you can have a mix of dried fruit & nuts, eating something sugary with something high fat slows down the absorbtion.

In terms of carbs they are the easiest way to replenish energy and make you feel 'full' & happy / good. But I agree with Mehdi's advice on keeping them after workouts or a day of sports.

Working as a baker doesnt make you tired in the same way as sports/weightlifting. It makes you tired in the way of needing sleep like others have already mentioned. Try to up your calories throughout your waking hours (during work too), but they do not need to be from carbs. Like I said, nuts are perfect.

[NorthstarUK]

Agree with ricepower. 3000 calories is the recommended RDA for an active male, if your training hard 3 times a week and have an active job you will need more than this, say 4000.

Carbs are fine as long as you are active and not carrying a lot of BF. They are the easiest thing for your body to convert to glucose which your muscles use as fuel. The downside is that any unused glucose is easily stored as fat so excess carbs will make you gain BF more than excess fat or protein.
Go for low GI carbs (not the cakes your baking!) as these create a slower more sustained release of glucose rather than the peak / trough effect of high GI carbs.

Where most people go wrong IMHO is they eat enough protein and eat clean BUT they don't eat enough calories, so the body uses dietary protien, and muscle tissue for energy hence poor or absent gains in strength and muscle mass. This could be what you are experiencing.

Glen Pendlay says:
"There's nothing any program can do if you won't eat. For the purposes of gaining muscle or getting big and strong it's better to eat McDonalds and KFC all day long than not eat enough Zen clean ultra pure food which might be healthier but if not enough there's simply nothing to use to grow. So caloric excess is a requirement, you don't need to eat like a slob but it will work infinitely better than not eating enough healthy food for this purpose. Lots of people have gotten big and strong on diets that were bad, if you choose to eat squeaky clean, kudos to you but it is not critical to putting on muscle (it might be critical to a long high quality life though). If you need a more in depth explanation, look here http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/Topics/Diet.htm.

[avisinai]

Friends,
Thanks alot for all your comments. Jake, Great videos, even looked at their website. Awesome!!! (I hope you checked out the new pooping video... being one of the asian indian, I know what he was talking about and it so true to my personal experience though

NorthstarUK, Thanks for your enormous helpul article. I already increased my calorie excess to 4000 and cant wait to keep posting the difference. Already feeling better!!!

Thanks to everybody for your time!!!

[jakemcmillan]

Thanks alot for all your comments. Jake, Great videos, even looked at their website. Awesome!!! (I hope you checked out the new pooping video... being one of the asian indian, I know what he was talking about and it so true to my personal experience though

Haha no problem, and yes, I watch all his videos! It's actually only the one guy who runs everything, he's really busy.