Hit a snag

[justme2]

I've hit a snag in induction. I take a kickboxing class twice a week, and since starting induction I've tired much more quickly in class. I don't feel I am getting as much out of it as I had been. The teacher agrees this has to do with my food choices, and suggested I eat some carbs about an hour before class. I thought of sweet potato, but even a half baked sweet potato has more carbs than I should be getting in a day. Does anyone have any ideas? How would a bit of hummus work on induction?

[ThinSoon]

What day on induction? I know when i re-induct (hopefully this last time) I am a bit weak for a day or two....

I wonder if upping your veggie intake for carbs would help?
Bumping for suggestions!

Tracey

[julirama723]

I've always exercised with Atkins, quite regularly, either 5 or 6 times a week. It has nothing to do with carbs, it has to do with FUEL. On Atkins, we are burning fat for fuel, not carbs. My guess is that you're not eating enough to fuel yourself for these workouts. How much are you eating during the day? Before I work out, I usually eat a high-fat snack about 1.5-2 hours beforehand. Fat takes longer to digest, so instead of eating 1 hour before, eat about 2 hours before. Something like hardboiled eggs with mayo, or tuna salad, or a piece of cheese will do, something worth a couple of hundred calories.

How long have you been on induction? It might be time to move to OWL to broaden your food choices. This is also a way to increase your carbs incrementally. Atkins must be followed as intended, so you would start with Rung 1. Rung 1 is simply 5g more induction veggies. Sweet potatoes would not be added until Rung 8.

[rosetoes]

I usually feel so energetic once I' have eaten a meal...like avocado and tuna. I work out like crazy....you may want to try to eat an Atkins friendly meal before your workout.

Best Wishes,
Rose

[justme2]

I've lost track of the days but I'm in my second week. I think juli's suggestion may be right on target--I didn't know about the disparity in digestion time, so I've carefully been eating protein an hour before.

Hopefully that will solve the problem. Chicken and avocado sound like great workout fuel to me! Thanks!

[TheDogAteMyName]

I agree with Julirama723. I also have a high fat snack 1.5-2 hours before working out. I didn't realize there was an actual reason behind it. I just started eating something high fat that because I was craving it. You normally don't hear of people at the gym eating a hard boiled egg dipped in mayo before a workout, but I do it. My instructor suggests something with fat and protein before a hard workout.

[not2late]

Fat is more calorie dense than protein or carbs. So if you are looking at this purely from a calorie point of view, it makes more sense to eat a fat than a protein or a carb if you want a long-term energy source.

One ounce of cheese has about 100 calories, where as slightly over 100 grams of sweet potato is about 100 calories.

Yeah, I know plenty of athletic trainers and dieticians say eating a carb is better if you are going to do rigorous exercise because it's easily digestible, but think of it this way....


If your car battery is dead, you can give it a quick jump start to get it going, but how long will the jump start charge last (---hopefully as long as it takes to drive it home or to the mechanic)?

If your car battery is dead and you charge it overnight using a battery charger, it will last a lot longer (you probably won't have to buy a new battery).

Fat takes a longer time to digest, but that means your body will be forced to use its fat stores for energy first.