Low morning energy

[zappoleobar]

Hi gang. Need some advice.

I am following a clean diet. I shall list it below. My problem is I don't have any energy until about 12 / 1 pm usually by the time I have had my third meal. I am not hungry, but feel very lethargic, weak, etc. I have tried different things (added more fat, or more carbs for first three meals) but still haven't found something that works.

Has anyone else felt like this?

I lift 4 days a week as well as 4 - 30 min cardio sessions a week. Yes, I am trying to cut some body fat and maintain my muscle.

Here is the meal plan:

Meal 1 8 egg whites
1/4 c oatmeal
1 banana
1 tsp udo oil

Meal 2 3/4 cup 1 % cottage cheese
1 c mixed berries
1 tsp udo oil

meal 3 4 oz ground turkey
4 1/4 oz brown rice
salsa

meal 4 3.5 oz chicken
4 oz potato
1 tsp udo

meal 5 1 can tuna
4 1/4 oz brown rice
some veggies
1 tsp udo

Sometimes meal 5 is a Protein shake
1 apple
1 tsp udo

most days it works out to 1500-1600 cals/day

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks - Zappo

[hossjob]

Try squeezing in a 6th meal and for that final meal, increase your fats. I'm not familiar w/ UDO oil, but if it's similar to flax (which I use) it's about 3.5-3.7 grams fat/tsp. Try upping your fat here to at least 10. Unless you're cutting you could get away with 14 fat at your final meal.

For instance for your last meal (1 hour or so before bed) try this:

40-50 Grams Protein (LEAN SOURCE)
10-14 Grams Fat
0 Carbs

Try that. Also, have a cup of Black Coffee w/ Splenda in the morning to get you rolling.

[RUBICON19]

Could be that the banana and mixed berries are giving high and then low blood sugar. Maybe sub them out for oats or yams.. etc......

When are you doing cardio? AM? PM? Post workout?

[zappoleobar]

Thanks for the response.

I tried coffee the other day - could not stand the stuff!!!!

Udo's oil is omega 3,6 ,9 and other oils. It has 4.8 g of fat/tsp.

I usually do my cardio pre breakfast, if I can't get it in then I do it post workout. My lifting is usually mid afternoon or evening.

I will try some of the suggestions.

thanks again.

[masterschamp]

rubicon19 said:

Could be that the banana and mixed berries are giving high and then low blood sugar. Maybe sub them out for oats or yams.. etc......

When are you doing cardio? AM? PM? Post workout?

RUBICON may have nailed it. I'm up by 4:30 every AM to get in my first training session of the day---I ALWAYS start my morning with 2 cups of STRONG, black cofee,and 2 slices of cantaloupe (lower glycemic fruit). Try to get over the taste if you don't like the coffee--it can be a GREAT training aid, as well as an appetite supressant.

[hossjob]

I'd have to agree with the other 2 gentlemen also. That much fruit/sugar in the morning might cause an insulin spike and crash making you feel sluggish. Definitely stick w/ some Complex Slow burning carbs. A very nice morning treat is Cold Sweet Potatos Mmmmmmmmmmmmm

I used to hate coffee until the last 3 weeks of prep for my last show. Just use some equal or splenda to take away that bitter taste. It actually becomes quite good!

[Intensity]

Hi Zappo,

In addition to what our fellows members said, i'll try to point something else: When you said that you tried to eat more carbs in your first meals… how much more? Because in my view you could have a lot more carbs in the morning! And if you think that this way you'll add bodyfat, i would suggest you to reduce the carbs on your other meals! For exemple, when i try to burn bodyfat, i divide my carbs like that: 40% post workout, 30% morning, 20% pre workout and the rest on the other meals!

Hope it can help, good luck!

Mo

[RUBICON19]

I would first fix the carb sources. Next, maybe you could use some caffine. Fat burner or sugar free Red Bull.

[zappoleobar]

Should I eliminate fruit all together, or just have it later in the day?

How about caffine tablets, are they as effective as black coffee?

thanks for all the replies.

[RUBICON19]

I find caffine tabs mess with my blood sugar. I can use things like ripped fuel or hydroxycut without an issue. Don't know why. Maybe another ingredient helps. Anyway. Maybe drop the banana. Use blueberries in your oats. Natural oats, right? Use 1 table spoon Udo's. Change the second meal to cottage cheese and rice cakes with some natty peanutbutter if you are stuck on cottage cheese. Otherwise just use chicken and brown rice or potato. Just some thoughts. Do you have a post workout drink? Also add meal 6. Yor cals may be too low too soon. Work with your body, not against it.

[pete69]

A couple possibilities, it could be the carb source (bananas are very high GI which would cause a subsequent blood sugar crash), so sticking w/ just oatmeal might help.

Are you sleeping well, if you arent getting 7-8hrs deep sleep that could be the problem right there. If you have problems, melatonin, valerian root, 5-htp and/or kava kava can help to get a deeper sleep.

One of the major hormones that are elevated in the morning, which actually part of what wakes you up in the morning, is a rise in cortisol levels. Some people w/ low morning cortisol have low energy. By raising cortisol or extending it's presence, you may get a big increase in energy. The best supplement to do this is licorice root, which should only be taken once in the AM for this effect. It shouldnt be used long term b/c it may supress test levels, but if it does help than you probably have your answer.

To be sure you could get an adrenal stress test to see how your circadian rhythm of cortisol is working, non-evasive saliva samples 4x a day. But if you want to try something w/out the cost and time of testing, licorice can help.

Caffeine tablets are fine and actually raise caffeine levels in the blood higher and faster than coffee or diet soda. It would be wise to keep carbs lower for the 5 hrs after ingestion b/c it causes a temporary insulin resistnace, which isnt a big deal, just keep the carbs low, and it also helps burn fat at a greater rate.