Brunch Carbs

Team,

I'm currently eating mainly omelettes for breakfast.  Typically this maybe something like 3 eggs, cooked chicken from last night, spring onions and maybe some pancetta.   I love it, so tasty and filling.

However I am struggling energy wise pre lunch and thereafter.  I have a sedantry office job and I can feel my brain claying and slowing mid morning.  If I have some fruit mid morning, i.e. when I feel this coming on I'm back on track pretty quickly, but is this defeating the object?  Are we trying to train my body to use the fats only for the am and so by having fruit I am "giving in" and instead I need to fight through a few weeks of this and then I will turn a corner as my body is trained to just use fat or is it perfectly fine to add some mid morning carbs?  For lunch I'll usually have a green salad with chicken so minimal carbs there too.  Really I'm very low carb between dinners each day...

Also just want to say I'm loving this generally, I've sustained an abdominal injury which means I've had to stop my foundation one for a while and so I signed up to this to give me something to keep focused on/the training mentality and plus it will stop me getting fat while I have limited training stimulus!  The banter of these forums is just cream on top haha.

Cheers in anticipation

Stu

How much coffee are you drinking in the morning Stuart?

Hey Luke,

I have never drunk tea or coffee.  So the first lesson on water was an easy one me, because water is basically one of the few things I drink, apart from maybe milk with protein shake etc.

Do you drink Cola or anything else?

I think I see where you are going with this, no I really don't take on much in the way of caffeine or such stimulants.   No pre-workout or anything like that!  The only drinks I have are water and some milk sometimes.  I'm British so people think it very odd I don't drink tea or coffee!

My mornings are water and omelette and lunch is poultry and green leaves/shredded vegetables.  Really I only take on more energy dense carbs like sweet potato with dinner.  (Apart from the fruit I am eating intermittently when I feel as if I am slowing).   If I was able to train I'd probably have some vitargo S2 around my training (I crossfit as well), but nothing like cola, coffee.

Yes Im am trying to find out where youre getting a GI spike Stuart. Milk by the way is also filled with carbohydrates. How long have you been doing LCHF (low carb high fat)? Are you lactose intolerant?

My milk intake is limited to the evening, something I'll crave something a bit sweeter and the flavours of protein shakes out there are so good I will have shake with milk to give it a creamier feeling, but this is usually post dinner/pre bed.  So no I don't believe I'm lactose intolerant.

I've always struggled with carb balance.  I feel bloated if I have more 150-200g of carbs a day even if training. I saw in one post Jeff stated that low carb is anything below 60% (a definition not set by him).  But my carb % is around 15-20% per day.  So I really struggle to get on carbs unless I take something like vitargo but that's just around training anyway and doesnt take me much beyond 20% ever.  So I've never aimed for LCHF, it's just I feel a lot more digestively comfortable getting on my calories through protein and fats and then I will have some sweet potato around dinner and vitargo around training.  

Stewie, 

You suffer from Nerd Nutrition. Sweet potatoes is hardly "carbs with dinner" If you were to eat 1 sweet potato you would be getting 30-40g of carbs tops, if you have the same amount of carbs with lunch that leaves you with 80g of carbs. That qualifies for very low carb. I think the issue is the framework of your thinking. Just don't be such a carb-a-phob.

Awesome Jeff!

Hey Coach,  totally agreed on the low carb - just not sure how to get out of it - yeah yeah I know - eat more carbs.  The thing that keeps me away from it is that I get bloating and digestive discomfort if I eat a lot more, which i don't get from high fat/protein so anything from your experience that can mitigate this or perhaps a carb that is easier to digest?  Vitargo is damn easy to take but it's just such a spike so its kept to training times.

And I take it from this then, regarding my original point, that the fruit in the morning is all good then and not in conflict with the aim of breakfast and lunch lessons so far?

Stu

Stu, 

No where in here will you find me recommending carbs before lunch and that is explained in the course. With that said we have to induce some practicality; I would recommend do Thrive as it says for 12 weeks then experiment on your own. So me personally wouldn't eat the carbs. If you are a "good" fat burner you will not have a problem with this. The desire to add carbs indicates the opposite. 

Virago is basically corn glucose. Try white rice with dinner and lunch. Start there. 

Thank you sir! I'll give it a go.

Just to follow up this has been great.  I'm switching between either omelettes or smoked salmon, eggs and some green veg for breakfast and they do great.  Might even chuck in some greek yoghurt - the idea someone had to try it with salmon on one of the other posts was great - it works!

No lull in energy now - just even energy from breakfast through to lunch and complete satiety.