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2003/04/10, 07:36 PM
I've started eating a high protein, low carb diet, for about a week and a half now, and I'm dying!! I'm thrilled how the protein gets rid of my cravings, but I am very lethargic. Is this normal? Does this change if I stick to my diet? FYI, I have a very active lifestyle.
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2003/04/10, 09:03 PM
You should not just cut carbs out...without knowing exactly what you did, by your post, I can only guess. If you cut carbs too drastically, you run the risk of slower metabolism, thyroid problems, as you say, lethargic, and the list goes on. See, when we as bodybuilders are getting ready for a show, there is an end in sight, we know we will be eating good carbs again in X amount of time. These diets are not made for long term. What I normally do and I suggest you do immediately if you have cut carbs to the bone is incorporate 2 carb up nights per week. Mondays and Thursdays are good spacings for these. Make these meals in addition to your normal meals for those days. All carbs such as 5-6 oz. sweet potato, 1/2-1 cup oatmeal, 1 banana. These meals serve a couple purposes, they keep metabolism honest and guessing from slowing to a crawl, and aid in glycogen storage to keep your workouts from becoming totally nothing. Thus the right before bed time for the meal. As I said, I can only guess what you have done, but this is a great solution.
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The one goal you will NEVER achieve is the one you never attempt.
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2003/04/11, 03:47 AM
I had a co-worker who is a personal trainer and in very excellent shape... I was talking to him about carbs and he mentioned that the body will crave carbs if you cut them down significantly for a period of time. Once your body gets used to getting a lower amount of carbs the cravings will stop with the lower energy levels.
I experienced laziness when I first cut out a bunch of carbs, but it went away with time. I find I get a good chunk of my energy from veggies/fruits/protein shakes and things like that.
Hope this helps.
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2003/04/16, 03:34 PM
It depends on what you mean by a low carb diet. Our bodies evolved on lower carb diets than we use now. Our race originally functioned as hunter-gatherers, eating fruits, nuts, veggies and wild game. The advent of agriculture not long ago (10,000 years isn't much when you're talking about a 2.5 million year time span), the typical high-carb diet, 60%+ of total calories, didn't exist. Chances are though, if you're feeling lethargic, you should bump your carbs up some and see if it is your diet or something else.
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"Don't follow leaders and watch your parking meters!"
-- Bob Dylan
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