exercise and carbs

[LAURIEXXX]

Hello-

I am new to the program. I exercise 5 days a week that include pretty intense cardio and weights.  I do it because I like it and it's good for my well being.
I need more carbs to get through these workouts- but how much more can I have without sabotaging the eating plan? The book doesn't touch on exercise in depth.
Any suggestions would be appreciated- by the way I am a 40+ year old woman with about 10-15 pounds to lose.
THANKS!!

[Doug Varrieur]

Hi Laurie, welcome to the forum. Here's your answer, if you are stalled in your weight loss with your current workout schedule but not gaining weight then  you've reached the point in your metabolism where you are burning off the sugar you're taking in, no more no less,you've reached your sugar tolerance level. To start losing weight again simply start eliminating carbs from your intake. I would start by cutting total carbs in half beginning with all grains and flour products. This will leave the fruits in place for quick Glycogen. After a week of maintaining the current work out schedule with the reduced sugar check the scale. If your weight is not dropping start cutting more carbs until the weight starts to fall off. At this point you are now burning all the sugar plus FAT as fuel. Continue until you've reached your goal weight. At that point you can start adding a few carbs a little at a time until weight loss ceases but not gaining. You will once again be at the point of sugar tolerance for your routine. Keep in mind, if you change your routine and your exercise level reduces you must reduce carbs in proportion or you'll regain weight.   

[Sunshine]

If you over indulged, i.e. had carb smart ice cream, alcohol or more nuts than usual - is it better to exercise on an empty stomach to burn off that excess before starting back to limiting total carb intake?  Can exercising on an empty stomach help "reset" your body?

[mouseissue]

Hi, Sunshine!

Have you read Doug's book?

In it, he discusses why exercise is a very poor means to lose weight.
What matters FAR more is what we put into our bodies.

If you eat too much, the most effective means to get back on track is eat less.
This also assumes that you are watching your carb count and only eating when hungry.

If you have not read Doug's book, do so as soon as you can.
With it, you will have an excellent foundation for living the FTS lifestyle.

Tony

[Sunshine]

Thanks for the encouragement.  I started reading the book last week,  My whole family is exercise fanatics and they are super slim and I'm trying to unlock the door still.  I track my food and don't go over 20 carbs but perhaps i'm still eating too many calories because the scale is not moving.  It's frustrating and I'm sure everyone can relate to this once in a while.  Any idea how many calories I should stick to?  I really want this scale to move

[umpa]

Welcome Sunshine! I am Umpa,Dougs wife if I can help you please ask Take your measurements.When you are not losing pounds you will be losing inches.Read the book and stay under 20 carbs a day and the weight will melt away. If you over eat just get right back on track and all will be well.Exercise is not necessary for weight lose but is good for cardio and toning

[Sunshine]

Hi Umpa.  I guess i'm a little afraid to let go of the daily cardio because it's so cemented in my mind that it's the best way to burn fat.  If I can mentally trust and make the switch and concentrate on the toning aspect (which I do appreciate) - how often and for how long do I need to do cardio to keep the muscle tone before it goes away?  I'm sorry I'm so high maintenance and have so many questions - I'm working my way through the book and I've read the portion on exercise.  I'm going to be seeing friends that I haven't seen in a while and I guess I want the best results I can get given the short time frame (this Spring).  Hence my hesitations.

[umpa]

I am here to help you so any questions please ask I love my treadmill and gym and I am in there every other day.It helps with my menopause and makes me feel good. It is also good for toning and my heart.People think that in order to lose weight they have to torture themselves eating rabbit food and exercising,not true.Eat! Stay under 20 carbs a day ,drink lots of water and watch the weight come off. If you enjoy working out do so.But make sure you are getting plenty of protein to feed your muscles. Have you read the book?

[Sunshine]

Good Morning!  I'm about 1/2 I way through the book.  I'm up  .4 lbs today and I was only 18 carbs yesterday.  My calorie intake was 1376.  I started eating low carb-sugar on Jan 1 and I've teetered between a 2 lb weight for 2 weeks now.  I workout 45-1 hour everyday and sticking under 1400 cals with under 20 carbs.  I'm mentally struggling with questions as to why it's not working.  My waist measurements have not changed either.   I've had blood work done and there's nothing wrong with my thyroid.  Any suggestions?

[mouseissue]

Hi, Sunshine!

First of all, cardio does burn more fat faster than other exercises.
But the problem is, even cardio burns fat VERY slowly.

A far more effective means is regulating what we eat.
So don't overdo it with the exercise!
This is one of the main reasons people give up on their weight loss ventures.

Since you do quite a bit of exercise, the scale can be even more misleading than if you didn't exercise.
This is because you're building muscle. And muscle is much heavier than fat.

Since you haven't lost much in two weeks, I suspect something else may be the problem:

(1) You might be experiencing "carb creep".
That's when we eat more carbs than we realize (e.g. condiments like ketchup can fool us).
(2) Eating too much or eating when we're not really hungry can stall us out.
(3) Also, drink LOTS of PLAIN water every day!!!... At least 64 ounces!
(4) And finally, get regular sleep and avoid stress (exercise helps with these).

If you do all these things, will see success.

Tony

[Sunshine]

Thanks Tony.  As God would have it I'm in excruciating pain after starting therapy yesterday for an irritated rotator cuff.  No exercise for a while so I really paid attention to my feelings and eating - I discovered I wanted food every time I started feeling tired.  I'd grab a slice of cheese or deli meat, not much, but I probably didn't need to eat.  What is the best way to conquer the change in energy level without using caffeine?

[mouseissue]

Hi, Sunshine!

Sorry about your rotators cuff... I hope you feel better soon!

You're doing great!!!

As we go through sugar detox, being tired, and not feeling well in other ways is common.
And during detox, cravings for carbs can be very strong.
Also, feeling we're hungry when we're not is also very common.
If we just grab a slice of low/no carb cheese (or something else with protein that's low-carb),
we can fight urges to eat things we should not.

So carry on until you get past detox.
Your FTS journey will level out and your energy levels will skyrocket!

Tony

[umpa]

Staying away from carbs will give you energy.I love boiled eggs or deviled eggs.I also keep appetizer plates in fridge.In the book there are several snack ideas.Get well soon

[Sunshine]

I'll work on that - making some things ahead to give me variety.  I had my first experience going to a party - thanks goodness they had cheese stuffed bacon-wrapped grilled bites for snacks and some sausages on ax stick with the dip on the side so I passed on the dip.  I did enjoy a vodka zero carb cockatiel and the scale moved this morning - I was elated!!  I'm praying it's not temporary and things will continue to progress!  Been 3 days since I've hot the gym so I'm trusting the science!

[mouseissue]

You're doing great, Sunshine!!!

But be VERY careful with alcohol.

I love beer (in moderation, of course).
But I've found that if I drink it more often that once every 3-4 weeks,
my progress backs up and slows down for a week or more.

No two of us are alike. But I believe it's better to be safe, than sorry.

Check out this thread on our forum about alcohol;
http://www.fattoskinny.net/index.php?topic=10.0

Tony