Has anyone else experienced this &/or do you have any guesses about what might be lacking in my diet.

I had a baby in Feb 2002 & started LC'ing in July. I've always been in good shape (even though I was 10-15lbs overweight) & I worked out every 2 days while pregnant.

I notice that lately I'm way weaker than I was before starting my LC plan. When I was pregnant I could lift 20lb dumbels for bicepts (although I limited myself to 15lbs so as not to overwork myself). Now I cannot do a full set of 15lbs, & even 12lbs feels challenging.

I also notice my shoulders are more sore than they used to get & I sometimes skip working out my arms to give them more recovery time.

Although I used to eat healthily before LC'ing, a huge part of my nutrition used to come from breakfast cereal (cornflakes, weetabix etc.)

I'm wondering if any of you think my weakness might be due to a lack of B vitamins and some of the other nutrition additives in cereal? I'm doing the Montignac method & he doesn't recommend supplements.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

One other thing - I'm sure I'm getting enough iron, even though my symptoms seem consistent with iron deficiency.
Thanks

Do you feel muscle fatigue during your workouts?

I had something similar happen to me while following BFL. I did up my carb intake on lift days, by eating 1/2 of oats 45 mins before my workout. That was all I needed to get past the fatigue point.

Apart from increasing your carbs around your workouts it will take time for your body to adapt to burning a new type of fuel (fat vs. carbs). This period of full adaptation can take up to 6 months, but you'll notice an improvement w/in a few weeks.

Muscle fatigue is often associated with potassium loss, something not uncommon when LCing. Along with the water bloat we lose we also lose salts and electrolytes - replacing that potassium can go a long way to making you feel stronger. You can use pills or a product like 'nusalt' or 'morton's light salt' - salt substitutes. 1/8th of a teaspon or several dashed throughout the day will give you 350-500mg of added potassium; the recommended amount when LCing is 400mg. Be sure you're well hydrated when taking potassium, and if you've had a history of heart problems or are on any medication for your heart consult with your doctor first.

HTH
Nat

Thank you both. I think you both may be right. I've been lc'ing for 7 months, but for the last 3 or so, I've been less vigilant about monitoring my nutrition. Pre lc - I used to eat bananas regularly, so a potassium deficiency is likely - I've also not really being attention to which meals I have before a workout & need to up my carbs.
Thank you again

Bananas, bananas, bananas!!!

(my HS swim coach would be proud to know I listened and retained something! Geez, it was only 13 years ago!)

The plan I'm on says no Bananas. I would like to start eating them again because of the health benefits.
Are they really the highest carb fruit, or am I wrong about that.

I've also heard that I should avoid pinapple & I've heard mixed things about canteloupe - some books say it's high sugar - some say it's low.

I do like to eat healthily, so I'd hate to be arbitrarily avoiding something when I don't need to.

What kind of fruit do the rest of you eat & do you make sure you eat it after protein?

Thanks

While bananas may be a wonderful source of potassium, they have a GI of 77 which is bad for Low carb dieters. The insulin spike after eating these would send most of us into an eating binge.

Megan,

I normally stick to the berry groups and some mellons (canteloupe). After my lifts I will have an apple with natural peanut butter to help the muscles recover faster. I usually pick food sources that are around 55 or lower on the GI index.