Hi all. I'm an avid martial artist studying the art of Tae Kwon Do. Since I started Atkins(Jan 7,2003) I have lost about 7 lbs. I have about 30 left to go.

My question: What can I eat to give me some energy for my workouts? Can I have an energy bar like Zone that has 20 grams of Carbs per bar? The carbs will surely be burned up in the hour long workout.

Right now I look like I just started training, nevermind I have been doing this 3-4 times a week for 2 years. I look pathetic.

I'm on the verge of giving up Atkins just so I can get back to my usual workouts!!

Any help?

Thanks so much.

First off, we have something in common - I spent 10 years doing Tae Kwon Do and loved it. I can't wait to get back into the martial arts; there isn't anywhere here for me to train, though.

Anyway - to address your question...I'm not sure if you've heard of the targeted ketogenic diet. Fancy name for basically 'low-carbing' except before and after workouts.

Strenuous exercise generally will deplete blood glucose and glycogen stores. So, an hour or so after you finish exercising, you muscle cells (and liver, to a degree) are in essence ‘starving’ for some glucose, and in order to facilitate glucose transport intracellularly, they up-regulate insulin receptors. In other words, you have INCREASED insulin sensitivity after workouts, which means that carbs you ingest after a workout are taken up directly into cells and there is little (if any) glucose “spill over” into the blood, ergo no chance of converting to triglyceride and stored as fat.

Now, the targeted ketogenic diet also says you can ingest carbs prior to exercising. In this case, they mean simple sugars – probably no more 50-75g – taken within an hour of exercising. Since simple sugars are essentially “dumped’ directly into circulation, you will obtain a quick energy source to fuel your workout…again, without any risk of glucose spill-over. Remember, your body loves glycolysis…meaning that your body will use that glucose preferentially over other substrates (ie fats, ketones, proteins).

I’d experiment with some carbs before and after workouts. I believe that a) you’ll have more energy for your workouts, and b) experience better recovery from those workouts.

Good luck!

I started Karate about a month back, I've been eating <20g carbs a day since october. I've never felt that I was too low on energy.
But what you're talking about doing is the same as TKD, where you carb up before work outs. It works, but it takes me forever to get back in ketosis.
Something else thats good for energy is ECA stacks, they always perk me up :P

If you're getting kicked out of ketosis, you may be taking in too much carbs post-workout (?) Also, make certain your post-workout carbs are SIMPLE and not complex. If you take complex carbs afterwards, you're essentially taking a timed-release sugar pill that will spill sugar into your blood AFTER your insulin-sensitivity has worn off (~1 hour).

I'm always afraid to endorse ECA stacks, as ephedrine is so misaligned in the lay press. I did undergraduate research on the use of beta-adrenoreceptor agonists in concert with methylzanthines (if anyone's interested I'll gladly email you the paper). Two huge trials were done, one with rhesus monkeys and the other with human adolescents – the results of both were very promising. The studies actually showed a decrease in certain cardiovascular risk factors among the E+C group! When taken with recommended dosages, ephedra is perfectly safe. All these horror stories that have been reported to the FDA are anecdotal, not to mention that most involve dosages well over what are recommended OR they involve people with pre-existing risk factors, i.e. arrhythmias, hypertension, or other CV disease. Also, many of these cases are 'abuse' cases where the ephedra was combined with recreational drugs such as amphetamines.

These studies (as well as many others) show significant increases in bodyfat loss in the E+C group over the control group. In fact, the rhesus monkey study actually showed an increase in lean body mass among the E+C group! (There are some wild theories as to why this might happen, but I won't bore you with them here.)

So, I am ALL FOR the use of ECA stacks, as long as they're taken within the recommended dosages.

Sorry for the long-winded response.

Thank you very much for the well explained answer. I'll experiment with a carbo load up before and after the work out.

Do you feel carbs after the work out are necessary? I'm usually not very hungry then ( around 10PM ). Also, what about a protein snack for muscle growth? ( After)

Thanks, you've been very helpful.

Depends on your goals.

If you're looking to put on muscle, YES....try to get carbs within an hour and protein within 2-3 hours (after workout).

There's mixed opinions on all this...I read recently that protein BEFORE workouts is more benficial...who knows (?) Anyway...I'd go with a carb snack IMMEDIATELY AFTER your workout, and then a protein/fat meal a few hours later.

Best of Luck!

What do you guys recommend as far as ECA stacks? Is there a certain company that puts out a good product, or would I need to look for the components seperately? My wife and I are both doing Atkins, but she gets really fatigued now doing any excersize. We have been doing Atkins since New Years, I have bounced back to my regular amount of training, but the wife is still not back to normal. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I prefer to mix up my own ECA stacks... That way I can put in anything I want, and still save cash.

And about getting kicked out of ketosis, its definately not from too many post workout carbs, because I'm not eating them post workout.

Usually I eat a Neilson's Mixed Berry yogurt, which ahs 30 gram sof carbs. Mostly sugars

ya know the best energy booster I found to help me out is by taking a Vitamin B12 every morning. It has stopped my droop days.
Bamalady74

Yeah, you can definitely save $$$$ buying components separately (I don't though -- too lazy).

20mg ephedrine, 200 caffeine, and 325 aspirin are the recommended amounts.

Also, green tea extract has shown to have some synergistic action with ephedrine....the research on this is limited but promising. They attribute the benefits to catechin polyphenols found in green tea. Anyway, I think they're worthy of becoming the 4th member of the stack (or replace aspirin, as it's redundant - caffeine and aspirin both being methylzanthines).

Again....my $0.02

A thermogenic that has been getting a lot of good press is Xenadrine-EFX. It's ephedra free.

Here's the link: Xenadrine-EFX

Karen

Wow, did I stumble on this thread at exactly the right time. I really could use this help, and maybe some more.

I started karate classes last week. My first lesson was great...I did the warm up stretches and exercises with no problem, got through my initial step training, etc. Felt great, energized and excited. The next lesson was fine too...

But my third lesson I couldn't even lift my legs to do the warm up kicks, couldn't do another jumping jack...all my joints hurt and I was tired and dizzy. I tried to continue with the training...moving back and forth with blocks and punches...(Shotokon karate) but after just 10 minutes, I couldn't move another step.

Spend the rest of the lesson sitting on the mat. I was so upset and felt like such a failure. My mind couldn't comprehend what was being presented, I STILL can't remember the moves to practice at home.

I didn't know if my sugar was low, if I hadn't eaten enought, or if I'm just not cut out for karate...which is something I really want to learn.

Tomorrow is my next class...I'm terrified to load up on carbs...I"m just in the routine of steady losing...I don't want to pop an energy pill just to come home and try to wind down...would some egg salad do it? Some protein and fat? Or does is have to be SUGAR carbs? I'm very hypoglycemic, and have really gotten that under control on Atkins.

What would you eat one hour before an 8:00 class...and what do I eat after 9:30 when I get home??

Thanks for any ideas...I really don't want to bomb out again...it's very embarrassing and the trainer really had no sympathy for any "poor me baby" stuff...very tough attitude there!

I had the EXACT same thing happen to me--I usually do about 30-45 mins of Tae Bo, no problem, but since starting Induction, I went to do it on about day 7 or 8, and I was such a wimp-no energy whatsoever, couldn't lift legs enough, no stamina. How much is considered a 'high carb' snack before exercising??

Try 20-50 carbs before your workout. I generally eat a bowl of instant oatmeal.

Thanks you all for the adivce. I worked out Monday night and had a Zone bar ( 20grams carbs) 1 hour before. I definately had more energy. Like my old self again. Unfortunatly, had a major headache later that night. Could be due to the workout. I've had that happen before.