Not sure if any of you SB ladies watches the Biggest Loser, but, I do and, the show opened up this week with Bob the trainer telling his team that they needed to up their carbs more. I was running into the room so I'm not exactly sure of what he said, but, in essence, he said that low-carb diets only work for the sedentary, and that his team needed to up their carbs to lose more weight and keep up their energy.

This got me thinking, could I use more carbs for my morning meal, because I've noticed that I am just dragging on the treadmill in the morning. I remember being a lot more energetic at this weight than I am on SB... don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely thrilled to have lost 30 pounds in such a short amount of time (started 2nd week of November). But, I am surprised that I still feel lethargic, and I'm almost at my goal weight, where, in the past, I have always been full of energy....

Thoughts???

He's absolutely right. Carbs = Fuel and fuel is what you need to sustain any workout. Back in the 80's I remember seeing boxers and weight trainers eat huge amounts of pasta before workouts - of course, like BL, those workouts were quite intense and lasted many, many hours so don't go eating 5 pounds of spaghetti on my advice

Nevertheless, in order to workout your body (muscles) needs carbs so do some research to see what regiment of carbs (and other fuel) is best for your workout type and duration.

Congratulations on your weight loss and best of everything for your journey to goal.

I heard him say that too, but I don't think the South Beach Diet is low carb enough to qualify for what he was saying anyway (he didn't want his people eating lean protein and vegetables with NO whole grains).

I've been eating a low carb diet (20-40 grams a day, usually 25 a day) and working out 90-120 minutes at a go, yoga, cardio, weight training. Am I tired? Sometimes, but not as tired as I was after eating a bean burrito or a plate of whole wheat pasta.

My carbs are coming from vegetables. It's working. I'm FAR from "sedentary".

Yup, we do need carbs but the slow ones! That's why I keep yelling that South Beach is NOT a low carb diet!
Good going, SoulBliss.

Yes, isn't it more a GOOD carb diet?

Slow is good.

Slow carbs/Good carbs still equal carbs. He didn't tell them to eat potato chips or white toast etc. AND combining good/slow carbs with protein should be the best 1-2 combo for working out. I find I do better in the mornings if I eat a whole grain combined with protein. This means that I eat 1 slice of whole grain toast (not 2, not a biscuit, not a muffin etc).
A mix of fruit and protein would also fill the bill as a good/slow carb + protein.

Thinagain, I think your point was that you hadn't been eating grains in the morning and were therefore finding yourself without a lot of energy for your morning workout? I think we all need to experiment to find out where the grains fit best in our day as far as activity levels, cravings, etc. So, for you sounds like adding a grain in the morning might be a good idea. I sometimes have one in the morning, but sometimes not, but I really like one with my afternoon snack, as I need a mid-afternoon energy boost and this is one of the main times that I am tempted to eat something I shouldn't. So cheese or peanut butter with crackers or an apple is something I really can look forward to with my afternoon latte!

OATMEAL! My favorite breakfast food!!!! And brown rice is topping my list at the moment for best carb for lunch or dinner.

I actually don't eat before I run in the morning, but I HAVE TO make sure I have a solid dinner with no simple sugars or sugar substitutes the night before I run. And then I love me my oatmeal when I get back from a good workout.

Kara

Yes, Schmoodle, that's my concern. I typically have a two egg omelet (with Pam, a sprinkle of RF feta cheese, and either spinach and mushroom or salsa). Maybe I'll try Kashi Go Lean with fruit (which I have in my pantry) or that great oatmeal recipe Kara posted that I've made and loved. I've been trying to avoid grains at breakfast, afraid they would set me up for day-long cravings for them. I'll try them again on Sunday (my next long treadmill date).

Not according to what Bob said and I think that's part of the issue people have with what he said. Bob was saying that complex carbs were needed, as in whole grains and so on, and some people have been able to be successful in workouts and weight loss while eating very low carb and getting carbs from mostly green vegetables (myself included).

Thin, are you getting enough protein in your day? Two egg whites don't have a terrible lot, so make sure you're getting a good amount during your other meals as well. If you're exercising a lot, try adding some protein-rich snacks like cottage cheese in there as well. I've recently started drinking protein shakes as well. There are a lot of them out there, and several are free of added sugar, so you can easily use them with this way of eating. There's a BIG range in how much protein is in them, though, so browse through the aisle and read all the labels.

Kara