Calling Experienced Carb Backloaders

[Dastardly]

How are your energy levels going into training?

I have been doing it a couple of weeks. I started because I gave up bread due to a digestive complaint. So my breakfasts were zero carb anyway. The health benefits also appealed as there is tons of diabetes in my family.

No matter how much carbs I take in for the back load, I have been really struggling with energy. Even on the rest day after loading, I feel drained. On the actual training day I feel super drained! almost no energy at all, I go into training sessions drained feeling and hungry. I have still managed to make slow progress on some lifts, but have to take extremely long rests between sets due to lacking energy. It sucks.

When looking this issue of rest days up, I found out something I hadn't even realised. Once of the fundamentals of CBL is skipping breakfast!!

If I have no energy now, how could I possibly manage with no breakfast? (I cannot find any info about lunch)

The reasoning seems to be based around starchy/sugary breakfasts messing with blood sugar levels and therefore CNS accuracy. Every one of the examples here of breakfasts seems to be stuff like sugary cereals. I only have either some boiled eggs & cheese or omelet & some (non starchy) vegetables. A small zero carb breakfast. I cannot find info on whether this is allowed.

But regardless, how are you all finding your energy levels?

Something else interesting I found out was that if you workout in the morning-daytime, you are supposed to carb up on the night before, skip breakfast (as usual) and then carb up AGAIN after the training.

Now, the notion of carbing up without having trained first seems to go against every grain of logic that CBL is based on. (To consume carbs post workout when they are absorbed into muscle)

[StrongLiftMyBalls]

Is this before or after your ankle goes gangrene and falls off?

[Dastardly]

I have been doing for a couple of weeks, not going well at all really. I have been strict and no results, my calorie intake probably dropped a little because of it. I still weigh and look the same.

I used the method without looking into any of the details last summer when I was training everyday either cardio or weights. So just had carbs every evening, that worked a lot better, had more energy and actually lost fat too.

This was an experiment and after doing a bunch of reading now, Ive decided its not really compatible with me when training 3 times a week or so. It seems better to eat carbs in the morning, low carb afternoon snack then go train. And have a traditional mixed meal with meat & potatoes etc..

And on rest days just stay moderate.

Use extra energy to either push lifts harder or do cardio once a week.

[tzanghi]

Post up a sample diet. My energy is generally normal throughout the day, although long periods without carbs leads to tough workouts, but I usually manage unless it's a limit set. Also, did you do the prep phase?