I am working on losing weight. I weigh about 255, should weigh around 185. I started at about 285. I'm eating as healthy as I can, and for right now I am maintaining the 255. I have been using a lower carb and higher protein diet to help me lose the weight, and cycling. Not the Atkins diet, but some of the basic methods from it. But when ever I eat fast food or have more carbs then I should I feel tired. This is regardless of how much sleep I've had.

Is it because of the increase in carbs that this is happening? Does this happen to anyone else? I know an increase in carbs causes insulin to be produced and to much can make a person feel tired, but not mean they are diabetic.

I was very religious at keeping track of what and how much I ate. Then after I had figured out a routine I stopped keeping track. Maybe I need to keep track of what I eat to keep myself going on the diet I was on. I kept my carbs. about 25% lower then my protein. I think that right now my carbs are either higher or the same as my protein.

Any suggestions and or advice is welcome.

Thanks.

Hi b-rider
This is my story.
Five years ago I weighed 285 pounds, I changed my diet a high carb/high fiber diet, I use no salad dressing, salt or butter. eat very little red meat and as few sweets as possible. I cycle as much as possible, commute to work, run errands and just ride for enjoyment. three years ago I hit 175 pounds and have been at this weight since. My advice to you is, don't diet, change your life long eating style. excercise regularly and give it time. Remember, it took a lot of time and food consumption to get to 285, it's not going to go away over night.

Good luck, keep with it.

First of all, don't eat fast food.

Now that I have that off my chest, I think waht you're experiencing is the good old spike and crash. Fast food and other foods made up primarily of high-glycemic carbohydrates [simple sugars, complex carbohydrates without fibre, etc.] pump glucose into your bloodstream very quickly, creating a spike and giving you energy. The problem is that, what enters the bloodstream quickly passes just as quickly, leaving you with a glucose deficit, if not hypoglycemia, that will certainly be noticeable as a drop in energy particularly in relation to the prior quick surge.

So... don't eat high glycemic foods alone...

And don't eat junk food.

I don't know anything about the Atkins diet, but I do know that for endurance sports such as cycling, higher carbohydrates than protein is the usual diet.

As Velocipedio pointed out they should be complex carbs, which come from pasta, bread (whole wheat) etc, not simple carbs as you get from fruit.

In general, just eat a healthy diet with a good balance of food groups, just don't eat too much of it, and your exercise will take care of the weight.

Good luck, you've made a good start!

I'm not a dietician so I'm no expert, but high protein/low carb diets look to me like a dodgy fix for a sedentary lifestyle. Carbs are essential to anyone doing regular exercise. I'd cut down fast food, keep an eye on anything high in fat and just try and eat a balanced diet with little processed food whilst increasing your exercise.

Good luck.

Here is my expert advice on why you feel tired after consuming carbohydrates:

After you consume carbs, your body releases a hormone called Seratonen which causes your body to become lethargic.

Have you been tested for Diabetes??

I'm a diabetic (type II) and ride for the diet and exercise thing---I'm on no medications right now will ride my rear end off to avoid the "needle".

If I eat a high carb lunch--I'll be tired for several hours---part of the going high with blood sugar levels.

Go get yourself checked---its easy and usually free.

If you're that overweight--its a real possibility that you are diabetic.

The high protein, low carbo diets can work pretty well for sedentary people. But if you are doing much riding, complex carbs and lots of them is the way to go (at least generally).

When I do high mileage, say 300+ miles per week, I keep my protein levels about the same, I tend to decrease the fat more because it is harder to digest and I eat lots and lots of carbos.

You may not want to change your diet drastically in a short time because it is working but you may give it some thought.

The advice to have yourself checked for diabetes is a good one. Diabetes is at epidemic levels. I have a friend who is a diabetic. He had to figure out what foods spiked his blood sugar. And apparantly, each diabetic has to figure that out by trial and error. Some foods spike his that don't bother other diabetics. Human metabolic response to individual foods seems to be ....... individual.

I went to a SPA some years back and they had a high fiber, complex carb very low fat diet with lots of exercise. I found myself getting very sleepy in the afternoons. My brother, who is ultrafit, said that he found a cure for this. He went out and at a grease burger once per day! Now I dunno, but stranger things have happened. In your case, it is probably not low fat that is doing it. It might be excessively low carb or even the number of calories.

You may want to consult a nutritionist on this one.

I agree with most of the other respondents. My personal diet is mostly-vegetarian, low-fat, moderate-protein, high complex-carb, and high-fiber. Fiber is extremely important. Active people should generally eat more carbohydrates than sedentary people, which is why a Pritikin-like diet works for athletes but not for couch potatoes. (Nathan Pritikin, by the way, was adamant about including aerobic exercise with diet for weight control and health maintenance. His only significant mistake was his view that all dietary fats are bad. I do eat wheat germ, olive oil, nuts, flaxseed, and avocados, all of which are on his "avoid" list.)

These are the classic symptoms of diabetes:

1. Rapid weight loss -- Something like 10% of your body weight in six weeks to two months.

2. Frequent urination -- Say four times during the night and every couple of hours during the day. Your body cannot use all of the carbohydrates you are eating and expels the unused glucose as waste.

3. Constant thirst/dehydration -- Goes with above. This often complicates things, because a lot of people beat their thirst with sweetened soft drinks. You might also notice dry skin.

4. Unexplained pains and cramps in your limbs/extremities -- worry about this. It is a function of circulatory problems and, potentially of diabetes-associated nerve problems.

5. Vision problems -- Increase in blood sugar has an osmotic effect on your eyes [which are, after all, sacks of water], changing their shape and causing blurriness.

6. Bad breath -- An uncontrolled diabetic's breath smells like a heavy drinker's due to the increase in keytones in his bloodstream.

7. Constant fatigue -- A diabetic's body is wasting away, literally pissing itself out. He will feel extremely weak a lot of the time and, at others, like he's drunk [mainly because he is, sort of -- those keytones again].

If you have these symptoms -- particularly 1, 2, 3, 7 -- go see a doctor and get tested. If you're overweight, you're in a high-risk group; if you eat a lot of junk food, you're in a high-risk group; if you're stressed, you're in a high risk group... you get the picture.

Thank you for the advice, help and encouragement everyone I appreciate it. I do not believe I am diabetic, but I have a appointment to see my doc. later today. I'll find out then. The only symptom I have from velocipedio's list is #7 and it is not constant fatigue.

I think that part of this is because of to much simple carbs, which was suggested above, and not enough sleep. When I mentioned that I get enough sleep I was sleeping about 6 to 6.5 hours a night. To me that was enough. I now know it is not. I need a minimum of 7 hours, 7.5 to 8 is better. After getting more sleep these past couple of days and eating a better diet I am not nearly as tired as I was when I first posted this thread.

Again thanks everyone you did help me quite a bit.

I want to second the comment about fast food. If you're trying to lose weight, your focus should be on quality, which will help you reduce quantity. Fast food contains virtually zero pesky nutrients, other than calories, and those are primarily from highly refined flours or hydrogenated fats. ugh. You get plenty of that without trying!

It's ironic. I, too, have spent most of my life worrying about the evil insulin effect, waiting to nail me if I over-did the refined carbs. Now, reading about decreasing recovery time, one is encouraged to get carbos quick after a ride, and "encourage" (within reason) the insulin to start squirreling away that sugar. The insulin is doing its thing for a reason... we weren't always a society of couch potatoes!

Seratonin is the culprit, usually. In addition, eating transfers blood from the brain to the stomach, which can contribute to sleepiness. This is normal and natural. I always get tired after lunch, so I try to eat lighter, more frequent meals and keep on my feet, which keeps my blood circulating.

As for diets, studies have shown that no matter how effective a diet is in helping people lose weight, very few people ever keep that weight off. This is because they go right back to their old eating habits after losing the weight, and they gain it right back, plus some extra pounds.

To keep weight off, your lifestyle must be something you can continue comfortably the rest of your life. Exercise and sensible diet (not extremes) is the best way to do this.

I know many "overweight" people who have type 2 diabetes.
Have a complete physical to determine if this is your problem. If so you'll have to watch those simple carbs.

Don't do any type of diet. Try eating "normally" (aka "healthy") and riding more miles to get the weight off.

-5-6 small meals a day
-20% fat
-lift weights
-11 or 12 times your body weight for calories to maintain.. so less to lose
-have protein at each meal.. not a whopping 12 ounce steak..something your body can digest
- have it with salad and complex carbs
-5-6 servings of fruit and veggies a day
-go for long rides at least twice a week.. long meaning 2.5-3 hours, more if you can handle it timewise.
-drink your body weight in water(ounces not lbs lol)
-and no excuses for i do not have time to eat , i am busy so i will forget breakfast,lunch or whatever
- those small meals will keep your body satisfied and you won't get cravings for fast foods

just my 0.02