Low carb insomnia?

[PiperBill]

I am on week 3 of a low carb cut/diet with the intention of dropping 8 - 10 kgs over 5 months. It's going well so far and I have dropped 3.5 kg in 3 weeks (I know this will mostly be water). I don't count calories exactly but I keep protein at 160+ grams a day and carbs below 100g on workout days and below 70 g on rest days. I am hitting the weights really hard every second day. I am still a novice and I have made 3 PRs in the last 2 weeks alone. My energy levels are surprisingly high with no cravings for food at all. I put this down to eating few carbs, more fat and protein.

Problem is I am starting to have real problems sleeping. The last 2 nights I have only dosed and not fallen into any deep restfull sleep at all. I am as tired as hell but just cannot get to sleep. No big problems in my life otherwise.

I am wondering if it has something to do with low carb intake or a combination of hard lifting on a caloric deficite? I am going to eat a banana before bedtime tonight and see what happens.

Anyone reading this had similar problems?

Bill

[Plateauplower]

I have been saving a good portion of my daily carbs for my last meal becuase they make me sleep better when dieting....

If your taking any diet related supplments, most have stimulants in them that could interfere with sleep.

[kimm4]

I have been saving a good portion of my daily carbs for my last meal becuase they make me sleep better when dieting....

This.^^

If you're going to go low carb (which you don't have to do btw) it makes sense.

[EjnarKolinkar]

I eat as many carbs as I can, most before training and the rest post, which is before sleep to combat lethargy in the gym and sleep problems.

Dieting still sucks, and you may still have sleep problems.

Why are you on 70 carbs man?

[Brosynthesis]

inb4 WonderPug

Consume more carbs before and after working out. 70g is too low.

[mirroroferised]

I am on week 3 of a low carb cut/diet with the intention of dropping 8 - 10 kgs over 5 months. It's going well so far and I have dropped 3.5 kg in 3 weeks (I know this will mostly be water). I don't count calories exactly but I keep protein at 160+ grams a day and carbs below 100g on workout days and below 70 g on rest days. I am hitting the weights really hard every second day. I am still a novice and I have made 3 PRs in the last 2 weeks alone. My energy levels are surprisingly high with no cravings for food at all. I put this down to eating few carbs, more fat and protein.

Problem is I am starting to have real problems sleeping. The last 2 nights I have only dosed and not fallen into any deep restfull sleep at all. I am as tired as hell but just cannot get to sleep. No big problems in my life otherwise.

I am wondering if it has something to do with low carb intake or a combination of hard lifting on a caloric deficite? I am going to eat a banana before bedtime tonight and see what happens.

Anyone reading this had similar problems?

Bill

IMHO I would learn how to do it properly, even just for a bit. I don't track all the time but it's an invaluable tool and a great way to gather an understanding of your portion sizes and exactly what you need and what you're putting in your body. Before starting here I was always so quick to ditch carbs. Not the case anymore and weight can still come off even with them, if that's your goal.

Tracking doesn't take nearly as long and it's not as hard as you might think either. It becomes a 5 minutes thing after awhile.

It could help you, especially if you're doing 531 which can get fairly physically demanding, to make sure you're still getting sufficient food.

[kimm4]

IMHO I would learn how to do it properly, even just for a bit. I don't track all the time but it's an invaluable tool and a great way to gather an understanding of your portion sizes and exactly what you need and what you're putting in your body. Before starting here I was always so quick to ditch carbs. Not the case anymore and weight can still come off even with them, if that's your goal.

Tracking doesn't take nearly as long and it's not as hard as you might think either. It becomes a 5 minutes thing after awhile.

It could help you, especially if you're doing 531 which can get fairly physically demanding, to make sure you're still getting sufficient food.

531 on low carb?

Good luck with that...

[PiperBill]

I upped the carbs a bit last night. Had a banana and a serving cottage cheese around bed time. I slept really well! Too bad I have to get up so early for work as I think I could have slept many more hours.

I will increase carbs a small amount and eat them mostly pre and post workout. As for doing 531 on low carb. If I am going to lift then I have to lift hard or there is no point in doing it. If I want to lose weight then I have to cut cals and cutting carbs always works best for me. Carbs make me hungry. Either way and whatever workout plan I do it's going to be a challenge to keep progressing on lifts and lose fat. I am giving it my best shot anyway. :-)

Bill

[EjnarKolinkar]

I upped the carbs a bit last night. Had a banana and a serving cottage cheese around bed time. I slept really well! Too bad I have to get up so early for work as I think I could have slept many more hours.

I will increase carbs a small amount and eat them mostly pre and post workout. As for doing 531 on low carb. If I am going to lift then I have to lift hard or there is no point in doing it. If I want to lose weight then I have to cut cals and cutting carbs always works best for me. Carbs make me hungry. Either way and whatever workout plan I do it's going to be a challenge to keep progressing on lifts and lose fat. I am giving it my best shot anyway. :-)

Bill

I'll just throw this out there, if I have to chose between general hunger and not sleeping, Ill take hunger. Again this is why so many people save additional calories for the end of the day. One of the most satiating carb choices is a potato, consuming a large one with your evening mixed meal prior to going to bed would be something you could try. As you fluctuate between 70-100 grams of carbs evidently 100 grams carbs does not trigger insane hunger pangs. You could similarly test 125g carbs, or 150g carbs. I fail to see how 25g of carbs can have a big impact on your hunger but it's possible.

Meal timing is not the most important thing in life. But I would argue that while dieting making sensible decisions about when you eat, and how much, can have a large impact on hunger. If I eat 100g carbs at 5 am I am going to be hungry when I go to bed, not because I ate the carbs but because it was too big a portion of my carbs too early in my day. I mean you have to remember that hunger is promised when dieting. How much you eat and of what macros to support training is more about training performance and general health. Timing is more about compliance.

Sometimes hunger is the only thing left to pay the bills, as we don't want to sacrifice training or sleep.

It's your diet, you have to run it, but that concept is easy to get lost in the shuffle.

[PiperBill]

I'll just throw this out there...........

Thanks. some good food for thought there. Pun intended :-) It's actually surprisingly easy to reach 100g of carbs. I drank milk instead of water at 2 meals today and that's about 30g of carbs right there. I will save most carbs for later in the day from now on. I found that a whey shake, cup of coffee and a spoonfull of coconut oil keeps me pretty happy for the first 3 hours in the morning. Then at about 9am I will have either a chicken breast or thigh at work. About noon I might only have a glass of whole milk or a meat cake and water/whey shake. At 2pm I will have a slice of wholemeal bread with butter, liver pate or egg. Then whatever is going for dinner at home without taking much of the fast carbs. Last meal of the day has been cottage cheese with blueberries but I think I will eat some bread or a potato then too. All this is not including the whey shake that I make up in the morning and spread though the day at work. I take a fair bit of cod liver oil and spirulina too.

I felt a bit weak at training today. I did more than I was required to do on 531 but it cost me more than when I was eating everything in sight. To be expected of course.

Bill

[mirroroferised]

I felt a bit weak at training today. I did more than I was required to do on 531 but it cost me more than when I was eating everything in sight. To be expected of course.

Bill

Get out



You'll get it all sorted out I'm sure

[Xscoot]

Low carb diets work short term. Eventually you will add carbs and then BOOM! The weight comes back in a fury. Plus I had low libido with low carbs and poor sleeps. Its all about balance and calories. Source: Been there done that.

[JBWarren70]

(which you don't have to do btw)

yup. No-carb / low-carb is not a diet to lose fat, just more misinformation. Lower calories is what sheds fat.

Just like everything else certain individuals can do good with low/no-carbs, some need carbs to function.

A good read http://authoritynutrition.com/15-rea...low-carb-diet/

[NorthernMusicia]

I have been saving a good portion of my daily carbs for my last meal becuase they make me sleep better when dieting....

I did this as well last time. Also, I got some dietary fat in my last snack. It helped a lot. When you start dreaming about the town bakery....