lack of protein

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andersonhvac
andersonhvac Posts: 27
in Introduce Yourself
I work out 6 days a week and I'm self-employed so I work from home most days but when I do have to go visit customers, I tend to not have much of a lunch. When I get home I usually have my normal protein with my meal and wait upto 60minutes before working out but I find that I tend to get light headed after 20 minutes of the treadmill and have to stop my workout.
Should I be taking a protein shake with me to have for my lunch or is there something else I can try.

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  • dazza_098
    dazza_098 Posts: 78 Member
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    i think the minimum amount of protein needed for someone who was sedentary is 0.3 or 0.35 grams per pound of lean body weight (body weight minus fat %) but because your active you would need more and i think from what i remember if your lightly active its 0.5 for lightly active and 0.8 - 1.0 for someone who is more active so in my case im roughly 193 pounds with 19% body fat so 19% of 193 is roughly 36.7 making me 156.3 pounds of lean mass and if i was heavily active id need that much in grams of protein but if i was sedentary id multiply 156.3 by 0.3 and that would be how much i needed

    i hope this helps sorry if it doesnt
  • koshkasmum
    koshkasmum Posts: 276 Member
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    I hate to be the one to bring this up, but have you had your blood glucose checked recently? This sort of sounds like me when I have adiabetic low blood sugar episode. As your food diary is private I can't tell if this suggestion is way off track or not.
  • andersonhvac
    andersonhvac Posts: 27
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    Hi, thanks for the suggestion but I have had my glucose checked, blood pressure and a bunch of other tests and the only thing they came back with was a low sodium level. Told me to add more salt to my food...lol
  • andersonhvac
    andersonhvac Posts: 27
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    Thanks for the info. So in your case, the calculations come out to 47. Does that mean you need 47 grams of protein per day?
  • koshkasmum
    koshkasmum Posts: 276 Member
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    Glad to hear it, Andersonhvac. Diabetes sucks, but it can be worked with. I'd say 47 grams of protein a day is pretty minimal as the calculation given was for a sedentary person (good info in the calc. though) You might want to eat more due to the fact you work out frequently. I use about 58 grams daily.

    Skipping lunch is surely not helping the cause. How about cheese, crackers and fruit? They travel well and can be munced between customer calls.
  • wrotruck
    wrotruck Posts: 72 Member
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    Honestly what you are experiencing sounds like what most endurance athletes call a "Bonk."

    It generally caused by low blood sugar and not low protein. A sports drink or another other "quick carb" before you work out.

    You're body is actively burning sugars during arobic excercise and skipping lunch may be causing you to come up a little short on the sugars your muscles need for your workout.
  • andersonhvac
    andersonhvac Posts: 27
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    Thats a good idea. Now if I can only remember before I leave the house....bad memory....comes with old age (just turned 52 today)
  • sartu
    sartu Posts: 15
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    Just another thought, sometimes if you have a heavy protein meal your body may still be using your energy for digestion opposed to being ready to oxigenate your body when your ready to exercise. maybe you could stretch your meal out. I always have a bag of raw almonds in my desk or car. A handful of those on the way home staves off hunger to get my workout in and then have my meal at least 30 minutes after my workout which helps me get my recovery nutrients in too. The order of your foods can have an impact, at least in my opinion also. Like eating your vegetibles before a protein so they don't sit on top of the protein and ferment till the protein is digested. Doing this one little thing can help you get rid of the yucky too full feeling .
  • andersonhvac
    andersonhvac Posts: 27
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    I've heard that before about the order of the food you eat. I usually eat my veggies first anyway because they tend to go cold the quickest.
    Thanks,
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
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    I have a similar problem with getting dizzy, but it's not a protein deficiency it's carbs. I have to eat a small amount of a slow digesting carbs about 30 minutes before my workout. It's amazing how well it works!! Dried fruit, a slice of whole wheat toast and peanut butter, or a greek yogurt with granola. I then eat/drink protein after my workout.

    Oh, and I try to eat 90+ grams of protein a day.
  • andersonhvac
    andersonhvac Posts: 27
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    I some how don't think my blood sugar is low due to the sweet tooth I have and lately there's been alot of extra sweets like chocolate cupcakes, banana bread and carrot cake in the house due to it being my birthday month( I tell my wife that my birthday has to last a month....lol). I find the days that I don't get a proper lunch with protein, I seem to always get light headed during my workout. Maybe it's not protein......
  • andersonhvac
    andersonhvac Posts: 27
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    The toast with peanut butter would be do-able. I will try that the next time I miss a lunch and see if it makes a difference.
    Thanks,
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
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    I some how don't think my blood sugar is low due to the sweet tooth I have and lately there's been alot of extra sweets like chocolate cupcakes, banana bread and carrot cake in the house due to it being my birthday month( I tell my wife that my birthday has to last a month....lol). I find the days that I don't get a proper lunch with protein, I seem to always get light headed during my workout. Maybe it's not protein......

    Eat healthy carbs that don't cause the sugar spikes like sweets do. If I ate a cupcake before a work out I'd crash 10 minutes into it :laugh:
  • drumerley
    drumerley Posts: 10 Member
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    I just saw this thread today, but Happy Birthday a few days late!
  • andersonhvac
    andersonhvac Posts: 27
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    I wouldn't eat it before the workout but maybe as a desert for lunch. So that would cause a crash in working out?
  • andersonhvac
    andersonhvac Posts: 27
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    Thanks. Starting to feel old now adays. I can't jog as long on the treadmill, can't lift as much weight and I tend to get light headed too often.....lol

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