Post-workout fatigue/Sugar crash (I think?)

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librarian11111
librarian11111 Posts: 45 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
To all: Lately when I go to the gym, I've noticed I have a serious post-workout fatigue. Last time, after weight lifting and doing cardio, I went home at about 5 p.m. and really didn't have any energy for the rest of the day. I don't have diabetes--but I am about 15 pounds overweight. I took 3 servings of protein shake prior to working out.
Is there anything I can do to avoid this post-workout crash? I can't begin my day with a workout if this continues. Thanks!

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  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    What is your calorie allotment per day?

  • librarian11111
    librarian11111 Posts: 45 Member
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    Quiksilver: probably at least 2500 daily. I took more protein shake once the sleepiness set in after the workout. Should I be eating more food/carbs/other instead?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited March 2019
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    librarian11111 wrote: »
    Quiksilver: probably at least 2500 daily. I took more protein shake once the sleepiness set in after the workout. Should I be eating more food/carbs/other instead?

    Just making sure you weren't under-fueling. What does your macro intake look like per day?
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    Do your protein shakes have carbs in them? If not, I'd look at eating something with carbs, like a piece of fruit. Something like a banana would be good both for the carbs and the potassium.
  • librarian11111
    librarian11111 Posts: 45 Member
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    Quiksylver: That particular day I had about 75 grams of protein via protein shake. I didn't count carbs (it sounds like I need to.)
    MikePTY: my protein shake has 2 to 3 grams per serving. Should I have the carbs prior to the workout or after? I've been told by the PF trainer to consume the shake after the workout. Your thoughts?
  • librarian11111
    librarian11111 Posts: 45 Member
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    Quiksylver: I started only today tracking my food. So far, I have eaten too much sodium; sugar; and carbs and only have about 200 calories to spare for the rest of the day. Yet I think I ate less on the weekends (and generally do eat less when I'm not at work.)
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited March 2019
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    What does your training entail more specifically?

    How hard do you perceive the session to be on a scale of 1-10?
  • librarian11111
    librarian11111 Posts: 45 Member
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    I do 30 minutes of cardio on an exercise bike--doing 8 miles in all. I also finish with about 20 minutes of weight resistance training. On a scale of how difficult the session is, the exercise bike is a 9 on a scale of 1-10 (I push myself hard when on the exercise bike. I try to go faster than the time before.) When lifting weights, I guess it's an "8" as I'm trying to get the technique/process right as much as anything else. Sometimes at the end I go back on the bike for 5 or 10 extra minutes but not always.
  • librarian11111
    librarian11111 Posts: 45 Member
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    Okay--will do. Thanks for the advice. To be continued...
  • slippyoalex71
    slippyoalex71 Posts: 1 Member
    edited March 2019
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    For protein I personally like 1g per pound of body weight myself but when cutting I like having it higher to prevent muscle loss but I keep my fats at 25% or more to keep hormones in balance and then carbs however im feeling today. Me myself dont stress a lot about macros but all that matters to me is protein and caloric intake. If I reach my caloric intake that im planning for weight gain or weight loss u will fit the cals in fats and carbs without noticing it if u hit your cals
  • librarian11111
    librarian11111 Posts: 45 Member
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    Good evening everyone! For those of you still reading this thread, I have adopted the advice above, including: lessening the intensity of my cardio workout, including the duration of the workout. Also, I discovered my protein shake has NO sugar in it (as a reminder/for those who haven't read this thread before, my initial reason for posting was extreme fatigue following a workout.) I no longer get that fatigue--though I don't know why since the shake doesn't have sugar. Quiksilver: at the time of my initial post, most of my protein was from the protein shake. But I enter my food intake into the Myfitnesspal calorie counter. And I now make sure I get protein from other sources (as I dont workout every day--though I'm trying to change that too.)
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Good to hear! Glad you’re doing better!
  • steverhodes4lu
    steverhodes4lu Posts: 5 Member
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    Firstly extreme fatigue is often a sign of overtraining so rest could be the answer
    But based on what you have written so far try one scoop of whey and an apple 20-30 minutes b4 training
    Another scoop of whey and 2 scoops of dextrose ( or 100 gram packet of gummy bears or haribos) within 10 minutes of finish
    Then a decent meal of protein and complex carbs around an hour lateral
  • AthenaBosi
    AthenaBosi Posts: 27 Member
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    I know this is late but just wanted to add, you should switch your resistance training and cardio around (do cardio last). You should still warm up before but keep it to 5-10 minutes.

    Carbs right after a work out can help with the crash. They help with your insulin levels, restore your glycogen and glucose that just got depleted, and helps with protein synthesis.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    librarian11111 wrote: »
    Quiksylver: That particular day I had about 75 grams of protein via protein shake. I didn't count carbs (it sounds like I need to.)
    MikePTY: my protein shake has 2 to 3 grams per serving. Should I have the carbs prior to the workout or after? I've been told by the PF trainer to consume the shake after the workout. Your thoughts?

    Your body could be tired from a combo of weights, cardio, and trying to digest that much protein at one time??

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