How to increse energy levels?

Patsy fyre

Ok Fitness Junkies I need your help!

Dispite training twice a week for a few months now my energy levels are awful.

Im not really overweight and have been training for sports for years!

Is this just because im not doing enough running or is there any specialist energy drinks I should be using?

Any Info would be appreciated.

TommyKnocker

Hi There

I think it may help folks here offer better advice if you were to outline what training you are doing twice a week, what sports you are currently involved in (if any) and give an example (in as much detail as possible) of a typical days food and liquid intake, including weekly alcohol intake (if applicable). Also if you have any known medical conditions which might be a factor (i.e. Low Iron, anemia etc). Also give an idea of height, weight, age & sex.

Without meaning to pry into your life, but the more general details you can provide the more help folks may be able to provide.


Best Regards,

M

stinky eggs

I found that the owl Kreatine helps!

But if you look at some of my other fitness posts, maybe Im not the best chap to receive info from!

Patsy fyre

Hi,

training for the owl gaa. 2 hours twice a week. not serious training though.
age 25, 6 foot tall, pretty much eat fast food all week. dont drink much apart from coffee. im kinda addicted.

now that im thinking bout it, i dont really drink anything only coffee not even water, perhaps im dehydrating!!
around 13 stone!

TommyKnocker

Patsy fyre wrote: »

Hi,

training for the owl gaa. 2 hours twice a week. not serious training though.
age 25, 6 foot tall, pretty much eat fast food all week. dont drink much apart from coffee. im kinda addicted.

now that im thinking bout it, i dont really drink anything only coffee not even water, perhaps im dehydrating!!
around 13 stone!

Ok, I am assuming you're male?

Now you can't possibly be eating fast food for all meals all week

Give a breakdown of what you eat at each meal if you can.

e.g. Here is a typical days diet for me

========================================================

05:30 Breakfast
20g Jumbo oats, 3 almond nuts, 3 hazel nuts, 3 walnut halves, 3 brazil nuts, dessert spn of mixed seeds, 5 grapes, 8 raspberries, 6 blackberries, 3 strawberreis, dessert spn of blueberries with 200ml of no fat milk.

200ml Cranberry juice & 1 mug of green tea

1 Multi-vit, 4 Fish oil capsules, 1 Advanced C-Jointin (For joint health)

08:30 ish at desk in work
Whey shake with 1.25 scoops of Whey, 1 tea spoon of Creatine, 1 tea spoon of L-Glutamine and 400ml no fat milk.

2 oat cakes each with a heaped tea spoon of peanut butter

1 apple

11:00ish snack
1 Banana, 1 Kiwi & 125g homemade cottage cheese and mixed berry mousse

1 mug of green tea

12:45 Lunch
400g of homemade ratatouille, 125g chicken breast, 125g fillet beef

1 dessert spoon of Peanut Butter

1 mug of green tea

16:00 afternoon snack
Whey protein shake with 1.5 scoops of whey and 400ml milk

1 200g homemade cottage cheese and mixed berry mousse

18:00 - 20:00 Gym
Strong Lifts 5x5 workout or Cardio & Abs or Conditioning

20:10 Post workout shake
2 scoops of whey protein, 1 tea spoon of Creatine, 1 tea spoon of L-Glutamine, 1 scoop of Glucose

21:30 Dinner
350g mixed frozen veg (sprouts, brocolli & green beans), 175g turkey steak or Chicken or Fish (salmon/tuna)

1 mug of green tea

I will also have gone through about 3-4 liters of water throughout the day and in the gym

=========================================================

Doesn't have to be as detailed, but break it down by meal please.


Best Regards,

M

stinky eggs

Patsy fyre wrote: »

Hi,

training for the owl gaa. 2 hours twice a week. not serious training though.
age 25, 6 foot tall, pretty much eat fast food all week. dont drink much apart from coffee. im kinda addicted.

now that im thinking bout it, i dont really drink anything only coffee not even water, perhaps im dehydrating!!
around 13 stone!

How can ya be 1 stone and 6 ft and eat all that nonsense..

Patsy fyre

wow b builder that is unbelieavable!

Yep im male.

7.30 - bowl of cheerios + cup of coffee,

11.00 - cup of coffee

13.30 - dinner - mash potatoes, chicken/beef and some veg. generally

19.00 eat leftovers of dinner!!

Thats pretty much my food of the day.
around 5 cups of coffee a day aswel.
its not exactly fast food, buts its food bought in a deli.
I dont really ever cook much food at all, weird and all how that sounds!
Also i will be starting to drink more water soon!

where do you get that glucose and should I be taking that ?

cc87

Patsy fyre wrote: »

where do you get that glucose and should I be taking that ?

Sort out your diet before you go worrying about if you should be taking shakes, powders or any other kind of supplement

TommyKnocker

Patsy fyre wrote: »

wow b builder that is unbelieavable!

Yep im male.

7.30 - bowl of cheerios + cup of coffee,

11.00 - cup of coffee

13.30 - dinner - mash potatoes, chicken/beef and some veg. generally

19.00 eat leftovers of dinner!!

Thats pretty much my food of the day.
around 5 cups of coffee a day aswel.
its not exactly fast food, buts its food bought in a deli.
I dont really ever cook much food at all, weird and all how that sounds!
Also i will be starting to drink more water soon!

where do you get that glucose and should I be taking that ?

Hi There

Firstly let me say that I am no expert and have no qualifications in either physical training or nutrition. I am simply interested in health and fitness, nutrition and physical training and have read a number of articles on these topics.

You probably don't need me to tell you that your diet is pretty bad. I am not surprised that you have low energy levels with a diet like that. Also as you mention, you are quite possibly going around in a state of dehydration. You hydration level can be gugaged by the color of your urine. A pale yellow color = well hydrated, a dark yellow color = dehydrated.

You really need to be eating a balanced meal each time you eat, containing carbs, proteins and healthy fats. Cheerios are rubbish tbh, eggs with wholemeal toast or oats with some nuts and berries would be a better breakfast.

I guesstimate that you should be consuming around 2,700 calories a day to maintain your current weight, and the diet you outlined I don't think is providing that, unless you have left out some stuff or taking lots of sugar in your coffee. And even if you are getting this number of calories, I don't belive that you are getting the proper macro (protein, carb and fat) or micro (vitamins and minerals) nutrients from your listed diet.

I would recommend reading through the sticky threads on both the fitness forum and the Diet and Nutrition forum for the basics on putting together a decent balanced diet and then start putting some of this knowledge into practice. Also learn how to cook at least the basics. It's not difficult. Then with a little planning you can be sure you always have a healthy well balanced meal each time you eat.

Finally as cc87 said, get your diet sorted out before you consider protein powders or glucose etc. The only supplement you shold be taking off the bat are a decent multivitamin and a good fish oil supplement. At this stage and for the training you are doing, you do not require anything else.


Best Regards,

M

Amaru KGB

B-Builder wrote: »

========================================================

05:30 Breakfast
20g Jumbo oats, 3 almond nuts, 3 hazel nuts, 3 walnut halves, 3 brazil nuts, dessert spn of mixed seeds, 5 grapes, 8 raspberries, 6 blackberries, 3 strawberreis, dessert spn of blueberries with 200ml of no fat milk.

200ml Cranberry juice & 1 mug of green tea

1 Multi-vit, 4 Fish oil capsules, 1 Advanced C-Jointin (For joint health)

08:30 ish at desk in work
Whey shake with 1.25 scoops of Whey, 1 tea spoon of Creatine, 1 tea spoon of L-Glutamine and 400ml no fat milk.

2 oat cakes each with a heaped tea spoon of peanut butter

1 apple

11:00ish snack
1 Banana, 1 Kiwi & 125g homemade cottage cheese and mixed berry mousse

1 mug of green tea

12:45 Lunch
400g of homemade ratatouille, 125g chicken breast, 125g fillet beef

1 dessert spoon of Peanut Butter

1 mug of green tea

16:00 afternoon snack
Whey protein shake with 1.5 scoops of whey and 400ml milk

1 200g homemade cottage cheese and mixed berry mousse

18:00 - 20:00 Gym
Strong Lifts 5x5 workout or Cardio & Abs or Conditioning

20:10 Post workout shake
2 scoops of whey protein, 1 tea spoon of Creatine, 1 tea spoon of L-Glutamine, 1 scoop of Glucose

21:30 Dinner
350g mixed frozen veg (sprouts, brocolli & green beans), 175g turkey steak or Chicken or Fish (salmon/tuna)

1 mug of green tea

I will also have gone through about 3-4 liters of water throughout the day and in the gym

=========================================================

Hi M,

Now thats the diet I would like and try to have but fail miserably by "not having enough time", it's pretty crap excuse really.

I've a few q's if that alright

How do you find stronglifts, I've started doing it and actually find it quite good but do you do extra ab work etc.

Do you know if it makes a difference when you take your fish oils/multi-vits? I'd preffer to take them at night time because I'd remember, just like brushing your teeth.

Is L-Glutamine worth using?

Cheers

TommyKnocker

Hi There

See my answers to your questions below.

Amaru KGB wrote: »

Hi M,

Now thats the diet I would like and try to have but fail miserably by "not having enough time", it's pretty crap excuse really.

Not having enough time is a lame excuse to be honest. We all have the same 7 x24 hours in a week. It's really about getting organised. I am up every morning at 04:40 and get to bed around 22:30-23:00

I make the cottage cheese mousses on Saturdays and they will keep in the fridge for 10-14 days (though they never last that long )

This week I am having ratatouille for lunch, so I made a big batch of this on Sunday. It will keep easily for 5 days in the fridge.

Every night before I go to bed I will prepare my breakfast for the next morning (all dry ingredients + grapes in a bowl and clingfilmed in the press. Meat for lunch is cooked at the same time as I cook the meat for my dinner. If I am having salads for lunch then all veg is sliced, leaves washed and dried and stored in fridge over night. Dressing is made in sealable container.

Then in the morning I simply slice the meat and put it in a container with the salad leaves and veg. Bring the dressing separate.

I've a few q's if that alright

No Problem

How do you find strong lifts, I've started doing it and actually find it quite good but do you do extra ab work etc.

To be honest I have bastardised Strong lifts . I don't do any core work on the days I lift. And I have added in power cleans.

I lift on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. And on Monday, Wednesday & Saturday I do Cardio & Core or conditioning & Core. Though I don't go mad with direct core work as the big lifts hit your core pretty well.

I like strong lifts, but to be honest I only picked it over starting strength as it had 5 sets of most exercises, where starting strength only had 3 (I like volume ).

Do you know if it makes a difference when you take your fish oils/multi-vits? I'd prefer to take them at night time because I'd remember, just like brushing your teeth.

I am not sure, I can't see how it would matter much as long as you are getting them. But fish oil is only part of my healthy fat intake. So make sure you are getting other healthy fats as well as the fish oil.

Is L-Glutamine worth using?

Again not sure. After I was lifting a while and had sorted my diet I asked a guy I work with (who is into Oly Lifting) about supplementation for post workout and he recommended taking Whey, Glucose, Creatine and L-Glutamine and said this would help with recovery. So that's what I took, and I have to say I did find that I recovered better then before I started taking it. So I continue to take it and don't have recovery issues. But if I left out the L-Glutamine would I notice a difference, I don't know. Also the protein I use (ON Gold Standard) has L-Glutamine added and they say each scoop provides 4g of L-Glutamine.

Cheers

Hope that answers you questions.


Best Regards,

M

Amaru KGB

B-Builder wrote: »

Hi There

See my answers to your questions below.



Hope that answers you questions.


Best Regards,

M

Thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Yeah I think organization is the key, I'm pretty good at eating healthy and I have read up a lot on nutrition but my problem is that I don't eat enough and therefore get frustrated not seeing enough results. I think I will give your diet a go as it seems easy enough to prepare and the food is very tastey.

Cheers

Ruu_Old

Patsy fyre, would you consider some oatmeal for breakfast throw in some fruit and/or nuts with it too? Cheerios aren't the best, you'll find it hard to get a packaged cereal that isn't full of sugar. More water (or flavoured water if plain isn't for you) and less of the coffee perhaps, it will be hard pulling away from the caffeine but give it a try).

Patsy fyre

Ruu wrote: »

Patsy fyre, would you consider some oatmeal for breakfast throw in some fruit and/or nuts with it too? Cheerios aren't the best, you'll find it hard to get a packaged cereal that isn't full of sugar. More water (or flavoured water if plain isn't for you) and less of the coffee perhaps, it will be hard pulling away from the caffeine but give it a try).

yeah since my first post last week im have started to buy and eat more fruit and veg. Also I have started to drink two litres of water at work each day and just drink the one cup of coffee.

The first training session I attended after the adjustment I was absolutely flying and felt much better. Still eating the cheerios for breakfast but I am looking to change. Dont think I would like Oatmeal and mite try weetabix instead.

The nuts is something I should be eating as I quite like them but havent been able to locate them and shops!

what type of nuts should I be looking at and where is the best place to buy them?

TommyKnocker

Patsy fyre wrote: »

yeah since my first post last week im have started to buy and eat more fruit and veg. Also I have started to drink two litres of water at work each day and just drink the one cup of coffee.

The first training session I attended after the adjustment I was absolutely flying and felt much better. Still eating the cheerios for breakfast but I am looking to change. Dont think I would like Oatmeal and mite try weetabix instead.

The nuts is something I should be eating as I quite like them but havent been able to locate them and shops!

what type of nuts should I be looking at and where is the best place to buy them?

Hi There

Don't get oatmeal, get Jumbo Oats and add in some berries and nuts for a really tasty breakfast.

You can get the nuts in Dunnes, Tesco, Health Food shops or Asian Markets. I use a mixture of Almonds, brazilnuts, hazelnuts, wallnuts, Cashew, Macademia and some mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, pine nuts).


Best Regards,

M

Dathai

B-Builder wrote: »

Hi There

Don't get oatmeal, get Jumbo Oats and add in some berries and nuts for a really tasty breakfast.

You can get the nuts in Dunnes, Tesco, Health Food shops or Asian Markets. I use a mixture of Almonds, brazilnuts, hazelnuts, wallnuts, Cashew, Macademia and some mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, pine nuts).


Best Regards,

M

Getting those quick oats is probably the handiest way of eating healthy in the morning. Adding berries is an excellent idea too. I recommend having a banana before having a cup of coffee at around 11. You'll probably hold off on the coffee until your "dinner", or possibly after

Stay away from the coffee mate, it's zapping you to bits. I'm not a fitness freak, or a health expert. But from experience, cutting out caffeine (I used to drink ridiculous amounts of pepsi, coke etc) I found myself with more energy just because I replaced drinking caffeine with cranberry juice and eating fruit.

In response to the L-Glutamine question - I've only ever taken it after a hard lifting session. I've found taking it straight after and the next day that my body isn't as stiff or sore.

bluefinger

Few Questions based on above.
Whats a good irish brand of jumbo oats.

What's a simple way to increase energy?

Regards creatine how does it work? Would it give you a boost of energy if you were to take it an hour or so before gym?

I've recently changed my programme to hopefully build muscle, (heavier weights, fewer reps) and am finding energy levels very low mid-workout.


Typical Daily Meals workout day.
Breakfast 8am Porridge with fruit, coffee, soya yoghurt. 30g whey shake.

Lunch 1 pm Wholemeal bread sandwich ham or turkey, bag of crisps piece of fruit

After workout 6pm 30g whey shake one banana

7-8pm Evening meal. Fish and brown rice and veg.

9-10pm light snack toast.

All feedback would be very welcome
tia