energy levels drop
 

first of all i love this forum and its massive information about intermittent fasting.
im ifing since 3 weeks now (17h/7h). the first week has been absolutly awesome. my energy levels were over the roof, mentally focused, physically strong, i was so in touch with my life. i would have done anything not to lose this feeling.
but after 1 week a little change came in.
i had hard times falling asleep, my legs were so 'heavy' and sore which was really challenging (blood pressure?). in the morning i could sleep until 11am.
my energy levels dropped, positive thinking faded. why is that happening?

i combined if and lowcarb. have my glykogenstores been depleted? i tried to fill up some carbs, but it was never the same :(

what went wrong?

If you went low carb the whole time your body is catching up and is going through the process of using protein for its energy. You need to make sure even if you are doing IF you are getting enough food during the eating times.

so it's maybe a calorie thing?
has anyone similar experiences?

It could be a calorie thing. I IF, and actually my metabolism began to slow and if I ate what I would normally eat (around 2,500 cal give or take a couple hundred) I would actually gain weight. My body's "need" went down due to IF to about 1,800-2,000 a day and I was at around 40% carb intake, which isn't exactly low carb.

It can also very much be a macronutrient thing, as your body is switching itself to using protein for fuel rather than carbohydrates. Here is an easy test now that you are 3 weeks in, go find some good organic chocolate and eat about 1/2 the bar. If you get an enormous sugar high, you have definitely switched. I found after about 3 months of doing IF that I could actually feel the thermogenic effect of protein and the sugar rush from even an apple. It is wonderful to be that in tune with your body.

Experiment, this is a fun and exciting thing to do, and a chance to really learn about what makes you run at top performance. Since everyone is different (even though we really are 99% the same) you can tweak your diet for great success.

Add in some fruit and carb up days....you'll be fine.

ok i'll add some fruit. especially post workout. mike...do you think it's more a carb issue than a calorie issue? or probably both?

but i will avoid starches....they blow me up like...:eek:
thanks for your advises.