Metabolism Advantage Question

I’m currently using Dr. Berardi’s Metabolism Advantage plan, keeping starchy carbs only after exercise. However, my energy levels have been suffering. Should I add a P+C meal in the morning, or should I just increase overall energy intake from protein and/or fat? I remember reading that people with good insulin sensitivity can supplement breakfast with starchy carbs as well as PWO. Here is a sample daily diet:

Breakfast
3 eggs
3 pieces lean honey ham
1 slice fat free cheddar
1 apple
2 fish oil caps

Snack
2oz beef jerkey
1oz almonds

Lunch
2 cups spinach
Mixed veggies
6oz chicken
1/4 cup fat free shredded cheese
2 tbsp olive oil and vinegar dressing
2 fish oil caps

Pre-workout
1 scoop whey

During workout
Purple Wraath

Post-workout/Dinner
1 cup cooked rice
6oz fish
Mixed veggies
1/2 cup pumpkin

Snack
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 tbsp peanut butter
2 fish oil caps

Thanks for any help/replies.

How long have you been following this plan? I ask because if you are new to low carb eating it can take a week before you start to feel ‘normal’ with regards to energy. Also, it is difficult to determine if you need to increase cals without knowing A) base calorie needs B) what your goals are and C) what kind of exercise program are you on.

I’ve been on it for about 2 weeks. Before this I was following Derek Charlebois’s Bulking for Endomorphs, which (if you’re not familiar with it) is basically TMA except breakfast includes starchy carbs, and fats are included with every meal, no seperation into the P+C and P+F combos. So I’m not really new to the lower carb intake.

My goal is to gain lean mass and ditch my skinny fat gut, and because I went on a “diet” last year, I have no idea what my base calorie needs are as my BMR/RMR is most likely lowered due to the crash diet. I’m following the exercise program as prescribed in the book: Upper/lower/full body M/W/F, HIIT on Tu/Th/Sat. Thanks for the reply again.

Anybody have any input for me? Thanks.

hey,

it’s great that you are doing dr. JB’s metabolism advantage. i haven’t read it but i’m a big fan of his precision nutrition.

lack of energy could come from a host of different things with nutrition being “one” of those.

you mention that you are doing Upper/lower/full body M/W/F and HIIT on Tu/Th/Sat… have you done this volume of work before? are you getting enough rest (i.e. 8 hours a night)?

you wrote that your post workout nutrition is 1 cup cooked rice, 6oz fish, Mixed veggies, 1/2 cup pumpkin… how long after your workout is it before you are eating this? maybe you could have a protein shake and a banana immediately post workout to assist in recovery.

cheers,

medser

My PWO isn’t always rice and fish, I use sweet potatoes, pasta, oatmeal, etc too. I eat it within 20 mins of leaving the gym. I do sleep at least 7 hrs per night, some nights it’s hard because of morning PT.

Would I be alright to switch my P+F breakfast to a P+C meal?

Adding a P+C meal at breakfast may not be a bad idea. However, you need to understand that JB may not agree (but he may).

If you are losing weight a bit faster than you think you should (more than 1-2 lbs per week) adding in some calories could be helpful. That isn’t necessarily a P+C meal.

Next, if you are losing weight at a steady pace, and you still feel low energy, you may want to look at the volume of work you are doing. Is it too much for you, etc.

Now, trying a P+C meal for breakfast to see how your body reacts isn’t going to set you back too much (if at all). If you find that your fat loss stalls after you do this, just cut it out and start adding calories in other ways (more fat, more protein). You are going to have to play around with your diet and exercise until you find what works best for you.

I’m actually trying to use it to gain lean weight and ditch my skinny fat look. I’m sitting at 152 with the belly/chest fat and not a whole lot of muscle. I read into his Massive Eating articles and liked those, so I got TMA from my local bookstore. I love it so far except for the energy problem, so I figured I might see if I couldn’t keep with the P+C/P+F combos and just add some starchy carbs to breakfast. Does Dr. Berardi ever come around and read/post in here? Thanks for the help :slight_smile:

Bump. Anyone have any other thoughts?