What happens when I don't get enough carbs and protein ??

This is a followup of my blog post yesterday. I cannot emphasize enough about making good nutritional choices while exercising intensely. I am a living example of how the gains made by an intensive exercise program got completely negated by poor nutrition. Yesterday morning I started the day with egg and portobello mushroom curry. No carbs for breakfast. I did not feel hungry till 1 PM. Then I ate moong and moth sprout salad. By 3 PM I got hungry again. I just had a few protein bars at office so I went to the vending machine. Without a choice I got 2 lunchables loaded with preservatives and salt. The ham was so tasty, I ended up having two lunchables with a  few slices of cheese.

I was still hungry :-( So I had a GNC protein bar. Most of the protein bars taste yuck and this was the only bar I have liked so far. It is supposed to have 15 gm of protein and comparably less sugar.

Nope..Not good enough. Damn it..my body was demanding a full meal. I realized that as much sugar levels were dropping down I was craving more sugar. I came back home after battling an hour of sluggish traffic...all ready to eat a full meal. Luckily my mom had prepared quinoa and tofu curry. I tried to control my portion size. So ate as less as I could. Even after a cup of south indian coffee I did not feel great. Finally I gave into my craving and ate a 3 squares of cadbury's. Duhhh....Yes I know I violated my first rule...But instantly I felt better. The sugar in my blood had spiked.

As I was winding down to go to bed..I was still feeling hungry. My husband came into the room with a banana and I could not resist. I told him I will have half and ended up eating the whole banana. Though it was a healthier choice then sweets, bananas are also loaded with sugar. A correct serving is only 1/2 banana. My personal trainer had specifically told me to avoid carbs especially during dinner time. Her theory was that it gets stored right in the belly. 

When I initially started a high protein diet, I completely avoided rice and switched to quinoa. A couple of times I felt extremely tired. I realized right away that something was not right with me and talked to my doctor. A blood test revealed that on both the occasions my sugar was below the normal range of 70-90. It had dipped below 70 on both the occasions when I felt extremely tired. 

I was referred to an endocrinologist but fortunately cleared of any disorder. I asked her if it could be because of going on a high protein diet. She told me the body should still be able to use glycogen reserves and not dip down. She said she would have to test me further when I was in such a state. Fortunately I never have had low sugar again and I am doing okay so far. 

So how do I carry on an intensive exercise program, reduce my calorific intake and still feel good. I brainstormed and came up with some guidelines. I don't know how successful I will be. But I will find out in a few weeks:

1. Salads are not enough for lunch. I do need a little bit of carbs and sufficient protein. This will help in preventing the onset of sugar craving. Carbs remain our primary source of energy. Stabilizing the blood sugar is very important in feeling energetic and not succumbing to any cravings throughout the day. 
2. Starting the day with enough protein is extremely important. I started the day yesterday with an egg and this kept me full till lunch. But  I messed up my lunch so I ended up craving carbs.
3. I need to have an array of healthy snacks handy. Here are the choices I came up with. 
1. bananas. 1/2 banana would be a good source of potassium. Yes they are rich in sugar but it should be okay. 
2. apple and peanut butter. Peanut butter is high in protein and apples have negative calories. Meaning they provide lesser calories than the calories that are needed to digest
3. Deli meat free of preservatives. For vegas tofurky is an option. 
4. Chaas : Chaas is very filling and cooling for summer. I usually blend together a little bit greek yogurt, mint, coriander, jeera and salt. Trust me it feels so good to have this. I find it so much better than the sugary, greek yogurt cups available in grocery stores. 

Any other suggestions are most welcome !!!! 

I woke up today and ran for 2 miles around Central Park in Fremont. I felt so good running around this beautiful lake, watching the sun rise and ducks quacking.  But after 25 minutes I start feeling the onset of a headache. My heart rate monitor showed that my heart rate had been sustained at 180. This is the maximum it should be for my age. I am still working on reducing this. Hopefully it should become better after a little more practice. I came back home famished. One egg, one slice of whole wheat bread, 3 slices of deli meat, 1/2 banana and a bowl of moth and moong sprouts and I am still hungry !!! I think it is the effect of the almost zero carb diet I had yesterday. I am going to keep stepping up my effort on the cardio program and fine tuning my diet. Let's see how effective it is at burning my fat reserves. I will keep you posted !!