Hello,
I don't post often but I do have quite a bit of nutrition knowledge so lets see if I can help you out!
I think it is always a good idea to have a little bit of carbohydrate before doing cardio activity, if you don't you may not have enough energy to complete your workout or end up unable to "give it your all." That being said, some people find it very easy to workout on an empty stomach (like first thing in the morning)..I would at least have a banana or half an english muffin with PB etc. Your body needs carbs to fuel your activities...carbs are the primary and prefered fuel. I would not focus on decreasing your carbohydrates but rather just focus on the type of carbs...you want whole grains, brown rice, high fiber cereal, oatmeal, legumes, fruits and vegetables etc. These types of carbs will help stabilize energy levels and provide greater satiety so you will be less inclined to snack later. Low carb diets do provide an initial rapid weight loss but that is because your body stores water with carbohydrates and when you decrease carbs, you lose water weight.
Protein IS important for building muscle mass and also provides greater satiety (like whole grains) so I would definitely include a protein source with every meal. You need protein both on weight training and non-weight training days as your muscles are still recovering from the weight training session and need those proteins to help repair. Unlike popular belief, for optimal muscle gains with an intense weight training routine you don't need any more than 1.6-1.7 grams of protein per kilogram body weight (to find kg, divide your wt in pounds by 2.2). For example, a person who weighs 125 lbs and is participating in an intense weight training regimen needs ~91-97gms protein per day (56.8kg x 1.6-1.7).
Weight loss is all about calories in vs calories out, so the best advice I can give is to focus on choosing smaller portion sizes, focusing on whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (olive oil, walnuts etc) and avoid limiting your calories too much as your metabolism will slow. I would recommend going on a website like mypyramid or live strong to enter in your information to determine calorie needs for maintenance and then subtract 250-500 calories (I'm assuming you are burning extra calories with exercise as well). While its not an exact science, it will give you a good estimate of how many calories you need to achieve weight loss goals. I'm sure you know there are lots of online calorie tracking websites that are there for guidance as well.
Oh my I've written too much...I hope this makes sense....good luck on your weight loss goals!
Leslie
