Where to get nutrition help?

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get nutrition help? I try to follow all the rules for endurance nutrition - about 70% of calories from carbs, a serving of solid protein with each meal, Power Bar or something similar at regular intervals during a long ride or run, recharging carbs within 30 minutes or so after a long ride or run, etc. I still bonk occasionally during or after a long ride/run without much rhyme or reason.

I've been testing for diabetes and my fasting glucose was fine, and the four-hour glucose tolerance test went o.k., too, although my levels were at the lower end of normal. I went to a dietitian awhile back and she said my diet is fine. She recommended a good sports nutrition book (Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, which has lots of good information), and she also made some recommendations on good carbs/bad carbs, regular solid protein, etc. My weight doesn't fluctuate much, so I assume I'm eating enough.

Does anyone else fight sugar battles and bonks?

Deb

www.ultracycling.com has some great articles on nutrition. So does the Hammer gel site, though they are obviously pushing their product.

Here comes yellow with her Hammer praising.

I was a skeptic. A friend of mine started using all the Hammer products last year (HEED, gel, Perpetuem, Recoverite, Endurolytes) and hit me all summer long with its praises. So this year when I started more intensive training, I switched over (I used to use Cytomax and assorted other energy foods, no real pattern).

After some experimentation, I found a routine that works for me ( I use a combination of the Hammer Gel, Perpetuem, and Endurolytes for longer rides, and generally just HEED and Endurolytes for the shorter rides). I have not yet bonked and I am never hungry (on rides, that is!). This includes 6-8 hour rides (and will be tested with about a 10 hour ride this weekend). I have really been AMAZED by the stuff. No, I do not work for or have any affiliation with Hammer or ECaps. It may not work for everyone, but it really seems to work for me.

My point: it really helped me to find a routine that works and to stick with it. Pay attention to the kinds of sugars in the drinks and bars. Don't make it too complicated (another reason I like the Hammer stuff, I just follow the instructions, no deep thought required).

Good luck. I hope you find your routine!

I've always been an "easy bonker," too, and I agree with the previous poster--you have to find a routine that works for you. On the bike, I don't have too much trouble. I just make sure I'm getting some kind of carb replacment (usually in the form of gatroade and an energy bar) every 45 minutes or so. On a run, I take in five good swallows of gatorade at least every half hour.

Here is the part that finally seemed to make a difference with me, though: the recovery. The way I understand it, if you replace your carbs within 10 min-1/2 half after hard exercise, your muscles take up more than they stored before--in effect training your body to store carbs more efficiently. Maybe someone who knows more about it than I can explain the science.

Anyway, once I started getting religious about replacing the carbs right away, I quit bonking almost completely. The only time I'm prone to it now is if I run before I've had anything much to eat for breakfast. Since the hot weather is here, I wanted to get outside before the temperatures got out of sight, so I thought I had to run before breakfast. Turns out, this is a mistake for me. I found out through experiemnting, though, that I don't have to wait two hours after eating before running (as I thought). Now I have a light breakfast and run 1/2-1 hour later and do fine. And as I said, if the run is going to be over 30 minutes, I take along gatorade and drink it during the run, before I start to bonk.

I almost forgot: do pay attention to what kind of carbs you eat and when. Hi GI carbs during exercise and immediatley after. After that, you'll want to do low to moderate GI--stuff that takes longer to digest so that the energy is released more slowly. That's what I understand about it, anyway, and it has worked well for me.

Also, one more thing: the post-workout replacement carbs will be utilized by your system faster if you have them in a 4:1 mix with a little protein. Good for muscle recovery, too.



You probably know all this, but I'm passing it along becuase it is what has finally worked for me. FWIW.

I'd in particular look at the article on the Hammer Nutrition site about Ten Mistakes Endurance Athletes Make, or something to that effect. It is very good.

Ultra Marathon cycling has good articles- especially about hydration/electrolytes.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll look into those. I've got the feeling I'm timing something wrong, or I'm just going for the wrong carbs/protein at some point.--

Deb