Low carb diets?

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Originally posted by Dogmama
"Ever eat a piece of petrified wood? Some parts are edible, you know!"

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LOL


I like your "horn broke... see finger" as well.

This discussion got me wondering about specific nutrition for cyclists... and I came across these that are an interesting read for anyone who wants to maximize fat reduction or training output.

http://www.cptips.com/cmplxcb.htm#cl

http://www.cptips.com/protein.htm#hiprot

I am going to have to read it a couple of times to figure out what I need to change about how I am eating... but I can see a couple of places where I have shot myself in the lead pedal foot.

Changing the way you eat is considered a "lifestyle change" or "lifestyle choice"...call it what you may, but it all takes "practice". It shouldn't be THE focus of your being UNLESS you are told by a medical professional that if you don't change the way you eat, you're gonna wind up self-destructing...

As far as 30/40/40 thing goes, don't sweat it. Just try to eat SOMETHING healthy from each food group each time you sit and consume. I agree, giving up processed foods is a great way to start changing the eating pattern--for many, it IS a lifestyle change. Sorry, but you DO have to prepare when you make a choice to change something about yourself...as in, make time to shop and prepare your nutition.

I always tell clients to just do their best for 2 days...just 2 days of eating as healthy as possible. The third day, just screw up and see how you feel (usually yuky). If you can tackle the "d" word for two days at a time, you'll wind up on the "good foot" 4 days out of 7. I'll take those odds for a start!

The Atkins thing...every single trainer and nutitionist I talk to just shake their heads in sorrow. Yeah sure, you can run your car on no oil 90 miles and it will make it from point A to B, but at what cost?? I think Atkins died from a fall because he didn't have enough carbs in him to function! He was an nut that believed that if you were diabetic and followed his diet , you could give up injections/insulin tablets. I heard him say it on a talk show just before he died. The body machine cannot survive on his theory because there is too much evidence that proves other wise. Why does loosing 10 lbs have to feel so bad and screw up your body chemistry make it right? I think Atkins dieting is soooo destructive. Also, those folks who tell me, "Oh I do a modified form of Atkins" or "I just do Atkins for a few days"...you're really not doing more than a crash diet...you'd do better with a 24 hour fast.

Sorry if I lecture...it's your body.
Terry

Terry,

I, for one, really appreciate the words of wisdom from somebody in the field. So, please, keep lecturing!!

Your comments about the Atkins diet are really right-on. Especially, why does losing 10 pounds have to screw up your body so badly?

Yeah, it does take time to prepare good healthy meals. But it doesn't have to be a gourmet feast each time. There is a huge website http://allrecipes.com/ that has lots of recipes that have even been judged by the readers. I've acquired lots of new recipes that are good & fast (plus, you can print them out for a recipe card, scale down the quantities, etc.)

I, for one, think that making time for myself is worth it. It's a message that I give myself - I'm worth the extra 30-45 minutes to prepare a meal rather than going through the fast food drive through (I eat fast food about once every 5 years).

I've also found a little market that sells organic. Heaven! If you haven't had organic apples, melons, squash, even zucchini & lettuce, you're really missing out. It's hard to go back to a conventional, waxy apple once you've had a juicy crisp organic! After awhile, you can taste the chemicals - especially in root vegetables like carrots. Yeah, it costs a little more. But, like the beauty product, "I'm worth it."

I tried the Atkins diet once for 9 days (before I started cycling) and on day 9, I just decided I didn't care if it made me thinner or not -- I need to function. :D I've also tried a cyclical ketogenic diet & felt the same about that diet. You just eat like Atkins & then carb up on the weekend for a day and a half or so.

I just started cycling about a month ago & am trying to figure out how to adjust my diet to go along with cycling. My longest ride (yesterday) so far has been 25 miles. I know I need to up the carbs for longer rides.

Before cycling, I have been lifting & doing cardio at the gym on a diet that was 45%protein/30%carbs/25% fat. That worked well for lifting -- I'm 41 years old & my bodyfat is in the 14 to 15% range. I weigh 125 lbs.

Now, I need to figure out how many carbs I need to take in to support cycling. I've registered to do the MS150 in late September & definitely want to have proper nutrition for cycling a long distance. I'm still learning -- I'll check out the above links. I have no trouble eating healthy -- I just want to make sure I'm eating the correct ratios of carbs/proteins/fats to support cycling.

Dogmama -- I usually give myself a cheat meal once a week & I LOVE the Allrecipes site. If you want to be extra bad, check out the Almond Joy Cookies II. Those are lethal & extra yummy. :D

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Originally posted by ChainsOflove
I am a sugar-holic and I can't stay on no-carbs for long. Plus I get wicked constipated! 40-30-30 is good but a pain to prepare all those meals and snacks.

am trying to forget about 'diets' and concentrate on more riding and exercise. Diets just hammer your self esteem.

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Surely you are aware that you can get addicted to sugar?

I find that if I ignore the cravings they go away after a few days (for sugar/carbs) and then I can eat a healty amount instead of what ever I see to put in my mouth.

Irulan