Low carb diets?

[Dogmama]

I thought this was another flash-in-the-pan diet, but more people (Christiane Northrup, Andrew Weil) have embraced a low carb diet. Has anybody tried to do a low carb diet and maintain their cycling routine? I'm finding that I have much less stamina than when I eat carbs. Maybe I just need to reduce my cycling & wait until my body readjusts? Or is this bunk?

I want to ride a century this Fall, so I have to do some serious training. I've bonked before & it wasn't fun!

Thanks for any opinions, ideas or info!

Kim

[Juliette]

A low-carb diet did not work for me. A couple of years ago, I went on the Atkins Diet. The first two weeks where carbs are severely limted (like 20 grams per day), I felt just horrible all day and it got worse when I exercised. I would try to mtn bike or hike and I thought I would collapse. My whole body felt like it was suddenly made out of lead.

I tried this plan because some people have reported losing like 11 pounds in the first two weeks. I lost 3. Eleven pounds would have been worth feeling miserable, but 3 was not.

Low-carb diets may work for some active people, but maybe you need to work into it slowly. Also, if I were to try it again, I would do something less restrictive like Carbohydrate Addicts or Sugar Busters.

[Mitexi]

My husband has tried low carb diets in the past and says they leave you with very little to no energy and he always felt rundown. Definitely not the way to go if you are even semi-active.

Balanced diet still seems to be the way to go. Can benefit from eating less carbs, but still necessary for energy.

[cycling@42]

Several years ago I did the PR Nutrition program. I was teaching aerobics at the time and can say I never had a problem with depleted energy, after the first week or so. The program follows a 40/30/30 diet plan so you are restricted with the carbs but you still get them. I thought it was a great program. After that "initial period" I really believe I was feeling much better...more energy, clearer thinking, reduced body fat. Now, I haven't seen any ads in fitness magazine lately but I know there are books for sale about the program. I was around 35 when I did this. Weight has never been a problem for me. I'm 5' 5" and 113 pounds. However, I am not all that lean. I think the plan did decrease body fat. Then I got married, had a baby, didn't want to "plan" my eating that severely. Got lazy I guess. Good luck finding the program that works for you. If you really think about the way these low carb diets work, it does make sense.

[spin baby]

Low carbs? Well.... I have basicly eliminated the white death from my diet such as sugar, flour, rice and potatoes for over a year and I average 250K a week.

I did hit the wall energy wise one morning last week, but I had been riding hard on an empty stomach and it is very hot here now, so lots of sweating. I think my electrolytes got screwed up and I had no glucose left to draw on.

My biking mentor suggested I eat carbs right before my ride and to drink gatoraid or some such while I was riding to give myself something to draw on. I tried it and it worked although it took a couple of days to get a glucose reserve in my body, but things are tickedy boo now.

My diet constists of fruit, veggies, dairy and protein in the form of meat and nuts. Gone are bladder infections, yeast infrections, heartburn, acid reflux, bloating (other than moontime), and constant burping up of the last 5 things I ate.

[aka_kim]

Just saw an article today that says Lance Armstrong tries to get 70 percent of his daily calories from carbohydrate, 15 percent from fat, and 15 percent from protein. So if you wanna ride like Lance....

I for one could never go low carb -- what... no potatoes, no rice, no bread, no pasta, and most importantly, no beer! Never.

P.S. Spin Baby, just wanted to say I love the Okanagan valley. I've visited twice for Ironman Canada (as a spectator), and really liked the scenery, the people, the orchards and wineries, and hiking the KVR. I envy you having that trail right in your backyard.

[spin baby]

Hey Kim... : )

No beer? Now who said anything about giving up beer? ; )

The thing about Lance is... he's a guy... and that means an entirely different physiology to me. Their metabolism burns way faster I believe, so they can eat way more carbs than us fems.

But, like I said, I have taken to eating carbs only before I ride as I do find that I can "carb out" really easy.

The Ironman. LOL. Takes the city over for that day. You don't do anything where you have to cross main street in a car let me tell ya. Takes for flippin ever. But it is an amazing thing to watch the athletes.

[Trek420]

"basicly eliminated the white death from my diet such as sugar, flour, rice and potatoes for over a year and I average 250K a week. "

I tried low carb, lost inches and some weight. I felt fine, felt lighter, endurance was good...but then I had my body fat tested. It wasn't the dunk test and not 100% acurate but....I'd added 5% body fat too my already not-exactly-lean frame because the inches I lost were all muscle.

Not good.

So I agree with you I'm trying to limit the sugar, no simple carbohydrates, complex is fine, whole grains etc but skip the processed stuff and reduce fat.

My goal is to weigh what my drivers license says I weigh ;-)

"My diet constists of fruit, veggies, dairy and protein in the form of meat and nuts. Gone are bladder infections, yeast infrections, heartburn, acid reflux, bloating (other than moontime), and constant burping up of the last 5 things I ate."

Sounds like a good plan

[Trek420]

"The thing about Lance is... he's a guy... and that means an entirely different physiology to me. Their metabolism burns way faster I believe, so they can eat way more carbs than us fems."

I read that the riders need to eat 9,000 calories a day on the Tour. Hey, if we raced our bikes for a living we could pretty much eat anything we want too!

[Irulan]

when I"ve totally limited carbs, two things have happened.

The bad thing is the total lack of energy. The good thing is breaking the craving for carbs.

Nowadays, I just try to limit carbs excpet when riding hard, then all bets are off. I find I tend to bloat up when I eat a lot of carbohydrate also. For me it's the snacking carbs that I have to force myself to avoid. I've been trying to stick with protien and fruit.

Irulan

[Terry]

This low-carb thing is really something...the way I see it (and I see it all day everyday from training people for a living) is, everyone metabolizes DIFFERENTLY, yet, we all have the same, basic machinery. I think you have to figure out for yourself HOW you metabolize. It's the old GIGO formula: garbage in/garbage out. What you take in on a daily basis is what you should burn on a daily basis. If you are very active on Monday and do nothing on Tuesday, adjust your intake and balance the meals accordingly. Burn what you use and use good fuel. You've body will tell you whether bread bloats you or beer floats you!

I could tell you all stories, reference diets, books, ect all day long, but, the bottom line is always the same; if you leave out a food group, you'll eventually pay the price. If you eat more than you burn, you'll gain weight. Cutting back too far on carbs will eventually lead to the brain getting fuzzy, the muscles aches, less energy ect.

40/30/30 plans are a great way to balance meals and get your needs met...as far as celebs endorsing diets, that's been going on FOREVER and I avoid them like the plague!
Terry

[spin baby]

Hey Terry.....

Good points.

I researched lots before I decided to eliminate the majority of WHITE carbs from my diet, and for sure..... if you don't know about what vitamins and minerals you are elininating and make sure you are getting these from another food group or natural suppliment, one should not dabble.

I get the majority of carbs from eating alot of fruit, but even with that.... I can tell when my body is getting low, and I then have to eat some heavy bread or a big bowl of oatmeal. But, I wait till my body sends the message.

Up to this point, I have never been able to define where the line is for me around what is to much or to little carb, and I don't have the time or the initiative to do the math around food to make sure I am in the 40/30/30 zone. I spent tooooo much of my life obsessing over food and body image... and now I just want to live hard, ride hard and have no worries. ; )

[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.

[spin baby]

Diet. That four letter word.

[Dogmama]

Diets, by definition, don't work. You have to change your way of eating for life. And I don't think people can stick to a low/no carb diet for life.

On a low carb diet,I get really cranky. I'm prone to depression. Carbs help increase serotonin levels. Gimme my bagel and nobody gets hurt!

I stick to whole grains, fruits, etc. and feel pretty good. If I start binging on junk carbs, my lupus flares. So, I have an automatic "stop sign" in my body.

A lady I work with is doing Atkins and has lost quite a bit of weight but doesn't look good. Drawn, pale and flabby. She salivates at my morning bran muffin (made at home, of course, with organic ingrediants...no kidding). Plus, she's really moody. No thanks.

In another five years, it will be something else. Maybe the cave man diet, or the whole-food-don't-cook-anything diet.

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