Training & Nutrition - Low Carb Diet

I am thinking of switching to a lower carb diet, has anyone done this? And if so how did it affect your cycling? Thanks.

My 'lunch' today was one of those fancy latte kind of drinks, made with
Mexican chocolate and a dash of amaretto flavoring. For a buck you can turn it into a milkshake. I doubled the Mexican chocolate, and espresso; and turned that into a milkshake. Yum does not do it justice.... Now, what was the question?:D

Ive been doing the low-carb thing to lose weight. Ive dropped alot of pounds with it, but you will have days where you need to add carbs for energy. If you are looking to strengthen your legs, you will want to keep with carbs. Once I get to my goal weight, Ill add them back in. When my body is low on carbs, I feel the lack of energy. Sometimes I cheat, and eat a bowl of cereal or something right before a ride.

I tried the Atkins diet a couple of months ago. Somewhere on the Atkins website the propaganda caimed that cyclist did just fine on the diet. I read the book and cut out the carbs just like the book described. I lost 9 Lbs in one week.

During that week I did a couple of low intensity training rides and felt fine. Then I tried to do a metric century at a bike rally and bonked 47 miles into the ride. It was the worst bonk of my life! Even when I was coasting down a hill at 30 Mph I was trying not to black out. I was so sick and weak that the sag wagon had to drive me back. It was the only event /race that I've not finished.

The next Monday I found the toll-free number for the Atkins folks that have the website and book. I called them and explained what happened. The lady's reaction was of shock. She said "you can't do that!", "You can't exercise like that and be on this diet", "This diet works best for sedintary people", "If you are atheletic you have to have carbohydrates" However, she would not answer me when I asked her why it didn't say that in their book.

Now what I've learned since is that by reducing or eliminating certain types of carbohydrates from my diet I can still control my weight and do just fine on the bike even on long hard rides.

Just by cutting out white breads and sugary snacks, donuts and junk food I was able to continue loosing weight and so far have lost about 18 Lbs. The carbs that I eat throughout the day are fruits and veggies, whole wheat breads etc. However when I'm on my bike I do fine by eating the sugary snacks because I'm burning them as fuel as I ride.

I have several diabetic friends who tell me simular things. That during a normal day they eat low-carb diets to help keep their blood sugar levels under control. When they are on their bikes however, they will eat sugary foods because their bodies are turning it into instant fuel. They told me that the trick is learning how to balance it all out though and they said that takes trial and error and time.

Although I don't remember the titles there are several books at the book store that feature low-carb diets that are not as extreme as the Atkins plan. They teach the difference between good carbs and bad carbs.

Bicycling Magazine even has a small blurb about it in July's issue. It's on page 29, "Don't Carbo Unload Just Yet"

Anyway hope this is of some help to you.

Thanks for the info. I am going to check the magazine.

Low carb diets are fine if your only purpose is losing weight. However, if you want to have good general health or be active in any way, they're best ignored.

I have done Atkins before and lost 50lbs, but you can't ride hard and severly restrict your carb intake. I still try and limit my simple sugar and starch intake unless I am doing a greater than 20 mile ride. Then I eat what ever I want.:p

I am not going to cut them out completely, I want to reduce how many carbs I take in that are from white flour products and sugar. I am planning on keeping things like oatmeal and whole wheat bread, but just have smaller servings to make way for more protein and fruits and vegetables.

Originally posted by cyclochica
I am not going to cut them out completely, I want to reduce how many carbs I take in that are from white flour products and sugar. I am planning on keeping things like oatmeal and whole wheat bread, but just have smaller servings to make way for more protein and fruits and vegetables.

Processed sugar is useless calories.
Refined white flour, white rice, and baked potatoes are high glycemic sugars and are best avoided while trying to lose weight.
You really don't need much protein.
During the last 6 months I dropped from a 38" to a lose 36" waist (not sure how much weight, never have cared how much I weigh) simply by dropping processed sugar in all it's hidden forms, portion control, eating good nutritional foods, olive oil replaced saturated fats and lots of aerobic spinning in the 75-80% of max heart rate.
It sounds like you have a good plan and not just to drop weight, but to a healthier live style.

Originally posted by Krispy
Although I don't remember the titles there are several books at the book store that feature low-carb diets that are not as extreme as the Atkins plan. They teach the difference between good carbs and bad carbs.



One would be the Zone plan...not truly a "low carb" diet of the Adkins ilk, although the media always lumps it in with them. Zone is about proper balance of carbs, good fat, & protein in each meal. The Zone allowed me to lose weight and feel better, more energy throughout the day. However, as stated above, I do up my intake of (good) carbs when I'm exercising heavily.

mark
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Thanks for the input guys. So far the changes I have made are working, I am not as sluggish as I was a couple of weeks ago. I am really not worried about losing weight, I am more concerned about having the energy to take of all the responsibilities I have. I will probably head over to the bookstore to check on the books some of you have mentioned.

Latest research shoes that Atkins diet promotes the formation of kidney stones. There has been a huge rise in the number of young femals suffering from this traditionally male malady.

I second the Zone diet. Barry Sears PhD. has done alot more clinical research than Atkins. More and more problems are showing up with the atkins including the kidney stones as mentioned above... there is also more gallstones, gout attacks, osteoperosis etc.

Latest research shoes that Atkins diet promotes the formation of kidney stones. There has been a huge rise in the number of young femals suffering from this traditionally male malady.

That's because most people don't drink enough water (recommended amount is 8 - 8oz glasses a day at a minimum, which is hard to get down if you're not used to drinking that much water). It's that plain and simple. If you go read some Atkins type forums you will see how many people don't follow the "diet", these people end up having problems. It's not a knock against the diet, because with any diet if you just do half of it you could have problems. I could go onto something like weight watchers (probably 1800 calories a day for somebody like me - 6' 235lbs) and just eat one McDonalds meal a day, when the blood cells are lining up one by one to get through my heart I could ask why the diet failed me, etc. Hence why most people fail at diets, they loose weight, but they aren't commited to the lifestyle change that good health requires.

As to the diet and cycling, it depends. Atkins recommends working out on the diet, but more along the lines of just "staying healthy" type workouts, 20-30 minutes a day at a lower aerobic level type stuff. It is not a diet to go on if you are doing any time of athletic work, as Krispy found out you simply can't do "extreme" (as compared to "normal") level stuff without carbs.

I'm still on Atkins and doing quite well (almost 30lbs down), except I know that when I'm doing something that is going to require a lot of energy I basically jump off the diet for a day or two or else I'll bonk pretty hard. Perfect example was last weekend I moved, which was basically 12hrs of heavy lifting, up and down stairs during a wonderful Fl 90 degree 100% humidity day. I carbed up the day before and that night, had plenty of energy and gained no weight. I learned this from when I started the diet, I was still using my trainer for 20-40 minutes a night, so when I was deep in induction (20g carbs a day), I'd hop on and run up to around my max aerobic threshold while spinning and in 15 minutes my legs would feel like they were about to fall off, and in 25 minutes I'd crawl off the bike. I was nowhere near "tired", and just getting to the point of breaking a sweat, but my legs had nothing more to give. I've since up'd the carb count a bit and working out more often (but just the regular 30-60 minute type stuff 3-4 times a week) and I'm still losing weight. I'm about to start on a real training program to get my legs back up to strength (longer rides, intervals, etc) and I'll probably skip right up to the "maintanence" level of Atkins (roughly 2000-2500 calories, 180-200g carbs a day staying away from "white" type carbs and adding more complex carbs), which is pretty close to the "balanced diet", and adjust according to my workouts so I'm not denying myself proper nutrition.

Andrew

Originally posted by Ajay213
when the blood cells are lining up one by one to get through my heart I could ask why the diet failed me,



:D :D :D I love that comment.



The water thing is dead on. If you dont drink enough water, while on a high protein diet, you will wreck your urinary tract.

Originally posted by Ajay213
... I could go onto something like weight watchers (probably 1800 calories a day for somebody like me - 6' 235lbs) and just eat one McDonalds meal a day, when the blood cells are lining up one by one to get through my heart I could ask why the diet failed me, etc. Hence why most people fail at diets, they loose weight, but they aren't commited to the lifestyle change that good health requires...

Andrew

I agree. Following the diet is CRITICAL to success.
Some diets are easier to follow than others. I know that I could NOT be successful on Atkins. I thought about it, bought the book, read it, and discussed it with my doctor, and decided it just wasn't for me. The problem with it is, like most diets, so many people do it with a friend or something, and never actually read the materials. They think they are following it, but they aren't. I know a few folks that stayed on the induction phase for months. Ofcourse they had initial success, but it faded quickly. They then started with an "on it - off it" cycle, that I'm sure had devastating effects on thier overall health.
I have a problem with any diet that tells you not to eat specific things. I want my lifestyle to include anything I might run into. If I go to a friends house for dinner, and they are serving spaghetti, I can deal with that. Weight Watchers allows that flexibility. For me, and MANY MANY others, it is the "Key to Success" that we've been searching for. My wife and I have combined for 230lbs of weight loss. Another couple we sit with at the meetings, has combined for 350 lbs of weight loss. There are at least 5 people that are at our regular Monday meeting, that have lost 100 pounds or more. That is one meeting at one center. That is measurable, long term success.

Most everyone will lose weight if they take in fewer calories and increase the calories they burn through activity. That is the basic formula.
The Zone and mostly Atkins diets were designed around patients needing to lose weight fast for surgery or heart conditions. I'm not sure they are meant to stay on for any period of time.
What you eat is the most important change, then how much and why.
Personaly, I have cut my meat protein intake down to the size of a deck of cards 4 days a week and no red meat.
Fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, legumes, fish and a little chicken.
There are a number of good carbs to eat and protein is not that essential that you make it your entire diet.
Good carbs and protein contain the same amount of calories and that's what it's about. Fat, especially saturated fat contains more calories.
Man, I'm running on about this...
Good reading - most anything from Andrew Weil, M.D. Check it out.

I know that I could NOT be successful on Atkins.

I said the same thing before hand, my diet consisted of mostly carbs (lots of pastas, bread, etc), but I made the switch and it wasn't that bad. Of course now I'm past the real low carb counts, so it's been a lot easier. Of course I'm going to go down the same road that you did Chip and switch over to WW, Atkins sucks for doing any serious amounts of excercise. The doctor visits are getting kind of old (I hate needles and those tubes of blood...eeep! and I've only been a couple of times), and I've curbed my over-eating habit by a HUGE amount.

Oh and induction can be done for up to I believe 6 months for the people that are really heavy (maybe even longer), but I believe he mentions that you shouldn't stay with it longer than a year.


The Zone and mostly Atkins diets were designed around patients needing to lose weight fast for surgery or heart conditions. I'm not sure they are meant to stay on for any period of time.

I don't know about the Zone diet, but the Atkins diet wasn't setup for "fast" weight loss, sure the first week you lose a bit (all water weight), after that you basically lose at the same rate as most other diets (my GF is on WW and we both lose roughly the same per week with the edge going to me, being a guy helps at times). Dr. Atkins was a cardiologist, not a dietician, he basically saw that people were eating to many carbs, and all the wrong kind of carbs (lots of sugars, white flours, etc) and were getting fat. By cutting the amount down he found that people lost weight and improved their overall cardio health (imagine that, cut out the sugars and high colories foods and you loose weight and get healthier).

Atkins is not a "diet", it's a lifestyle that consists of 4 stages, this is where most people get lost. Everybody assumes Atkins is a no-carb type deal which is false, and everybody assumes that you never eat carbs again, which is also false. Everybody assumes that all you eat is eggs draped over red meat with a pound of cheese covering it all, which is false, there is a huge priority put on salads, veggies and some fruits along with eating fish and chicken, etc.

Stages (the first couple of stages are what's happened to me);
1 - Induction - 2wks (or longer) - 20g carbs a day - You'll lose a big number the first week (which is almost all water weight), and then you'll probably loose around 2lbs a week on average.
2 - Ongoing weight loss - Until you are getting close to your goal weight - Keep adding 5 more grams of carbs a day to your diet until your loss is only about 4-5lbs a month, this will probably end up being around 50-60g of carbs a day.
3 - Pre-maintanence - When you are REALLY close to your goal weight - start adding 10g a day to your diet until you stall, then back off a bit again. You should be getting close to 90-100g a day of carbs.
4 - Lifetime maintanance - You hit your goal weight - You are probably eating around 200g a day, give or take some. Which is pretty close to the "recomended" amount on our daily food chart, the rest of your diet is balanced from there.

Which is always interesting is that almost all diets end up at the same place with a healthy balanced diet


What you eat is the most important change, then how much and why.

I don't think that's all the case, it all has to go hand in hand. Just because you want to be healthy doesn't mean you can't indulge at times, even semi-frequently (say once a week), but how much has to go with it. If the rest of your diet is good, and you excercise frequently, etc, it's not going to do anything to you to go hit McDonalds one day, but instead of getting a double quarter pounder super-sized, get a regular 1/4lb'er with a small drink and maybe a small fry. Instead of ordering a large pizza and eating all but 2 slices, order a medium take 2-3 slices out and put the rest in the fridge, etc.

Andrew

cyclochica,

Ok, this is just my two cents on dieting. I'm not a doctor or a pro athlete so take what I say with a grain of salt:

I would not go on a low carb diet. I would do a low calorie diet instead.

Two years ago I was 255 pounds at 5'11" (I'm a guy btw).
I decided to go on a serious diet, start riding my bike and lose some weight. I went on a low calorie diet of 1300 calories per day. Nothing wacky. No meat only or grapefruit only diet. I ate whatever I wanted but remained within my calorie limit.

I'm now at 185 and still gradually losing weight. Every few weeks or so I eat whatever I want and then get back on the diet. It's now second nature to me. I have been maintaining 185 for about three months now and getting ready lose a little more.

The great thing about low calorie diet is that you can tailor for fat/carbs/protein ratio to meet your needs. Basically you will always lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume. To me the rest is hype, fads or unhealthy. I have a buddy that lost a lot on Atkins but put it all back on within 6 months. No offense to you guys that were on it and were successful...but for me, eating that much meat would make me hate it after a while.

Also, I never bonked on rides, felt exhausted or weak.

My wife also went on the diet when I did. She's 6' tall and weighed 176. She is now 138 and oddly enough, still 6' tall. :D

Let me know if you want the details about the diet or a sample menu of what we ate on an average day.

I stick by "What you eat is the most important change, then how much and why."
Because, if you eat healthy, moderate portions and only when your hungry, chances are you're not over weight.
Those that eat to medicate themselves with half a bag of cookies and half a gallon of ice cream are extremely over weight.
Look at the people who you know that are over weight.
They do not eat healthy, they eat "Super Sized" meals and they eat for other reasons than survival.
This countries obesity problem is getting much worse and especially children because they eat crap food like chips, pop and microwave pizza. They never see vegtables and fruits and when they won't shut up parents shove a candy bar in their mouth.
blah, blah, blah.

I've done Atkins, and it works....IF you stick with it. ;) Reducing the amount of carbs you eat is a good thing....but maybe the diet isn't so great for cycling. I'm going to lower my daily carb intake, too....not to the Atkins extreme, but lower them none-the-less. Good luck!