Originally Posted by
Mobile 155
An update and the first lifestyle challenge. As of today I am down 20 pounds in 38 days. I am still in a low power mode in that by the end of the ride my tank is empty. The first challenge comes in two days as we travel to join in a family reunion in another state. At least we will be taking the RV and can bring all of our own food but there are two potlucks during the first weekend. Can we resist the temptation? I hope so and I will be taking a bike just to work off any food we do eat.
Very impressive, keep at it.
With regard to the low-carb, low-energy point, there is a discussion on the paleo diet going on at present in the training and nutrition forum which has morphed into a debate on the merits of low-carb for cyclists. The scientific reviews that have been posted there tend to bear out your experience, and mine - namely that low-carb is great for weight loss, and fine for pure endurance work, but that one's performance tends to decline at higher intensities. When I experimented with low-carb I couldn't compete, because I couldn't cope with interval training or race-pace efforts. Of course, that is only important if making those high-intensity efforts is important to you; and there is probably a "sweet spot" at which one can maintain the lower weight while building back into one's diet the carbs necessary to fuel them.
The literature also reinforces your point about one size not fitting all. There seem to be marked differences between individuals with respect to how well they do on low-carb diets. Some thrive, but some emphatically do not, and need much higher levels of carbs to maintain their performance.