Originally Posted by mrfreddy
really, you must be joking! such nonsense!
ok, there is a slight reality to these comments - some people do experience some difficulty during the first few days, or for some, the first few weeks at most. After your body adjusts and eliminates the poisons, er, carbs, from your system, you'll be poo-ing just fine and there is absolutely no danger of colon cancer. (If there is, prove it!).
the only athlete who may need carbs are those involved at the very highest levels of exertion over extended periods. So unless you are racing against Lance next week, you dont need carbs.
Perhaps I was too flippant earlier. If you are sure to get enough fiber on a low carb diet you should be okay. But you can't eliminate all sources of fiber from your system and expect to have a healthy digestive system. Go ahead and eliminate all the bad carbs (like white flour, corn syrup and cane sugar) you want from your diet, that stuff really is poison. But whole grains (like brown rice and oats) and veggies are really good for you and when eaten as part of a balanced "bad carb"-free diet should help you lose weight. And then you won't have to worry about bonking.
The cycling and running tradition of eating a giant bowl of white flour pasta the night before a race really isn't all that good for anyone. I laughed my ass off when the new issue of Bicycling recommended white flour pancakes as part of a "healthy" breakfast. Please.
How about following a low glycemic index diet? That makes much more sense than all of this Atkins and south beach business, and it's a diet you can stick with for life.