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atkins and riding?

 
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dirtdiva
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2004 1:27 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: atkins and riding? Reply with quote

I really hope I don't get slammed for this but I'm just curious about it. Since I started riding a couple of years ago I put on weight. I know that some of it is muscle but there was also some aruond the middle that I hated! I started doing Atkins a couple months ago and lost the middle (and I'm sure some muscle with it). My question is that since I started Atkins at Christmas time I hadn't been doing a lot of riding (maybe once a week) due to being too busy, holidays, weather etc......I know that since the weather is going to be nicer I'll be back to riding like I've done before (4-5 times a week). Do I NEED the heavy carb load to do that or will my body be okay with more protein and fat then carb? I'm still getting the "good carbs" i.e. veggies, ocassional whole wheat pasta etc. but my diet before was almost ALL carbs. Pancakes/waffles on weekends when riding then sandwiches for lunch and then pasta or baked potato for dinner. any input from anyone would be great! Thanks!
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Anonymous
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2004 5:31 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

I personally think that there needs to be some carbs to account for heavy energy consumption. Star Telegram had an excellent article on this very thing.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/8035948.htm
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Kyle Poole
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Joined: 01 May 2003
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Location: Austin TX

PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 12:38 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

It seems to depend on the pace you want to ride at. I tried a healthier diet of more fresh foods and lean meats over the winter - which ended up greatly reducing my carb intake. I could ride at a moderate pace just fine, but if I tried to pick it up, I couldn't. It was a really strange feeling - I wasn't tired, per se, but I just could not make my body go faster than a moderate pace. It was like I had a governer on me.

After a couple of weeks of this, I adjusted my diet to add back in a lot more carbs and I was able to ride normally again.
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dirtdiva
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 1:11 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kyle,

That's kind of what I was thinking.....on "regular" 2-3 hour rides no problem probably but if I'm thinking of doing any 6hr or 12 hr races I guess I'll need to bump it up beforehand?
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The Bike Doc
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Joined: 08 May 2003
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Location: Corpus Christi and Warda, Texas

PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 3:13 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Re: atkins and riding? Reply with quote

[quote="dirtdiva"]I really hope I don't get slammed for this but I'm just curious about it. quote]

Dirt Diva:

I will try to be gently and not slam you, just gently re-direct you. If you go full bore on the Adkins diet you will find your stamina and endurance significantly reduced. Your glycogen stores will be depleted on a low carb diet. You should increase your carbohydrate intake in your regular diet during your racing and training season. Choose carbohydrates that will be less likely to cause a high spike in your blood sugar by avoiding high glycemic index food such as highly processed carbohydrates, simple sugars, white flours, plain white rice and instead eat complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber such as whole grain breads, whole brown rice and old fashion oatmeal. If you eat foods that have a high glycemic index, the spike in your blood sugar causes a subsequent rise in your insulin to normalize your blood sugar. The blood sugar returns to normal by the insuling taking the sugar and storing it as glycogen then as fat. You can only store only a certain amount of glycogen in your liver and muscles, the remainder excess sugar gets stored as fat with a tendency for the fat to be stored about the trunk. Unfortunately with fat, unlike glycogen, there is not a maximum amount the body will store! Shocked Bottom line, get carbs back into your diet and be rational in your choices of those carbs while keeping the exercise up.

Additionally, Adkins diets have a high recidivism rate with many dieters regaining their lost weight and more. The high protein intake is harder on your kidneys, though you may not realize this now but many years from now it can show itself. If you would like sound dietary direction get a consultation from a nutritionist. Doctors, Atkins included, are really some of the worst individuals to get dietary counseling from. Traditional medical school training requires ZERO courses in nutrition both in the pre-med years, the medical school years and the residency training years. With my back ground, I was required to take nutrition in my undergraduate school years (BS in Nursing) and I elected to take courses in clinical nutrition during my medical school years (a total of 3 from pre-med through med school). A clinical nutritionist has an entire BS degree and more in education and pragmatic clinical nutrition. Get your advice from a nutritionist on the best dietary selection to help you have a healthy balance to meet your needs as an athlete while still loosing the undesirable fat stores you may have accumulated over the years.

Thanks,
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Paul K. Nolan, MD
AKA: The Bike Doc
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dirtdiva
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 7:12 am GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

you did that very gently.....Smile thanks for the advice. it was pretty much what I thought!
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