mistakes made so far

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Are you going to carb load or increase your carb intake before the race?

Still Tri'n
Michael

John,
I just came across this website today and happened to see your posting regarding Atkins and Triathlons. I thought you might be interested in my experience. In March of 2002 I weighed 240+ lbs. I woke up one morning and told my wife that I was going to lose all the weight and finish in the top third in a triathlon next year. Her response was "Ok honey!" That was my moment. I began my Atkins diet that day and began losing weight.
Through the next nine months I dropped my weight to 180 lbs. January 1, I began my exercise regimen. I started to jog on the treadmill. February 1, I started taking spin classes and in March I began swimming with a local triathlon team. All the while, I was still doing Atkins. By June I needed to be ready for my first Tri. Progress was slow, but steady. By June I felt I was ready. While I finished the race, it was a lot tougher than I imagined and I didn't place in the top two thirds, never mind the top third. I felt like I would die. I had gone out way to fast for the swim and paid for it the rest of the race. I was slightly discouraged, but continued my training undaunted. I was convinced I could do better if I raced smarter. At this point my weight had stabilized around 165 lbs and I decided to up my carb intake as weight loss was no longer a primary goal. This had a dramatic effect on my ability to train. For the next month it seemed like every day I was able to go further and faster. In July I suited up for my second shot at this triathlon thing. I had the race of my life and placed in the top 25 percent. I was thrilled. I had done what I set out to do. In August, I raced again and finished in the top 20 percent. I finished my first Olympic distance tri on Saturday and finished in the top half.
This past year has brought me a great sense of accomplishment and a lot of new friends. As this rookie triathlon season winds down, I look back to how I got here and it all started with the Atkins diet and a commitment to get ready for that first triathlon. Now, I look forward to next year’s great adventure. I have signed up for Ironman Lake Placid. I know that you already believe it, but anything is possible.

Patrick

THANKS RON
I'LL HAVE IT ALL WRITEN UP FOR NEXT MONTH TOO.
SEE YOU AROUND HAVE A NICE DAY
YOURS
JOHN

MIKE
THANKS
BUT NO I WONT CARB UP I WILL EAT MORE MEAT AND EGGS BUT NO CARBS
I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS SOON
YOURS
JOHN

THANK YOU FOR YOUR NOTE
YOU HAVE DONE WHAT I WANT TO DO.
PLEASE LET ME AND US KNOW ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HELP US.
GOOD LUCK AND MAYBE I'LL JOIN YOU IN 2005 AT THE LAKE.
THANKS AGAIN
SEE YOU IN THE SOUND (OPEN WATER SWIM)
JOHN

I have an article I found on weightlifting and Atkins. What it said basically is that you can increase your carbs for up to 36 hours and not need to go through the whole induction regime to get back into Ketosis. It seems that for that short time, your body puts the glycogen into your muscles but does not actively burn it as fuel. You will have some weight fluctuations, but they will wax and wane as your carbs go. What the article reccommends is Fri night and all day Sat, eat what you want, then back to Atkins Sunday am. For lifters, there was a gigantic increase in workout strength and endurance on the Monday workouts. I've been Atkinsing for 70lbs thus far and have been on a plateau for the past 4 weeks, that's where the triathlons come in. I'll just crosstrain myself and up the carbs a little and lets see what happens. I would reccommend carbs the 24-36 hours before a race at a minimum, however. Good luck, keep tri-ing.

MEDICMAN
THANKS FOR YOUR NOTE.
I WOULD LIKE TO GET A COPY OF THAT ARTICLE.
GOING TO STICK TO ATKINS ONLY FOR THE ARTICLE TRI-ATKINS SAKE BUT IT'S GOOD TO KNOW OTHERS ARE DOING WELL ON ATKINS.
KEEP IN TOUCH GOOD LUCK IN YOUR NEXT TRIATHLON.
JOHN

John,
I know the Atkins mindset when you are losing a lot of weight. It is tough to take in carbs for even a day because you think that you will blow all the progress you have made. However, to race & train your best, you need to have carbs, but they should be smart carbs. When I first began to reintroduce carbs, I did it right before and right after a workout. The right before is obvious but by doing it right after, your muscles absorb the glycogen at 4x the normal rate. It never had the chance to turn to fat. This really helped my ability to train/race better and longer and I contiued to stay in ketosis and lose weight.

OK
WHAT CARBS DO YOU THINK ARE THE RIGHT CARBS
WHAT SHOULD I EAT SATURDAY NIGHT FOR MY RACE SUNDAY?
THANKS
JOHN