Any low Carb Triathletes? (Page 2)

Her is what I have learned over the years by measuring my glucose levels before/during/after exercise as well with looking at the impact of various foods on glucose levels. I have tried this on myself as well as people who do not have insulin resistance, young and older

When you eat carbs, your systems absorbs the carbohydrates and causes your glucose levels (blood sugar) to go up. Your body produces insulin to help this glucose be properly absorbed into your system and bring those levels back in check. When young and healthy, this occurs with efficiency, glucose levels stay at reasonable levels and insulin levels come down.

As we age, our bodies becomes less efficient,  more insulin resistant/less insulin sensitive. Our glucose levels rise, insulin is produced but not used with 100% efficiency. The result is glucose levels do not come down as quickly as they should, more insulin is produced and eventually come down. When the system is completely broken, you are deemed diabetic, but there are levels between completely perfect and diabetic and several people in their 30s and older fall in this range

Excess flowing insulin supposedly helps in fat storage.

A low carb diet, will minimize these glucose/insulin spikes. The downside of low carb is sometimes people cut into essential nutrients just because they contain carbs.

A low GI carb diet, will minimize the spike of glucose levels, it will be more gradual and occur over a longer period of time. There is little downside to a low GI diet.

Exercise makes us much more insulin sensitive. So if you eat 1 hour before you exercise, you will time the increase in insulin sensitity with the glucose spike. Insulin sensitivity remains hours after exercise. This is why eating carbs just during or shortly after exercise has less of an impact on glucose levels/insulin resistance.

Some people eat carbs, get a rapid rise in glucose levels, their body produces lots of insulin, does not get used efficiently, more is produced and it eventually kicks in and their glucose levels drop sharply. They then feel weak and crave more carbs.

Eating the right carbs and timing them will help a less than perfect glucose/insulin response mechanism.

If we believe excess insulin levels do promote fat storage, this is one reason some of the ideas proposed above help shed weight.

^^^Good Observation^^^

I follow a Low-Carb diet because it's managable and find anything other to be slippery slope.  Stabalizing your blood sugar is exactly why this diet works so well for some.  While many would consider this diet unsustainable I have found that it's the only way I can keep from being miserable all day.  To many carbs and my blood sugar goes haywire with a spike then crash.  The problem is that to pull out of the the nose dive you need to ingest more sugar.

I would never suggest this lifestyle works for everyone and if you are only doing it to lose weight you will likely find limited long term success.  However, the same could be said for any diet.  As it's already been pointed out, the key to long term success is to find a plan you can live with long term and go with that. 

By the way, some of the things that cause insulin resistance are genetics, obesity, stress and diet. Age makes things worst.

There are WAY more people out there that have milder cases of impaired insulin sensitivity than we think.

With time insulin resistance can get worst and develop into full blown diabetes.

Some people think diabetes is just a fat people thing. It's not.

When we as a species started consuming so many over processed, chemical based foods :-)

Agreed.  Quality of food has a lot to do with your ability to use it properly.  Comments about "over complicated" diets are usually made by ecto and mesomorphs.  Just sayin