Any low Carb Triathletes?

It is very difficult to train for endurance sports and eat low carb.

I lost most of my weight doing low carb 62 pounds first year and total of about 90-97 since '03. I find myself very processed carb sensitive and the slippery slope of having processed carbs makes things more challenging. I know my body has adapted as I train more and have eaten better over the years so it handles processed carbs better than when I was fat and lazy.

Consider reading and following Paleo for Athletes. It is similar concept of eating other more focus on lean meat, fruits and veggies any time. Before and after workouts you eat higher glycemic food to fuel your workout.

90'+ workouts without eating any carbs could turn ugly. Are you eating any fruit?

To me it seems you need to make the decision what is most important...losing weight or training well. If you want to do both following Atkins or super low carb probably isn't the best choice. Look at Paleo (I lost doing it last year in a challenge not as fast of weight loss as Atkins but I could still train), or add in some higher carb fruit like apples and bananas.

Calories for sure matter in weight loss, but for some of us the make up calories helps us be more successful.

For me low carbs is much easier to do at same calories than a 50/25/25 c/p/f plan.

I'd be happy to read that growing body of evidence, especially any research showing how low-carb diets can benefit endurance athletes.

The first thought that came to my mind reading the OP is YO-YO. Up, down, up, down.

Calories/carbs/fat/processed foods it all contributes. A lot of people find success with low carbs SHORT term but tend to gain it back easily/quickly.

My advice - Find something that works for YOU! Find a diet that you can LIVE with. Not a diet that will get you to your goal weight but a diet you can live with forever. Will there be birthdays and celebrations? Sure but you need to find something you can live with 99% of the time otherwise IMO you are doomed to continue to yo-yo.

If I were you I would eliminate processed foods. Don't worry about carbs but eat as close to the ground as you can. Bananas, strawberries, potatoes etc. have a lot of carbs and more than a lot of 'foods' that come in a box but they are also good for you and provide vitamins and minerals your body needs.

You do not need to drink Gatorade because you are an athelete - drink water and take salt tabs/electrolytes.  Triathletes work hard and we like to reward ourselves (the general we) but in reality if we eat good meals, good snacks and plenty of water that is all we need.

The title of the thread is "Any low Carb Triathletes?"It's not that big a stretch to expect that posts within the thread would concern low-carb diets for athletes. Most people would consider someone training for 12 hours a week an athlete, regardless of their race day performance, or what they call themselves.

And I think you mean "anecdote" not "antidote." Your example/experience above is an "anecdote." You brought up the "growing body of evidence," I'm just asking to see some regarding low-carb diets and endrance athletes.

magic - 2011-03-05 10:46 AM I've been doing a "SlowCarb" Diet for about 3 weeks now. That means no white carbs (no sugar, no bread, no dairy, no fruit...) been getting my carbs from beans, spinach and other veggies. Did a 10 mile fast past run the other weekend and felt great. I did have a Honey Stinger gel about :45 mins into the run, and some simpler carbs post workout. No recovery issues. Last weekend on the same diet did a very hard 4 hour hike (Mt Rainier to camp Muir on snow shoes) and felt like I had great energy levels the entry time. As I ramp up my Tri training I'm for sure use more and more simpler carbs like Gels during long training and races, but will try to stick with complex carbs for the rest of time. My wife is doing a 12 week fitness challenge deal, so that means I am too My goal is to drop 9lbs of body fat. So far I'm on track to accomplish that by the end of the challenge.

Someone has been reading "The 4 Hour body" haha. I bought the book when it came out, and eat a similar diet to the "slowcarb" diet. It works for triathlon training, for now, but my binging is more like occasional binge meals 2-3 days per week instead of one day of hardcore binging.

I know that as my bike distances increase, I will be incorporating "white" carbs, but the beauty of "slowcarb" diets is the increased sensitivity towards carbo-loading.

I personally try to limit my carbs, but, only the "bad" carbs.  I have no limits on fruits and vegetables, but, try to limit my refined grain carbs and refined sugars, and taper off as the day progresses into night time.  I have been eating this way for about a year now.   At first I found eating this way VERY hard, especially with 2 kids under 6 eating pizza on a friday night while I eat a salad with some protein.  Eventually I was at the point where eating some carbs like plain ol pasta did nothing but upset my stomach.  I now like to eat this way the majority of the time (just ask my wife..."Salad for dinner again???") and allow myself one cheat day a week, and even then on some days my cheating is just going to Subway for lunch and getting a regular sub on their bread.

If you are going to go low carb, best advise I have for you is to allow some carbs in the diet, but, watch when you intake them and make sure they include fiber. 

Thanks everyone, it's interesting to this day to see how "low carb" triggers such diverse and sometimes passionate opinions.  There are some good studies out there which is just a quick google away in case anyone is interested. I think there bottom line is I have to see what works for me, but I did grab a copy of the "Paleo Diet" (Thanks Kathy!).

I honestly think what it comes down to portion control along with "good carb" and "bad carb",  and how your body processes everything.  I am strong believer in the fact blood type is a strong, often neglected part of the equation, and a lot of it is based on your DNA.

 Let's face it we all someone who has a physique that we envy but doesn't appear to have to work at it. They can share the exact same diet and regimen but still have a much different make up.  

Yesterday my 10 miler turned into an 12 miler and I would have gone another 2-3 had I not been sensitive about my hydration.   I "low", almost "no" carbed all week, and I'm not saying it helped me, but I am saying it didn't hurt for the short term.  What I now plan on doing is low carb for another 4-6 weeks and then follow more of my standard in season nutrition. 

I eat low carb and the carbs I do eat are low GI. My body has got used to it and I now can go for hours of exercise without carbs.

While the trick to losing weight is calorie deficit, I believe the type of calories play a very significant role.

High GI foods will spike your glucose levels and in turn insulin levels. High insulin levels do promote fat storage. As well some people respond to high insulin levels by going hypo and having a feeling of hunger, which leads to craving for food.

Low GI, protein and fatty snacks/food will keep your glucose levels much more stable. A couple of teaspoons of peanut butter can fuel me for hours.

If you drop your carb ratio, make sure you do it by eating lean protein and healthy fats. I think Bob Sebohar's book is worth a read.

Also remember, fiber is your friend. If you are afraid of dehydration, calculate your sweat rate and drink accordingly.

It's not as simple for all as saying create a 500 Cal deficit and you will lose weight.  Some people are very sensitive to insulin and foods with a high glycemic index, including many fruits, that will cause an insulin response that prompts the body to store fat.  For those of you that are lucky enough to not be "Carb" sensitive then you are correct.  Just workout 6 or 8 hours a week and you will lose weight...ughh. 

I have been following an Atkins diet for 3 years as of yesterday and while I don't consider myself an athlete I am somewhere in the middle of the pack.  My limitation is not my diet but my lack of time training and body type that is not designed for speed. 

However, I do deviate from low-carb for training/races that would extend beyond 1 to 1.5 hours.  Typically use gels for this ingesting 1 at hour 1 and 1 additional each 1/2 hour after.  As soon as my race is over I am right back on a low carb diet.  In the last 3 years I have spoken with many runners and cyclist that never deviate from low-carb including during Marathons and Century rides.  If it works for them and they are happy with their results, I applaud them. 

Bottom line for me is that if you have found a way of eating that works for you and you can live with long term that’s the plan you should go with.  Regarding the opinion that “Most” people that have tried Atkisn find short term success but gain it back is no more or less true than it would be for any diet.  Any diet you choose to go on has to be a complete lifestyle change and permanent for long term success.  One observation that I have made in 3 years on Atkins is that most people are very surprised to see what I eat in a typical day and that it only occasionally includes bacon.

Follow this link for a great article on how to train and race on Low-Carb.  

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-athlete-compromises/

As you've seen, I don't know that there is a perfect answer for this.

In my opinion, It's very difficult to train really hard and up cardio strength, etc. while cutting carbs. I usually do a bit of low-carb eating in the beginning of training to cut some weight, then once I start hammering on the miles, I have to introduce more carbs back in. That being said, If I find I would like to loose some more weight, every once in a while, I will cut carbs for a week or so while I'm training. I find a week doesn't give me enough time to COMPLETELY deplete what my body has stored up, but flames on more of the body fat I have extra of.

I would say experiment and see what works. As long as you don't work so hard you hurt yourself, what have you got to loose?

Here’s the issue as I see it:  You go on a *diet*, lose weight.  Then slip off the diet and gain the weight back.

The carb thing is just a shortcut to the diet and weight loss.

Anything that is a specific DIET to drop weight is going to fail in the long term. And a low/no carb diet is more certain to fail.

The reason a diet fails in the long run, (and low carb in particular) is because you are denying yourself something that is often a drastic change. This is not sustainable. When you stop denying yourself that ‘thing’, you are off the diet and gain the weight back.

The low carb diet is particularly vulnerable to this because A) carbs are everywhere, and B) they’re delicious.

For long term weight loss and maintenance, the key isn’t going on a diet, it’s in creating a maintainable lifestyle change Someone mentioned portion control, others have mentioned calories and food choices.

You can eat carbs, and for tri training you pretty much have to. But watch the types, the quantities, and the quality of the carbs. And make sure to balance it with the amount of training you do.

Then, ALSO watch what other types of food you’re taking in, also with an eye to quality and calories.  If you can back down your calorie intake a little bit across the board, you might be able to maintain a long term benefit.

If you keep dieting, stopping, and then dieting again, you’re going to bounce for the rest of your life (until you get fed up and stop.)

Good luck, and I hope this helps.