slim fast for recovery drink

Ted B

Oops, my bad. All this time I am thinking "Sugar Busters Diet", not Atkins!

Sorry for the confusion.

ric_stern/RST

As an aside, i see no reason to eliminate any food from the diet (except perhaps lard), unless it's under specific medical intervention, because of religious beliefs, or other beliefs (e.g., being a vegetarian)

ric

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Ted B

'Minimization' is the key. 'Elimination' would be quite difficult, if not virtually impossible.

ric_stern/RST

Okay, i see no reason to minimise down to zero (as these two diets suggest) or near zero levels. That doesn't however, mean i advocate eating cream cakes or chocolates etc on a regular basis

ric

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Ted B

The reality of the matter is that here in the U.S., it is virtually impossible to minimize down to zero even if you try. Virtually every food you can buy contains some degree of added sugars. Therefore, if you make a conscious effort to do so, you'll minimize to a degree that you will begin to (slowly) reverse the years of neglect and bad eating habits.

Being a resident of a U.S. urban area, let me assure you that it takes considerable effort to eat properly here. We are a nation with an alarming rate of obesity, and one needs not look further than the fast food we eat and the supermarket shelves to understand why.

ric_stern/RST

I understand that, we have a problem here too, but are slightly behind the US in this regard. There's many foods that can be purchased in a supermarket that isn't rubbish (at least in the UK).

I am horrified at some of the foods available at the supermarket, and try to avoid processed food. However, in terms of weight management it's an energy balance or negative energy intake that's important. The processed food is also killing people's ability to cook, which i think is a great shame.

being a vegetarian i eat a moderately high carbohydrate, high fibre type diet with lots of pasta, rice, veggies, fruit, some dairy, bread, potatoes, meat alternatives etc.

Ric

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Ted B

Bingo.

And what is challenging here is when you have someone who has regained their health and vigor through rigorous changes in their dietary habits, who subsequently discovers a sport like cycling.

Suddenly, their dietary requirements are different, and they may be reluctant to eat things that are considered as 'bad', because they are afraid that by doing so, they'll turn back the clock and regain the lard.

Balance is the key.

ric_stern/RST

I'm not entirely sure if i understand what you've written, but endurance exercise, such as cycling is predominantly fuelled by carbohydrates. Hence the reason, my carb intake is ~ 500+g per day.

Ric

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Ted B

Yes, but stop the cycling and keep eating those carbs and watch what happens.

My point was there are people who've witnessed the results of minimizing sugars and starch, and they've discovered cycling sometime later. Naturally, cycling will change their dietary requirements, but they may be reluctant to respond, only because they perceive it to be 'breaking one's diet'.

Basically, if you eat just enough carbs such that you can recover and feel good during your rides without running into an energy deficit, you've attained the 'balance' I was talking about.

ric_stern/RST

Yes, but if you ate too much of anything without maintaining energy balance you'd put on weight.



But carbohydrates (of which sugars are) have the lowest energy per unit mass of any of the macronutrients

Starchy type carbohydrates are indeed good for you, whether you exercise or not.



That what i said with maintaining an energy balance. if i ate too much carbs (or protein, fat or alcohol) i'd put on weight like anyone else

Ric

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Ted B

Yes, unless one eats too much of them, and many (especially here in the U.S.) do, simply because it's easy (sugar, bread, potatoes, pizza, etc.). I dropped my sugars and starches and lost 10kg of dead weight in about 3 months with no other changes to my otherwise high protein diet. In other words, it works.




So long as I watch the carbs, I can eat as much protein as I like, and it has no adverse affect on my lean body mass. Carbs are an efficient source of calories for use as energy or storage thereof, for better or worse. Protein is not (fortunately).

ric_stern/RST

and if you'd have dropped your protein and/or fat you'd have done the same



You can't eat as much as you like. Unless you want to argue about energy balance. If you over eat protein, you gain weight as well (this happens with fat too).

Ric

__________________
http://www.cyclecoach.com

Ted B

True, but calorimetry alone does not necessarily indicate how a substance will be processed by the body. Obviously, 100 cal of protein is not processed the same way as 100 cal of refined sugar, or 100 cal of fat.

My daily carb intake is naturally much greater than my protein intake, and my diet is already low fat in nature, so it makes perfect sense to manage carbs to control weight. Dropping carbs certainly dropped fat on me, without compromising my lean body mass - primarily because I did not compromise my protein intake.

zaskar

i agree, when i was 20lbs over weight i tryed atkins for
5 days, i went on my routine mtb ride and almost passed
out!! and was seeing things that were not there!!
as soon as i got home i ate carbs and felt 200% BETTER.
maybe the atkins diet is for the obese.