Atkins diet and riding

(GABIKE) from AOL url='http://www.aol.com/'http://www.aol.com/url said:

I started the atkins diet 2 weeks ago to loose the weight and try to get my energy back. Im really
really wanting to do some riding but im only allowed 20 carbs a day max. Would I be in danger of
bonking really fast if I went for a ride? Has anyone else tried this diet while riding?

Stay away from the Atkins diet if you want to ride. Your body needs carbs to ride.

--
home.sport.rr.comcuthuluOpen ↗ human rights = peace My CODE of ETHICS is vacationing at famed
SCHROON LAKE in upstate New York!!
9:40:44 PM 12 June 2003

If you need a name-brand diet plan to be able to lose weight and still work out hard, try the
Pritikin Diet.

Steve McDonald

[email hidden] (GABIKE) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Last year I bought my first road bike and during the summer and fall I put over 1000 miles on it.
I have fallen in love with cycling. But this winter my wife and I sold our house and had to move
in with my mom. I had my bike but my wife accedently put all my gear somewhere in the storage unit
we rented and I ended up not able to ride this winter. We finaly got into a new house two months
ago and I was able to retrieve all my [censored]. I rode a couple of times but had a very hard time of
it. I stepped onto the scales and found that I had added 20 pounds over the winter eating my moms
cooking! I started the atkins diet 2 weeks ago to loose the weight and try to get my energy back.
Im really really wanting to do some riding but im only allowed 20 carbs a day max. Would I be in
danger of bonking really fast if I went for a ride? Has anyone else tried this diet while riding?
BTW, I have lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks without exercise.

I tried Atkin's diet, not to lose weight but to fight cholesterol. I felt slower and not able to
sprint but I didn't bonk. I don't have objective numbers to prove it, though. It could just be
psychological but enough to make me cheat on the diet. It did lower my cholesterol though!!

cheers! [email hidden]

"GABIKE" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Last year I bought my first road bike and during the summer and fall I put

over

Quoted message said:

1000 miles on it. I have fallen in love with cycling. But this winter my

wife

Quoted message said:

and I sold our house and had to move in with my mom. I had my bike but my

wife

Quoted message said:

accedently put all my gear somewhere in the storage unit we rented and I

ended

Quoted message said:

up not able to ride this winter. We finaly got into a new house two months

ago

Quoted message said:

and I was able to retrieve all my [censored]. I rode a couple of times but had a

very

Quoted message said:

hard time of it. I stepped onto the scales and found that I had added 20

pounds

Quoted message said:

over the winter eating my moms cooking! I started the atkins diet 2 weeks

ago

Quoted message said:

to loose the weight and try to get my energy back. Im really really

wanting to

Quoted message said:

do some riding but im only allowed 20 carbs a day max. Would I be in

danger of

Quoted message said:

bonking really fast if I went for a ride? Has anyone else tried this diet

while

Quoted message said:

riding? BTW, I have lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks without exercise.

It depends. I've been following a low carbohydrate diet now for six months and off and on before
then for about a year. I bike about 3 times a week. Two times a week, I'm on my racing bike for one
hour each time at an average HR of 85% of my max. Once a week, depending on weather, I mountain bike
1.5-2 hours at the same HR approximately. If I don't ride my MB, I ride my racing bike. I've upped
my carbs to about 50-60 grams per day. Before my ride, I take in some carbs in the form of
dextrose, but it's only 1/4 cup of dextrose. My recuperation drink is pure protein. I find no ill
effects whatsoever from biking, but it took a while for my body to adapt to this. Periodically,
I'll have a day or even a weekend of higher carbs. Search for TKD or CKD if you find that you need
more energy. Bodybuilders tend to CKD, but what I do is a version of TKD.

In comparison to my low fat diet, I feel much better on low carb. There's no more blood sugar swings
during the day, and I don't get the 3pm sleepies. I have more energy. I've lost 40 pounds so far. My
LDL has decreased, my HDL increased, and my triglycerides decreased. Total cholesterol has remained
the same. I actually eat more vegetables now than I did on low fat, although then I ate more brown
rice, whole breads, and beans.

--
Bob

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

It depends. I've been following a low carbohydrate diet now for six

months

Quoted message said:

and off and on before then for about a year. I bike about 3 times a week. Two times a week, I'm on
my racing bike for one hour each time at an

average

Quoted message said:

HR of 85% of my max. Once a week, depending on weather, I mountain bike
1.5-2 hours at the same HR approximately. If I don't ride my MB, I ride

my

Quoted message said:

racing bike. I've upped my carbs to about 50-60 grams per day. Before my ride, I take in some
carbs in the form of dextrose, but it's only 1/4 cup

of

Quoted message said:

dextrose. My recuperation drink is pure protein. I find no ill effects whatsoever from biking, but
it took a while for my body to adapt to this. Periodically, I'll have a day or even a weekend of
higher carbs. Search

for

Quoted message said:

TKD or CKD if you find that you need more energy. Bodybuilders tend to

CKD,

Quoted message said:

but what I do is a version of TKD.

In comparison to my low fat diet, I feel much better on low carb. There's no more blood sugar
swings during the day, and I don't get the 3pm

sleepies.

Quoted message said:

I have more energy. I've lost 40 pounds so far. My LDL has decreased, my HDL increased, and my
triglycerides decreased. Total cholesterol has remained the same. I actually eat more vegetables
now than I did on low fat, although then I ate more brown rice, whole breads, and beans.

--
Bob

Bob, how did you feel when you first started, before you upped your carbs to 50 grams a day? I
started the Atkins Diet 6 days ago and went riding on day
4. It seemed I was exhausted the entire ride, and it was only 13 miles. Of course, the temperature
was 93 and the wind was blowing so hard that when I pedaled into it I was averaging 10 mph, so it
is difficult to estimate just how much the diet played a part in my discomfort. If things don't
get better, though, I am going to jettison this diet.

Pat in Texas

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

It depends. I've been following a low carbohydrate diet now for six

months

Quoted message said:

and off and on before then for about a year. I bike about 3 times a

week.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Two times a week, I'm on my racing bike for one hour each time at an

average

Quoted message said:

HR of 85% of my max. Once a week, depending on weather, I mountain bike
1.5-2 hours at the same HR approximately. If I don't ride my MB, I ride

my

Quoted message said:

racing bike. I've upped my carbs to about 50-60 grams per day. Before

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ride, I take in some carbs in the form of dextrose, but it's only 1/4

cup

Quoted message said:

of

Quoted message said:

dextrose. My recuperation drink is pure protein. I find no ill

effects

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

whatsoever from biking, but it took a while for my body to adapt to

this.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Periodically, I'll have a day or even a weekend of higher carbs. Search

for

Quoted message said:

TKD or CKD if you find that you need more energy. Bodybuilders tend to

CKD,

Quoted message said:

but what I do is a version of TKD.

In comparison to my low fat diet, I feel much better on low carb.

There's

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

no more blood sugar swings during the day, and I don't get the 3pm

sleepies.

Quoted message said:

I have more energy. I've lost 40 pounds so far. My LDL has decreased,

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

HDL increased, and my triglycerides decreased. Total cholesterol has remained the same. I
actually eat more vegetables now than I did on low fat, although then I ate more brown rice,
whole breads, and beans.

--
Bob

Bob, how did you feel when you first started, before you upped your carbs

to

Quoted message said:

50 grams a day? I started the Atkins Diet 6 days ago and went riding on

day

Quoted message said:

4. It seemed I was exhausted the entire ride, and it was only 13 miles.

Of

Quoted message said:

course, the temperature was 93 and the wind was blowing so hard that when

I

Quoted message said:

pedaled into it I was averaging 10 mph, so it is difficult to estimate

just

Quoted message said:

how much the diet played a part in my discomfort. If things don't get better, though, I am going
to jettison this diet.

Pat in Texas

Quoted message said:

I do believe it takes a while -- you need to transfer to burning free fatty acids, and this can take
a long time. It also depends on your own body -- I've always been a bodybuilder and bike rider (two
competing exercises), and I had no problems adjusting. If you're biking a lot, you needn't go on
induction. Induction's benefits are to break your body free of the evil clutches of carbohydrates
and to get into ketosis (burning fats for energy). However, it's not hard to get into ketosis if
you're biking. I can make a mistake and have relatively high amounts of carbs for a weekend, clamp
down on the amount of carbohydrates on Monday, ride on Tuesday, and be in ketosis on Tuesday.

You can search for "targeted ketogenic diet" and "cyclic ketogenic diet" on www.google.com. These
also help. The former is eating carbs before and after your workout, and the latter is having one or
two days of carb eating. Basically, you choose the types of carbs you eat so that you have energy
but can more easily get back into ketosis.

However, I use many fewer carbs that what's recommended and have no ill effects. But, I've also been
on the diet a while now, and I do have periodic days with more carbs (though no where near the 300+
grams per day I had when on low fat).

--
Bob ctviggen at rcn dot com

I've been on Atkins when riding hard. It's perfectly possible. When I first started the diet, I
noticed the same tiredness, but that went away fairly quickly.

Then I discovered a bonk theshold that was much lower than usual. For me, it came at about 55
minutes of hard riding. Rather than boosting carbs at the time, I decided to see if the threshold
was trainable. I took pains to drink more and more water, and to try to push just a little past
where I had bonked. By the end of that summer, I had gotten to the point where I could go for close
to 90 minutes without bonking.

That didn't solve the problem of what to do for long rides. For that, I decided to eat some extra
carbs. For a 2-3 hour ride, I would take along a banana or some Fig newtons and eat them early in
the ride. For a longer ride, I would plan ahead, have a dessert the evening before, and eat during
the ride what I wanted.

Duffy

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

It depends. I've been following a low carbohydrate diet now for six

months

Quoted message said:

and off and on before then for about a year. I bike about 3 times a

week.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Two times a week, I'm on my racing bike for one hour each time at an

average

Quoted message said:

HR of 85% of my max. Once a week, depending on weather, I mountain bike
1.5-2 hours at the same HR approximately. If I don't ride my MB, I ride

my

Quoted message said:

racing bike. I've upped my carbs to about 50-60 grams per day. Before

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ride, I take in some carbs in the form of dextrose, but it's only 1/4

cup

Quoted message said:

of

Quoted message said:

dextrose. My recuperation drink is pure protein. I find no ill

effects

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

whatsoever from biking, but it took a while for my body to adapt to

this.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Periodically, I'll have a day or even a weekend of higher carbs. Search

for

Quoted message said:

TKD or CKD if you find that you need more energy. Bodybuilders tend to

CKD,

Quoted message said:

but what I do is a version of TKD.

In comparison to my low fat diet, I feel much better on low carb.

There's

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

no more blood sugar swings during the day, and I don't get the 3pm

sleepies.

Quoted message said:

I have more energy. I've lost 40 pounds so far. My LDL has decreased,

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

HDL increased, and my triglycerides decreased. Total cholesterol has remained the same. I
actually eat more vegetables now than I did on low fat, although then I ate more brown rice,
whole breads, and beans.

--
Bob

Bob, how did you feel when you first started, before you upped your carbs

to

Quoted message said:

50 grams a day? I started the Atkins Diet 6 days ago and went riding on

day

Quoted message said:

4. It seemed I was exhausted the entire ride, and it was only 13 miles.

Of

Quoted message said:

course, the temperature was 93 and the wind was blowing so hard that when

I

Quoted message said:

pedaled into it I was averaging 10 mph, so it is difficult to estimate

just

Quoted message said:

how much the diet played a part in my discomfort. If things don't get better, though, I am going
to jettison this diet.

Pat in Texas

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Steve McDonald) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

If you need a name-brand diet plan to be able to lose weight and still work out hard, try the
Pritikin Diet.

Steve McDonald

As long as you understand that Dr. Pritikin committed suicide because he believed his diet gave
him cancer.

Austin

GABIKE said:

BTW, I have lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks without exercise.

The Atkins diet is a fad diet that comes and goes in popularity. ANY diet that restricts any of the
three main dietary components - carbs, protein, or fat - will cause an initial apparent weight loss.
That's mostly water as your body struggles to do without the building blocks it needs. Long term
results include a rebound effect - when you finally start eating properly again, you'll put that
weight right back on. In fact, because of the metabolic suppression the diet causes (see below),
even a "little" cheat will have an enormous rebound effect.

The Atkins diet intentionally induces ketosis, in which the blood stream is flooded with ketones
(instead of blood glucose) which the body is forced to try to use for fuel. This will adversely
affect both your mental AND physical abilities.

From:

208.133.254.45display.aspOpen ↗

"However, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), deliberately inducing
ketosis can lead to muscle breakdown, dehydration, headaches, nausea, and kidney problems. Further,
the AICR warns, "By omitting certain foods, and sometimes even entire food groups, these diets are
deficient in such major nutrients as dietary fiber and carbohydrates, as well as in selected
vitamins, minerals, and protective phytochemicals." "

Further, even Atkins admits that his diet leads to thyroid suppression - and thyroid suppression
leads to metabolic suppression. Not a good thing when you are trying to LOSE weight. And, if you
have thyroid problems or are borderline for the same - AVOID AVOID AVOID! The Atkins diet will be
VERY bad for you.

AVOID AVOID AVOID the Atkins diet or any other diet that proposes elimination (or near elimination)
of necessary dietary components, whether protein, carbs, or fats. We need 'em all to function
properly. (Yes, even fats!)

Twenty pounds is not that big a deal! Just ride and eat normally. Restrict calories a little if you
want, but eat a BALANCED diet.

I used to have a link to a site about the problems with the Atkins diet that also listed the
usual/recommended proportions of protein/carbs/fats, but I can't find it now. If I ever come up with
it, I'll try to remember to post it here.

atkinsdietalert.orgatkinsdietalert.orgOpen ↗ reason.comfe.mf.big.shtmlOpen ↗

Make SURE you read past the first paragraph in this next article - he's being sarcastic,
not literal!

reason.commf120502.shtmlOpen ↗

bayarea.com6002047.htmOpen ↗
nationalreview.comcomment fumento060603.aspOpen ↗
atkinsdietalert.orgconsumer.htmlOpen ↗ cspinet.orgbigfatlies.pdfOpen ↗

Im really really wanting to

Quoted message said:

do some riding but im only allowed 20 carbs a day max. Would I be in danger of bonking really fast
if I went for a ride? Has anyone else tried this diet while riding? BTW, I have lost 8 pounds in 2
weeks without exercise.

I've been on the Atkins diet for the past 6 months. I have adult onset diabetes and I find the diet
to be great for controlling my blood sugar. I started riding regularly about a year ago, before
Atkins and have noticed a steady improvement in stamina and speed both before and now with Atkins.
This is purely subjective, but I feel that my stamina is better if I eat an apple just before
riding. For rides greater then 20 miles, I eat an apple before and one during the ride. Skeletal
muscles can absorb glucose directly during exercise. So, I do not experience any measurable increase
in blood sugar by eating modest amounts of carbohydrates, like the 20g per apple, as long as it is
accompanied by bicycle riding. Unfortunately for me, the key word is modest.

Atkins says to gradually re-introduce carbs back into your diet after the first 2 weeks, and this
is a good way for you to try it. Twenty to 40g per day of carbohydrate from fruit or veggies,
especially if accompanied by exercise will probably be fine. But you won't know until you try it
and see if your weight loss continues. You do have to experiment some. After a few months (I do not
have the book in front of me) on the Atkins diet, it resembles a more normal eating regimen but
without the heavy duty carbs like sugar, pasta, and potato. The occasional slice of whole wheat
bread is allowed.

Atkins works for me for weight loss and blood sugar maintenance. I do not sense that it has any bad
effect on my cycling.

Steve Shapiro [email hidden]

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If you need a name-brand diet plan to be able to lose weight and still work out hard, try the
Pritikin Diet.

Steve McDonald

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As long as you understand that Dr. Pritikin committed suicide because he believed his diet gave
him cancer.

Quoted message said:

Where Mr. Atkins laughed and laughed all the way to the bank.

Although the Atkins diet is supported by pseudo-science and

pseudo-history,

Quoted message said:

it is supported by genuine psychology, in that it blames your weight gain

on

Quoted message said:

other people. A very powerful effect.

"W K" <[email hidden]>

I don't believe you've read the book. For one thing, Atkins was a medical doctor. And what does
"pseudo-science and pseudo-history" have to do with anything? If you believe it was not accurate,
then tell us how instead of just calling names. I have read the book and it doesn't blame weight
gain on other people. Where did you even get that idea?

Pat

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

I do believe it takes a while -- you need to transfer to burning free

fatty

Quoted message said:

acids, and this can take a long time. It also depends on your own body -- I've always been a
bodybuilder and bike rider (two competing exercises),

and

Quoted message said:

I had no problems adjusting. If you're biking a lot, you needn't go on induction. Induction's
benefits are to break your body free of the evil clutches of carbohydrates and to get into ketosis
(burning fats for

energy).

Quoted message said:

However, it's not hard to get into ketosis if you're biking. I can make a mistake and have
relatively high amounts of carbs for a weekend, clamp

down

Quoted message said:

on the amount of carbohydrates on Monday, ride on Tuesday, and be in

ketosis

Quoted message said:

on Tuesday.

<snip>>

Quoted message said:

--
Bob

Did you have any periods of nausea? After I eat breakfast, I am fairly sure I am going to throw up
for several hours. So far, drinking more water helps. Maybe I am just not able to eat so much fatty
stuff. This morning I had 3 scrambled eggs with heavy cream, one grilled sausage (fairly big), two
slices of Swiss cheese, and one slice of onion sauteed in butter.

This happened yesterday, too. I couldn't eat lunch because I just couldn't stand the idea of eating.
Maybe that's the secret of this diet---food aversion!

Pat

I ride daily, and have been on a low carb diet. Lost 60 lbs in 8 mos. I have somewhat more energy
when I eat carbs. Protein seems to give me a more even energy level for a longer time than I get
from carbs. (Carbs seem to give me a higher level for a shorter time.) I highly recommend
Atkins.HTH, Ernie

GABIKE said:

Last year I bought my first road bike and during the summer and fall I put over 1000 miles on it.
I have fallen in love with cycling. But this winter my wife and I sold our house and had to move
in with my mom. I had my bike but my wife accedently put all my gear somewhere in the storage unit
we rented and I ended up not able to ride this winter. We finaly got into a new house two months
ago and I was able to retrieve all my [censored]. I rode a couple of times but had a very hard time of
it. I stepped onto the scales and found that I had added 20 pounds over the winter eating my moms
cooking! I started the atkins diet 2 weeks ago to loose the weight and try to get my energy back.
Im really really wanting to do some riding but im only allowed 20 carbs a day max. Would I be in
danger of bonking really fast if I went for a ride? Has anyone else tried this diet while riding?
BTW, I have lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks without exercise.

"E & V Willson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I ride daily, and have been on a low carb diet. Lost 60 lbs in 8 mos. I

have

Quoted message said:

somewhat more energy when I eat carbs. Protein seems to give me a more

even energy

Quoted message said:

level for a longer time than I get from carbs. (Carbs seem to give me a

higher

Quoted message said:

level for a shorter time.) I highly recommend Atkins.HTH, Ernie

Supposedly, protein is converted to carbs at about a 58 percent rate, for someone in ketosis. So,
100 grams of protein yeilds about 58 grams of carbs.

--
Bob ctviggen at rcn dot com

The Atkins diet is good for losing weight although my wife tried it and couldn't take it (low
willpower). Riding a bicycle is great for losing weight and it is good for many other things. I bet
if you ride your bike enough, you will lose weight, lose fat, gain muscle, and better cardos even if
you go off the Atkins diet totally.

BTW, did you lose the weight without riding your bike? And were you losing weight while riding
your bike?

Just curious....

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I don't believe you've read the book. For one thing, Atkins was a medical doctor.

And I know how little a medical doctor will know about underlying science. I've got better
qualifications myself.

Quoted message said:

And what does "pseudo-science and pseudo-history" have to do with anything?

Part of the psycological game to get people hooked. PT Barnham would have been proud.

Quoted message said:

If you believe it was not accurate, then tell us how instead of just calling names.

For a start, making out that hunger is all about insulin, and making out that humans cannot
keep their weight in control on a high carbohydrate diet. Every human culture managed before
modern america.

Quoted message said:

I have read the book and it doesn't blame weight gain on other people. Where did you even get
that idea?

That diet advice has been wrong in the last few years. The mere fact that the book is called "diet
revolution". That advice to cut out fat, and try to ensure more starchy food was wrong.

Diets come and diets go, for anyone to defend him that strenuously has to mean the psycolgoical hook
is working. Reel 'em in Dr. Atkins.

"Bob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So, I eat a few extra grams of carbs, and suddenly I'm 10 pounds heavier?

I

Quoted message said:

don't think so. In fact, I've noticed that I lose weight after eating

more

Quoted message said:

carbs.

Is that supposed to support atkins or not?

Quoted message said:

The Atkins diet is good for losing weight although my wife tried it and couldn't take it (low
willpower). Riding a bicycle is great for losing weight and it is good for many other things. I bet
if you ride your bike enough, you will lose weight, lose fat, gain muscle, and better cardos even
if you go off the Atkins diet totally.

BTW, did you lose the weight without riding your bike? And were you losing weight while riding
your bike?

Just curious....

Without. I had no energy to ride and one of the things that the diet promised was to give energy
(which is has). Ill probibly get back on the bike this weekend and see what I can do. I rode all the
time last year and didnt loose any weight. I got better at riding, I went from 20 minute rides to 3
hour rides but other than muscle development in my legs I didnt get much in the way of health
improvment. Im up to 10 pounds lost now. Sunday will be 2 weeks.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"Bob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So, I eat a few extra grams of carbs, and suddenly I'm 10 pounds heavier?

I

Quoted message said:

don't think so. In fact, I've noticed that I lose weight after eating

more

Quoted message said:

carbs.

Is that supposed to support atkins or not?

Many people on low carb find that a periodic "carb up" can jump start weight loss after a stall, the
reason being leptin regulation, and the body's adaptation. Essentially you are "tricking" your
metabolism into kicking into high gear. For a more complete description of the process, do read "The
Ketogenic Diet" by lyle McDonald, or do a search for "targeted ketogenic diet" or "cyclic ketogenic
diet" I frequently follow a CKD plan while I am doing heavy weight training...