Biking and low carb

Bob M said:

Last year, I rode my first century (100 miles) while maintaining
primarily a quite low carb diet, but with splurges before and after
biking long distances. This year, so far I'm trying to drink a little
protein and a few carbs (today, after a 40 mile ride, about 10 grams)
after biking, then going immediately back to low carb. It's worked so
far, although next week I ride 45 miles, then 50, 55, 60, then my first
"sanctioned" ride, for 100km (about 63 miles, though last time I rode
about 69 miles due to getting lost). I still take a few (today, about
15 grams) grams of carbs (and protein) per hour of biking and a few
grams of carbs before biking (about 10g this morning), as I ride first
thing in the morning. I also went a Japanese place last night, so I
did some "carb loading." I may or may not continue that practice
(i.e., eating a few extra carbs the day before a long bike ride).
However, after my weight lifting yesterday, I felt a bit wasted, so I
didn't mind a few extra carbs. I'll report back as the riding season
here in CT wears on -- I plan on riding at least two centuries this year.

Don't overeat. And if you undereat, you can still lose weight. If the
carbs induce cravings, then you have some issues.
I agree with not eating carbs afterwards, though. Remember, people can
lose weight on low fat.

Quoted message said:

As an aside, while I've retained some of the fitness from last year, I
do have to say that the hills around here are brutal. Last year I
must've just gotten used to how hard they were, but you don't ride them
for a while (I did ride my mountain bike with studded tires, but I kept
the distances short, less than 15 miles, and didn't do the hard hills),
you realize just how hard they are.

Yep. I've been doing them too. Trying to ride standing up while climbing..

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

Quoted message said:

Bob M said:

Last year, I rode my first century (100 miles) while maintaining
primarily a quite low carb diet, but with splurges before and after
biking long distances. This year, so far I'm trying to drink a little
protein and a few carbs (today, after a 40 mile ride, about 10 grams)
after biking, then going immediately back to low carb. It's worked so
far, although next week I ride 45 miles, then 50, 55, 60, then my first
"sanctioned" ride, for 100km (about 63 miles, though last time I rode
about 69 miles due to getting lost). I still take a few (today, about
15 grams) grams of carbs (and protein) per hour of biking and a few
grams of carbs before biking (about 10g this morning), as I ride first
thing in the morning. I also went a Japanese place last night, so I
did some "carb loading." I may or may not continue that practice
(i.e., eating a few extra carbs the day before a long bike ride).
However, after my weight lifting yesterday, I felt a bit wasted, so I
didn't mind a few extra carbs. I'll report back as the riding season
here in CT wears on -- I plan on riding at least two centuries this

year.

Quoted message said:

Don't overeat. And if you undereat, you can still lose weight. If the
carbs induce cravings, then you have some issues.
I agree with not eating carbs afterwards, though. Remember, people can
lose weight on low fat.

I'm going to have to disagree here. Glycogen (aka, carbs) is the body's
primary fuel source when cycling with any intensity (e.g., faster than 10 or
12 mph, or going up and down hills). After a longish ride (> 2 hours), your
body's stores of glycogen are quite low...you need to replenish them, and
give your body some protein, right after riding to help with muscle repair
and recovery. Exercise physiologists refer to this as the "glycogen
window" - for an hour or two after a long effort, your body is very
receptive to carbs and proteins, and will use them very efficiently during
that time to help your muscles get stronger. The recommendation is
generally for a moderate amount of post-ride fuel (200-400 calories), with
carbs and protein in a 4:1 ratio. This is in addition to the on-the-bike
carbs (recommended 200-300 calories per hour, if you're riding longer than
90 minutes or so).

You do need to be careful to not eat too much.. Exercise can stimulate
appetite, and you can get trapped into "rewarding" yourself for doing a 20
mile ride with a slice of cake, a couple of beers, etc. I've heard too many
times "I ride my bike 150 miles per week, but I can't lose any weight".
That just illustrates that even though cycling is a very efficient way to
burn calories (around 40 calories per mile), it's still easy to subvert a
good exercise program with a few poor food choices.

--
~_-*
....G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As an aside, while I've retained some of the fitness from last year, I
do have to say that the hills around here are brutal. Last year I
must've just gotten used to how hard they were, but you don't ride them
for a while (I did ride my mountain bike with studded tires, but I kept
the distances short, less than 15 miles, and didn't do the hard hills),
you realize just how hard they are.

Yep. I've been doing them too. Trying to ride standing up while

climbing..

Quoted message said:

Roger Zoul said:

Don't overeat. And if you undereat, you can still lose weight. If the
carbs induce cravings, then you have some issues.
I agree with not eating carbs afterwards, though. Remember, people can
lose weight on low fat.

Word.

Quoted message said:

Yep. I've been doing them too. Trying to ride standing up while
climbing..

Standing while climbing is super inefficient. There are many too many
opinions on climbing but my experience is that the less standing you do,
the more you have left for the next one. Generally, I like to find a
gear where I can spin, albeit slowly, rather than push, push, push, push.

k

Karstens Rage said:

Roger Zoul said:

Don't overeat. And if you undereat, you can still lose weight. If
the carbs induce cravings, then you have some issues.
I agree with not eating carbs afterwards, though. Remember, people
can lose weight on low fat.

Word.

Quoted message said:

Yep. I've been doing them too. Trying to ride standing up while
climbing..

Standing while climbing is super inefficient. There are many too many
opinions on climbing but my experience is that the less standing you do,
the more you have left for the next one. Generally, I like to find a
gear where I can spin, albeit slowly, rather than push, push, push, push.

Being able to stand while climbing has advantages. On a long hill, you
can start out sitting and then stand to finish the hill. Climbing while
sitting and while standing will use different muscles, and thus will
help avoid cramps and fatique. Sure, standing is a more aggressive way
of riding, but it has its advantages. Like anything, it is an ability
that needs to be trained.

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

Quoted message said:

Roger Zoul said:

Don't overeat. And if you undereat, you can still lose weight. If the
carbs induce cravings, then you have some issues.
I agree with not eating carbs afterwards, though. Remember, people can
lose weight on low fat.

Word.

Quoted message said:

Yep. I've been doing them too. Trying to ride standing up while
climbing..

Standing while climbing is super inefficient. There are many too many
opinions on climbing but my experience is that the less standing you do,
the more you have left for the next one. Generally, I like to find a
gear where I can spin, albeit slowly, rather than push, push, push, push.

FWIW, spinning fast (around 80-90 rpm on the flats, and 60-80 rpm while
climbing) is generally more aerobically efficient, and puts less strain on
your knees.

Also, with practice you can stand and spin without "grinding" up the hill.
It involves finding the right gear, and being comfortable spinning fairly
fast (it's been described as "dancing up the hill"😉. But, standing while
climbing is a technique that generally works best for thin cyclists. The
heavier you are, the more weight you have to support, so the more it favors
seated climbing.

GG

Quoted message said:

k

: I'm going to have to disagree here. Glycogen (aka, carbs) is the body's
: primary fuel source when cycling with any intensity (e.g., faster than 10
or
: 12 mph, or going up and down hills). After a longish ride (> 2 hours),
your
: body's stores of glycogen are quite low...you need to replenish them, and
: give your body some protein, right after riding to help with muscle repair
: and recovery.

The whole time I was actively trying to lose weight by low carbing, I was
riding at least 3 times a week around 17 mph for 2-3 hours. I took along
string cheese for snacks and never added carbs after the ride. Riding 10-12
mph is NOT "cycling with intensity". Most people could ride that fast
without even sweating. Sure, it is generally agreed that the body needs
some stores of glycogen, but no one knows how much, AND, it differs from
person to person. That year, 2003, I rode 6 metric centuries and two
mileage centuries without carbo-loading or replenishing glycogen stores. On
the mileage centuries, I would "treat" myself to eating the fruit or cookies
at the rest stops, but that's it. Frequently, after a ride like that, I
would drink an Atkins shake.

Exercise physiologists refer to this as the "glycogen
: window" - for an hour or two after a long effort, your body is very
: receptive to carbs and proteins, and will use them very efficiently during
: that time to help your muscles get stronger. The recommendation is
: generally for a moderate amount of post-ride fuel (200-400 calories), with
: carbs and protein in a 4:1 ratio. This is in addition to the on-the-bike
: carbs (recommended 200-300 calories per hour, if you're riding longer than
: 90 minutes or so).

This is the "one size fits all" approach. I lost 40 pounds ignoring that
advice and have kept it off for nearly 2 years now. A person's body switches
to more efficient use of fat stores on the Atkins diet; that is what you are
overlooking.

Pat in TX

: >
: > Yep. I've been doing them too. Trying to ride standing up while
: > climbing..
: >
:
: Standing while climbing is super inefficient. There are many too many
: opinions on climbing but my experience is that the less standing you do,
: the more you have left for the next one. Generally, I like to find a
: gear where I can spin, albeit slowly, rather than push, push, push, push.
:
: k

Maybe it is--but there is more than one way to do it. If I get positioned
just right, I can go a long time standing and climbing. At other times, it
fatigues my legs about 4 times faster than sitting does. On the other hand,
sometimes standing while climbing is just plain FUN! The trick is, you have
to be in the right gear for the hill, and you have to lean forward--way
forward, so that you are using your entire body's weight as you press
downward on the pedal.

Sometimes, though, it's just fun, and slowly spinning up a hill seems to
take forever and is a real mood killer.

Pat in TX
:

Pat said:

: >
: > Yep. I've been doing them too. Trying to ride standing up while
: > climbing..
: >
:
: Standing while climbing is super inefficient. There are many too many
: opinions on climbing but my experience is that the less standing you do,
: the more you have left for the next one. Generally, I like to find a
: gear where I can spin, albeit slowly, rather than push, push, push, push.
:
: k

Maybe it is--but there is more than one way to do it. If I get positioned
just right, I can go a long time standing and climbing. At other times, it
fatigues my legs about 4 times faster than sitting does. On the other hand,
sometimes standing while climbing is just plain FUN! The trick is, you have
to be in the right gear for the hill, and you have to lean forward--way
forward, so that you are using your entire body's weight as you press
downward on the pedal.

Sometimes, though, it's just fun, and slowly spinning up a hill seems to
take forever and is a real mood killer.

Damn skippy!

: > Sometimes, though, it's just fun, and slowly spinning up a hill seems to
: > take forever and is a real mood killer.

: Damn skippy!

LOL. Yeah, just today I was reading an article in the bike magazine talking
about how to focus on a long hill. The idea was to focus on something
slightly to one side, something you can pass in 10-20 seconds. They said
not to look at the top of the hill and not to look at the pavement right in
front of your tire (although I did this yesterday and noticed that the road
looked exactly like the pattern on the 12" asphalt tile squares in my
elementary school lunchroom. Or maybe I was hallucinating.)

Pat in TX

On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 18:27:08 -0400, Roger Zoul <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Bob M said:

Last year, I rode my first century (100 miles) while maintaining
primarily a quite low carb diet, but with splurges before and after
biking long distances. This year, so far I'm trying to drink a little
protein and a few carbs (today, after a 40 mile ride, about 10 grams)
after biking, then going immediately back to low carb. It's worked so
far, although next week I ride 45 miles, then 50, 55, 60, then my
first "sanctioned" ride, for 100km (about 63 miles, though last time I
rode about 69 miles due to getting lost). I still take a few (today,
about 15 grams) grams of carbs (and protein) per hour of biking and a
few grams of carbs before biking (about 10g this morning), as I ride
first thing in the morning. I also went a Japanese place last night,
so I did some "carb loading." I may or may not continue that practice
(i.e., eating a few extra carbs the day before a long bike ride).
However, after my weight lifting yesterday, I felt a bit wasted, so I
didn't mind a few extra carbs. I'll report back as the riding season
here in CT wears on -- I plan on riding at least two centuries this
year.

Don't overeat. And if you undereat, you can still lose weight. If the
carbs induce cravings, then you have some issues.
I agree with not eating carbs afterwards, though. Remember, people can
lose weight on low fat.

I don't get any cravings if I eat high carb immediately after riding.
Well, my first foray into this avenue (not eating high carb after a long
ride) didn't turn out well -- I was still in pain several days afterward.
However, I don't know whether that's a carb issue or just overtraining.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As an aside, while I've retained some of the fitness from last year, I
do have to say that the hills around here are brutal. Last year I
must've just gotten used to how hard they were, but you don't ride
them for a while (I did ride my mountain bike with studded tires, but
I kept the distances short, less than 15 miles, and didn't do the hard
hills), you realize just how hard they are.

Yep. I've been doing them too. Trying to ride standing up while
climbing..

--
Bob M
remove ".x" to reply

On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 17:50:08 -0700, Karstens Rage <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Roger Zoul said:

Don't overeat. And if you undereat, you can still lose weight. If the
carbs induce cravings, then you have some issues.
I agree with not eating carbs afterwards, though. Remember, people can
lose weight on low fat.

Word.

Quoted message said:

Yep. I've been doing them too. Trying to ride standing up while
climbing..

Standing while climbing is super inefficient. There are many too many
opinions on climbing but my experience is that the less standing you do,
the more you have left for the next one. Generally, I like to find a
gear where I can spin, albeit slowly, rather than push, push, push, push.

k

I love to stand while climbing, regardless of its efficiency.

--
Bob M
remove ".x" to reply