he reckons stick to less carbohydrate rich foods and you will be able to go for a 3 hour ride without needing any supplementary food source.

I just listened to a podcast on IM Talk, interviewing a dietician, Bob Seebohar, about metabolic efficiency.

His message is to keep carbs low before and during training (and racing) sessions, in order to prevent any spike in blood sugars. The idea is that the body can efficiently burn fat, even during intensive sessions, as long as there is not an increase in insulin to counter it. Instead of carbo loading pre-race, and eating a big bowl of cereal pre-workout, and eating gels every half an hour during a workout, he reckons stick to less carbohydrate rich foods and you will be able to go for a 3 hour ride without needing any supplementary food source. And that you can increase your efficiency such that only 5-10% of your energy needs come from an external source.

Fascinating stuff, and may be something in it for those unable to drop weight, even when training. I'm a bit dark that only yesterday I placed another order for $140, 2 x 25 gel, and am thinking I may not need it.

Then again, maybe I will? Has anyone else heard the podcast or pursued this concept?

You could probably do this no matter your diet. How *hard* is that 3 hour ride?

If performance is a goal over a 3 hour event, you aren't going to have an optimal result without some carbohydrate. Also, I would be wary of any advice from someone claiming an insulin response to carbohydrate consumption during exercise.

For me where this topic starts to fall down is recovery.

Executing a 3 to 4 hour ride on minimal nutrition - could you repeat it again the next day?

I just listened to a podcast on IM Talk, interviewing a dietician, Bob Seebohar, about metabolic efficiency.

His message is to keep carbs low before and during training (and racing) sessions, in order to prevent any spike in blood sugars. The idea is that the body can efficiently burn fat, even during intensive sessions, as long as there is not an increase in insulin to counter it. Instead of carbo loading pre-race, and eating a big bowl of cereal pre-workout, and eating gels every half an hour during a workout, he reckons stick to less carbohydrate rich foods and you will be able to go for a 3 hour ride without needing any supplementary food source. And that you can increase your efficiency such that only 5-10% of your energy needs come from an external source.

Fascinating stuff, and may be something in it for those unable to drop weight, even when training. I'm a bit dark that only yesterday I placed another order for $140, 2 x 25 gel, and am thinking I may not need it.

Then again, maybe I will? Has anyone else heard the podcast or pursued this concept?

Whereas I am sure that we can train our bodies to burn fat more efficiently, I am also sure that fat burns in a sugar flame. Depleting your body of its sugar load will also hinder its fat metabolism, cause intensity to decrease while increasing fatigue, and delay recovery. As is my understanding.

. Just depends if you want to follow real science or just see what works....

I wouldn't try it if you paid me. If your an IM athlete, you have two main limiter's on race day. Durability and Fueling. Why spend weeks a year not eating on the rides and runs, then race day comes and you stuff your face all day long and end of walking most of the run. At that point how much fat you burn doesn't mean a thing!

The other problem with his theory is that he has no good data to back up any of these claims. Sure he has charts and graphs showing you "better fat burning" but where is the control group? I am almost certain that if you took a group of athletes who were training at the same intensity's as the non eater's after 12 weeks of nothing but aerobic training they would be pretty equal on the "fat burning" scale. I mean, thats the point, lots of aerobic volume to make you a better "fat burner" Not only that but I would bet the group that was able to eat was not only having better 2nd and 3rd workouts of the day they would also be overall healthier athletes.

Did your damn control groups eat fat while riding rollers with their hands behind their backs?

Did your damn control groups eat fat while riding rollers with their hands behind their backs?

I will reiterate. There are control groups, this is not a new concept.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...e%20lm%20and%20lipid

You should see the cortisol markers from an under fueled training session. Not pretty.

Simple rule. Eat unprocessed carbs(food) outside of training and make sure to have a little bit of protein and a good bit of fat with meals.

Quinoa with a huge scoop of guac and eggs and bacon. Done.

I see that. But what I don't see is a study that say's it works in the real world, or is actually healthy.

In oder to train well you need to eat. Lets say you get a 1% "fitness" boost out of this then walk your way to a 4hr IM marathon, what good did it do you? Metabolic Efficiency is or should be pretty close to the bottom of the average age groupers list on things that will make them faster on race day.

Lets start by simply eating better on a day to day basis.