Can the body be trained to not accept nutrition?

Triathlon Forum
1

There has been talk here recently about consuming a very low carb diet and how that may train the body to burn fat more efficiently. That debate got me thinking. As a fat guy slimming down I spent the better part of my first two years not eating anything on the bike. I’m talking about rides anywhere from 1 to 5+ hours. I didn’t know any better and just assumed that a guy trying to lose weight shouldn’t eat while he was working out. Did I bonk a few times yep (but not as much as you might think). Did my performance deteriorate at the end of very long rides. Absolutely but I managed. That approach worked to burn off fat though I’m sure it could be debated as to wheater I would have lost more weight if I had eaten.

As I have tried to pay more attention to my nutrition on the bike recently I’ve noticed something odd. My body doesn’t like anything. Gatorade, Heed, gels, perpetuem, cliff bars, etc. If I eat anything my stomach feels nautious and bloated. Not debilitating to the point where I can’t continue but I’m usually better off even on a 5+ hour ride with nothing. If I eat within 2-3 hours before a run I get side stiches. Taking a gel before a swim makes me feel weird for the first 15-20 minutes. It seems like my body got so used to exercising in a somewhat fasted state that it just rejects any nutrition during exercise. Any scientific evidence to support this observation? Anyone else have the same problem? Have I trained my body to reject nutrition?

2

I don’t really have an answer for you but that brings back memories of biking to Goderich Ontario way back in high school with a bouddy of mine. We had 1 bottle or water (5 hour ride), and some money. By the time we bonked in front of the gas station, we were seeing stars. :wink: I think we ate every chip and chocolate bar in the place. And I think a couple of them had been there for over 10 years. :wink:
What you describe though sort of goes against the basic physiology of the human body. But I have a VERY basic understanding of physiology. :slight_smile:

3

while i think your body has adapted to your habit of not eating to a great extent, i think your ‘bad’ reactions to “nutrition” are mostly due to the poor digestability (for you) of the items you are consuming. i bet if you experimented (during training) and tried some combinations of real foods, you’ll probably have a lot better luck.

4

Training like that without nutrition can be very valuable for the reason you gave, your body learns to ration carbs and burn more fat and sooner. This is a great advantage to an ultra distance althlete.

However, eating while exercising isn’t a talent you’ve lost…it’s more likely a talent you never developed. I think you need to train your body to take in and use nutrition while working. Typically the digestive system stops while running at least and certainly while swimming/cycling at a high enough intensity.
So I will say one thing about it: try to train your body to take nutrition on the bike (other sports don’t matter so much) only on your long, slow rides. Doing it during efforts that are harder than race pace aren’t necessary and may not be feasible due to the exertion level.

Some amount of discomfort that is derived from volume in the stomach is inevitable. But that should only be mild pressure. Having a tight hip angle will make this harder. Do you know your hip angle on the bike?
When you are on the bike, do you make a conscious effort to breath with your stomach and not your chest? Let your belly hang out, forget about your modesty. This allows the diaphragm to do it’s job without compressing the stomach and intestines and will not only help with digestive distress, but will allow for better breathing.

As for the side stitches when running…Hopefully the kind of nutrition you take in on the bike doesn’t cause that response when running (you’ll need to test this with bricks). You won’t be eating a solid food meal prior to running in a long triathlon, so that’s not really a concern.

In case it helps though I’ll tell you that I used to have a really hard time running with food in my stomach and even to the point that side stitches (debilitating ones) ocurred every race. Then I figured out that if I avoided all dairy products for 24 hours before a race there were no concerns. I remember once going for an 8 mile run about 10 minutes after finishing Thanksgiving dinner. It was slow, but there were no problems.

5

Also don’t forget PNF’s advice

“If your stomach hurts or you feel bad…KEEP GOING”
.

6

Training like that without nutrition can be very valuable for the reason you gave, your body learns to ration carbs and burn more fat and sooner. This is a great advantage to an ultra distance althlete.

.

I am not saying I don’t believe it, but do you have any info to back this up. I always hear people say this but I haven’t read anything that back these statements up.

7

Just something I read years ago. I’m not motivated to search pubmed for articles, so let me know if you find evidence that my information was wrong. Thanks.

8

Well, there is this one I found quickly:

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine that physical activity, athletic performance, and recovery from exercise are enhanced by optimal nutrition. These organizations recommend appropriate selection of foods and fluids, timing of intake, and supplement choices for optimal health and exercise performance. This updated position paper couples a rigorous, systematic, evidence-based analysis of nutrition and performance-specific literature with current scientific data related to energy needs, assessment of body composition, strategies for weight change, nutrient and fluid needs, special nutrient needs during training and competition, the use of supplements and ergogenic aids, nutrition recommendations for vegetarian athletes, and the roles and responsibilities of the sports dietitian. Energy and macronutrient needs, especially carbohydrate and protein, must be met during times of high physical activity to maintain body weight, replenish glycogen stores, and provide adequate protein to build and repair tissue. Fat intake should be sufficient to provide the essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins and to contribute energy for weight maintenance. Although exercise performance can be affected by body weight and composition, these physical measures should not be a criterion for sports performance and daily weigh-ins are discouraged. Adequate food and fluid should be consumed before, during, and after exercise to help maintain blood glucose concentration during exercise, maximize exercise performance, and improve recovery time. Athletes should be well hydrated before exercise and drink enough fluid during and after exercise to balance fluid losses. Sports beverages containing carbohydrates and electrolytes may be consumed before, during, and after exercise to help maintain blood glucose concentration, provide fuel for muscles, and decrease risk of dehydration and hyponatremia. Vitamin and mineral supplements are not needed if adequate energy to maintain body weight is consumed from a variety of foods. However, athletes who restrict energy intake, use severe weight-loss practices, eliminate one or more food groups from their diet, or consume unbalanced diets with low micronutrient density may require supplements. Because regulations specific to nutritional ergogenic aids are poorly enforced, they should be used with caution and only after careful product evaluation for safety, efficacy, potency, and legality. A qualified sports dietitian and, in particular, the Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics in the United States, should provide individualized nutrition direction and advice after a comprehensive nutrition assessment.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19225360?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

9

perhaps you’re just going too hard and your system is too stressed to accept the food?

if i’m close to redline i can’t digest anything

10

You’ve got to drink as well. Somewhere between 500ml and 750ml per hour.

More often than not when we’ve had conversations with people about nutritional issues, it has come down to a number of things: Insufficient water Too many calories - ie too much food Too many simple sugars Wrong fuelling strategy - eat little and often, rather than lots and infrequently Trying something new incorrectly or in an event
Simplistic yes. But quite often it’s the simple stuff that is overlooked

11

You’ve got to drink as well. Somewhere between 500ml and 750ml per hour.

More often than not when we’ve had conversations with people about nutritional issues, it has come down to a number of things: Insufficient water Too many calories - ie too much food Too many simple sugars Wrong fuelling strategy - eat little and often, rather than lots and infrequently Trying something new incorrectly or in an event
Simplistic yes. But quite often it’s the simple stuff that is overlooked
So which is better?

12

Tim Noakes’ “Lore of Running” has a whole chapter on nutrition/hydration during running. Although, I don’t recall any specific examples he does site a bunch of studies with endurance athletes utilizing water and/or calories at differenent levels and different lengths. If you have the book, its at the beginning (pg 150-250 or so). I have it at home, and may post my findings this evening. I am pretty sure they studied a case like you are talking about. But its been awhile.

13

You’ve got to drink as well. Somewhere between 500ml and 750ml per hour.

More often than not when we’ve had conversations with people about nutritional issues, it has come down to a number of things: Insufficient water Too many calories - ie too much food Too many simple sugars Wrong fuelling strategy - eat little and often, rather than lots and infrequently Trying something new incorrectly or in an event
Simplistic yes. But quite often it’s the simple stuff that is overlooked
So which is better?

This is funny, I had the same thought based on how that list is structured. All of those are listed as “wrong” things to do, except 4 which is stated as a recommendation.

Obviously, it’s better to eat little and often. If you’re processing calories slowly you don’t want to gob hundreds of calories into the system at once.

And to the OP: I caught one small segment of “The Biggest Loser” over a year ago and it almost made me try to catch more episodes (glad I didn’t, but anyway…). The male trainer was chastising one of the “Losers” because he was stripping carbs from his diet and kept half-assing his workouts. He said something like “Sedentary people need to cut carbs. SEDENTARY people.” Stay fueled and work harder.

14

Blood diverts away from the stomach during exercise; digestion shuts down somewhat.

You have to get used to eating. I used to not be able to eat anything before a run - now I can eat a cliff bar and run 15 min later. Those things are fairly dense.

I bet you are not drinking enough with the calories you’re trying to consume. Dilute them, should work better.

15

You’ve got to drink as well. Somewhere between 500ml and 750ml per hour.

More often than not when we’ve had conversations with people about nutritional issues, it has come down to a number of things: Insufficient water Too many calories - ie too much food Too many simple sugars Wrong fuelling strategy - eat little and often, rather than lots and infrequently Trying something new incorrectly or in an event
Simplistic yes. But quite often it’s the simple stuff that is overlooked
So which is better?
There is no ‘which is better’. YOU have to work out what works best for YOU. But it does come down to:

Drink sufficient water, eat the right amount of calories, minimise sumple sugars and do not try anything new in an event that you have not tried in training.

Baffle yourself with science by reading the many, and often contradictory, publications or work out what works best for you. As a base point start with:
500ml to 750ml of water per hour250 to 300 calories per hour from complex carbs (and protein)
little or no calories from simple sugarsBut there is no, nor can there be, a one size fits all solution.

16

little or no calories from simple sugars

Why? Because they are the easiest to be metabolized with the least digestion?

In general diet I think complex carbs are vastly superior. For racing, I can see no advantage.

-Jot

17

There has been talk here recently about consuming a very low carb diet and how that may train the body to burn fat more efficiently. That debate got me thinking.

There is no debate regarding this.