I have been on a high protein, good fat, low carb diet for several years. In theory I believe my body should burn fat during extended exercising or races longer than a couple hours. I have tried some of the GU products during 4+ hour bike rides and HIM and also have drank various mixes such as GU and NUNN during these events. No ill effects from them but I do not feel any boost after taking them. Is there something else I could consume during a race that would be more tailored to my normal diet? I recently read an article in Men’s Health about the type of diet I have been on and they did not mention anything about race fuel, the article basically said it may be a good diet for endurance athletes.
Thanks for any info.
Oh boy, this should be a fun one to watch.
I use Justin’s Original Almond Butter for my long days. Low carb 7g, low sugar2g and each packet has about 200 cals.
You body is pretty well trained to run off of fat and operate at a slightly lower intensity. Energy levels will be much more even, but IMO at least, it’s probably 5-10% lower output than if you ate a more balanced diet with more carbs. That’s fine for ultra distance. But could become a limiter at shorter distances. Eating gels probably doesn’t increase available glycogen very much, which is why it didn’t do anything noticeable.
Those on low carb diets, always feel the same, because they don;t have blood sugar spikes. You get accustomed to the slightly lower peak aerobic output levels and can’t tell any difference. I know, I did VLC diets many times. It’s the only way I can quickly drop weight. You feel awesome until you bonk. It’s like you fall off a cliff. You still feel OK, but you legs just won’t push any harder.
I have been on a high protein, good fat, low carb diet for several years. In theory I believe my body should burn fat during extended exercising or races longer than a couple hours. I have tried some of the GU products during 4+ hour bike rides and HIM and also have drank various mixes such as GU and NUNN during these events. No ill effects from them but I do not feel any boost after taking them. Is there something else I could consume during a race that would be more tailored to my normal diet? I recently read an article in Men’s Health about the type of diet I have been on and they did not mention anything about race fuel, the article basically said it may be a good diet for endurance athletes.
Thanks for any info.
Test it out? Do an FTP test on low carb fuel. Take a few easy days. Do another FTP test on carbs. Everyone is different so not sure you’ll get any conclusive answers here
I recently read an article in Men’s Health about the type of diet I have been on…
You can’t get any better advice than that…
You body is pretty well trained to run off of fat and operate at a slightly lower intensity. Energy levels will be much more even, but IMO at least, it’s probably 5-10% lower output than if you ate a more balanced diet with more carbs. That’s fine for ultra distance. But could become a limiter at shorter distances. Eating gels probably doesn’t increase available glycogen very much, which is why it didn’t do anything noticeable.
Those on low carb diets, always feel the same, because they don;t have blood sugar spikes. You get accustomed to the slightly lower peak aerobic output levels and can’t tell any difference. I know, I did VLC diets many times. It’s the only way I can quickly drop weight. You feel awesome until you bonk. It’s like you fall off a cliff. You still feel OK, but you legs just won’t push any harder.
Thanks for the info, what would you recommend eating during longer events?
What type of endurance racing have you done over these 4 years?
Disclosure: I am not a low-carb athlete. But I did read quite a few books for research and coaching purposes (I do get questions on that frequently…). So no, I’m not gonna judge you or try to convert you either way…
Read this instead of Men’s Health: http://www.artandscienceoflowcarb.com/the-art-and-science-of-low-carbohydrate-performance/
It should help you tighten up your plan. Proteins are converted back to sugar when in excess, so you’re not helping the diet if you take too much proteins. Get some recipes ideas at www.ruled.me so you don’t get fed up of eating the same thing over and over.
During workouts, nut butters and UCAN are basics.
Disclosure: I am not a low-carb athlete. But I did read quite a few books for research and coaching purposes (I do get questions on that frequently…). So no, I’m not gonna judge you or try to convert you either way…
Read this instead of Men’s Health: http://www.artandscienceoflowcarb.com/...hydrate-performance/
It should help you tighten up your plan. Proteins are converted back to sugar when in excess, so you’re not helping the diet if you take too much proteins. Get some recipes ideas at http://www.ruled.me so you don’t get fed up of eating the same thing over and over.
During workouts, nut butters and UCAN are basics.
Ditto on the above. By the ebook, it’s like 10 bucks…a fast and easy ready. I’m not low carb per se either, but was a good read. You can find some discount codes for UCANN as well…pricey.
Disclosure: I am not a low-carb athlete. But I did read quite a few books for research and coaching purposes (I do get questions on that frequently…). So no, I’m not gonna judge you or try to convert you either way…
Read this instead of Men’s Health: http://www.artandscienceoflowcarb.com/...hydrate-performance/
It should help you tighten up your plan. Proteins are converted back to sugar when in excess, so you’re not helping the diet if you take too much proteins. Get some recipes ideas at http://www.ruled.me so you don’t get fed up of eating the same thing over and over.
During workouts, nut butters and UCAN are basics.
Thanks for the info, I ordered the book.
I was reading this short article, you might like it.
The last few sentences gets to your questions.
I’ve found the best fuel source to be pu$$y juice
Low carb or not
You just can’t beat it
.
I have been on a high protein, good fat, low carb diet for several years. In theory I believe my body should burn fat during extended exercising or races longer than a couple hours. I have tried some of the GU products during 4+ hour bike rides and HIM and also have drank various mixes such as GU and NUNN during these events. No ill effects from them but I do not feel any boost after taking them. Is there something else I could consume during a race that would be more tailored to my normal diet? I recently read an article in Men’s Health about the type of diet I have been on and they did not mention anything about race fuel, the article basically said it may be a good diet for endurance athletes.
Thanks for any info.
I eat LCHF for medical reasons above choice. I’m diabetic and trying to manage it without meds
My diet has definitely led me to being a fat burner. I’ve been tested a few times in the lab and I burn way above average of fat even as the intensity goes up.
I use UCAN in races and it seems to be the best for me. I can do a HIM on about 400 calories of UCAN (total) and feel really good.
2 scoops 30min before start, 2 scoops at the end of the bike. Water on the bike and run.
The question is how much protein your body needs or can process and how much is just used as a carb substitute. I find that I need a lot less protein when eating adequate carbohydrate and still recover fine (or even better). And I don’t need as much time/energy to Digest so can actually train more. Maybe it is also better for the liver.
I don’t want you to convert into a high carber (by all means, stay with what works for you). But always listen to the body about how you really feel. (Not just satiety but also energy levels and desire to train). Men’s Health articels often delve not very deep into a subject.
So when you ask about race fuel, I would always answer with carbs.
(As I find this very interesting, I think I will soon start a thread discussing the benefits of higher carb diets for athletes.)
I’d give UCAN a try.
Thanks to those to recommended UCAN, I ordered some today, I will try it and see how it goes.
UCAN is pretty awesome. Been low carb endurance for about 5 years now and it’s my go to.
My current nutrition for 100 mile rides is 1 scoop UCAN, 2tbs MCT oil, essential amino acid powder, electrolytes and Iskiate Endurance (http://www.mynaturalforce.com/products/iskiate-endurance). Before races I’ve also been using VESPA (http://www.vespapower.com) and have had great results.
If you are looking for another book I would highly recommend Primal Endurance. It’s a great combination of effective low carb training and nutrition information from all the leaders in the space. It’s newer so it has current information which is really nice.
I’ve been LCHF for about 4 years now, done everything from half marathon to 100 miles (mostly running). Just getting into triathlon. I’ve found one benefit of being a good “fat burner” is the flexibility it allows you on course. You don’t need to take in as many calories, so you can get away with eating pretty much whatever. I generally just eat whats on the course (gatorade, gu, cookies, coke, pizza, whatever…), although I guess that doesn’t work so well for the bike…
I also like UCAN, and will probably use that before and on the bike at my next race. Realistically though, I wouldn’t sweat it. Just use whatever tastes good and makes your stomach happy.
Dave
During a long distance race I don’t see why you would want to eat something fatty - ingested fat cannot be broken down more quickly than ingested carbs because physics - it doesn’t matter how “efficient” your body is - carbohydrates can always be turned into ATP faster than fat. Fat is just more GI stress and takes longer to get into your bloodstream in a form that’s useful to your muscles.
FWIW, my philosophy is to never take nutritional advice from anyone who is not a registered dietitian who has experience working with endurance athletes. This philosophy has served me well. I recommend it for the OP.
x1,000,000 this is going to be fun to watch.