Nutrition Gurus: Should I give up sugar?

Triathlon Forum
1

Okay, I’ve heard a lot of people talk about giving up sugar for 1-6 months before a big race, and I’m wondering why. Is it just to help with training nutrition/weight loss/ etc. Or is there a marked performance improvement on race day when you have sugar for the first time in a while (similar to abstaining from caffeine for a few weeks and then hitting it on race day).

I’m 5’10", ~156 pounds, good body composition. I’m not looking to lose or gain weight. And I am overly obsessive about my diet. I eat lots and lots of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, no trans-fats, no HFCS, etc. The only refined sugar I eat with any sort of regularity is a small bowl of ice cream and a few chocolate covered pretzels/raisins (and I really do mean small and a few). I have these things every day. So is there any benefit to be had from omitting these things for the next three weeks until IMLP?

Thanks,
-Colin

2

If it aint broke, dont break it.

3

wow, i had never hear about giving up sugar all together, cutting back on it yes but giving it up.

I will be interested to hear what people have to say about this.

4

I don’t see how? If you’re off on a long bike, or need to recover from a tough training session, you’ll need sugar in the form of an energy drink, so you’ll never be giving it up completely. And if you did, you might recover less well from sessions, and be constrained by time for the longer sessions.

Plus, I have a sugar addiction myself …

5

you don’t need sugar for recovering, you need a fast absorbing carbohydrate. synthetic refined sugar is just one example of that, and there are better natural alternatives.

6

No.

7

Agreed
.