Gotta love Colorado

Check the snow!

And 10 minutes later...

The sun is shining. Gotta love Colorado.

Training Peaks Overview

I've gotten some questions about my training plan from Training Peaks, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to walk through the process and show some samples of the workouts.

Below you can see a typical week for me (click to see larger version) :

• Monday is weightlifting,
• Tuesday is anaerobic,
• Wednesday is recovery,
  
• Thursday is strength,
  
• Friday is recovery,
  
• Saturday would normally be strength,
  
• Sunday is recovery.

All of this was calculated for me through a Wizard that asked about how many hours I want to train in a year, what my (perceived) limitations are, what my goals are, etc. The end result of the wizard is an "Annual Training Plan" which maps out my events and helps make sure I am ready for them:

So far I am extremely happy with the training. I am currently paying $49.00 every 3 months for this service and consider it money well-spent. I know for myself, I have to pay some token amount or it will be too easy to slack off and this option bridges the gap very nicely between custom, human coaching and trying to work out the plan myself. If there is one down side, it would be that everything is geared for racers. Some of the workouts ask me to do racing practice, or practice like I'm in a criterium - corner at speed, etc. I don't have much use for these workouts so I tend to substitute some other skill. Other than that, though, it is a great tool. I am training (riding) less but feel stronger overall than ever before. Next weekend's 200K brevet will really test how prepared I am.

Long Dry Spell

Both of you who read this may have noticed I've been in a bit of a dry spell, blog-wise. I constantly feel like I'm walking a tightrope between trying to write things that are entertaining and things that are informative, and I just haven't had that much interesting going on in my life right now and I can't think of any informative topics to write on.

One thing that is really cool that is coming up is my best friend, the BlueEyedBikinBabe, is coming to ride with me the first week of May. The highlight of the trip will be riding the Horsetooth and Beyond 200K brevet with Rocky Mountain Cycling Club. It's a very nice ride, 120-some miles, much of it in the foothills west of Ft. Collins, Colorado. I've done the ride 3 times before and I'm confident I know how to ride it. It's going to a fantastic ride having my best friend and (adopted) lil' sister along :). I can't wait!

Feel free to post questions or ideas for me to write about... Oh, and I recently started using Twitter, so if anyone is interested in following me, be my guest!

An Early Start for Kevin

Last weekend it was snowy and bad weather. Kevin had been in the house all day Saturday and by evening was literally bouncing off the walls. As I was watching him do wind sprints from one end of the house to the other I had one of the few truly brilliant ideas I've ever had: put the kid's bike on the trainer!!

I got Kevin to slow down long enough to make the suggestion and his eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. "Oh, YES!" he said. So we took the bike down to the basement and he got on the biking shoes that BlueEyedBikinBabe got him for his birthday and off he went.

As you can tell from the picture, he's been watching me ride :). He found some of my old comic books that I have laying around (because I'm not smart enough to preserve them as they should be) and he played with the gears and did sprints on the bike.

Maybe he'll grow up to be the next Lance ;)

The MANS Diet - Nutritionally Clear

Last month I posted about being Nutritionally Confused. Since that time I've stayed low Glycemic Index and I've managed to stay in ketosis most of the time, and I think a large contributing factor to that has been the MCT oil I've been taking as a supplement. As I posted before, medium-chain triglycerides are thermogenic in nature and I think this boost to my metabolism, combined with the higher-intensity (read: uses more glycogen reserves for fuel) workouts has kept me in ketosis even with a little higher day to day carb consumption.

Lately I've started reading Mark McManus' blog, MuscleHack and he makes a lot of sense with his Cyclical Ketogenic Diet approach to bodybuilding. His specific plan is called MANS - 'MuscleHack Anabolic Nutritional Strategy.' I've decided to adopt this strategy as a trial, myself.

Mark's theory, in a nutshell, is to low-carb during the week with a 36 hour carb-up from Friday evening to Saturday night. The idea is that the body treats the carb-up as a stressful situation and responds by releasing Testosterone, HGH, and IGF-1 - the hormones that make us build muscle.

In my specific case I'm not a hardcore bodybuilder but I would love to add some more muscle to my chest and arms and I'm definitely adding muscle to the legs through the cycling so a nutritional strategy that supports muslce building just makes good sense. Besides building muscle, I have a high intensity ride every Saturday and the increased carbs would support that training while the long, lower intensity ride on Sunday would help clean the glycogen out of my system and get me back in ketosis faster.

Looking at it now, the strategy is obvious. Thanks Mark - I should have been doing this all the time!

Product Review - Sports Instruments Pro9 HRM

OK, let me just lay it on the table - I HATE POLAR HEART RATE MONITORS! Actually, I hate HRMs in general. They are overpriced and under-featured. To get an HRM that will do the things you want for even a semi-serious training plan, one has to spend $200 or more. It doesn't cost that much more to get a power meter and train the "right" way!

It will come as no shock that I've struggled with my Polar F3 HRM for 10 weeks of my training plan and I am absolutely and finally sick and tired of trying to shoehorn a round peg into a square hole. That model absolutely would not do what I wanted it to do.

Now the good news. I recently came across the Sports Instruments Pro9 Heart Rate Monitor and decided to give it a try. Why, you might ask? Because it advertised doing the two things I had been looking for (and are almost impossible to find) - it would track 5 HR zones and record time in all 5 zones (most have 3, at best) and it tracks time in zones for laps, as well. What's even cooler is it has two timers that will link to the stopwatch and keep track of intervals and rest periods. The SI-Pro9 also keeps track of 5 workouts at a time and calculates a "workload" for the workout.

So far I'm thoroughly impressed. I've been using it about a week and it does everything I want. The only possible downside I see is that the 5 zones are pre-calculated and can't be changed. The good thing is that the zones can either use Lactate Threshold or Max Heart Rate as the basis for calculation. I used the LTHR number from my last TT stress test a couple of weeks ago and the numbers came up within 1 or 2 bpm of Training Peaks' calculations, which is well within margin for error, so I'm happy.

Here is the best thing. Price. This HRM originally lists for $174 but I found it at Amazon for $59. That's way less than I paid for the Polar, even including the fact I got the Polar at about 60% off. Click on the link above or check out my Amazon Store (under Equipment) to see it.

Trashing a trainer

Bullwinkle: "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!"
Rocky: "Again?"
Bullwinkle: "Nothing up my sleeve... Presto! (lion roars) Hmm, don't know my own strength."

Last week I was doing Anaerobic Intervals:

BT: Anaerobic-endurance intervals. Flat course. After warm-up do 2-3 x 8-12 second max-effort sprints (3-5 minute recoveries). Then do 4-5 x 3 minutes to heart rate 5b zone (3-minute recoveries). 2-3 more sprints. 95-110 cadence. Aero position.

I was just finishing the fourth 3-minute interval when I heard a loud crash and stuff started raining down on my head. Considering I was in the basement at the time, I figured this was a "bad thing." As my trainer was winding down from sounding like a jet engine, I noticed it had an odd vibration to it and it didn't sound right. This also seemed like a "bad thing".

Further examination revealed that inside the resistance unit there is a spinning disc with two counterweights or magnets (not sure which) fitted into little holes. Apparently one of these weights broke loose on a 30 mph sprint and took flight. I guess I'm very lucky it didn't embed itself in my back... or my skull.

TRX Suspension Trainer Guest Follow-up Part 2

Today I have another guest follow-up. I mentioned in my entry"The Hits Keep Coming - TRX Suspension System Perspective" my friend PKQ tried the system with me and was intrigued enough to order one of her very own. Here is her one-month-ish follow-up to that purchase:

My thoughts about the TRx are similar to Maarburg's. Weight lifters will probably want to supplement with free weights.

However, since using the TRx about twice weekly since the end of January, I believe this is an excellent method to stay in shape. The exercises are incredibly easy to figure out how to do but incredibly hard, some not all, to do. What I found interesting is the degree of difficulty in working the abs by pressure on the handles. I have never done anything that quite isolated and worked the abs to this degree. Ouch!

The real test for me came with the first bike ride. Now that three rides are under my belt, I will say the TRx is a great way for cyclist to maintain leg strength, too. My strength was there but my endurance was lacking, which is not the result of the TRx. I was a slug during winter. The bicycle rides were on hilly terrain, which were no problem until the end. Again, that's the lack of endurance so I wasn't blasting up the hills but creeping up them.

All in all, the only soreness from the initial bike rides of 2008 relates to my sit bones. If TRx can develop a workout for sit bones, sign me up. Ouch!

As a quick reminder, if my reviews and articles of the TRX Suspension System have been informative or helpful to you, please click the link or banner to the right. It costs you nothing and if you should decide to buy, even in the future, I'll get a small commission that helps me continue to bring informative and useful articles J.

Hammer Nutrition - Special Offer!

For all my readers, both of you, I just found a way that you can get a one-time discount on Hammer Nutrition products, provided you've never ordered directly from their website before. For those of you with short attention spans, click on the graphic and fill your cart to receive the discount.

Hammer offers 15% off of first time referrals. What this means to you is if you like Hammer products such as Hammergel, Perpetuem, and Heed, you can stock up and get a discount.

If you've never tried Hammer products, I highly recommend them. Last year I rode every ride of the season over 65 miles using Perpetuem and Hammergel exclusively as my fuel and it worked great! I struggled for years with low energy at the 70 mile mark and the only solution I've found that works for me is Perpetuem.

Consider this my gift to those of you that put up with my ramblings :). Oh, and, no this is not a selfless act on my part. I get 25% of your order put on my account with Hammer. You get a discount, I get a little spiff and Hammer gets a new customer. It's a win-win-win deal!

Kidney Bean and Avocado Salad

Here is another favorite Mrs. Zen adapted from Harumi Kurihara's Japanese cookbooks.

Ms. Kurihara has two books translated to English and they are a wonderful resource for low-carb/low-GI food. The recipe below does not appear in either of her English books, so Zenland is the EXCLUSIVE place to get it.

Click on the picture or visit my Amazon store, Zenland's House of Nutrition to get Ms. Kurihara's books:


Ingredients:

• 1 can of kidney beans, drained
• 2 avocados, peeled, cored, chopped
  
• Mayonaise
• 2 tbls thin deli sliced ham chopped (about 4 slices)
  
• Lemon juice
• salt
• pepper
• cilantro
  
• 2 tbls onion minced

Drain the kidney beans and chill in the fridge.

Peel, core and chop the avocado. Sprinkle lemon juice on it to prevent oxidization. Chill in the fridge, too.

Mix mayo, ham, onion, and mayo. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

Just before serving, mix beans, avocado and mayo sauce and add chopped cilantro for color.

Serve and enjoy!

Mexican Food - The Low Carb Way

Here are a couple of recipes that guests always love. Note: These dishes are low GI and "lower" carb than most Americans eat however they are probably not appropriate for induction-phase LCers.

Chili Relleno Casserole with Beef

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 onion chopped
• dash of cumin (to taste)
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 lb grated cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, pepperjack, etc)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 can whole green chiles

Brown the ground beef in a pan, seasoning to taste. Add chopped onion and cumin.

Mix eggs, milk and flour with a mixer until smooth.

In a casserole dish, alternate putting down a layer of ground beef and a layer of chile until done. Pour egg mixture over the top, allowing it to soak in. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.

Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• Beef or chicken or turkey
• Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (Red goes well with beef, green with chicken)
• 1/2 chopped onion
• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

If beef, brown with onion and drain fat.

If chicken, add a dash of sherry and microwave for 4 to 5 minutes, then shred and mix with chopped onion.


Add monterey jack cheese to the filling and a bit of Old El Paso enchilada sauce and mix it.

Soak corn tortillas in enchilada sauce, making sure to coat both sides. Put tortillas in bottom of a flat pan and spoon in fillings. Roll tortillas in pan, cover with sauce and cheese.

Bake at 360 for 30 to 40 minutes (until top becomes deliciously brown).

TRX Suspension Training - Mini Progress Report

Even though my training plan for cycling calls for backing off of the ST (Strength Training) and going into a maintenance mode, I'm rather enjoying the benefits of ST. I notice I feel more balanced and stable physically. It is easier to bend down and pick things up off the floor (something that was bugging the hell out of me), my hand strength and grip are much better (something else that had been bugging me) and I feel more physically powerful in general.

Up to this point, though, I had been avoiding lifting free weights again. You see, even though I feel stronger I didn't want to make the comparison.

My fears were unfounded. Last night I needed to move some 25lb dumbbells from my office upstairs to my workout room in the basement and while I was walking I started doing hammer curls. About the time I got the TRX, I was using 15lb DBs as my heavy weight, getting around 8 reps before failure. Last night I whipped off 5 reps of 25lbs with no problem while going down stairs and talking on the phone, after a hard workout earlier in the evening.

The TRX is definitely working! Click here to find out more about TRX Suspension Training and multi-sports!

What is this NLP stuff?

I just realized that my blog is about "...bicycling, Low Carb living and Neuro-Linguistic Programming" but I haven't been posting any Neuro-Linguistic Programming articles. I've posted lots of stuff about nutrition and bicycling - the physical side of health - but nothing about the mental.

I guess the most natural question is, What is NLP?

The Wikipedia article states:

Neuro-linguistic programming (usually shortened to NLP) is an interpersonal communication model and an alternative approach to psychotherapy based on the subjective study of language, communication and personal change.

The definition I like most is that NLP is "The study of the structure of subjective human experience." At this point you would be right to ask, "What the hell does that mean?"

Let's take this a piece at a time:

Subjective: From the person's point of view. We study what is personal an relevant to the individual.

Experience: What is happening with, to, because of or inside a person.

Structure: Ah, here is the slippery one. NLP's assertion is that each person's mental representation of experience has a logical organizational system, that this system can be determined, and that it has relevance.


At this point the most logical question would be, "So what?"

Allow me to let you in on a little secret: All that stuff in your head is not real. Not a bit of it. Not your mother telling you you'll never amount to anything. Not the memory of your fourth grade teacher. Not the aroma of fresh baked bread. None of it. This is the reason why eyewitness testimony in court is the weakest form of evidence. This is also how it is possible to take two eyewitness accounts and tell if they are lying - if the stories are too similar, we know it is made up.

So that leads to the idea that if all of that stuff isn't real, can we manipulate it? Yes! What good does that do, you ask? Let me illustrate.


Part 1

Find a slightly "bad" memory. Something that just bothers you a bit. Notice these details:

• Do you see through your own eyes or are you looking at yourself?
• Is the memory moving or still?
• Color or black and white?

Now, if you were seeing through your own eyes, take a step back and out of yourself so you see yourself in the scene. If it was color, make it B&W. Now, make the light dimmer and push the memory away from you so it gets smaller and darker.

How do you feel about that memory now? If you are like most people, you should feel rather indifferent to it now. Imagine what it would be like to take all of the "negative" memories you have and do that exercise. How much freedom from the past would you have?

Part 2

Now take a pleasant memory and notice the same things.

• Do you see through your own eyes or are you looking at yourself?
• Is the memory moving or still?
• Color or black and white?

This time we want to do the opposite changes. If you were an observer, step into yourself. If it was B&W, change it to color and make the colors and lighting brighter and more vivid. Add motion if there wasn't any. Bring it closer and make it bigger.

Now how do you feel about that memory? Imagine what it would be like if every fun and positive memory felt like that? How much of a resource will your past become when all the positive is accentuated and the negative is de-emphasized?

Your homework for the next week is during a quiet time of your day, pick 5 unpleasant memories and de-emphasize them, then pick 5 pleasant memories and intensify them.

Report back or ask questions in the comments.

Way To Go Zin!

My buddy Zin was recently interviewed as part of KWGN's series on Diabetes. Check out the video of "Colorado Man Changes His Life After Diabetes Diagnosis".

TRX Suspension Training Review - Guest Follow-up

Today's entry comes from my buddy Maarburg, from A Vicious Cycle, who purchased the TRX Force Training Kit a couple of weeks before I bought my Home Bundle.

I purchased the TRX Military Bundle for the 12 week program. My first thoughts on the program were that the workload to rest ratio didn't seem maximized, but being willing to try new things and ideas, I dove in. The abdominal workout was far in excess of anything I'd ever done when I was previously involved in body building/strength training. A few weeks of screaming obliques, and the inability to laugh pain free was discouraging. This is less the fault of the program and more my over-zealousness. Additionally, there are a number of leg movements that were counter productive to my cycling training.

I've since fallen back on a workout program that has proven successful for me, but swapping out the clunky, cumbersome free weight movements for the much more challenging TRX movements. For many years I've been a fan of High Intensity Training. The Military program as provided by TRX will, undoubtedly, yield tremendous gains in balance, strength, and stability. That being said, the shorter more intense workout that I'm familiar with is something that I feel more comfortable with and makes for a better historical comparison. Since switching over to a HIT style program, I've seen immediate results. I wish I'd had the foresight to take measurements when I first got the system.

There is a tremendous advantage to the TRX system, both in the range of motion, and the inherent mobility. You are no longer stuck on a bench pressing a weight straight up with your hands in a fixed position on the bar, and limited to a 90degree to horizontal motion. The TRX system actually allows you to vary the horizontal and vertical motion on something as basic as a Pectoralis Major Press. (Can't very well call it a "Bench" press anymore, now can I?) Using this exercise as an example, the motion I've adopted is more like a Pec Fly. This system allows the flexability to switch from Flye to narrow grip, to wide grip, to decline, to incline presses, all at whim. Very very useful. The adaptability of the TRX system is without compare. When I'm done with an exercise, I can feel the results of my efforts from the point of insertion to the origin. That means that I'm working the entire muscle, something that can be a bit of a challenge with free weights.

Probably the only negative things I can say about the TRX are that exercise from is even more crucial, and a bit harder to obtain, and the range of motion might provide a challenge for those not used to muscular development exercises. The "Tee-ing" of the feet helps to alleviate a bit of the later. These, potential, negatives are easily offset by the systems abilty to provide a workout that follows the bodies natural motion and engages stabilizing muscles that machines and even free weights do not. Did I mention that the entire system (including the manual and DVD) take up less room than a pair of shoes.

The TRX system, in my opinion, is more suited to Strength and Stability as opposed to Bodybuilding. The nature of the system makes it more difficult to isolate one muscle, a common goal in Bodybuilding. For my purposes, and I'm assuming a majority of the people that do strength training, this lack of isolation is actually a benefit. The TRX encourages a more balanced and functional strength.

When you come across something that is correct, and works, you just know it. The TRX System is one of those things.

Nectar of the Gods?

Continuing the discussion of sugars and Glycemic Index, I've recently been looking at agave nectar as a sweetener. Apparently I'm a little slow in finding this sweetener. I first became aware of it last summer I came across this article Making Your Own Power Gels For Less. At the time I didn't realize the significance because I wasn't in the market for an all-around sweetener.

Lately I decided to make my own gels again with all of my new knowledge of Glycemic Index and insulin response. My theory is that a gel should contain a hi GI component and a low GI component, that follows the recipe of most major manufacturers, and by varying the hi GI ingredient I can control when the sugar hits the bloodstream. I'll post more results on this experiment as I get results.

So I pulled out the article above again and noticed agave nectar and started reading that it affects blood sugar so minimally that it is considered safe for diabetics and can be used by low-carbers. But what does it mean for a sweetener to be low GI? Doesn't that really mean less evil than, say, table sugar? Well, not really. Let's look at some numbers:

Maltodextrin: 105
Glucose: 100
Plain bagel: 72
Honey: 62
Banana: 56
Oatmeal: 48
Yogurt (fruit): 36
Agave Nectar: 27
Yogurt (plain): 14

Strangely enough I happened to be at the grocery store recently (something I try to avoid at all costs) and happened to notice they carry an organic agave nectar! I figured WTF. I'm going to make gels with it, and it has such a minimal impact on blood sugar maybe I should use it as a sweetener and dump the artificial stuff.

My first reaction is that agave nectar has a very sweet taste, sweeter than honey. It is also much thinner than honey and pours very readily. So far I've only used it in my coffee and it seems to taste very similar to sugar. As I use it more I will report more experience.

MCT Oil - The Importance of Being Medium

I came to a realization a few years ago. I'm a Medium. I don't mean I'm one of those people that talks to Elvis and your dead aunt Petunia. I mean everything about me is "medium." I wear medium T-shirts, 32x34 jeans - the most popular men's size, 10 1/2 shoe - again, the most popular men's size. I even eat my steak cooked medium. I'm not just medium, I'm extra medium. So maybe it is poetic justice that I write an article on Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs).

What exactly is a Medium Chain Triglyceride? Put bluntly, an MCT is a type of fat. Fats are organized into chains - the gory details of which are outside the scope of this article (which is a fancy way of saying I don't understand it) - and as the name implies, a "medium" chain triglyceride is a smaller molecule than long and very long chain triglycerides.

Some examples of LCTs are corn, safflower and soybean oil. Some examples of MCTs are coconut oil, palm kernal oil and butter.

OK, so why do we care about the length of our fats? This is the really brilliant part! You know how regular vegetable oil floats on water? "Oil and water don't mix," you might say. To this I would say, "Ha!" MCTs are water soluble. This is extremely significant in the fact that MCTs require no special processing to get into the blood stream, and, bile is not needed to digest MCTs. This means, and here's the good bit, the body processes and uses MCTs exactly like it does carbohydrates!

There are two other advantages which are very significant.

1. Research suggests that while any fat helps to cause satiety (a feeling of being satisfied) and thus tend to limit caloric intake, MCTs cause satiety faster than LCTs. This means when MCTs are a significant component of the meal, people tend to eat less than when LCTs are used!
2. Research also suggests that MCTs help in weight loss, possibly by increasing metabolism.
   

What does all this mean? In simple terms, butter is back, baby! That's right, putting real butter on your veggies not only helps them taste better (and let's be honest, anything that helps us eat more veggies is a good thing, right?), that butter gives quick energy, speeds up your metabolism, and helps to burn fat.

This is all even more significant for the endurance athlete. Medium chain triglycerides represent the best of both worlds - the quick energy boost of a simple sugar but the caloric density of a fat.

You want a "superfood?" Forget the blueberries and start using butter again.


References:
Marie-Pierre St-Onge and Peter J. H. Jones, "Physiological Effects of Medium-Chain Triglycerides: Potential Agents in the Prevention of Obesity"

Marie-Pierre St-Onge^*, Robert Ross, William D. Parsons^* and Peter J.H. Jones,

"Medium-Chain Triglycerides Increase Energy Expenditure and Decrease Adiposity in Overweight Men"

Insulin, Glycemic Index and Low Carbing

A few days ago I posted an article on Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load and the question that I'm sure is in both readers' minds is, "Who gives a shit?" In the interest of my own education, I hope this post will tie it all together.

Let's start off with a quick quiz:

1. What is the goal of reducing carbohydrate consumption in a Low Carb diet?
2. What is the state of ketosis?
3. What is the purpose of insulin?

And here are the answers, in short form:

1. Reducing carbohydrate consumption has the goal of regulating insulin production (decreasing or almost completely eliminating).
2. Ketosis occurs when the body no longer is able to use sugars (specifically glucose ingested from food and glycogen, the stored form of glucose) and must resort to burning fats as the main fuel source.
3. Insulin is secreted by the pancreas in response to a spike in blood sugar levels. Insulin's purpose is to regulate blood sugar levels by storing excess glucose (more on this below).

Typical protocol for a Low Carber in an Active Weight Loss phase is to reduce total carbohydrate intake to some threshold amount, typically this is around 20 or 30 grams of carbohydrate per day. The purpose of this is to drive the body into a state of ketosis in which the main fuel source switches from sugar to fat. Most Low Carbers will stay in ketosis for the entirety of their weight-loss phase.

Insulin

Let's look again at the role of insulin in the body. Insulin plays a role in both carbohydrate and lipid (fat) metabolism.

In carbohydrate metabolism, insulin has two main functions:

• Store sugar in muscle and adipose cells,
• Stimulate conversion and storage of glycogen in the liver.

In lipid metabolism, to put it simply, insulin's main function is to spare fat. Insulin makes the body prefer burning sugar to fat as a fuel source and it indirectly stimulates storage of fat in adipose cells.

So, to summarize: For those of us trying to reduce body fat stores, insulin is bad.

The Low Carb Lifestyle

So where does that leave us? Traditional Low Carb diets ask us to cut out all carbohydrates (except fiber - I won't go into that here), however let's re-examine that idea. The goal of LCing is to limit insulin production. We know that Low GI/GL foods also limit insulin production. So do we really have to cut out all carbohydrate?

Thanks to Dr. Dean Ornish and popular-press making fat into the villain, many people interpret "Low Carbohydrate" as being the same thing as "High Protein." Unfortunately that is not the case. There is a condition known as "Rabbit Starvation" in which the body is given too much protein and it is not able to synthesize proper nutrition.

At most, only about 40% of macro nutrition should come from protein. The rest should come from fats and carbohydrates. In my own personal experience, it is very difficult to eat 60% or more of ones' calories from fat.

Connect the Dots

Low Carbing and Low GI/GL are made for each other. I consider the textbook diets of Dr. Atkins, et al. to be much like the "Dummies" guides. For most Americans who have little or no real understanding of what goes in their mouths, off the shelf LC diets are great. People are told what to eat, what to avoid and when to eat in very explicit, definite terms. Unfortunately, most people get tired of the rigidity and never make the final leap to go from "diet" (which is popularly considered a short-term fix for a long term problem) into "nutritional plan" or "way of eating."

From that point of view, I am not a Low Carber anymore. I'm just a person who makes nutritional choices based on what I know works for me.

References:

"Physiologic Effects of Insulin," http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/pancreas/insulin_phys.html

"Rabbit Starvation," http://www.medbio.info/Horn/Time%201-2/vilhjalmur_stefansson1.htm

"Ketogenic Diet" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

First Ride in the Big Room

Sunday is my long ride day. Today's schedule called for two and a half hours. That's a full 150 minutes of vomitron goodness. Yuck.

In strange, self-mutilation sort of way I have been enjoying my indoor training sessions. I don't have the hassles of choosing the route. I don't have to worry about the terrain being wrong for the training schedule. I can ride at night. I don't have to worry about how to dress or weather conditions or food/nutrition or hydration. And I get watch movies - something I don't get to do very often for one reason or another.

So I haven't felt really compelled to try riding outdoors yet this year. Perhaps if I wasn't on an organized training plan I would be going outside ever chance the roads are clear, like in previous years. But earlier this week I got an invitation to ride on Sunday and the weather was supposed to be very warm. Supposed to be. Like 50's warm - which is typical for mid- to late-February in Colorado.

I caught a ride with Zin and ShadowCat heading north to Deadhead's house where we would meet up with Deadhead, Howard, Popeye and PedalPusher. We stopped at Starbucks on the way so Zin could get his latte fix and we chatted as Zin drove. All was good until we were about 15 miles south of Loveland, at which point we hit a wall of cold air. The temp plummeted from the mid-40s to 25. None of us were dressed for 25. We knew at that point it was going to be a painful ride.

Finally everyone had shown up and we put on all the clothes we had with us and took off. It was painful. Within 5 miles I had lost feeling in my fingers (due to only having mid-weight gloves) and my toes were in danger of staging a rebellion. My core was warm enough and I happened to have a skier's neoprene face mask for the bottom of my face, so I wasn't too bad, but I wasn't enjoying the ride either.

Finally after 16 miles we decided to go up the road to a convenience store for a rest stop, the cut the ride short and head back. By the time we were done with coffee and snacks it had warmed up to an impressive 35 degrees. This was definitely not what I signed on for!

Back at Deadhead's house after 37.5 miles we had the post-ride feast. In this case apples, bananas, chips & salsa, and mixed nuts.

Arriving at my house (after a nice little nap on my part) we looked at the external temperature...it was 57 degrees.

Think I'll stay in the dungeon a while longer.