[yWleIJm4]

I'm almost one week into the Induction Phase and am curious to know if there are any other endurance athletes out there?

I'm a cyclist and runner and am STILL trying to lose pregnancy weight gained three years ago. The extra weight is a drag on my activities, so I'm very eager to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

In my sports, having sufficient fuel is critical. It's still early in the season, so I'm not too worried about having sufficient carbs for the long rides. I'm hoping that once I'm past Induction, the addition of more carbs will help with energy needs.

Right now I'm running only 12 - 15 miles per week and cycling about 90 miles per week, so I'm okay. A lot more easily fatigued, but okay.

Anyone else out there dealing with the issue of burning fats during athletic activities, instead of glycogen? It's a somewhat painful process, but if it gets me out of my "addicted to carbs" mindset for a while, then it's worth it. I'd love to hear of anyone else's experience with staying on Atkins while maintaining high-level, high-energy activities.

Cheers!

t.

[lalpphilalk]

I probably shouldnt be posting on here anymore as i lost my way with atkins many years ago and only came across the site again by accident today. The main reason I lost faith (and it is very much a matter of believing in atkins) was that I lost the ability to cycle at the level I wanted without the carbs.

In theory, if you lose weight the cycling should be easier as your power to weight ratio improves. Unfortunately, the atkins approach tended to reduce the power even quicker than it reduced the weight. As the weeks went by I found that I could do less and less.

Perhaps my failure was due to a lack of perseverance - and I am still overweight now so i am hardly a quality source of wisdom

[Bonioners]

In theory, if you lose weight the cycling should be easier as your power to weight ratio improves. Unfortunately, the atkins approach tended to reduce the power even quicker than it reduced the weight. As the weeks went by I found that I could do less and less. I doubt the relationship is that linear.

as to thread subject, some studies have found that teaching the body to use fat as the primary source of energy over carbohydrates brings about its own advantages. I'll look for the article sometime.

[goatteatromiag]

In my experience, I found it very difficult to run after going low-carb. I never got my speed back back, even when I could do the distances again.

Once you begin increasing carbs again, you will need to figure out what works for you.

[johnbeller]

I'm not an endurance athlete in the same sense but I go on endurance hikes. We'll take a rifle, 80 pound backpack with survival items, and spend two weeks hiking really only stopping to catch food, build a shelter, navigate some obstacle, or sleep. I am finding getting ready for this fall (which is when we do this) is a lot harder this year becuase of atkins. This is bad advise and I don't suggest you do this but what I have found to help me workout and train is the "5 Hour Energy" product. It gives me what I need to push through. Using it is up to you but it has worked for me and I have lost a lot of extra weight.