ok thanks guys!!

makes sense to me.. i mean of course we are trying to keep it low carb cuz our bodies can only use so much before it does 'bad things' to us.. for lack of a better and more technical explanation (peapods explanation LOL).. when you exert yourself the way YOU guys do you NEED extra carbs to burn for fuel.. for you guys its the same as if you were doing 20 carbs with little to moderate exercise.. at least this is my understanding and how i can relate it to my tiny brain (which, no.. hasnt been shrunk by excess cortisol.. LOL)

cue bald 1 you have been of great help to me!! i can tell how much you LOVE biking.. and as long as im not bugging you, i will look for you to ask questions of from now on! is there a site online that i can get a chart for using my gears that you know of? i work on a LAN and am not allowed to recieve attachments etc without expressed permission

off to ride..

I'm training for the Danskin women's triathlon in August, and while I'm not going as much as some of you, I'm pretty heavy. I was doing Atkins and I just couldn't keep on with it - eating all that fat was not agreeing with me, making me sluggish and making it hard to work out (prone to stomach cramps when running, etc.), plus I was prone to bonking when I did anything over an hour. I've switched to the Zone, where one typically takes in 99 grams carb per day or more, and I feel about a million times better. In fact, I feel great and I'm enjoying my workouts way, way more. It was scary making that switch, since after more than six months on Atkins I'd developed CarbFear™, but I think it was the right move for me.

When I go on a ride or a run I bring my Camelbak filled with very, very watery Gatorade. Like, 1/8 Gatorade. I think I bike around 12 miles/hour and go for varying amounts of time, from 1/2 hour to two hours, three or more times per week (and going up).

I've read the same - people on a controlled carb diet have excellent stamina. I think massive "carb-loading" is proven to be just about worthless. But I do agree that Atkins can be a little too low, and I think to get enough carbs you probably do need to add some more "unfavorable" things (like bananas or more fruits in general). I guess we each have to listen to our own body.

Hello "Y",

Like I have said, I list myself as Atkins but, to be honest, I am listenning to a lot of opinions about LC WOE and tinkering quite a bit with it. I'm not sure that I qualify for a person that suffers from "carbfear" but I do pay close attention to the types and amounts I do take in.

I'm very comfortable useing more traditional sources of carbs for my cycling including carb gels, power bars, gatoraid... I even make my own sports drink using corn syrup.

I think that folks tend to take Atkins or any other strict carb controlled diet too far. For someone who sits on their tail, extended periods of induction are ok. The problem is, like you mention, the all might fear of carbs of any kinds. Then, to compound that problem, if one does try to do some serious exercise they don't adapt and blame the WOE. SIGH! I don't care what plan anyone adopts. If one only reads it to find the easy parts of that plan, then they will not get the most out of it.

Perhaps I preach to the choir?

I'd say I'm a newly anointed choir member. So preach on, Cue-Bald.

I would hate to think that some people on this WOE get driven away from increasing/enjoying exercise because of performance problems and don't realize it may be the diet. I suppose it could happen. Not everyone finds this excellent site and the amazing discussion and support here. And I have to admit, Atkins's books oversell the diet a bit, to my way of thinking (although, as you point out, not everyone really reads/studies the books).

But clearly, in Atkins there's nothing wrong with upping your carbs. You can bring them up as high as works for you, in OWL, and I was upping them as I increased my exercise over spring. I was lifting a lot then, but needed to focus on more cardio, and that's when I started having problems with stomach upset, unable to eat enough, etc. But if Atkins doesn't suit a person there are so many other plans and I do think everyone should read lots of these books - the libraries have 'em. The lowcarb skills picked up from months of Atkins will always hold me in good stead and I'm still far from the average American, who eats 300 or more grams of carbs per day, isn't it?

Yeah, I wasn't very comfortable going to the Gatorade and stuff like that. I was having trouble with bonking so I figured I really needed more carbs during and maybe before exercise, but I asked a lot of questions of people before I did: NinaJean told me that watery Gatorade is recommended for the Zone, and zandria72 told me that we all need carbs cycling around in our blood during extended exercise, and that "fat burns in a carbohydrate flame." I'm doing better now, and feel seriously good, and I guess I'll always be learning more.