[HAMR] Steve's new diet

[Frank9755]

Just read on Facebook that Steve has lost 5kg in two weeks on a ne diet. 
Anyone know what he is doing?
That rate of weigh loss doesn't sound good to me.

[red marley]

If you follow the FB conversation, the team have made it clear that they don't want to give precise details of his new diet other than "[the] approach is intended to balance out deficiencies, to improve a measured metabolic decline, and it is based on low GI foods". They also say he is under supervision from a team of sports physiologists who are aware of the (predicted) weight loss.

[Frank9755]

I did read that, and it didn't make me feel confident in the approach.

Some of the stuff about cutting down junk food sounds sensible enough but I'd be surprised if, given the highly unusual nature of what Steve is doing, that there can be much of a scientific evidence base to support recommendations.  But losing a stone a fortnight, for any reason, sounds worrying. 

[LMT]

If you follow the FB conversation, the team have made it clear that they don't want to give precise details of his new diet other than "[the] approach is intended to balance out deficiencies, to improve a measured metabolic decline, and it is based on low GI foods". They also say he is under supervision from a team of sports physiologists who are aware of the (predicted) weight loss.

 

[jochta]

Sounds like he's moving over to a Low Carb High Fat Diet judging by the comment about fat burning.

[Kim]

If you follow the FB conversation, the team have made it clear that they don't want to give precise details of his new diet other than "[the] approach is intended to balance out deficiencies, to improve a measured metabolic decline, and it is based on low GI foods". They also say he is under supervision from a team of sports physiologists who are aware of the (predicted) weight loss.

 

He's back on the sausages, isn't he?

[rafletcher]

But losing a stone a fortnight, for any reason, sounds worrying.

That's only if you extrapolate linearly. And frankly what concern is it of ours what he eats/weighs? In any event a better measure would be body fat percentage.

But the overt secrecy re foodstuffs does seem OTT - unless is a new product range for endurance athletes being tested of course.

[rafletcher]

He's back on the sausages, isn't he?

Hopefully decent butchers ones - too much rusk in the cheap stuff!

[Polar Bear]

If you follow the FB conversation, the team have made it clear that they don't want to give precise details of his new diet other than "[the] approach is intended to balance out deficiencies, to improve a measured metabolic decline, and it is based on low GI foods". They also say he is under supervision from a team of sports physiologists who are aware of the (predicted) weight loss.

 

What's your problem then?   

[T42]

If he's been eating a lot of fast carbs - spuds & sugary stuff - then a lot of the fat he's been eating will have been going into storage.  If he has now dropped the high GI stuff then he'll burn most or all of his white fat off sharpish and then move onto brown fat, which is the real high-energy stuff.

Fast weight loss would be expected at first, then it should peter off & stop.

[Freya]

Not that I know anything about it, but the risk seems to be that he will lose too many miles (let alone weight) during the transition. The average daily total needed is so high that he can't afford to fall too far behind the line.

[Chris S]

Mmm... speculation; inevitable in the face of a lack of decent dialogue between team and followers, IMHO.

If he's switching to LCHF, he's going to find it rough going for a few weeks. When we first tried it, albeit an extreme version of it (ketogenic), we didn't do anything much at all for three weeks. This is clearly not an option for Steve.

But maybe this isn't the issue. Maybe he's been slowing because the weather's been shite? A rapid loss of weight like that would be concerning for anyone, however... 

If ever we needed one of Idai's interviews, it's now.

[jochta]

Not that I know anything about it, but the risk seems to be that he will lose too many miles (let alone weight) during the transition. The average daily total needed is so high that he can't afford to fall too far behind the line.

Short term loss for long term gain would be the plan I would think.

[ElyDave]

last time I lost 5kg in two weeks was as an undiagnosed T1 diabetic, eating like a horse despite the weight loss.

Went on to lose >10% of my bodyweight, don't have that problem anymore.

But seriously, Phinney and Volek would not consider a LCHF diet to be anti-endurance. In mu case I follow that as well, but I'm not doing anywhere near as much obviously as these two nutters.

[hillbilly]

Maxim #1: Steve knows best.

It will work out in the end.  Hopefully sooner rather than later, as he will be swimming against the tide when winter hits in full rather than the taster being served by the weather gods at the moment.

It'll be interesting to see how it works out if he has gone on a low carb diet.  I suspect there is a reason why polar expeditions are fuelled by fat rather than sugar.  I personally wonder what the weight loss will mean for his "heat retention" in winter - unlike polar expeditions he may not have the luxury of putting on too many layers of insulation, as he will need to have some wicking and heat dissipation on the bike.

Science

[Chris S]

But seriously, Phinney and Volek would not consider a LCHF diet to be anti-endurance. In mu case I follow that as well, but I'm not doing anywhere near as much obviously as these two nutters.

Definitely not, but they would expect a fall in performance during adaptation.

[L CC]

Maxim #1: Steve knows best.

That only goes so far- IIUC he's sought advice because the previous diet- whatever he fancied, when he could get it- wasn't working, and was making him ill.

Surely, given the miles he's doing, he's pretty well fat adapted anyway? I've never had 'carb-flu' as badly as Mr Smith has, and that's mostly because I don't run as 'hot'- I'm pretty well fat adapted, generally.

[andyoxon]

If you follow the FB conversation, the team have made it clear that they don't want to give precise details of his new diet other than "[the] approach is intended to balance out deficiencies, to improve a measured metabolic decline, and it is based on low GI foods". They also say he is under supervision from a team of sports physiologists who are aware of the (predicted) weight loss.

I was wondering if this hints at Steve effectively being part of a research project - hence sketchy details?

[Karla]

It'll be interesting to see how it works out if he has gone on a low carb diet.  I suspect there is a reason why polar expeditions are fuelled by fat rather than sugar.

There is: it's that pound for pound, fat is the densest carb store.  When all your food is in the sledge you're dragging behind you, you don't want to carry any extra weight.

[L CC]

It'll be interesting to see how it works out if he has gone on a low carb diet.  I suspect there is a reason why polar expeditions are fuelled by fat rather than sugar.

There is: it's that pound for pound, fat is the densest carb energy store.  When all your food is in the sledge you're dragging behind you, you don't want to carry any extra weight.

FTFY

I'd say that's true for cyclists, too. Even skinny people are carrying a load of fat they could be fuelling themselves on, rather than lugging kilos of flapjacks or gels.

[LMT]

If you follow the FB conversation, the team have made it clear that they don't want to give precise details of his new diet other than "[the] approach is intended to balance out deficiencies, to improve a measured metabolic decline, and it is based on low GI foods". They also say he is under supervision from a team of sports physiologists who are aware of the (predicted) weight loss.

 

What's your problem then?

No problem, just the hush hushness of what someone eats.

[mattc]

Right, here goes with an experiment:
I haven't read this thread, but see there are 20 posts already. Would it be rash to predict that no-one knows what this new diet actually *is* ?   

[Chris S]

Right, here goes with an experiment:
I haven't read this thread, but see there are 20 posts already. Would it be rash to predict that no-one knows what this new diet actually *is* ?   

We're not allowed to say.

[Kim]

If you follow the FB conversation, the team have made it clear that they don't want to give precise details of his new diet other than "[the] approach is intended to balance out deficiencies, to improve a measured metabolic decline, and it is based on low GI foods". They also say he is under supervision from a team of sports physiologists who are aware of the (predicted) weight loss.

I was wondering if this hints at Steve effectively being part of a research project - hence sketchy details?

It's a decision made by Steve's team.  Of course the details are going to be sketchy.  That's how it works.  Doesn't imply anything.


(You can all carry on with proving mattc right now...   )

[Frank9755]

Sounds like he's moving over to a Low Carb High Fat Diet judging by the comment about fat burning.

That would make sense. It was what Andy Wilkinson suggested he should do at the outset.