Bob Seebohar Podcast - anyone following this advice?
So I listened to this very interesting podcast from Babbitt and Huddle on my ride today (indoors) http://competitorradio.competitor.com/ with Bob Seebohar talking about stablizing your blood sugar, eating more protein and veg and fewer carbs (or different ones), and taking in 80-120 cals/hour for endurance events - which made my head pop off!! 
I am going to pick up his book for sure, but my question is - is anyone else following this advice and with what results?
Cheers
Jane
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Bike:
less than 3 hours, I try to use only water with a little fruit juice, so VERY minimal calories.
3+ hours, I'll use 50% diluted Infinit, which is about 136cals for my formula, per hour, AT MOST.
Running:
I can run for 2 hours with water only (water fountains usually), with no GU or anything. And still have a kick at the end (gotta be strong for finish line pictures).
I spent most of last year lowering my caloric requirements by just decreasing it via workout after workout.
Probably isn't too scientific, but it seemed to work.
If you're talking about his "Metabolic Efficiency" book, IMO, it wasn't THAT insightful, but for ~$10 it's a good read.
The basic jist of it is, you have to get lab tested to find your metabolic efficiency point, where you burn more fat than carbs. More than likely, that point/pace is not in line with how we work around da haus - especially in the OS.
Cheers
Jane
I think what he preaches is pretty interesting. I've read the book and tried to work with it the best I could and felt okay. Problem was, Seebohar preaches long slow distance to get your body used to burning fat for fuel, and about 12 or so weeks of it. We don't have that time in the haus because we are drinking the OS koolaid. So you'd have to change your philosophy of training a bit along with your diet to get the full effects. Personally, unless I lived by that kind of diet, there's no way I'd make it thru the OS without carbs. And he is very forthcoming in stating that the preseason needs to be carb free, and slow miles to get your body up to snuff. Good idea, but one that is hard to do with EN. I hope it works for you. Personally, I just try to drink water as much as I can during workouts anyway, and use as little food as possible to see how far my body will go. Amazing what you can do on little caloric intake during workouts, but it does catch up with me.
Yea, me too. I find that carbs take care of themselves. I focus a lot on fruit and vegetables and protein. somehow, carbs will find a way into my diet plan everyday without me noticing. I've done this for a year and have lost a lot of weight, and have not found that it has really hampered my performances. All diets for me are too extreme, I'm one of those "moderation" people. I just try to eat good carbs as opposed to candy all the time!
What I learned was that before that diet, I was eating a lot of carbs and a little protein. That diet shook up my choices a lot and I think I make much better choices these days. (Like just because pretzels are low in fat does not mean I can eat them all afternoon). I think the increased protein did/ does stabilize my blood sugar and prevent the afternoon snack dive.
The weight loss (which I was not trying for) was amazing.
This year I am not following that diet, I guess I am more paleo (although I have never read the book). I eat lean meats when DH is in town. When he is away, I tend to eat vegetarian but without bread/ pasta (gluten issue), I also eat quite a bit of sushi.
During an endurance effort I tend to not be hungry. I could see how such low calories for LSD would be fine. But for the intensity we train at all year, I do not think it would work.
Good luck with your efforts.
Processed carbs are bad, mmmkay?!?
Paleo/primal folks subscribe to an almost-complete exclusion of grains, starches, etc. Each approach has a subtle difference in what's allowed and what's not.
I drink 1/2 strength Heed during and have 4 oz of Bolthouse Farms protein shake before working out- that's my other carb source. No gu's or shot blocks for me in OS. I get my fill in season.
Another thing to remember is that nutrition tends to be highly personal. I did IMWI last year on 145 calories an hour on the bike, and probably about 75 calories an hour on the run (all liquid) and my nutrition was right on. This definitely came after a ton of testing during training days and race rehearsals to see what the optimal amount would be that would give me energy, but not overfill me. I'd advise you to start tweaking with things once you start doing the longer rides to see what works for you.
Lots of good advice here. In the sports nutrition community there is a lot of controversy around Bob's approach. Some think it is "training low" but Bob says it isn't. There is a big sports nutrition conference in Chicago in March, and I'm expecting a bit of a show down. I've heard through the grapevine that some research is going to be presented that contradicts the "train low" theory.
I listened to Bob's podcast and have talked about it with him. I'm not sure it works with EN training style. One thing that does bother me is that as Dietitians, we are ethically bound to be evidence-based. I know we can't always do that because research lags behind reality. But, Bob is using anecdotal evidence when, if he has used it successfully with as many athletes he touts, he should have enough to publish some research on it even if it is just case studies. . . .
Scott: You are awesome! Our bodies NEED carbs. I was on a very low carb diet last year (80 - 90 g/day) for a few months for a medical issue and I could barely get off the couch. Carbs come from fruits, veggies, breads, grains, pasta, etc. Rather than "eliminating carbs" I prefer when people talk about the carb sources they are reducing - processed carbs, pastas, etc.
In his experience, you can retain the metabolic efficiency as long as your diet stays in line with the "Paleo for Athletes" guidance. If you over-carb, then in his experience you take 2-3 weeks to lose your metabolic efficiency gains.
I usually listen to Competitor Radio when I'm running on the Y treadmill and I heard the Bob Seebohar episode today. I like the idea of eating less because I never feel well when I try to eat the typical 300 cal/hr (and I'm a big guy at 180) during a long (over 5 hours) endurance event, but I always do it because that's what "they" say to do. I would prefer to just wait until I'm hungry but again, "they" say not to do that. I can remember in the mid 90s long before I knew anything about triathlon reading an article with Mark Allen and him talking about teaching his body to burn fat.
Does he say anything about nutrition as it relates to preventing cramps? That is my biggest concern after cramping up badly at mile 6 in Louisville last year. Maybe I just took in too many calories?
@Chris- I live outside of Louisville and have done IMLOU 2X. My suggestion (thanks to Linda) Succeed S Caps. I start taking them 30 mins in on the bike and take one every half hour throughout the race. Made a HUGE difference for me!
@Kris- thanks for the tip. Did you do Louisville one of the hot years?
@Jennifer- I checked out the wiki. 200 sounds a lot more reasonable. I probably took in twice that and while I didn't have any GI issues, the aforementioned cramps ruined my chances of making my goal time. Lots to work on in 2011!
Yup- the hottest- 2008 was my first full IM. Also trained through that wonderful heat last year for IMWI alongside my IMLOU peeps! Concentrated Infinit (my custom blend with sodium/eleco dialed up)on the bike and S caps have been lifesavers for me.