KETO/PALEO/PLANT BASED/PHD/AIP/FASTING lets talk about food as it relates to athletes

[Dhelihiker]

For years I've been a little obsessed with the human diet as it relates to athletic performance. I've read lots, watched just about every documentary out there and I've personally done almost all "diets" to some extent or full on.

I personally have come to the conclusion that any diet can be healthy or unhealthy, i.e. Keto based on bacon and pork rinds vs Macadamia nuts and coconut oil and so on.

I also think that our bodies react differently and you have a specific diet that is made for you and what you want to accomplish. Do you want to get really strong? Live as long as possible? Not get Alzheimer?

I personally seem to really thrive on Paleo/AIP type of a diet. I feel good, have great endurance and good recovery time.

KETO sucks ass. Mooshy food and no benefit aside from losing weight that I didn't really need to lose. I ate pretty clean too, but still felt unhealthy.

I'm week 3 Plant Based and I don't feel like its going very well. I felt like poo on my last run and I am not buying the anti inflammatory function. Im hoping things turn around because I actually like the food and the idea that animals are not being killed or fucked with. Funny enough I also enjoy hunting and will gladly drop a buck this fall.



What has been your experience? What helps you get after it?

[fastfred]

I'm an athelete and work pretty hard on my diet
pretty much the same thing for years I lay some great turds every morning like clockwork never shit after 9am
bagel and cream cheese 1/2 pot of coffee or more banana and bong hits for breakfast
mid morning snack is a couple donuts
lunch is fast food subs or super market sushi or pre flu manic I would sniff out a free lunch somewhere anywhere and pig out
dinner is usually frozen pizza chicken nuggets microwave meals or a burger
ice cream, beer, pie, or cake for desert
don't over think anything when it comes to food
look around everyone is doing great and we can eat all the shit we want what could be better

[SkiBall]

Finding that diet of what you like to eat and go as healthy as you want. My palate has been pretty wide open ( thanks mom), so just try to eat healthy cuz that is what tastes good. I have been doing the higher good fats, and cutting carbs down but not out. Not an athlete per se, I am athletic into my 50’s and want to hold what I have best as possible. Putting more emphasis on this has been painless and have lost weight I didn’t think needed but feel good overall.
And eating healthy makes me feel no guilt with a nightly bowl of ice cream.

[PB]

Hard act to follow ....

How about: Metamucil is your best friend.


.... after whiskey.

[Dhelihiker]

I'm an athelete and work pretty hard on my diet
pretty much the same thing for years I lay some great turds every morning like clockwork never shit after 9am
bagel and cream cheese 1/2 pot of coffee or more banana and bong hits for breakfast
mid morning snack is a couple donuts
lunch is fast food subs or super market sushi or pre flu manic I would sniff out a free lunch somewhere anywhere and pig out
dinner is usually frozen pizza chicken nuggets microwave meals or a burger
ice cream, beer, pie, or cake for desert
don't over think anything when it comes to food
look around everyone is doing great and we can eat all the shit we want what could be better

Ah to be in your twenties

[Dhelihiker]

I think post exercise swelling has been my biggest concern/driver for finding the trick.




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[Dantheman]

We have a nutrition science thread, but whatever.

The current push to rebrand veganism as "plant based" is amusing. "Just do your best, even if you only eat one less animal food each day it's a victory (but if you eat anything less than full vegan we actually think you're a murderer). It's a meaningless term--most people already get the majority of calories from plant sources, so are they eating "plant based?"

If you're doing a whole food vegan diet take the supplements Michael Greger recommends. An unsupplemented vegan diet will literally kill you. Properly supplemented it's a healthy diet, though not necessarily optimal for athletes. There are some elite athletes that eat vegan but there are also many others who have tried it and quit because they did not do well.

More generally, all whole foods are healthy. That an unsupplemented vegan diet will kill you makes me dubious of claims that it's the ideal human diet, but plants are definitely awesome. I probably eat way more produce than most vegans.

Changing your eating habits is really, really hard. But, if you can make healthy eating a habit it becomes easy.

[Grange]

I've been doing intermittent fasting for almost a year now and love it. I train martial arts a lot and when I tested for a black belt in March I knew I had to be in much better shape because when I got my previous black belt last September. I almost didn't make it through the grueling test last September and knew the March test was going to be much worse. To get ready I started intermittent fasting to work on my body fat and weight and HIIT for my cardio. When I tested in March I was ready and made it through.

Since the pandemic hit I've been working from home and my gym closed and martial arts went virtual for several months. I switched my focused more toward strength training. Now that I'm training in the martial arts studio again I've gotten better. My strength is better and that bodes well when grappling and sparring.

The thing I like about intermittent fasting is I didn't have to consciously change what I eat. My diet has changed, but it was gradual and I don't have the cravings I used to have. For example bought candy (I have a horrible sweet tooth) in several months.

[Danno]

You might find a lot of these topics hashed out in the nutrition thread: https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=320182

I am still keto after 2+ years. But I'm lazy keto, very lazy, so more accurately I'm just very low carb. It works well for me.

[Dhelihiker]

You might find a lot of these topics hashed out in the nutrition thread: https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=320182

I am still keto after 2+ years. But I'm lazy keto, very lazy, so more accurately I'm just very low carb. It works well for me.

Yeah that thread pretty much covers it, this thread may die.

[tgapp]

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

We have a nutrition science thread, but whatever.

The current push to rebrand veganism as "plant based" is amusing. "Just do your best, even if you only eat one less animal food each day it's a victory (but if you eat anything less than full vegan we actually think you're a murderer). It's a meaningless term--most people already get the majority of calories from plant sources, so are they eating "plant based?"

If you're doing a whole food vegan diet take the supplements Michael Greger recommends. An unsupplemented vegan diet will literally kill you. Properly supplemented it's a healthy diet, though not necessarily optimal for athletes. There are some elite athletes that eat vegan but there are also many others who have tried it and quit because they did not do well.

More generally, all whole foods are healthy. That an unsupplemented vegan diet will kill you makes me dubious of claims that it's the ideal human diet, but plants are definitely awesome. I probably eat way more produce than most vegans.

Changing your eating habits is really, really hard. But, if you can make healthy eating a habit it becomes easy.

^^ i think this is the very best advice here. is a box of cereal plant based? or a box of oreos? i guess, sure.

in the words of michael pollan: "“Eat (real) food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” (real being implied)

gonna go check out the nutrition science thread, thanks for the heads up!

[riser4]

Hard act to follow ....

How about: Metamucil is your best friend.


.... after whiskey.

Whiskey with a Metamucil chaser? I'll give it a try.

[Timberridge]

I'm an athelete and work pretty hard on my diet
pretty much the same thing for years I lay some great turds every morning like clockwork never shit after 9am
bagel and cream cheese 1/2 pot of coffee or more banana and bong hits for breakfast
mid morning snack is a couple donuts
lunch is fast food subs or super market sushi or pre flu manic I would sniff out a free lunch somewhere anywhere and pig out
dinner is usually frozen pizza chicken nuggets microwave meals or a burger
ice cream, beer, pie, or cake for desert
don't over think anything when it comes to food
look around everyone is doing great and we can eat all the shit we want what could be better

Always nice to see a fastfred post first thing in the am. If you need any support for your athletic endeavors...

[Svengali]

[fastfred]

I started wearing spanx
keeps me looking trim and I can eat whatever

[PB]

Pretty sure that just squeezes your fat up into your brain.

[neufox47]

Speaking to the average maggot; Step 1 for diet improvement, reduce alcohol consumption to 1 drink per week... (Says the guy who just dropped $150 on cans at Moonraker)


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[joetron]

I’m drinking less beer and more decent red wine and tequila; not eating breakfast, shooting for the 8/16 thing. Not much junk or processed stuff. Been doing this since about Feb.
I feel great, can throw down big efforts on bikes or skis without needing constant calories and am feeling as fit/strong as ever (I’m 45). I recently went sub-160lbs which is probably a weight I haven’t seen since freshman year of college.
Pretty psyched about all of it.


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[Dhelihiker]

I’m drinking less beer and more decent red wine and tequila; not eating breakfast, shooting for the 8/16 thing. Not much junk or processed stuff. Been doing this since about Feb.
I feel great, can throw down big efforts on bikes or skis without needing constant calories and am feeling as fit/strong as ever (I’m 45). I recently went sub-160lbs which is probably a weight I haven’t seen since freshman year of college.
Pretty psyched about all of it.


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Alcohol is definitely a hindrance for me, I'm mid forties too. A little hard liquor seems much easier to process that an IPA. I've never done the 8/16 fast. It makes sense

Dantheman has laid down some serious knowledge in that other thread. I'm about half way through it. I'm in a probiotics worm hole right now.

I think my struggle with plant based is keeping it low glycemic and finding good protein sources. Peas and legumes and more peas.

[Danno]

I have been doing 8/16 most days for 2 years now, it's really pretty easy once the body adapts.

I gave up non-social drinking in my 40s (not in my 50s), and when I went keto/low carb I basically gave up beer and wine, and hard liquor and hard seltzer are just less appealing, so I hardly ever drink. I am at a college weight after being 20-25lbs over that for the previous decade, and have maintained pretty easily.

[XXX-er]

I was overeating for many years so just eat a normal varied diet but eat less, how i did that was read the white label on food products which gives the recommended portion and choose the lowest sugar levels, cut out all added sugar/honey, a1c level went down 2 points and I lost 15lbs on 175 in about 6 months, stopping drinking for 6 months didn't make any difference physicaly but it made me sharper

edit: Thats ^^ what works for me, I have been the same weight with a normal BMI of 24 for > 10yrs, I can gain/lose 5 lbs in a week on a hut trip, I do think ever body is different

[DBdude]

Ah to be in your twenties

fred is no spring chicken

[dan_pdx]

Like the rest of you dentists, I'm in my mid-40s. I ran cross-country and track in high school and college and never had trouble with my weight until the last five years or so. Now I'm finding that shifting to less meat and less carbs helps with maintaining weight, but I'm not specifically Atkins/keto/whatever. I've been somewhat perturbed to see that I'm getting less interested in drinking these days - my wife and I take a week to get through a bottle of wine now - but it's probably all good from a nutrition standpoint.

I'm a little jealous of Joetron saying he can do long days on the bike or on skis without needing to shovel in fuel, I'm definitely not there: I need to fuel during any bike ride longer than an hour or so. Probably related to approach to training as much as diet.

[Dhelihiker]

Like the rest of you dentists, I'm in my mid-40s. I ran cross-country and track in high school and college and never had trouble with my weight until the last five years or so. Now I'm finding that shifting to less meat and less carbs helps with maintaining weight, but I'm not specifically Atkins/keto/whatever. I've been somewhat perturbed to see that I'm getting less interested in drinking these days - my wife and I take a week to get through a bottle of wine now - but it's probably all good from a nutrition standpoint.

I'm a little jealous of Joetron saying he can do long days on the bike or on skis without needing to shovel in fuel, I'm definitely not there: I need to fuel during any bike ride longer than an hour or so. Probably related to approach to training as much as diet.

Keeping your HR to less than 140 BPM is all the rage right now, the fat burning zone. Supposedly you can go for ever with little to no food. I personally like the feeling of 160 BPM and gels every 30 minutes.

[thedude2340]

Like the rest of you dentists, I'm in my mid-40s. I ran cross-country and track in high school and college and never had trouble with my weight until the last five years or so. Now I'm finding that shifting to less meat and less carbs helps with maintaining weight, but I'm not specifically Atkins/keto/whatever. I've been somewhat perturbed to see that I'm getting less interested in drinking these days - my wife and I take a week to get through a bottle of wine now - but it's probably all good from a nutrition standpoint.

I'm a little jealous of Joetron saying he can do long days on the bike or on skis without needing to shovel in fuel, I'm definitely not there: I need to fuel during any bike ride longer than an hour or so. Probably related to approach to training as much as diet.

The 8/16 thing changed the game for me in terms of fuel requirements on long days (or any sized day). No idea why, but I just know it’s the only thing I changed and my intake requirements are way down, and I can’t recall the last time I bonked*

*And I definitely bonked pre 8/16 even with what I thought was adequate food.

I don’t really watch what I eat and probably drink too much, but have been at high school weight for the 2 years on 8/16. I will admit I didn’t really need to lose, it was more of a discipline/digestion experiment but anything unnecessary seemed to melt off pretty quick.

What the canadian said holds - different strokes/folks