My weight lost and increased fitness has impressed many members and have asked me how I have done it? By doing the Paleo Diet and training 5 days a week. I never thought I would be this fit,stronger and 18 lbs lighter in just 10 weeks. I put it down more to the diet than the training, Most of us can ride/train 1-2 hours a day, but are you having enough good nutrients to repair your body each day,to go out again and give 100% without your body failing you? Recovery is as important, as is the training and what things you are eating. If you get this balance right you are laughing.
I'm not blowing my own trumpet
but there is reason why I did this. (next paragraph) This has worked for me and has worked well, everyone is different and different things work for different people and members have asked me what Paleo Diet is all about?
Well I try and explain....
My Training & Diet Plan
I Started the Diet and training 1st January 2012. The last time I rode my bike was 4th July 2011 (Mega Meon)I was so disgusted with my lack of fitness and overweight I did not touch the bike for the rest of the year
. So I started in January with 1 hour on the a day bike and each week increased it by 10 mins so by week 6 I'm up to 2 hours 5 times a week doing a different discipline each day with one 3 hour tempo ride every couple of weeks.
What I ate?
Really very simple, Good quality meat,vegetables,fruit,salad and at what time you eat certain foods
Think like a caveman and eat like a caveman
No ready meals or fast food...Just good real food. Pasta,Potato,yams are good recovery foods only, you will see as you read more. You will be surprised how many foods have sugar in the them especially so called 'low fat food products or good 4 you ranges etc' and condiments,sauce relishes i.e tommy ketchup the amount sugar in them is un-real. Sugar is a form of carb that if not burnt though exercise turns to fat. Have natural low G.I.(glycemic index) Carb's like fruit slow release of sugar. Also this is why you get that empty hungry feeling say 2-3 hours after eating pasta,pizza, confectionery because your blood sugar has spiked due to the high G.I. food and then it's crashes down making you feel hungry again then you go and eat some thing else and so on.
What is 'The Paleo Diet'
The basic premise of Dr. Cordain’s research on paleolithic nutrition is that certain foods are optimal for humans and others are nonoptimal. The optimal foods are those that we have been eating for most of our time on Earth—more than 4 million years. Only in the last 10,000 years, a mere blink of the eye relative to our species’ existence, have we been eating nonoptimal foods. Unfortunately, these foods comprise the bulk of what western society eats today and include such foods as grains, dairy and legumes. Given that our bodies have not changed, we are simply not welladapted to these nonoptimal foods and they moderate health and peak performance.
On the other hand, we have been eating optimal foods – vegetables, fruits, and lean animal protein – for hundreds of thousands of years and we are fully adapted to them. Science tells us that these foods also best meet our nutritional needs. Eat these and you will thrive. Avoid or strictly limit them and your health and performance will be compromised.
Paleo for Athletes is a little different.
Serious athletes, however, when it comes to immediately before, during, and directly after workouts, need to bend the rules of the Paleo Diet a bit since we're placing demands on the body that were not normal for our Stone Age ancestors. Hour after hour of sustained high energy output and the need for quick recovery are the serious athlete’s unique demands. This requires some latitude to use non-optimal foods on a limited basis. The exceptions may best be described by explaining the athlete’s 5 stages of daily eating relative to exercise.
Stage I: Eating Before Exercise
In brief, we recommend that athletes eat low to moderate glycemic index carbohydrates at least two hours prior to a hard or long workout or race. There may also be some fat and protein in this meal. All foods should be low in fiber. Take in 200 to 300 calories for every hour remaining until exercise begins. If eating two hours prior is not possible, then take in 200 or so calories 10 minutes before the workout or race begins.
Stage II: Eating During Exercise
During long or hard workouts and races you will need to take in high glycemic index carbohydrates mostly in the form of fluids. Sports drinks are fine for this. Find one that you like the taste of and will drink willingly. Realize that events lasting less than about an hour (including warmup) don’t require any carbohydrate. Water will suffice for these. A starting point for deciding how much to take in is 200 to 400 calories per hour modified according to body size, experience and the nature of the exercise (longer events require more calories than short).
Stage III: Eating Immediately After
In the first 30 minutes postworkout (but only after long and/or highly intense exercise) and postrace use a recovery drink that contains both carbohydrate and protein in a 4:1. This 30minute window is critical for recovery. It should be your highest priority after a hard workout or race.
Stage IV: Eating for Extended Recovery
For the next few hours (as long as the preceding challenging exercise lasted) continue to focus your diet on carbohydrates, especially moderate to high glycemic load carbohydrates along with protein at a 4:1 carbprotein ratio. Now is the time to eat nonoptimal foods. Perhaps the perfect Stage IV foods are raisins, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.
Stage V: Eating for LongTerm
Recovery For the remainder of your day, or until your next Stage I, return to eating a Paleo Diet by focusing on optimal foods.
How Much Protein, Carbs and Fat Should I Eat?
The macronutrient requirement changes with the demands of the training season and so should be periodized along with training. We recommend that athletes maintain a rather consistent protein intake year round. As a percentage of total calories this will typically be in the range of 20-25% for athletes. This is on the low end of what our Stone Age ancestors ate due to the athlete’s increased intake of carbohydrate in Stages I to IV which dilutes protein as a percentage of daily calories.
On the other hand, periodization of diet produces significant and opposing swings in the athlete’s fat and carbohydrate intake as the training seasons change. During the base (general preparation) period the diet shifts toward an increased intake of fat while carbohydrate intake decreases. At this time in the season when a purpose of training is to promote the body’s use of fat for fuel, more healthy fat is consumed—in the range of 30% of total calories—with carbohydrate intake at around 50%. During the build and peak (specific preparation) periods the intensity of training increases placing greater demands on the body for carbohydrate to fuel exercise. At this latter time of the season Stages III and IV become increasingly critical to the athlete’s recovery. Carbohydrate intake increases accordingly to around 60% of total calories with fat intake dropping to around 20%.
During times of the year when training is greatly reduced (peaking/tapering and transition periods) the athlete must limit caloric intake to prevent unwanted weight gain.
Why is the Paleo Diet Beneficial?
Health and fitness are not synonymous. Unfortunately, many athletes are fit but unhealthy. Frequent illness, injury and overtraining reduce performance potential. The Paleo Diet for Athletes significantly improves health long term. Compared with the commonly accepted athlete’s diet, the Paleo Diet:
Increases intake of branched chain amino acids (BCAA). Benefits muscle development and anabolic function. Also counteracts immunosuppression common in endurance athletes following extensive exercise.
Decreases omega-6: omega-3 ratio. Reduces tissue inflammations common to athletes while promoting healing. This may include asthmatic conditions common in athletes.
Lowers body acidity. Reduces the catabolic effect of acidosis on bone and muscle while stimulating muscle protein synthesis. This is increasingly important with aging.
Is high in trace nutrients. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for optimal health and longterm recovery from exercise. The most nutrient dense foods are vegetables and seafood. On average, vegetables have nearly twice the nutrient density of grains.
Hope this makes sense
Feel free to message me with any question's
Just hope my strength and endurance keeps growing