The Carb Train

After reading Liz's Posts this morning about the benefits of including carbohydrates in our diet I found myself nodding along thoroughly in agreement. Not only have I studied Biochemistry, thanks to a previous liftime of wanting to study medicine (and then I woke up to myself) am innately familiar with the Krebs cycle. Bottom line is - Carbohydrates are a macronutrient and essential for human survival.

Additionally - it is almost impossible to NOT include them in your diet IF you are consuming vegetables (which you should be!)

But like liz said - it is the type of Carbohydrates that we should be concerned about consuming rather than the consumption of carbs.

During the time I was training with Liz I under went a major brain shift in thinking patterns about food and diet. Prior to following Liz's plans I would exist on Salad and tuna or Salad and Chicken for lunch - having had no carbs since Breakfast (If I had managed to eat oats and not an egg white omlette that day). By the afternoon I was in a complete brain fog, unable to concentrate and starving. The usual pattern would follow - that being me arriving home from work - Starving - and then raiding the cupboard for ANYTHING sweet. That usually included LOTS of sultanas followed by tablespoons of honey and Milo. Hmmn - then an hour later I would sit down to a dinner of veges and some kind of protein - again - no carbs - only to be starving an hour later. I would force myself through the night - often waking up hungry - and do it all again the next day.

When I started training a bit more seriously for running - with the half marathon goal in mind, I just couldn't find the energy for running and enjoying my training while eating in this way. So - taking some of Liz's advice - I started addend good Carbs back in - I had sandwhiches for lunch and ate a jacket potato with dinner. I had yoghurt and fruit again. All good healthy, natural sources of carbs. i also stopped having as much processed sugar, if I had coffee I would have real sugar in it etc.

Funny thing happened - training became really really enjoyable. I stopped bingeling in the afternoons. I got through the night without waking up starving AND I started losing weight and keeping it coming off. I stopped with the fluctuating up and down, the getting frustrated that it wasn't working and giving up after 3 weeks. I actually manged to get down to the lowest weight I had been in years - and I felt really good for it.

It is important for me to remember these things now - because next year when it comes time to do it again - I need to remember that it works and it isn't difficult.

I aways feel really bad for people who are struggling along on low carb based plans - whetherit be in the lead up for a comp or for whatever reason.

As for the coke add with Kerry Armstrong. When I first saw that in WHO magazine I read it because I thought it was a joke or a spoof. I really couldn't believe that they would try and sell the idea to people that coke could possibly be healthy. It certainly is an interesting marketing perspective. What sadden's me is that there are people out there who believe the marketing campaigns. It also saddens me that in the drink dispenser at my work - a bottle of water costs $3.00 and the Coke is only $2.50. Hmmn...

There is more than enoughhigh level evidence out there that high fructose corn syrup (not only in coke - also in every other soft drink, and even some juices among other things) is bad for us.
We don't need academic journals to prove it to us - the proof is in the obesity and the heart disease and the ever increasing incidence of diabetes and all of the other 'Lifestyle' related medical conditions that is placing pressure on our health system.

Just something to ponder I guess.