New here/which plan to use?
 

I posted on the introductions board but they told me to come here. I want to try a low carb diet to deal with my last 10 pounds and a yeast issue I have. I am training for a marathon in October (I am running it whomever it was that asked on the other board) and am scared I won't have the energy to put in my miles. I also weight train and do TaeBo and am a Mama to 5 great kiddos so I need my energy! LOL!! I got two books at a used book store today - protein power and the carbohydrate addicts so i am just learning.
Appreciate the help!!
Amy

Hi Amy!
Glad you came aboard. I am going to have to agree with TrainerDan on this one.... If you are running a marathon (god bless you!), than you're body is going to need A LOT of energy and your body is going to need the carbs. A marathon is a lot of miles on your body! TrainerDan recommended the Zone, if that's what you choose. I don't know too much about it.

Well, good luck on training for your marathon. Where is the marathon? I have a great respect for marathon runners. Running is my least favorite exercise and complain if I run 2 miles!! :)

Good luck!
Linda

Linda,
I LOVE running - it gives me an ineer peace and challanges my body like nothing since my labors :-) I am doing the Detroit Marathon this year. Is the Zone much different that the Protein Power method?
THANKS!!
Amy

Hi Amy!
I found this information on the Zone plan on our Low Carb Plans Forum. It was posted by deelight....
Like I said before, I do not know much about the Zone or Protein Power but this looks like a good summary of the Zone. Hope it helps!
Linda




The Zone Summary
1. Plan's name: The Zone
2. Date: Enter the Zone, published in 1996, has since written Master The Zone, The Soy Zone, A Week in the Zone…PLUS…. Zone Blocks, Anti-Aging Zone, Top 100 Zone Foods, Zone Recipes.
3. Basic Philosophy/Strategy: 40/30/30
4. By the numbers: The only change you make is to add more fat when you are in maintenance to prevent you from continual loss. Otherwise, you eat the same from the beginning….i.e. there is no induction phase.
5. Method: Block method. 1 carb block = 9g carbohydrates, 1 protein block = 7g protein (absolutely no fat), 1 fat block = 3g fat …… however, since most meats (even lean cuts) tend to have some fat "hanging around", he recommends assuming that your protein source already has 1.5g fat. Therefore 1 fat block = 1.5g fat.
6. Typical menu: An average meal for a woman with average activity levels is a 3 block meal. You would have 3 carb blocks (e.g. 1c green beans [1block] and 1 apple [2blocks), 3 protein blocks (e.g. 3oz. of chicken), and 3 fat blocks (e.g. cook your chicken in 1tsp. of olive oil [3blocks]).
7. Emphasis on: Insulin Control
8. Unique Features: Unlike Atkins or PP (for example) the Zone wants you to concentrate on always eating a ratio of 40% carbs, 30% protein

THANK YOU LINDA!! I am trying proteinpower today. The Zone seems WAY too complicacted for a busy Mama of 5! LOL!! I think it's too much carbs anyway for me. We shall see how I feel in a few days!

Which plan?
 

Hi Amy:
I don't get on as often as I would like, so it has taken me a few days to reply to your question. I followed a modified low carb diet designed by Dr. Michael Platt, called the Metobolic Solutions. It worked well for me and I lost over 30 pounds. Why I mention it is because my cookbook (Everyday Low Carb Cooking) is based on his plan. My husband who is a 60 year old physician ate out of this book while training for the Boston Marathon this year. It was only his second marathon, and he finished in 3:35:27 - not bad for an old guy! He did carb load the week of the race to give himself extra reserves for the energy needed. And, he did eat some whole grain breads and cereal during his training period. He trained for 6 months to get ready for the marathon.
The other thing that I wanted to mention is that you may not need to eat low carb to lose weight, depending on your training schedule. My husband did lose 20 pounds, but he was a bit over his ideal to start. And, he lost the weight while eating low carb and training for his first marathon, now a year ago. Like me, he has kept it all off. The difference between a weight loss low carb and a maintenance low carb diet is the amount of carbs.
On the plan I followed, 30 grams a day of carb was recommended for weight loss. To maintain, I eat 50 - 60 grams a day and have kept the weight off for over a year (18 months). It will vary depending on your metabolism and your activity level. You will need to experiment a bit to see what suits you.
My husband, since he was a novice marathoner went to a website www.marathontraining.com where you can get either general information about training or have Art Liberman design a training program specifically for you:)
This is a lot of information, but it was so close to my heart that I couldn't resist. Hope it is of interest/help.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking when I do my LSD (long slow distance) runs I would carb up the night before and when I do the actual marathon I will carb up that week. I am not doing this so severe - 40 grams of carbs is where I am starting. I feel "OK" so far (day 2) but I have bouts wher I can feel my blood sugar is low and where I CRAVE sweets so bad!! I think that may be more of a yeast issue than carbs though.
Anyways - thanks again!

More Information
 

Hi again, Amy
If you are feeling that your blood sugar is low, that may well be because you are having an insulin reaction to too many carbs. Have you tried any of the low carb protein bars, when you "crave" sweets? Some of them are chocolate flavored, and quite good - they give you protein that your body can use and do not produce the insulin triggered high & low blood sugar. Another idea is Gatorade which is one of the sports drinks that is low in carbs - only 5-6% I think, which is a lot better than many of the others. Anyway, you will have to experiment to find out what works for you.
Best of luck.:)