I've been a bit lazy as of late, and my diet has been horrible over the past several weeks. The weight has started to pile on, so I've decided to give it a shot. My starting weight (yesterday morning) was 177.5. As of this morning, It's down to 176.
I'll report back and let you know how it goes. Has anyone else here tried it?
Aaack!
I think some others have had at it last year but can't recall who. I'm hitting it starting next week after my marathon.
I did it and lost about 8 pounds over the 2 weeks. I don't know how much of that weight was fat vs. lean vs. water but I felt leaner and much better.
For me the tricky part was not the Two Week Test itself, but, rather, the transition period after the two weeks were over. One of the important things to remember is that the Two Week Test helps prime your body to discover how much and which kind of carbohydrates your body can tolerate. Unless you reintroduce the carbs in a careful and considered manner and evaluate how your mind and body respond to them you'll miss out on one of the important benefits of the test. The portions to add back while you are finding your carb tolerance are small and you should only add carbs at every other meal until you know your tolerance. When I did it I was too aggressive adding back the carbs (I was craving fruit by the end of the 2 weeks) and I don't think I realized as many benefits from it as I might have. If you haven't already, you might want to check out pp. 172-3 of "The Maffetone Method" or (even better) pp 46-8 of the new "In Fitness and in Health" for Dr. Phil's instructions about how to reintroduce the carbs.
Good luck with your test!
Congratulations to all who are doing the Two Week Test. It's often the missing link to improving endurance. Whenever I hear about athletes doing the Test I can't help but think of a former patient (I believe I wrote a short case history in one of my books about her). She progressed well with training, and although her diet improved still needed work. She finally agreed to do the Two Week Test during her winter base period. I recall her MAF was just over 8 minutes a mile for mile 1. After two weeks she was running so well that she did another MAF Test, and, to our surprise, was about 50 seconds faster. She progressed further from that point in the following months.
I would not always expect these results, although one never knows. I've seen plenty of significant improvement after the Two Week Test not only in running, but many aspects of fitness and health. So it's not just for weight loss, although the weight you lose is both water and fat. One purpose of the Test is to give your metabolism a good kick, physiologically speaking, so your fat burning improves. When this happens, if other factors are working you'll run faster at the same heart rate.
Those performing a VO2max style test on the treadmill to measure RQ will find that a lower glycemic pre-test meal will result in a lower RQ, indicating you're using more fat for energy during the run. (So much for pancakes before a marathon.)
Dr. Phil
Hi Phil,
Thanks for the post.
One of the toughest parts of the two week test is dealing with feelings of weakeness, especially if you are running a sizeable volume. I think this might be due to not getting enough carbs to replace what is being used during training. Running at MAF still uses carbs, obviously.
I understand the reason for the test. But, it seems that it if not enough carbs are taken in, the body can enter a state of ketosis, like the during the first two weeks of the Atkins diet (which I tried once and felt completely weak). In the past I've made it just a week through the 2-week test, but felt so weak, it made it difficult to teach, play, and continue to be the pleasant manhunk I am in relationship to the one woman on planet earth that can tolerate me. Running times started to tank a bit as well.
What are your thoughts on this? Also, what's the best way (sources) to keep carbs coming into the body during this period, and how much carbohydrate should be maintained?
Thanks,
Jimmy
Hi Jimmy,
when done properly, the Two Week Test should not cause any problems, such as weakness. Some people have also complained of excessive hunger, anxiety, headaches, etc. There are two possible problems that can cause these symptoms. One, not eating enough food. Some people just eliminate the carbs from their diet but don't replace them with allowable foods. Maintaining about the same number of calories is a good guide. Second, many people don't eat often enough. This usually means eating their three meals, with the addition of a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack, for example. Again, maintaining about the same number of calories is important. Many people consume much more total calories yet still lose weight. I'm OK with that, but it's important to avoid eating too little, otherwise symptoms can develop.
The Two Week Test is a test, not a diet, and certainly not like the Atkins diet. When properly done, most people won't go into ketosis because they're eating enough natural carbohydrates through vegetables. To get adequate nutrition, most adults need about 10 servings of vegetables a day, and, except for potatoes and corn, this amount is important during the Test as well. Because they're not high glycemic foods, the goal of the Test (to reduce or normalize insulin) can easily be maintained.
Our requirements for protein and fat are quite clear, but technically, there is no requirement for carbohydrate. That's because both protein and fat can be converted to glucose as the body needs it (the reason too much protein, for example, can cause the overproduction of insulin).
Another issue for some people is their "addiction" to sugar. While this may not technically be a true addiction (depending on one's definition), some people respond to eliminating sugar in their diet much like drug widthdrawl. For a few days, they may have headaches, incredible cravings for sweets, anxiety about not eating sugar, etc.
Certainly if your running times diminish (or your MAF Test worsens), it means something is wrong. If this occurs during the Two Week Test, it's usually a problem with the amount or frequency of food rather than the Test itself. Other problems that might cause symptoms during the Test include dehydration (your water needs may be higher), preexisting nutritional imbalance, and others.
An alternative to the Two Week Test is to just eliminate all high glycemic/refined carbohydrates. Substituting more vegetables and natural carbohydrats (fruits, lentils, etc.) will only improve overall health. For some reason, many people find this too simple a concept to embrace. But basically, it's the goal of the Two Week Test.
Phil
Dr. Phil,
Thanks for the clarification. Day 3 here. Was wondering why diet sodas are out. Does the artificial sweetener stimulate insulin similar to real sugar?
Thanks.
Hi C-R,
diet sodas and artificial sweeteners are unhealthy products. Most sodas, with fake or real sugar, are very high in phosphoric acid which can weaken bones and muscles. (This might be a good emergency remedy for calcium kidney stones because it disolves them quickly.)
Artificial sweeteners does something to the brain in relation to metabolism, but there's no clear understanding yet. It may just be that it disturbs the insulin-glucose mechanism, which would be why people who consume fake sugars generally eat more calories. One thing it definately does to the brain is maintain your sweet tooth. The sooner you lower your set point for sweets, the less you'll crave and eat them (one of the benefits of the Two Week Test).
Thanks Dr. Phil. I had read elsewhere that the artificial sweeteners do cause your body to continue to crave sweets but I had not read the bone weakening.
I agree they are bad for you but sometimes there's nothing better than a Diet Coke and a Moonpie. You know what the say, you can take the boy out of the South but you can't take the South out of the boy.
Full disclaimer, I haven't had a moonpie in years and don't crave one right now. I just finished a massive spinach salad with turkey, bacon, cheese and ham. Day $ and all is well.
I haven't had a moonpie in years and don't crave one right now.
Well, thanks. Now I am. Moonpie....moonpie.....moonpie...
