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Sugar (Read 840 times)


sugnim

    Is it wise for a runner to give up sugar?  When I say sugary, I mean the refined sugar that is in things like candy, cake, and soda.  I also mean packaged foods that contain high amounts of sugar.  What I don't mean is whole fruit, or naturally occurring sugars in complex carbohydrates.

     

    I'm considering dumping sugary junk from my diet completely.  After long, hard runs, I typically eat a bunch of sugar.  Usually chocolate, gatorade, and sometimes a danish or sweet roll.  If I don't eat it, I get a headache.  I thinking that if I get through a few runs and cut sugar from my diet, then hopefully a piece of fruit along with a healthy lunch will fix any post-long run sugar urges I might get.

     

    What do you think?  Do you eat much sugar?  Do you think it is beneficial to ditch sugar?  Thanks for your thoughts.

    scappodaqui


    rather be sprinting

      I've heard sugar increases inflammation.  If I eat too many sugary things, I get NAUSEATED, mostly, and find my body is just more fatigued and doesn't recover as well.  The more whole grains/complex carbs I eat, the better I perform, but anything refined doesn't give me good sustained energy.  N=1 there, but most scientific studies agree.

       

      The exception would be, of course, DURING a run of longer than 90 minutes.  That's the optimal time to take in sugar since your body will process it right away.

      PRs: 5k 19:25, mile 5:38, HM 1:30:56

      Lifting PRs: bench press 125lb, back squat 205 lb, deadlift 245lb


      sugnim

        The exception would be, of course, DURING a run of longer than 90 minutes.  That's the optimal time to take in sugar since your body will process it right away.

         

        I've never been too successful with this.  Makes me feel sick & I end up walking.

        bhearn


          The best time to consume sugar is just after running. That's when your muscles are most primed to re-stock glycogen. And, of course, during a long race.

          ChalupaMJC


            Sugnim! It's been awhile since the old days of the RWOL forums...

             

            But why exactly do you want to cut sugar if you think it's helping you? Just health reasons?


            sugnim

              Sugnim! It's been awhile since the old days of the RWOL forums...

               

              But why exactly do you want to cut sugar if you think it's helping you? Just health reasons?

               

              Chalupa!  Welcome to the other side.  How's the oatmeal & grilled chicken, man?

               

              I guess I just think I eat too much junk food.  I probably eat something sweet everyday, and many days I eat multiple sweet things.  Plus, I could stand to lose about 10 pounds.

                You need carbs, preferably from good sources. So, yah, cut the bad sugars but after a run, you need to replenish with a source of carbs.  If you don't your recovery will be hindered.

                 

                During a race, those simple sugars are the quickest to enter the blood stream.

                 

                I suggest reading the book "racing weight" as it talks about some of these things.

                joescott


                   

                  Chalupa!  Welcome to the other side.

                   

                  "The other side...."  I guess we've been in an alternate universe this whole time and didn't realize it.

                  - Joe

                  We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.

                  spoonerweb


                    I drink a cup of tea after all my runs and I usually put 1/3 of a cup of sugar in it. My co-workers are quite shocked when they find out how much sugar I put in my tea. The tea shops always ask me twice how much sugar I want because they think they heard me wrong.

                    tom1961


                    Old , Ugly and slow

                      Kenyan runners diet is 20 percent pure sugar

                       

                      I model my training and diet after them.

                      first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007

                       

                      2019  goals   1000  miles  , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes

                        I recently converted to using coconut sugar. I use it in coffee or anything else I would use white sugar in. Mostly coffee, lots of coffee.

                          September of 2011 I stopped eating what I call concentrated sugar.  No donuts, cake, cookies, sugary lattes, etc. I still eat oranges and things like that which contain sugar.  If you can do it, I'd say go for it.

                           

                          It took me a while to get over the sugar addiction.  I realized it was an addiction when I stopped eating it and felt like something was missing from my life. It takes a real effort initially. My intake of other foods increased, but yet I lost weight rather than gained.  I'm down about 5 pounds, and I can see a difference in recent pictures from the ones taken in February.  I don't seem to be losing anymore which is okay with me.

                           

                          I'm glad I gave it up.  I didn't really plan to give it up forever, but  I don't have the desire to start eating it again.

                          Live the Adventure. Enjoy the Journey. Be Kind. Have Faith!

                            Gatorade is great post-workout.  I stopped drinking soda on a regular basis about 10 years ago.  Now, I get sick if I drink too much soda, more than a 12 oz can, regardless of the circumstances.  Chocolate is now a special treat rather than a daily snack.  There is no need to cut stuff out completely, just stop buying it to bring home.

                             

                            Simple carbs are often just what you need during/after a hard workout/race, but most of us get way too much of that crap in the 95% of the time that we spend doing something other than running.

                            xor


                              Serious question.... aside from sodium content, what's the nutritional difference between gatorade and a coke post-workout?

                               

                              skygazer


                                Serious question.... aside from sodium content, what's the nutritional difference between gatorade and a coke post-workout?

                                 

                                coke is about twice the calories (sugar) content. And I think there's a reason they only put that much mount of sugar in gatorade. You actually can get even more thirty drinking coke because your body needs water to process the simple carbs, which is a rather fast process (I've tried coke in a run. The bottle of coke I drank didn't help with thirst. It might even have contributed to my thirst dehydration later in the run).

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