If you have ever been to an Ironman triathlon or the local marathon, you will notice that all shapes and sizes compete in those events. I am sometimes asked by my personal training clients this question, “How can they be so large when they burn 1,000′s of calories everyday?” It is an interesting question.
A training client of mine recently suggested I read a book called, Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health
My wife is a triathlete and triathlon instructor, so i observe a few of these extremem exercise events every year. Triathletes train intensively for months to years before a race to complete a 1- to 2.5 mile open water swim, a 56- to 112-mile bike ride, and finish with a 13- to 26-mile run. Just completing a race is a feat in itself, since the event requires up to several thousand calories and spectacular endurance. The majority of triathletes adhere to fairly healthy eating habits.
Then why are a third of these dedicated men and women athletes overweight? I give them even greater credit for having to cart around the extra thirty, forty, or fifty pounds. But, give their extreme level of sustained activity and demanding training schedule, how can they still be overweight?
If we follow conventional logic, overweight triathletes need to exercise more or eat less to lose weight. I believe that this is downright ridiculous notion. I am going to argue that the problem with the diet and health of most Americans is not fat, not sugar, not the rise of the Internet and the demise of the agrarian lifestyle. It’s wheat-or what we are being sold that is called “wheat”.
I have not read much of the book yet, but that got my attention. It targets me, the people I am friends with and athletes I work with… and there does seem to be a pattern of the highly exercised athletes that carry too much weight.
What are your thoughts?
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I experimented with a bread recipe last winter and I made loaf after loaf of this wonderful bread while trying to perfect my technique. Yeah, I got pretty good at it. I, of course, gained some weight – good bread is my weakness, and nothing is better than fresh homemade bread! I noticed after a few weeks that every joint in my body HURT! I stopped making bread, tried to eliminate wheat for a bit, and the joint pains went away. I’ve known for years that wheat is not my friend. But like all addicts I have a hard time saying no… When I manage to go through “detox” and follow the South Beach Diet lifestyle, I feel better (and lose weight when I apply myself).
The book has been pretty interesting Midge, wish I could loan it to you when I’m done but not sure I can on Kindle (yet). Nikki and I have both noticed differences, her more than I. We went gluten free last year for some time and it made a big difference both of us (her more than I again), but when a Dr. said she didn’t need to be gluten free we started to eat it again, but noticed some same issues. We are mostly free of wheat now … the biggest thing I notice is that if I have a piece of pizza and a beer, I feel like crap for the entire next morning. I used to think it was the beer, but now wonder if it is more a wheat issue?
I checked out the website for the Wheat belly book–looks really interesting, but very familiar (atkins no carb diet). I haven’t gotten out to a bookstore to pick it up yet–but does the author address other types of whole grains (rye, barley? etc.? What about oatmeal–my favorite cholesterol lowering food?)?
@Dusty. I’m still not finished with the book yet, but from what I’ve read so far it’s not at all a “atkins no carb diet”. He specifically is calling out wheat (and so far he has made it a point to say the new GMO wheat breeds that are used). I would have to say it is much more in line with a Paleo style of eating in the similar fashion of Marksdailyapple (Mark Sisson) or the hundreds of others that write/blog about that manner of eating. He also has discussion on glycemic index and blood sugar regulation.
I agree with many of the ideas so far and it’s primarily how Nikki and I try and maintain our food intake (she does better than I). And trust me, we eat plenty of carbs. It’s pretty simple to eat 40 to 50% of your total caloric intake daily as carbs when you frequent the farmer’s market and buy veges by the box full:
http://www.endurancebasecamp.com/why-the-farmers-market-is-a-triathletes-best-friend/
One of his arguments is that the idea of “whole grain” being healthy is misleading, if not outright dishonest.
Interesting information above. Gary, I would love to know your thoughts once you complete the book. I personally do not eat much bread, we really do not keep in the house. Bruce on the other hand has noticed that when he cuts out bread if he has a few pounds that are sticking disappear. Given the new challenges with my thyroid I find any help with regards to calorie intake interesting and look forward to the update on the book.