I need advice again.

[Hockeychic]

I am once again coming to my WISH family for advice.

I am a pepsiohilic basically having about 2 or 3 cans a day and about 2 or 3 cups of tea per day with 2 teaspoons of sugar in each cup.

Well a few weeks ago I cut it all out except 1 cup of tea in the morning with no sugar.

Since then during my training walks my legs are so fatigued and sore...even on just short walks. On the weekend I broke down and had 2 cans of pop on Sat. Went out for 2 training walks 1 5K in the morning and 11K at night and felt awesome.

Do you think it is the caffine or sugar that I have cut out that is effecting my legs? Also I am really tired at night but am getting up early.

I really don't want to go back to pop and sugar but I also need to get in my training.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Kim

 

[Creativebeth]

I would cut out the soda. The sugar is the bad part, not so much the caffiene. I would find a substitute caffiene fix. The sugar is going to send you into blood sugar surges that are not good for you. Fuel with other things.....you will have to experiment with different things to find what works for you.

Beth

 

[Hockeychic]

Thanks Beth,

Ya I know I need to cut the sugars cause I have high triglycerides also and have been doing really good but I need to train so not sure if it is the caffine or the sugar that is causing my problems since when I drank the pop I had both back in my system.

Very frustrated that I am doing something good for my body and it is turning on me.

I have tried to find pop with no sugar and they all have aspertime (sp) which causes me extreme headaches.

Thanks again for you input it is always appreciated.

 

[Lynn G]

Kim, if you want the caffeine without the sugar, and you like tea, replace your soda with unsweetened tea. I don't drink soda, I drink coffee in the morning, or course, my coffee is half milk and flavored syrup (sweetened with Splenda), because I really do not like coffee - but tea would work as well. If you can do Splenda, you could sweeten it yourself, just avoid the Equal.

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hi Kim! It could be the caffeine that you're missing. Earlier in the summer when I cut out diet pop, I felt extremely tired for a week or two. I think that was it. Not sure which pop are made with Splenda. I thought diet Pepsi was and I think diet Orange Crush and diet Cream Soda are also made with Splenda. Nestea might also be made with Splenda (I'll check the box when I get home).

 

[timmac]

For your overall tiredness, the caffeine may have something to do with it... have you tried using splenda as a sweetener in your tea? As others have said, I don't think the caffeine is so bad, except that it can mess with your hydration just a bit (since it's a diuretic)

The leg fatigue, specifically, though, I'd bet on it being the sugar. Part of the solution is just letting your body adjust to having less simple sugars available. However, make it a point to up your carb intake (breads, pasta, cereals) in general. They take longer to digest than simple sugars, but do a much better job of restoring muscle glycogen (which you're probably lacking, if you experience leg fatigue)

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[timmac]

Also wanted to add, I'm near certain it's Coke-Zero that's made with splenda.

 

[wtpclc]

Are you replacing your mmissed Pepsi's with other fluids? I woudl try uppign those ans see how it goes. Good luck!

 

[ultramickeymouse]

Have you tried some gels to give you energy or caffeine? You can get some gels that are even double caffeine levels. Much better for you and sustained energy.

 

[timmac]

Have you tried some gels to give you energy or caffeine? You can get some gels that are even double caffeine levels. Much better for you and sustained energy.

Not to completely steal the thread from OP, but how have you found the "double caffeine" gels as compared to typical ones? I've not really noticed any difference... although I rarely consume much caffeine anyway.

 

[ultramickeymouse]

Not to completely steal the thread from OP, but how have you found the "double caffeine" gels as compared to typical ones? I've not really noticed any difference... although I rarely consume much caffeine anyway.

When I used them in the past, I notied a big difference. I haven't used them for years though.

 

[Hockeychic]

Thanks everyone for the input. I am off to the grocery store tonight for some splenda and check out the pops to find anything sweetened with splenda.

Vicky: Are you ready for Scotia? Where is Nathan hanging out while you run? MIke and I will be waiting for Kevin if he wants to hang out.

Robert: I have never tried any of the gels I have always steered away from them. I only just tried gatorade for the first time, thinking I need to use it to get through the full.

Carrie: I am drinking a ton of water but I also thought that might be the problem as the little caffine and sugar I am getting I am diluting with all the water I am drinking..

Lynn: Thanks, I will definatley stay away from Equal, I don't want to use a artiffical sweetener. How is the knee doing?

timmac: Thanks for the info....I have been trying to also lose weight so have tried to steer clear of the white carb products....I wonder if I up the whole wheat carbs if that would help

Thanks everyone for all your input!!!!

 

[ultramickeymouse]

Robert: I have never tried any of the gels I have always steered away from them. I only just tried gatorade for the first time, thinking I need to use it to get through the full.

The rule of thumb for endurance races(marathons/Ultras):

Drink before you are thirsty, eat before you are hungry!

You should start practicing what you will be doing on race day. Gels/bars are needed to give you energy that you will need for the 6-7 hrs of race time(not forgetting the 2 hrs you have before the race starts). Getting tired from the race and no food will hurt you at the wall mileage(mile 20).

 

[annhad4]

Hockeychic,
Thank you so much for posting this question! I've been off of all white carbs for a month while doing hot yoga and C25k and last Friday I couldn't even finish the yoga class. Yesterday I had cake for my son's birthday and a slice of pizza and today Yoga was a breeze so I wondered, like you, if it was the sugar. I think Timmac is on to something with upping the good carbs. Thanks to both of you for what may be my solution to better work outs and more energy.
Ann

 

[Creativebeth]

Kim: I did low carb for a long time. This past year has been some adjustment for me. I really think coming off sugar takes a long adjustment. Maybe you do have more energy after consumption (duh! stupid statemtent but you know what I mean) but the long run with sugar is bad.

I have increased my carb intake this year, and continued to lose weight. The carbs I eat now are all high fiber/whole grain (and not a whole lot of it) and fruits and veggies. I feel great. I have more energy for my mileage each week. The low carb diet took weight off for me, but I was really tanking with my mileage. I feel better now, and lost 35 pounds this year. I am fueled for my runs, and don't feel like crap afterwards.

I really advise the good carbs. I usually eat berries, apples, greens, bananas, high fiber/whole grain bread, high fiber wraps, etc. I am still drinking 1 diet coke a day, but was off of even that for about 6 weeks. I went back to 1 aday because I really missed it!

Give it awhile to adjust to. Make sure you eat something before a long run. I usually try the whole grain bread with peanut butter.....that doesn't seem to bother my stomach as much if I have it at least an hour before I run.

I hope this helps.

Beth

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I'd go with the advice given by timmac and ultramickeymouse as well as most everyone else who offered suggestions.

You need to allow your body time to adjust and do what you can to work through it. Experiment with some different things. Definitely, when you are doing your LRs you will need to try something. If you try gels and cannot tolerate a full packet at a time, you might want to try a half packet at a time. That's what I've done; now I'm better at taking the whole thing. If I can't get my coffee in the a.m. of an event I do take a caffiene gel and at least I don't get the headache. I don't know if it really helps, but I think it does so therefore mind over matter, it works!

Good luck experimenting. You are making progress. You notice a difference. DH can't take any artificial sweetner including Splenda; they all mess with his system. It's natural sugar or none.