Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired diet

charlie

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Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired diet
http://co2factor.blogspot.com/2012/08/s ... g-ray.html

Exercise can be very stressful and can often cause long term health complications. Endurance exercise increases estrogen/free fatty acids and has been shown to have a negative impact on the heart. The breathlessness associated with exercise causes a loss of co2 which increases lactate and leads to glucose being processed inefficiently. Athletes often have low pulses and sub optimal thyroid function.

This is all very troubling information if you are an avid athlete. I personally train and surf 7 days a week so overcoming these negative effects of exercise in the context of a ray peat inspired diet has been a major goal for me. The protocol I outline in this post personally works for my situation so mileage may vary but I assume these tips should help most athletes. I've done lots of experimentation so I feel its pretty solid. Summary is at the end for those who don't want to read the whole thing.

The number one thing I recommend first off is to log your food intake with www.cronometer.com to make sure you are getting enough calories and nutrition. A good deal of my calories come from liquid sources so making sure I am getting an adequate amount of calories is important as it's very easy to under eat. Some nutrients can come up short if your doing mainly OJ and milk the main one being manganese, I usually do about 2 ounces of bakers chocolate to meet manganese reqs. Once you get an idea of how much calories and nutrition are in the foods you eat you can play it by ear.

You might be tempted to get a good deal of your calories from pure sugar and a certain amount is ok assuming the rest of your diet is solid but you should always favor non-allergenic fruit over sugar. I especially think this is important right before exercise, for awhile I had a tendency to just drink sugar coffee milk before surfing but I have been using OJ/milk and feel it's a much better combo. The extra magnesium in the OJ helps with the stress that will be induced by exercise.

When you are exercising you want to take as many breaks as possible. I'm lucky in the aspect that surfing forces you to take breaks due to the nature of the ocean. When I skateboard I have to be aware of this as it's very easy to over exert myself before I even realize it. If you are unable to breath comfortably through your nose and have to resort to mouth breathing you are most likely exercising too hard. Having some OJ/milk with you to drink during the breaks is very beneficial as well, I have a tendency to not eat when I surf but I always feel and perform better when I do.

As soon as you are done exercising it is important to eat a meal of protein and sugar at about a 1:4 ratio as soon as possible. Stress hormones will be very high after exercise so eating asap will help lower them. It will also help with recovery and help blunt the fall in T3.

I think most supplements should probably be avoided but I find niacianamide and b1 right before exercise and with my last meal is very beneficial. I take about 50mg of niacianamide and 50mg of b1 each time. I have also found pregnenolone to be helpful with the stress induced from exercise, I usually take about 50mg before/after exercise and with my last meal. I also take about 1tb of baking soda before and after exercise. Making sure to get pure supplements is very important, never take anything in pill form. I get pure niacianamide from a cosmetic supply company and get the b1/pregnenolone from beyond a century.

You should get adequate rest after exercise to normalize hormones and facilitate recovery. I find doing low intensity stretches and yoga type stuff during rest helps to recover faster and keep flexibility high. Using a heat lamp and getting adequate sun during rest can be very beneficial in my experience. I use a 250 watt heat lamp and try to get as much sun as possible. Being weary of sleeping surfaces and proper posture is important as well, sitting in a chair all day long without proper posture can be disastrous for your health. I'm not very fond of too much cushioning or pillows when sleeping, I try to keep it as minimalistic as possible. Bag breathing for a couple minutes can help increase Co2 and lower stress when resting.


For those who can't read the whole post-
-Log calories and nutrient intake with www.cronometer.com, this only needs to be done till you get a general idea of how much calories and nutrition are in the food you eat.
-Eat sugar/protein, preferably something high quality like milk and Oj, before, during and after exercise.
-Take a high quality B1, niacianamide and pregnenolone supplement before exercise and possibly after. 50mg of each is a good amount.
-Take 1tb of baking soda before and after exercise
-Rest as much as possible during exercise, if you are unable to breath comfortably through your nose you are over exerting yourself.
-Get good rest in your down time, be weary of posture when sitting and sleeping, focus on getting adequate sun/light(250 watt heat lamp) while resting.
-Bag breath during rest down time, only needs to be done for a couple minutes.
-utilize low intensity stretches/yoga poses to help with recovery and flexibility.
 

ARK

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Really great cliff!!! Curious if you really do like the fruit over the sugar? I actually find that sugar to be a bit from friendly on people's guts? Also, how much baking soda do you suggest to get the CO2 levels up and how much niacinamide do you do a day? Do you add in asprin as well??
 

cliff

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

ARK said:
Really great cliff!!! Curious if you really do like the fruit over the sugar? I actually find that sugar to be a bit from friendly on people's guts? Also, how much baking soda do you suggest to get the CO2 levels up and how much niacinamide do you do a day? Do you add in asprin as well??

You have to make sure to get non-allergenic fruits, I personally use home made strained OJ. Sugar is ok but for most people will displace much needed nutrients in fruits. I do around 2tb of baking soda before surfing and ~100mg of niacian split into two doses of 50mg(take one before surfing and the other one before bed). Tried aspirin for awhile but don't do it anymore, didn't notice too many benefits from it.
 
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charlie

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Cliff, This is a really great article. Thank you.

Do you think sleeping on a hard surface is preferable? Using something maybe like a sleeping mat that has very little cushioning. And is sleeping on your back the best or is sides ok?

Many thanks for your advice.
 

cliff

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

That's kinda what I sleep on. Just make sure it isn't too hard as it can hurt your back.
 

nwo2012

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Just read this. Pretty decent Cliff, pretty much what I do myself except for the powder supplements as not possible in Australia and Beyond a Century wont ship outside US.
Better off with just cacao for the manganese, less processed than bakers chocolate I would think.

Oh and I also throw some collagen hydrolysate in pre and pro workout.
 

cliff

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

I think cacao(powder?) is actually more processed than bakers chocolate. I personally don't tolerate cocoa powder all that great.
 

ARK

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Cliff- Have you found bakers chocolate w/out soy lecithin in it?? I can find cacao without the soy- I can't find the bakers chocolate. Do you have a brand to recommend??
 

cliff

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

I use unsweetened kraft baker's brand found at grocery stores like albertsons or vons. Only ingredient is chocolate.
 

nwo2012

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

cliff said:
I think cacao(powder?) is actually more processed than bakers chocolate. I personally don't tolerate cocoa powder all that great.

My mistake. Having never heard of baker's chocolate (Im not from US), I assumed it was cooking chocolate. I was referring to cacao liquor and it seems that is exactly what unsweetened bakers chocolate is! :oops:

Btw liver and seafood have good levels of manganese but yes bakers chocolate is a nice way to get it too. Also some other pretty good antioxidants similar to coffee. (theobromine, caffeine and traces of theophylline)
 

nwo2012

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

nwo2012 said:
cliff said:
I think cacao(powder?) is actually more processed than bakers chocolate. I personally don't tolerate cocoa powder all that great.

My mistake. Having never heard of baker's chocolate (Im not from US), I assumed it was cooking chocolate. I was referring to cacao liquor and it seems that is exactly what unsweetened bakers chocolate is! :oops:

Btw liver and seafood have good levels of manganese but yes bakers chocolate is a nice way to get it too. Also some other pretty good antioxidants similar to coffee. (theobromine, caffeine and traces of theophylline)

RP says of cacao liquor (unsweetened baker's chocolate)

It's anabolic, and a rich source of magnesium.
 
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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

is it bad that baker's chocolate is anabolic (sorry, I don't know what that means)? if so, what's a better source of chocolate?
 
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charlie

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Anabolic is good! Thats what you want. Anabolic state is pro metabolism. Its the state in which muscles get built, and things get healed and fixed. The link below has a good little write up on the anabolic state and what it entails.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/ ... state.html
 

nwo2012

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Charlie said:
Anabolic is good! Thats what you want. Anabolic state is pro metabolism. Its the state in which muscles get built, and things get healed and fixed. The link below has a good little write up on the anabolic state and what it entails.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/ ... state.html

Yep indeed. Anabolism ftw, Catabolism sucks monkey balls. :lol:
 

nwo2012

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Cliff, you're a legend. My baker's chocolate just came through from Iheb. Eating a whole block and a quart of milk pre-bed. :D
 

Nick810

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Bakers chocolate seems good, for temps etc too. Just quite a lot of fat to eat it consistently. I get 40g+/day and that's with only 2 tbsp coconut oil and a bit of meat.
 

nwo2012

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Nickje said:
Bakers chocolate seems good, for temps etc too. Just quite a lot of fat to eat it consistently. I get 40g+/day and that's with only 2 tbsp coconut oil and a bit of meat.

Ah who cares. We can do 40 - 30 - 30 no sweat (Protein - Carbs - Fat)
 

Edle

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Thank you for the article. Very helpful. It validates some of the stuff I am doing, and gave me some new ideas.

I am an triathlete (probably one of the worst choices according to Peat, though I am not doing long distance races) and train 7 days a week, often twice a day. Ironically, it was Ray Peat style eating and supplementing that allowed me to increase my training volume and intensity. After a low-carb/GAPS crash (had taken a break from training when it happened - so that was not the cause), I was almost not able to do anything, and on the Perfect Health Diet things were not much better. I have been eating Ray Peat inspired since end November 2011.

Some comments and a question towards the end:

- I also use milk and OJ, before, during (often only OJ) and after workouts. I was warned that milk would give me GI distress on the run, but this has not happened. I can handle some milk even on hard track workouts. I was also warned that OJ would make me overheat since it increases body temperature, but I do not find it to be a problem. After a long bike ride, I often have a Coke (cane sugar, not HFCS). I also drink young coconut straight from the coconut when I can get it. I sometimes "drink"take a bit of honey or coconut flower syrup after a workout if I feel I have not had enough sugar. I think getting enough sugar is especially important for females, as estrogen tend to promote a fatty acid metabolism during exercise (men who get estrogen shots during exercise, tend to switch from a glucose metabolism to a fatty acid metabolism). I used to be able to run for 2-3 hours taking water only and feeling fine. Obviously, it was probably not very healthy, and I do not want to train my body to do it again.

- For longer bike rides, I crave something solid, and bananas are the most convenient for me. I eat small, local (Thai), very ripe bananas, which I think are quite different from industrial bananas sold in the US. They look, feel and taste different. I think the serotonin content is lower, and since they are almost mushy ripe when I eat them, the fructose/glucose ratio should not be too bad.

- Desiccated thyroid was a breakthrough for me in terms of building some muscle tissue (am still very much an endurance type of built, but not as bad as before).

- Pregnenolone was another breakthrough (sleep, recovery). I can only handle 50 mg per day - tried to increase the dose with bad results.

- Progesterone is obviously helpful for female athletes for regulating the cycle. I have postponed supplementing with it as long as possible, as I wanted to give the diet, thyroid and pregnenolone time to work. I just started this week with a very low dose of Progest-E.

- Sodium bicarbonate: It seemed to give me GI issues. Ray Peat never recommended it in the combination with excessive running, and it might not be suited for this type of activity. From what I understand, it can increase endotoxin during hard workouts, but this may be wrong. Might experiment again in the future.

- Keeping good circulation in tissues seems important, especially for athletes. Hans Selye talks about impaired circulation (p. 855 in his 1947 Textbook) as one of the possible causes/triggers of the shock phase of stress. Static stretches like yoga can aggravate fascia adhesions, so I stay clear (any lingering injury or tightness have gotten worse when I have tried yoga). Dynamic stretches works for me too, and I try to do mobility drills regularly. I find deep tissue massage the most effective. I have not seen Peat write about it, but I think a good massage increases cellular energy and metabolism. After I have had a well done deep tissue massage, my face look different, just like when I started pregnenolone (the face lifting action Peat talks about). I also use balls, ancle and quad rollers and foam roller for self massage.

- I agree that posture and body awareness is important. I have done Alexander technique classes and found it useful. I tend to use a standing desk in the afternoon. Since I do my hardest workouts in the morning, I usually sit when working before lunch, but I try to move frequently. I walk barefoot as much as possible.

- I try to log my food intake once per week. I found that I under-fueled for some workouts, so I agree with cliff that this is quite important to do.

- Compared to other people I train with, I am not sick with respiratory infections (I used to get respiratory infections all the time as a kid and before going gluten free).

- I still have some issues with sleep from time to time, and this is what I am working on. Obviously, it is of critical importance to recover.

- I have actually also used hard, thin futon style mattresses for the last ten years. I used a pretty hard made from hemp with a thin mid layer of latex for 8 years, and then I switched to one from pure organic cotton two years ago. I never contemplated about why, I just feel much better sleeping on very hard mattresses, and using a thin feather pillow.

- In order not to feel stressed by the fact that I am exposing my body to exercise stress (I will not give it up anyway), I try to focus on the pro-Peat aspects, like spending time outside in the sun (do all my swims in open air pools or open water, and all long bike rides and runs outside), enjoying nature, feeling really happy during open water swims and bike rides in beautiful landscapes, and the fact that I find experimenting and learning about training/tissue/hormones/diet linkages very interesting and rewarding.

I think I will order some niacimide and B1 after reading your article cliff. Could you please clarify what you have seen as a benefits / why you stick with?
 

cliff

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Re: Strategies for athletes following a Ray Peat inspired di

Niacianamide keeps free fatty acids low which helps keep you in glucose oxidation during exercise, b1 promotes glucose oxidation. Niacinamide helps with my acne too.
 

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