Do Gels & Recovery Drinks Keep You Fat?

good god, try harder next time if you're going to troll.

I don't think you're a troll. I also don't think you need the gels and sugary drinks if you're trying to lose weight. Look at the amount of calories in gatorade!

I use gatorade only in very hot weather, and I dilute it 50/50 with water. It still tastes good, and I feel it helps with my endurance when I'm running in temps over 85 degrees. Otherwise, just stick to water.

Also, throw in 5 or 6 strides of 100 to 150 yards after your run to put your fat afterburners into high gear. It works. Ease into your strides so they're at about 75% of your all out sprint.

a lot of casual runners wonder why it's so hard to lose weight, when they're burning 250 calories on a run and consuming twice that between the gels, sports drinks, and energy bars.

Stay away from gels on a run unless it's two hours or more. Even then I think gatorade is sufficient.

No, excess calories keep you fat.

midwaste wrote:

a lot of casual runners wonder why it's so hard to lose weight, when they're burning 250 calories on a run and consuming twice that between the gels, sports drinks, and energy bars.

Not to mention the post-run milk shake, ice cream, or cookies they feel they "earned" by working out.

Weight loss = calories in < calories out. It's that simple.

There really isnt any need for you to consume the gels and drinks. If you have a good diet with the right ratio of carbohydrate, fat and protein that should suffice. Very simply, any excess CHO in the gels/ drinks that is not used will be stored as triglyceride e.g. fat Keep up the good work but avoid the gels/bars/drinks

Any ideas or suggestions on the correct ratio the doc1? Should I go with a hard core atkins or a moderate zone or something else?

Thanks for the education 'what???'. I thought I was just fat and then you call me a troll :) And here I thought a troll was what my four year old thinks lives under bridges. After looking around on the internet I learned that a troll is " is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Forum Troll delights in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war." Who would have that that gels were such a contentious subject?

dont bother using them...chances are u are not running hard enough to need them and there are probably more calories in a pack of GU than you are burning on your run. stick to water and a banana and you will be fine. also, when u get more comfortable try to keep upping your mileage....good luck

wannabe thinner wrote:

Any ideas or suggestions on the correct ratio the doc1? Should I go with a hard core atkins or a moderate zone or something else?

Weight loss = calories in < calories out. What part of this do you not understand?

okay has a point. it is a balance. If total calories in are less than calories out you will lose weight, if they are equal you will maintain weight and if they exceed expenditure you will gain weight. In terms of ratio or precentage of cho/fat/protein it all depends on your training status, mileage etc.

Beware the larger appetite you'll have from the running. I'm 35 and I can not lose weight from running - only if I diet in some way can I actually lose weight.

wannabe thinner wrote:

Thanks for the education 'what???'. I thought I was just fat and then you call me a troll :) And here I thought a troll was what my four year old thinks lives under bridges. After looking around on the internet I learned that a troll is " is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Forum Troll delights in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war." Who would have that that gels were such a contentious subject?

This board tends to attract very competitive runners and lots of trolls. A common trolling motif here is that of the newbie runner who has been influenced into making silly training choices by clever marketing.

Don't touch the gel or sport drinks. Your diet probably provides far more CHO than you need, plus you're running at intensities where fat metabolism (desireable since you're trying to lose weight) will easily support your activity.

At higher, prolonged intensities, gels become important because it's difficult to burn fat at very high intensity. You won't have to worry about gels until you've been running seriously for a few years and even then, probably only if you decide to tackle the marathon.

RE: diet. Heavy carb restriction can make it very difficult to run. Try the ABS diet. Cut out most (but not all) simple sugars, but leave in the complex carbs. You do need to diet but it's easier if you just think about what you should eat. Eat 3 pieces of fruit, 3 cups of yogurt, 2 oz of nuts, and 5 servings of vegetables every day. If you have a sugar craving, have hot cocoa. Brush your teeth after dinner.