Saturday, May 02, 2009

The Bob Diet


With phase one of the program being just starting, phase II will ramp it up a little with the Bob diet. My friend Bob went on an “anti-acid” diet and lost 10 pounds in the last 30 days. And he was lean to begin with.

It started because he was having some digestive issues. His doc asked if he consumed much coffee, alcohol, and spicy food to which he replied “it’s pretty much my entire diet.” After 30 days of a high alkaline diet he says he doesn’t feel a lot better, though the acid-reflux symptoms are gone so he’ll probably stay on a modified version. But he did lose a lot of weight, so I’m down.

Essentially, our diets tend to be overly acidic, which is primarily because we eat too much junk and not enough fruits and veggies. You don’t want a high alkaline diet all the time. You want a balanced diet. Your body regulates your blood pH levels so that they’re neutral, but when you consume too much acid this process does a lot of tissue damage. This was something that we never had to worry about before fast and convenience foods became a way of life because everyone ate some fruits and veggies, or at least live foods where the enzymes and bacteria weren’t all destroyed, out of necessity. Kudos to Bob’s doctor for recommending a dietary change instead of a medication.

Of note, Bob’s climbing has improved because he’s lost weight. His endurance sports, not so much. He did a paddleboard race on got slaughtered, as he hit the bonk pretty much out of the gate. As I pointed out in my post on the Diet Switcharoo, you’ve got to eat to fuel your endeavors.

Given my training will ramp again at the start of the Giro, this is essentially going to be a five day cleanse for me. Monday through Friday of this week I’ll eighty-six alcohol, coffee, sugar, meat, dairy, nuts except almonds, tomatoes and chilis, legumes, processed grains and breads from my diet.

Since I don’t have acid reflux this is all in the name of self-experimentation. Science is a cruel mistress.

pic: bob and his trademark oly.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does diet influence personality?

Wilcox Family said...

Awesome! I'll do it with you...Jana

Our Juicy Life said...

as I sit here after a 4 hour ride to St. Antonin, eating rice I must say I'm not sure I'd know what to eat. Are you going to post your daily meals.

Steve Edwards said...

Maybe I'll post some but probably not because it's a cleanse, not a performance diet. So it's not maintainable over the long haul. But, hey, Tyler Hamilton used to do six hour rides on an orange when he needed to lose weight. Course, he was doped to the gills but still. Sometimes forcing a little catabolic action is a good thing.

If you want to do this, and you're riding everyday, just remember that it's not performance oriented and keep those rides as aerobic as possible. Use dates and figs for riding fuel and Shakeology post ride. It'll get you through the week.

I have to come back when I can really ride sometime. I miss looking at those little roads already.

Steve Edwards said...

Diet and personality? Sure, I guess. I actually very much believe the diet you grow up with influences things like chronic depression. Specifically, proper fatty acid intake. I think I've yet to find a case of bi-polar or similar disorder in someone who grew up with a proper diet. But that's just a theory and a topic for another time.

Brian said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AlfaSunshine said...

I'm surprised you didn't mention Shakeology as part of your cleanse routine...except for the sugar...all of the superfoods in there are all about balencing that alkeline stuff. Speaking of which I had a great smoothie for lunch 2c. frozen peaches a scoop of chocolate shakeology and a half litre or so of water in the blender...yum...was afraid the peaches wouldn't work with chocolate...but it tasted great!

I got my first hour of prospecting under my belt today...I was nervous!! But it was like riding a bike...I still got it.

Bam Bam said...

Do you think Bob's personality will change?

TheeAmazon said...

Can you post Bob's Diet? Looking for a good alkaline meal plan. Also, i know there is a little sugar in Shakeology, can you explain exactly where the sugar comes. I have a friend who has cancer and is on a alkaline diet. She want to use shakeology. but needs to understand the sugar content. thx fyi, I am a beachbody coach and will be attending the 2010 summit. i look forward to meeting you.

TheeAmazon said...

I understand that an alkaline diet does not cure cancer. But, it won't hurt to improve one's diet when fighting cancer. I just wanted to let you know i do have a balanced perspective.