21 Comments

What about travel? Finding single ingredient food during 2-3 days at airports and hotels is a challenge. Especially when it’s 100+ nights a year. Too often to not worry about it.

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Do you drink the recovery while you work out or after?

I bought a bunch of stuff last month per your recommendation and I really like it! I love that they put an emphasis on women! The Fuel is great for my 10 mile rucks. We have some crazy incline trails out here, trails named Cardiac and training hill that get you 0- 1,100 elevation gain for a straight mile😂 So Fuel has been a game changer.

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I drink it while I lift weights. Because of digestion time, it makes it more of a post-workout.

Fuel is the best! I'm glad you're liking it.

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My husband and I are really loving your posts (we have started rucking!), however this one was disappointing. Calories in, calories out is old school and we know much more now about the affects of insulin and how it really drives weight loss. Also, working out in a fasted state encourages autophagy. The days of needing pre-workout fuel are no longer. Check out Dr.Jason Fung and Megan Ramos for more on this and their clinical work with professional athletes.

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Thanks for the feedback. Mr. Fung is rather controversial. Layne Norton wrote a breakdown that looks at his work, and it's valuable (fair warning, in typically Layne style, it's a bit aggressive haha). https://biolayne.com/articles/research/its-not-calories-its-hormones-a-response-to-dr-jason-fung/

I tend to agree with Layne. And I think we'd see more top level athletes avoiding food around training if it rendered a significant boost. But I respect however you eat if it works for you!

My end message around food is always: find what works best for you. :)

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There was a time in my early physical training where I’d find myself less hungry on training days, and able to eat more on the one or 2 rest days. As my capacity for intensity and volume has increased, eating more on training days for the purpose of being properly fueled has been a game changer. And I’m happy to eat less on rest days because there is less internal sensation of hunger when at rest.

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Fantastic. Sounds like you've found a sweet spot!

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Great post again. I have always struggled with this, the maths is bonkers and, as a casual exerciser, have typically over eaten. This is clear and simple to use. Thank you for sharing this gem.

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I'm glad you found this post useful!

I think your struggles are rather common. And, yeah, the math is bonkers! Haha.

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I might have missed it but what about intermittent fasting paired with eating less for weight loss? Or smarter just to stick to eating less calories? Also wondering if something like LMNT with a heavy dose of sodium retains water weight even when I am dumping a ton of fluid rucking especially now that temps are climbing. Finally, really appreciate the notes on tracing your weight over a month instead of worrying that it goes up/down on any given day. I measure what I've lost month to month and check my weight a few times a week.

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There’s little magic in IF. it simply shortens the eating window, the ultimate goal being that you have less time to consume less calories. Doesn’t matter if you eat every waking hour of the day or 4 hour window, calories in vs calories is the ultimate standard. If you like IF because it works for your lifestyle...you should do it! And if you like your workouts fueled and don’t have any GI issues, don’t let it stop you from eating.

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I would suggest checking out the available research on intermittent fasting. It is far more nuanced than what your description makes it out to be. It can improve digestive function, improve insulin sensitivity, improve immune and mental function, and can help with cravings.

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This is super helpful. Thanks for the reply!

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Dropping in on this thread to say that I agree with David's take, re: IF and weight loss. There could be some health benefits to experiencing durations of time when we've fully digested our food (e.g., autophagy). But we may very well get the same benefit from losing weight, experiencing occasional caloric deficits, etc.

Re: LMNT. Lots of people like the product. I've talked to a handful of scientists who are concerned about how much sodium it contains. Might be worth considering if you have a family history of heart disease. Some people seem to do better consuming less sodium.

TL;DR: Figure out what works for you and work it! Thank you Mike for the great question and thoughts and David for weighing in with the smart thoughts on IF.

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Loving the community of like minded people here!

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Intermittent fasting (IF) is excellent for most people. Dr Eric Berg has a great breakdown video about fasting and increased sodium intake. I.F. can help the body correct problems like insulin resistance which evidence suggests may make it harder to burn fat. Sodium intake along with potassium and magnesium aid at the cellular level with managing fluid levels. I usually take LMNT about 15-20 minutes before a hard workout or sip on it during the workout.

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Was there an audio reading of todays post?

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Great question! I'm not sure what happened, but the audio didn't go out in the emails.

I've updated the web post to include the audio. Thank you for catching this. I hadn't noticed until your comment!

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Thank you. Oddly, I did not receive today's email.

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I eat Wild Protein bars and 2 hard boiled ebbs for breakfast. The eggs, well, always good protein there. The bars have a great Protein to calorie ratio. I stay full all AM.

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Excellent! Hard boiled eggs have been a stealth breakfast for a long, long time. Approved.

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