So, hauling my sorry ass up 4,000m (or thereabouts) of mountains in the Alps is going to be no small undertaking. Everyone tells me that the mountain climbs are all about weight - the less you have, the easier it is!
My first reaction was "OK, where can I save weight on my bike!" There had to be a few hundred grams I could potentially shave off - lighter tyres, lighter saddle etc.... But the hard reality is that most of the weight of the total 'package' isn't the bike; it's me. Take a look at this chart from Cervelo (who apparently know a think or two about bikes):
OK, I'm not 100kg (I'm about 77kg), but the truth remains the same... 90% of the total weight is the rider, not the bike. A 150g weight saving equates to a paltry 0.25%.
So, time to take the alternative approach - shed some kilos on me!
I've only ever dieted once before (to lose weight for a sailing event a couple of years ago). My diet of choice back then was very effective, so I'm going back on it. Basically, it involves cutting out all sugar, fruit, dairy and almost all carbs. Full credit to iDave on singletrackworld.com, the diet is as detailed below. I'll post updates on the weight loss as I get thinner (hopefully!).
For reference, my starting point is 76.6kg, ~19% body fat, as of 15 April 2013.
RST Low GI fat loss programme (AKA the iDave diet)
Fundamentals
This is not a ‘diet’; rather it’s a fresh approach to what and how you eat. It is not calorie
restrictive, nor is it reliant on high volumes of activity. It is effective because it is designed to
target the insulin response to food rather than calories. It’s proven, safe and effective.
If you follow it closely, you can expect to lose around 2kg per week – obviously the results will
deoend on the level of training you’re doing.
Green light
Unlimited vegetables
Unlimited legumes; lentils, chick peas, butter beans etc
Unlimited lean meat
Red light
No white carbs eg – bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, or any whole grain variant.
No cereal or cereal derived foods
No dairy
No fruit
Portion sizes should be normal, this is not a calorie restrictive ‘diet’ – it’s a new approach to
eating, not just for this period of training and weight-‐loss. Our experience suggests that you
will self-‐regulate your body weight when you get to 10-12% body fat.
No drinking calories; acceptable drinks are ice cold water, red wine and black tea/coffee and
green tea. If you normally have coffee with milk and sugar, replace milk and sugar with a pinch
of cinnamon. Drink cold water throughout the day.
One day per week you eat whatever you want and as much of it as you want. This is as
important as all the other days. If you love Sunday roasts, choose Sundays, if Friday night is
curry night, make all day Friday your freedom day. Don’t hold back – eat whatever you want.
