191: Q&A on Thanksgiving Mind Games, Jan Ullrich Effect, and Food as Medicine

Fast Talk

This first question we’ve saved for this special occasion. Brenda Castile from Essex, Connecticut, writes:

“Thanksgiving! I love it. I love the food, I love the drinks, I love the desserts. I love being around family. All of which means I’m exposed to calories and germs, a cyclist’s worst nightmare. And, as usual, it comes just a couple of weeks before I want to be at my best for the finale of ‘cross season.

So, how can I have my cake and eat it too? How does someone who takes the sport seriously, as I do, but who also has the perspective on ‘normal’ life to know that I shouldn’t boycott a special gathering that I love for a chance at a dinky medal at ‘cross nationals this year.

Am I just playing mind games with myself? Can I splurge for a day, do my best to limit my exposure to germs and other creepy crawlies, and then get straight back on the wagon the next day, no worse for wear? How do I keep the mind games from making me feel guilty and exposed right when I want to be buckling down for a chance at amateur glory?”

Binge before or after?

This next question comes from Sid Merriman in Dover, Delaware. He writes:

“Simple question: before or after? Thanksgiving is a time for feasting and turkey trots, but do I feast first and then trot, or trot then feast?

My wife and I debate the topic of timing every year. I want to get my turkey trot in first, then binge like there’s no tomorrow—which means she’s pushing back the Thanksgiving meal until late afternoon to accommodate my schedule. She wants me to eat first, so that I get to the turkey trot later in the day to work off that ginormous plate of pecan pie—which means I'm pushing her to have the Thanksgiving meal at or before noon so I have time to digest 8,000 calories before running my brains out. Who’s right, me or my wife?”

Avoiding the Jan Ullrich effect

This question comes from Casey Hickock in Bend, Oregon. He writes:

“When I was first getting into cycling in the late 1990s, I remember watching the Tour de France on TV when Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich were battling. When it came to Jan, a topic of conversation that always seemed to pop up was about his weight, and how much he would put on in the off-season and how hard it would be for him to lose it the following season.

Well, I know how the man must have felt. Leaving everything else from that era aside, can you help me avoid the seemingly inevitable weight gain of winter—I slow down, the food and beer seem to get richer and more plentiful, and the weight gain speeds up. Every year it gets harder to shed the weight come spring. Surely, you’ve heard this before or even dealt with it yourself. I imagine discipline is key here… but besides that, what can I do to avoid this up and down cycle year after year?”

Food as medicine

This question comes from Brad With. He writes:

“I recently read an article by Trevor where he discusses health issues, inflammation, and sickness during his cycling training. I've raced bikes for about 18 years in Colorado. I have been plagued with frequent colds (8-10 a year), digestive issues, and Celiac disease. I have also had a bout of viral postural orthostatic tachycardia (POTS) syndrome. I also had a rare and serious pneumonia that almost took my life in 2012.

I always felt that there was possibly a major factor contributing to these problems. I am seriously considering whether it's the food I'm eating. I'm trying to find some evidence that a drastic change in diet could contribute to improving my health. Paleo is one of the avenues I would like to try. I would like to find other (anecdotal) evidence that Paleo has improved the health of others.”

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