Dusting off the Bicycle

Every spring I think... this will be the year I get back onto my bike! And... for the last few years... that fizzles out very quickly. I'll get back on my bike, go for a few 5-10 minute bike rides and... lose my umph. Part of it is the dreaded "bike butt".

You know what happens... you get on your bike, you feel all pumped and excited. You go for a bike ride, a short one... and all is well. But the next morning... you wake up with the sorest bum bones (the sit bones) in history. The idea of getting on that torture device of a bicycle seat is... like... nooooooo!!! So I'll wait a day or two until the bike butt calms down but... then I'll dread the next session for the next bike butt.

And the bike just stays in the shed. I don't understand it. I used to ride my bike a LOT! I'd ride to Starbucks, I'd ride around town, I'd go on adventures. And then... somewhere around when my Dad died... it just fizzled. Or I'd wait too long. The ideal time to get back onto the bike is in March here... but then it would already be May or June... and I'd figure... "what's the point"... Sigh.

Cause part of it too... if I'm honest... is that I feel like a complete slug when I get back on the bike after the winter. My legs feel like jello and I have no umph for all of the hills. And we have a lot of hills... or gentle gradients. All of them seem to be uphill when I am coming home after a ride and that is just depressing.

Yes, I know that I could get an e-bike... and we have thought about it. But the dreaded bike butt then rears its ugly head. What's the point of spending $3000 on an e-bike if it just gives me bike butt and then I don't ride it?? I need to get over the bike butt hump first.

There are other tips... get a padded bike seat or wear padded bike shorts. But I've ridden this bike, with this saddle for years and always gotten over the bike butt after about a week of riding. My sit bones (which are the ones that get sore) just get used to it!

Every year, I tell myself that this WILL be the year. Last year though... we had the wettest spring on record and that would have been no fun.

But what about this year? It's possible... I am writing this on February 9... so the timing is kind of perfect. And yesterday was a nice sunny day and I saw a tonne of cyclists out there getting their bikes on the road.

I thought about getting mine on the road, but it needs a tune-up. The gear shifters always get out of whack during the winter... so it's time to take it in for a tune-up. Which raises another issue... how to get it to the bike shop... I used to pack it in the back of the 4-Runner but we got rid of that vehicle over a year ago. I don't know if it will now fit into our little hatchback. Which means I'd have to walk it to the bike shop - 45 minutes. And then walk home... or get my partner to pick me up. It's not impossible... but it does raise the friction level for getting this done.

I'm trying to think... when did I last ride my bike? Pre-covid likely... so this is going to take a bit of getting used to but... small steps... that's all I need to remember... just small steps.

Step 1 - See if the bike fits in the hatchback...
    Yes? Then drive it down to the bike shop for a tune-up
    No? Then walk it down to the bike shop.

And I just checked (always good to do that) and the bike shop I normally go to is closed!! But... there is one that is only 30 minutes away from home (walking)... so will try that one.

One small step at a time...

Except... this is getting published in early June and... will I actually get the bike done by then??

The Hidden Link Between Your Gut and Your Waistline

This may seem totally obvious once you read the results of the latest Stanford study but you might also wonder why it took so long!

The reason you are not losing weight while dieting is because... your gut microbiome has a say in the matter. And everyone's biome is different so... the diet that works for one person might be completely useless for the next person. Mind blowing, yes?! Yep. My mind was blown.

Low-Fat vs. Low-Carb

They put some people on low-fat diets and some people on low-carb diets. People who strictly followed either diet lost weight during the short-term (first 6 months). OK. Fine. But here's the kicker... The people who maintained the weight loss for a year ate the SAME number of calories as those who regained weight or who didn't lose weight during the second six months. Well, that sucks. Can you imagine watching your friend eat the same amount of calories as you and they are losing weight while you are gaining weight or plateauing?

That's because some people lost weight better on low-fat diets while others lost weight better on low-carb diets. Why the difference? Why do some people lose weight while others gain weight? Well... turns out it depends on several biomarkers: gut microbiome, proteins made by the body and the levels of exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2). Using those biomarkers, researchers could actually predict, at the start of the study, how successful someone would be at losing weight and keeping it off long-term.

The researchers tracked 609 people over a year. How much they ate, what they ate (mostly healthy minimally processed foods) and how much they exercised. What they found was this... just cutting calories or exercising more was NOT enough to sustain weight loss over a year.

Which makes zero sense... because for years we've been told that weight loss is 80/20 - 80% has to do with what you eat and 20% has to do with exercise. Nope, that little rule of thumb is out the window.

Why some Lose Weight while Others Gain Weight

One of the key pieces of the puzzle was the level of exhaled carbon dioxide. The researchers measured the ratio of how much oxygen is inhaled to how much carbon dioxide is exhaled. They used this as a proxy to determine if the body's primary fuel was carbs or fats. A lower ratio means the body burns fat better... while a higher ratio means it burns carbs better. So people who started the study with a higher ratio lost more weight on a low-carb diet because their body burns carbs better.

Think about it... there you are... munching away on your Keto diet because that's what your workout coach recommended. And he's ripped with muscles everywhere and not an ounce of fat on him. You go to town with the Keto, eating all sorts of high fat foods - bacon, cheese, beef, coconut fat, etc. And you avoid carbs like the plague - no potatoes, no noodles, no beans, no pizza. Let's do it!!!

And yet... after a year of eating on Keto you haven't lost the weight... in fact you've put on MORE weight. Why?? It's because your body burns carbs better. And you've been feeding your body the wrong fuel. It's not a lack of willpower. It's the wrong fuel.

If your body prefers carbs, and you're feeding it fats (or vice versa)... your body is not going to be able to metabolize those calories very well... or burn them off. Makes sense. So much sense.

And it all comes down to the your gut microbiome. Do they like to eat carbs? Or do they prefer fats? Can you just imagine a future in which you go to your doctor, they do some tests and hand you a personalized weight-loss or healthy eating plan? Whoa... 

Which begs the question... how do we find out  which is best for u!!?? Well... here's the thing. There isn't a test right now that will easily tell us what sort of gut microbiome we have rumbling around in our insides. Although... some fitness centres or wellness centres will do the respiratory quotient test for you ($$). It measures the ratio of inhaled oxygen to exhaled carbon dioxide.

In the Meantime...

Sooooo... in the meantime... this is what the researchers recommend:

• eat mostly unprocessed foods (real food - not processed "food")
• eat foods low in refined flours (I'm looking at your bread and noodles)
• eat foods low in refined sugar (sigh... brownies!!)
• eat healthy fats like avocados, olives and nuts (not bacon! or coconut oil!)
• get enough fibre from whole grains and beans (even on a low-fat diet - not all carbs are bad)
• learn to cook and rely less on highly processed foods

Well... that makes sense. It's the same advice as always... eat real food, mostly plants, and not too much. Stay away from processed "food". Stay away from sugar and refined flours. And if you're sticking to some diet plan and not losing weight... or actually putting on weight... maybe low-fat or low-carb is not for you.

Now the researchers also acknowledge that some ethnic and racial groups were underrepresented. Which makes me wonder... are some diets better for some ethnic groups than others? Based on different gut microbiomes? And what about men vs. women? Does that make a difference?

The bottom line is this... the diet that works for one person is not necessarily going to work for you. And yes... while you might be able to lose weight short-term on that Keto diet... if it's not the diet for your guy microbiome, it won't work long-term. That is out of your control.

Once again... back to small steps. It's those small daily choices that we make that help us along.

Read More

SciTech - Summary of the Stanford Study

CTV News - Stanford study identifies what influences weight loss the most

Cell Reports Medicine - the full Stanford report

Intake Health - info on the Respiratory Quotient (ratio of inhaled oxygen to exhaled carbon dioxide)