Success Story by Janine, March 2008
[Has been an endurance athlete for years, and also had candida.] Today, I'm pretty much candida symptom-free, but carbs are still not good for me, so I stick to Bee's plan as closely as possible. Makes recommendation for ahtlete's diet (including plenty of "good" fats), and drinks, etc.
Janine is a member of Bee's Candida Support Group (see Message #51053), that you are welcome to join!
March 26, 2008
Hi Bee,
Hi Joanna,
I can give you some data from my own experience. I'm 49 and have been an endurance athlete for years. As I look back, I now believe I had candida troubles for years as well. I started really 'attacking' the candida about
5 years ago (when I was severly worn down) and found this group not long after.
Still, my 'transitioning' to Bee's program has been a long, slow journey with more than a few wrong turns and course-corrections! Really, I only started eating the 'right' amounts of fat in the last year or two (I
was historically pretty fat-phobic - even as a child - so that was challenging to overcome). Today, I'm pretty much candida symptom-free, but carbs are still not good for me, so I stick to Bee's plan as closely as
possible. If I have carb-intense food for more than a day or two in a row, I start to get the cravings, so I'm usually pretty religious. I mostly lurk here nowadays, to stay motivated.
Performance-wise, I was never very fast (no doubt that's why I gravitated towards endurance sports!). 10 or 15 years ago, in my 30's, I was doing half-Ironmans in 6-7 hours and Ironmans (only 2!) in 14-16 hours. I also
did/do lots of century riding and used to do an average hilly century in about 8 hours. My best century time was just over 7 hours (riding time). Today, and particularly in the last couple of years, I have become much
faster! I did a moderately difficult half IM last summer in 5:50, and a flat century in 5:27 (and no one could have been more shocked than I!!!).
I completed the Mt Shasta Summit Super Century (we live in Northern Cal) - my 'goal event' for the year - with 16,500 ft of climbing in 130 miles - in 10:20 riding time. My running is the best it's ever been and I've gotten so strong on my bike that I started actual bike racing this year and I don't win but I don't get dropped, either.
Here's my experience with the 'mechanics' of managing the diet. The very first stage was breaking my (huge) carb-addiction. It was fairly painful - tired, crabby, achey and absolutely NO energy for a few weeks. I just
slogged through my workouts and forced myself to keep going. I was in such a deep hole already that I didn't really worry much about 'losing fitness' - I
just hoped to get better. As a side effect of the candida (I believe), I had become quite anemic as well, which only compounded my issues.
After I adjusted to eating much fewer carbs and began to do longer workouts again, I spent quite a bit of time experimenting with different foods before, during and after workout. My biggest problem during that period, I
think, was that I was still not getting enough fats, but instead was eating way too much protein. In the last year I've found a balance that seems to work pretty well for me.
During the week, when my workouts are usually an
hour to 2 hours, once or twice a day, I do just fine with the 'Standard Bee Diet'. I use the Egg drink a lot. On the weekends, when I might do a 5+hour ride on Saturday, followed by a 3+hour ride and a 1+hour run on Sunday, I might have some extra carbs with breakfast (my favorite pre-breakfast ride is cottage cheese with pineapple!). During my rides, I usually eat packaged
energy bars because they are convenient - I need about 200 cal every 2 hours. I usually use bars with more protein but not always.
I NEVER use any kind of carb drink (like Gatorade) - for me they are BAD news. In race situations, I will occasionally take a 'sport gel' (Gu or HammerGel) to get
me through the last 30 minutes or so but that is rare. I don't use caffeine in every-day life at all, but I will also sometimes use some caffeine in a race.
Post-workout, I sometimes like to have a piece of fruit and then I always have Bee's egg drink - it is an AWESOME recovery drink!!! I may sometimes have some more carbs in the 2-hour window after workout, though I'm not sure if it really helps me recover. otherwise I try to stick to the program.
If/when your candida is under control, 'The Paleo Diet for Athletes' is a good reference. though they don't recommend enough fats IMHO. If you're relatively fit, you should adapt to the program pretty quickly (a couple of months?) - I suspect that the transition depends more on your health than on your age (though there is often a strong correlation!). If you need to take it in stages (like I did), expect a 'rocky' month after starting each stage. After a while, you'll be able to tell what you need to eat or workouts by the way your energy feels. I notice a very different energy from carbs, from fats and from protein.
Expect to have a few pretty bad workouts in the
process of re-educating your body, though! Just take it as a learning experience and don't be too hard on yourself. If your body isn't ready to do the workout you had in mind, cut yourself some slack. You'll be stronger in the end! Bee's program has definitely helped me to be stronger and fitter than I have ever been - and not many 49 year old athletes can say THAT! I encourage you to give it a try.
This is probably way more than you wanted, but if you have more questions feel free to email me off-list (or on-list, if others might be interested!)
Janine
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