@Nate_Pearson, I’m also a disciple of Fitzgerald and his eating guidelines. Like you I’m also a bigger rider, 6’4", 177-180lbs.
I know I often fall short of the needed carb intake but this year I’m been having some weird issues and I’m wondering if you, and/or others, might have experienced.
I think that if I under carb, particularly during and right after a ride, my weight jumps up quickly, I think it’s carb related.
For example, I can see a ~10lbs swing in 24 hours if I under carb. It seems sudden, and the 10lbs jump is, but I think it’s a result of chronic under-carb.
I don’t feel bad, or over tired. My legs are ok, not great. If I pay attention to the carb intake for 5-7 days, my weight slowly drops back to normal, even under heaving training load.
This recently happened after a long Sunday ride, I ate a recovery snack and a small lunch, then took a long nap (instead of eating again). Monday evening, I was up 11 lbs.
That doesn’t sound right…I would suspect that eating less carbs would result in a lower weight. From both less food and less water being pulled in with the carbohydrates. The first thing I would be careful with would be comparing weights from different times of day (eg Sunday morning vs Monday evening). I will definitely find that my weight can swing 6+ lb/day from just eating and drinking throughout the day. But my weight will be back to my normal range the next morning.
I don’t know why it would go up if you “under carb”.
If you eat carbs you’ll hold more weight through glycogen and water. I think this is “good” weight to carry. You could also have a big swing based on salt intake…could this be happening on some of your rides?
If you eat a lot more sodium you’ll generally hold more water/salt for a few days then your body will compensate for it and you’ll pee a lot of it out.
I can totally swing 5-10 lbs from morning to evening though; especially if I start the morning dehydrated. It might just be when you weigh yourself. And…you’re naked each time, right bro?
Are you riding during the 24hours that you see the drastic change in weight? 10lbs is a lot even for someone of your size. Are you sure that you have reliable scales and are you weighing yourself under conditions that can be replicated each time?
I’m a similar height and weight to you and often struggle to stay hydrated. Despite this, I’ve never seen a change in weight as big as that.
My experiences are more in line with Nate’s, however I could maybe see this happening if a change from your normal diet caused you to get very ‘backed up’. If you were under-carbed, then could also be low on fibre, making everything move a bit slower.
