The hardest thing about being fat-adapted is..

I have been adapting my diet to accommodate this theory I am exploring. When I pursue a diet plan rich in healthy dietary fats, I can more effectively manage my weight, mood, and ultimately, my overall happiness. I feel I can control my cravings as well as control my weight and maintain my muscle mass.

It was not long ago before I convinced myself that eating dietary fat was not necessarily a bad thing. It took me a while to understand that dietary fat was not something to be avoided. Dietary fat is necessary to reap the benefits of specific vitamins that are fat-soluble and may not necessarily be absorbed by our bodies when we consistently pursue carbohydrate-centric diets.

Vitamin D is fat-soluble. Can you believe it? I mean, we are told that Vitamin D is good for healthy bones--but that is only half of the story. When I was deep into pursuing various weight-training strategies, I kept running across advice that stressed the importance of specific vitamins. I noticed that Vitamin C and Vitamin D are both critical for after-exercise recovery.

The exciting thing, though, is that vitamin D is fat-soluble. Consuming dietary fat would be ideal for metabolizing vitamin D. Before I stumbled upon this, I was utterly clueless about fitness--at least about what role diet played into vitamin absorption.

Before realizing this aspect of nutrition, I had been otherwise reasonably fit and experienced. I had been a triathlete. I ran between 15-30 miles per week. I rode at least 20 miles per day Monday through Friday, with my longer 40-80 mile rides on Saturdays and Sundays. I also did weight training three times per week (legs, abs, arms) and ramped up my swimming training the month before my triathlon races.

Through much of this triathlon prep, I gravitated towards a vegetarian diet. I noticed that my running rhythm would be off the day after drinking a beer or eating red meat. I also saw that, performance-wise, I got varying effects on the bike, depending on what I ate. As fast as my cycling speed was concerned, oatmeal was a slow energy source, and white rice was the fastest. Ramen noodles--forget it; very far from an even less than mediocre energy source for performance gains on the bike or during a run.

I no longer do triathlons. I am recovering from an injury that prevents me from running. I still swim, though. I wonder how much more effective of a triathlete I would be if I had been able to incorporate enough dietary fats into my regimen to take advantage of vitamin D's health and recovery benefits.

Lately, I find myself eating with a specific goal in mind--how will this affect my sleep or my resistance training, etc. I verify everything I learn about food and nutrition because some generally expected outcomes may not apply in all contexts. I have a theory about how having healthy gut flora may enhance endurance while running and on long bike rides. Once I get closer to 80% of recovering from my injury, I think I will have to put that theory to the test.