What if people google for "Diets" find some things that are not healthy in long term and can only be used when you're recovering from illness/have certain problems, get sick and sue you @gcn.
@@bubakorowski8413 why would it take longer for a pro athlete? Just to clarify, I’m not looking to dispute your claim, I’m just genuinely curious since I know next to nothing about nutrition.
@@DeltaInsanity to my knowledge pros have much more effective power cells for carb burning. So the bigger the investments in specialisation the longer the transition. For me it took over 5 months of tinkering with keto and carb balance to have my joggings effective. The longer on keto the less waste keton bodies in urin and more in use by the body. Its best explonation od the top of my head.
I am 64 and started riding 30 months ago when pretty unfit. I am very diabetic but my blood sugar and insulin levels are normal (HbA1c of 5.2% to 5.7% so far - aiming at 4.8%) with no drugs for the last 8 years thanks to low carb/keto. In March, I did a 100km Gran Fondo with 1400m climbing, and finished after a bit over 5 hours. I was as strong at the finish as at the start and I didn't have to stop or eat along the way. After finishing, I wasn't hungry and had no stiff muscles. Low Carb/Ket reverses Type 2 Diabetes to the point of no medication and better health in at least 50% of Type 2 diabetics - even if they were on insulin initially. The diet is a no-brainer for diabetics.
if low carb/keto reverses type 2, do a glucose tolerance test, and see if your type 2 is reversed. claiming keto reverses type 2 is like not going in water and claim you can swim, because you did'nt drown 😉
paleinho that’s obviously comparing pears and apples just because they both grow on trees. The effect of keto reversing insulin resistance is well known and backed up by science since I don’t know when... and glucose tolerance tests, among other methods were well able to prove this effect. Great comment though, thanks.
@@paleinho It is not that simple. When you do not need to make much insulin, the ability to suddenly cope with a glucose tolerance test is reduced. I would have to first go back to a high carb diet for a day or two before I do the tolerance test to get an accurate result - something I do not want to do. This is pretty well known in the low carb world. But I only have to be non-diabetic on the diet I am eating - not the diet I am not eating. It is not like I actually need to eat carbs for any reason. One of the definitions of diabetes is a HbA1c of over 6.5% and my last reading was 5.3% so by that definition, my diabetes is reversed.
i am type 2 and have lost 40kg in the last year, not due to low carb/keto diet, but but by cutting out the rubbish food, staying of cheese and bread and making sure i dont go over my allowed cal intake, and cycling 3-4 times a week, and now just on one tablet a day rather than 4 and also my BP is lots better and virtually of the tablets for that. so it is more about eating right rather than a low carb/keto diet
I did keto for 2 months and got very lean and fast, tons of energy and as you said good gut health. I stopped keto for a comparison and I feel worse. Starting keto again
Hi, i want to start Keto in 2 weeks from now, what should i expect? Currently 93kg with 260ftp, a bit struggling in group rides since there is a demand on hills to go 270-320 watts, which is zone 5 and sometimes 6 for a minute to 3 minutes. Currently on 80gr carb per hour. Will i struggle more or actually i may benefit from Keto to be more consistent and healthy overall? p.s. One of the reasons i try Keto is because Fibromialgy
You obviously do not know how many carbs are in a burrito shell, beans, and tortilla chips. That is indeed a carby lunch - roughly 50 carbs, which is 20 more than a keto diet allows for an entire day.
@@jmusicman6102 30 more actually, done Keto for about a year on 20g of net carbs per day... Great for weight loss.... Now I'm on a "high carb" (200g daily) diet
@@cilldaracyclist2822 carb allowances vary by gender, age, weight, activity level, etc., So that number can vary. My recommended carb allowances was 30 max/day.
My experience is that ketosis helps most in HR zones 1 and 2, but not above that, so best for long endurance, but not speed work. It’s amazing for Ironman triathlons and maybe for tour riders. It’s a game changer for recovery since ketosis naturally reduces inflammation.
@@KeanuSwayze If you were actually easily putting out 400w for 20 mins on the carnivore diet, you would be in the world tour, not in the comments section. It's pretty clear that the lack of carbs is giving you delusions buddy.
Thank you for providing this subject. Please understand that it takes a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks to acclimate to fat oxidation properly. And after 2 months, you will find that not only will you have less inflammation and many of the attributes that you touched on, you can actually achieve a higher VO two max. This will allow you to maintain your glycogen bank for a longer time for your intense rides. Keto flu is mostly related to your body acclimating to the new energy source and also due to electrolyte imbalance since so much water is loss from the body (carbs hold a lot of water) Most of these comparisons never allow the athlete to acclimate properly and so often the advantages can not be measured. I have been on the keto diet limiting carbs to 35 grams per day and i have never felt better. I am only drinking electrolytes during my rides, no sugar, no carbs. I am 58 years old and restarted riding in March after being away for a little over 20 years. I am averaging over 225 miles per week riding 6 days per week and I don't experience soreness and inflammation as I did before. I look forward to your update
@@dwebb1935 You are so welcome. Here is a link from Ultra Running Magazine that depicts relationship between VO2 max and fat oxidation efficiency. This was work performed by Dr. Jeff Volek. My understanding is that all the top marathon runners converted several years ago. What I don't understand is why many people declare that power goes down but it has been proven that glycogen is replenished and matter of fact it is conserved up until you exceed the VO2 max. As this relationship shows that VO2 is increased and so that bank of glycogen is greater for when really needed. ultrarunning.com/features/health-and-nutrition/the-emerging-science-on-fat-adaptation/ By the way even this effect has been observed and verified in the dogs that run the Iditarod race, interested reading for sure
@@jimdou4617 Thanks! Such a correlation between V02 max and fat oxidation efficiency really explains why I am hardly winded during dragon boat training but curiously, many of the more experienced paddlers are sitting there heaving and ho-ing and I am wondering what is the matter with me--am I not working hard enough?? This is precious insight.
@@bryanoliver1900 and look at the entire history of TdF winners who aren't. What's your point? I'm happy it works for her, and I'm happy it works for you. But for the love of God, quit this stupid polarised attitude and just concede it isn't for everyone. Fed up of keto, vegan, paleo blah blah blah banging on about it like they have some revealed truth.
@@dutypaidrock it is changing the diet industry has been pushing high carb for so long and the industry loves selling the carb drinks and energy bars give it another 10 years the research is there.
@@bryanoliver1900tin hat off for a second, it couldn't POSSIBLY be that they push it because there's a genuine demand because the research and experience is there to say it works? Couldn't be that millions is invested by teams of all sports to make sure their multi-million assets are performing to their potential? Nah, let's just assume everyone else is wrong. I'm not suggesting keto never works. I'm saying if it was a magic bullet that worked for everyone, don't you just think it would have been picked up by teams who ACTUALLY do proper research (reading the full peer-reviewed papers, meta-analyses, conducting their own research) by now? With a lot of money riding on it, of course they would. Keto isn't some special club with some special knowledge. It's an alternative that works for some. No more, no less.
I can confirm the benefits that you have experienced. I've been on ketosis for 6 years. The recover time is almost immediate. I wake up the next day after a 100km ride like it actually never happened. Before going keto it would take me 24 to 48 hours to recover. It's amazing...
Re: waking up next day like the 100-km ride didn't happen: Are you sure you aren't experiencing Ground Hog Day? [joke] Congrats on the habit of quick recovery. It's highly enviable!
@@mreternaljourney nothing is needed as the fuel (fat) is already in your body in more than enough quantity. You can however boost your performance by eating good fats (nuts, coconut milk, avocado, cheese) or MCT oil or exogenous ketones.
@@alexandresilva8233 in group rides in Ketosis can you use gels for heavy efforts? What will happen if you take carbs inside the high intensity of long rides?
@@SpeedBoosted136 yes you can. They will be used for fuel and if you consume 2 or even 3 per hour on anything over zone 3 there will be none left in the end to elicit high insulin response. You will be momentarily out of ketosis post workout. But that will happen even if you ride fasted. Glucose is in your blood (either from lipolisys or gluconeogenesis) so ketones will be lower until it clears
There’s a $50,000 durianrider challenge that has stood for 10 years to challenge a cyclist testing positive in ketosis vs a high carb cyclist up a long climb. So far no keto advocates have taken up the challenge. The problem with keto is it can be easily tested with a power meter. Low carb is a real risk of bonking.
Well know that Ketosis isn't great for sprints. The benefit start to show up more for endurance. But is most situations the keto group will add fast acting carbs to their diet on race day. It just makes sense.
Dan D if they have to add fast carbs on race day it begs the question why not eat high carb all the time so you can train harder for longer, because that’s how cheating athletes benefit from PED’s. Also Ketosis occurs naturally when you’re sick or starving which indicates it’s a survival mechanism and your body thinks you’re in danger which it is, given that these types of diet increases the risk of all cause mortality with a number of studies published supporting that finding.
I'll start counting how long this challenge stands when he signs some legally binding offer, wires $50000 to escrow account and announces this it though some credible outlets to audience not limited by his vegan followers.
@@AlexeyOsodoev he obviously has the money. the fact that nobody has even ATTEMPTED to challenge him is enough evidence that its bollocks. if one wants to prove keto is great...why would they need a fucking legally binded contract to race him. if they win, at the very least they've proved keto works. but nobody on earth could do that
I've been doing it for 2.5y It's improved my ability to absorb training stress. My FTP is 30% higher now (in my late 40s) than it was 20 years ago. It takes MANY months to adapt. I've never been faster. I can ride for 4h without eating ANYTHING at all. Any review of low-carb without proper adaptation will give the wrong impression.
How do you know if your FTP wouldn’t be 60% higher if you trained with high carb instead? Riding without eating? What’s the benefit in doing that... Training to be in a refugee camp?
@@davidzzz94 I can't absorb as much training stress on high-carb. Recovery is worse, bonk is worse, aches/pains are worse, digestion/elimination is worse.. I'm never going back.
ZeBen84 no, but I did have some measurements done in a lab that included max effort measurements and 1h to exhaustion measurements over the course of a few weeks. That’s how I know the FTP and measured vo2max from 20y ago.
Eric Mercer similar experience for me. The first week was so incredibly strange feeling. Everything felt wrong. The first ride was a horrendous experience. Each subsequent ride was less horrid. After 7 weeks the strava PRs started showing up again.
I have been on the Keto diet twice. The first time I was pretty dedicated to getting into full ketosis that I went both low carb and low protein and never reached full ketosis. I did lose a lot of fat mass but I also lost just as much muscle mass. Although I could go for hours with low intensity activity, I couldn't really keep up with those who were on a normal carb diet. When I re-introduced carbs, suddenly I was the one that was difficult to beat. The second time I tried it it was just after I took up DH MT biking. I really struggled with recovery and I was usually out for 3 days before I could get back on the bike. The following season after re-introducing carbs I could bike back to back days with no problem. I think keto is great for people who need to lose a lot of weight but also maybe those who do long hours of moderate exercise. High carb diets tend to retain a lot of water, and glycogen is stored in both muscle and fat mass. Being lighter will make it easier to ride faster, but there is something to be said for a carb driven fuel system when it come to power. And also recovery is much faster, at least that is what I found.
@@cyclingjoey I absolutely love the keto diet, the first time I was on it for a year and the second time for 2 years. But I just found that I couldn't get the power and recovery I needed to compete or even just enjoy being active. It could be a personal thing because I prefer to exercise every day as opposed to taking days off for recovery. It could also be the type of sport too. DH biking is very different than road cycling. I am also a skier and I struggled more with skate skiing than DH or classic XC. I didn't run much when I was on Keto but I could see it would benefit a marathon runner over a sprinter. I don't know if professional athletes really go full keto. Keto is great for weight loss though, but not if you have low body fat to start with, because I found that I lost 10lbs in fat but also 8lbs in muscle mass. Yes, I was lighter but I don't know if overall it benefitted my athletic performance. I am not convinced that just being lighter wins the race.
I have been doing the Keto during fall/winter months for the last 3 years and am started up again at the beginning of the month. I also think understanding what it is you are targeting and if the diet will support that is very important and often lost. For me, it works great this time of year when I am doing very few hard rides/efforts, I am busy with work, kids are starting up school and the typical pre-winter lull in motivation begins to creep in. 3 important things it does for me: No more winter weight gain that I then have to suffer to drop at the start of the season. Second, I LOVE the foods available on the diet and have gotten comfortable with it at this point which makes staying on the diet much easier. Lastly and most importantly, the mental clarity, mood and semi-euphoric body feeling it creates has been life changing for me! It takes me about a month (the window seems to shrink every year) to feel this way but once I do, it is the best part of the diet! I get way more work done, I sleep better, I wake up easier and my anxiety, stress and depression normally felt over the winter months is no longer an issue. It's not for everyone, I'm not going to preach it to people. But if you do try it, accept it is going to suck for a few weeks but once you truly get into ketosis (clean keto, not dirty), that point of clarity is simply an amazing feeling.
18 months on Keto, and have all the benefits you mentioned, plus the lack of the lactic acid burn. It's a strange feeling at first, your brain knows your lactic limit and is expecting it, but it never arrives, and your legs keep turning like a diesel engine full of power. It takes several rides to break your mental limit to push beyond the lactic threshold once on keto, but when you do, your legs just keep churning. I've done a 5 hour ride in zone 3/4 fully fasted, at the end wasn't even hungry. Tested ketones at the end and was sitting at 4, so as a treat had a pizza to test how badly it would affect my ketones - They were down to 2 in the morning.
@Charles Marvin so I've been living a lie for the last 18 months? The fad is the 4 week ketosis. It takes 4 months for your body to become fat adapted after that, maintaining it is a breeze. I've knocked myself out of ketosus a few times deliberately, and can be back in it within days. Once you wake up above 1.5 daily, you have no issues upping carbs.
@Charles Marvin I dont see how avocados, eggs, cauliflowers, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, chicken, lemons... is dead flesh and dairy. You sound like a grumpy vegan.
@@deecee9251 I couldn't agree more. FYI, I don't have any way of measuring my ketones or blood sugar levels. I've just gone by what I can tolerate, and after more than a year of regular fasting, I find I am now well adapted to both ketosis and carb-loading. (For more details, pls see my detailed reply to GCN in comment above). But your explanation makes sense. Thanks for it!
Thanks Diego. I had a similar experience but lost to much weight on keto. What has been your experience with weight loss? I am never hungry while doing keto.
I'm on keto for ~5 years, never felt better. To avoid infamous performance drop at high intensity, increase your protein intake above normally recommended. Ignore myth that too much protein would kick you out of ketosis. In ketosis glycogen stores are replenished mostly via gluconeogenesis, at expense of dietary protein intake, so you have to eat much more protein to fully recover and avoid breakdown of muscle tissues, especially on workout days.
Great stuff. I've been keto for about a year now. And I lost 50 lbs and cured my fatty liver, high blood pressure, lowered blood sugar, and a few other ailments. I do eat carbs on my long Saturday rides (60 miles). Saturday is my cheat day. I find it funny that we need to consult a medical professional to eat high fats but we don't need to consult a medical professional to eat high carbs. I get why you had to say that from a liability perspective. But it is the Standard American Diet which was killing me... the one my doctor, nutritionist and the government recommended.
Vegan for the win. I’m race weight (75kg) and stronger than I have been in 30 years. I eat loads and feel light and breezy. I also live teetotal. Life feels great! I’m 43 with a vo2 of 62.
Name a top cyclist that used keto. It takes body whole lot energy to be able to use fat as a fuel, while glucose is just boom, instant ATP. High carbs athletes do their best, while keto athletes will not always be able to produce their maximum
A keto or even just low carb diet Can't be tested by just doing a few weeks or even months. The body takes time to adapt. Even after adapting, it takes a lot more time to become more efficient.
I have severe OA in my right knee (bone on bone) and the low carb diet so substantially reduces body-wide inflammation that I'm able to cycle and lead a pretty active lifestyle (can run w/ the kid, but I no longer do it for exercise).
I am now Keto/Carnivore and OMAD for life. Two years now and I have unlimited energy with no need to eat before or during rides or (runs)up to 3 hours or more. I have cured Acid reflux, lifelong hay fever, eczema , excess weight and got down to prediabetes and off all medication. My triglycerides very low 0.8 (UK) and I am always in ketosis I’m setting my fastest ever times riding and running and I’m nearly 62 and thriving.
The main benefit of a keto/low carb diet is health not performance. The goal of keto is to lower insuline restance, loose visceral fat, lower chronic inflammation etc... Performance wise, you gain low intensity endurance (good for ultra endurance), but you loose in high intensity performance (not good for sprint), althought I gained back my sprint performance after 6 months into keto.
Uh, did I miss something, or doesn't this completely contradict the GCN Plant Based Cyclist book which stated something like "if you're an endurance athlete, avoid carbohydrates at your own peril"? It seems to me that J Pow just went "temporarily better" due to radical weight loss while maintaining fitness/power for the duration of the test, but that it would be very challenging to keep that up over time... Hmmm...
@Jeremy Powers I'm relieved! Yes, I understand it's an experiment. But, IMHO it's kinda off. Super-star athletic dude drops a large % body weight and goes faster over a brief test period? It's just not that applicable to the audience base for GCN is it? I dunno... You're an amazing presenter. I'd hope there's better content out there for you than starving yourself on camera! Loved your previous two videos. Keep at it.
Keto gave me gallstones. ( Gallbladder stores bile to break down fats one eats) Still on waiting list to have it removed. I'd advise it's not worth doing!
I have been doing the keto diet off and on for about 2 years now. I have lost over 100lbs doing it. Last year I got into riding my bicycle. I have tried a higher carb intake for riding and also just sticking to keto. For me what I realized was when I am in ketosis I actually can go further and not bonk. The only time I have ever bonked was actually when I was eating carbs. when on keto, before a ride I will drink coffee with MCT oil in it. That extra fat will give me more energy to ride. I also found out that with keto I am not as sore. The only problem I have while riding and doing keto is cramping.
Nobody labeled “health pro” should be consulted by anyone ever. Speak to a physiologist or other actual expert, not someone with one of these fake titles.
I went on one for 9 months and lost 63 pounds. When I started cycling again I found that if I eat carbs the night before a ride I better and don’t have to fuel up as often just fluids. A ride is between 35 and 50 miles. I do drink bulletproof coffee that morning which consists of 2 pat’s of butter, 1 table spoon of coconut oil and coffee mixed in a blender with whole cream. I’m 62 years old and never have felt better. This works for me and probably not for everyone.😎
Don't forget minerals. Magnesium supplements should help with the sleep. With low carbs it tends to through your minerals off a bit and you will need to supplement a bit.
The thing here is that (and I am full keto) is that when your cut the carbs all the way down, you lose water. When you lose water, especially on keto you HAVE to up your electrolytes, magnesium and especially potassium. The weak or heavy legs and the “keto cold” can all be mitigated by making sure you’re getting the 4000mg of potassium a day.
As a runner, I found my performance took about 3 or 4 weeks to recover but it took around 6 months before I saw the full benefit of keto. At this point I had such a big surge in my fitness that people in my running group started to ask me what my secret was.
G’Day I’ve been on a keto diet for over a year and I’m fully adapted to burning fat and using ketone as fuel. And I feel great. I sleep better. I have more energy. I’m fitter. I’ve lost 20kg in weight. When I ride I done need to eat at all. I can to 80 kms with no fuelling but not to my detriment. I don’t miss carbs and the food I eat is top quality. Each to his own as to what that eat. This lifestyle change suits me. Dr Eric Berg on RU-vid has all the data if you want to change over.
Probably already in the comments below but a couple things: 1) Becoming fat adapted takes longer than a few weeks 2) LCHF and Keto are not the same and depending on how you train LCHF may be better 3) Once fat adapted can still take time to train ones system to have the metabolic flexibility you need to run at more power 4) Many that are fat adapted and train that way when racing use carbs strategically, before hills and hard stretches, but in the end will use much less 5) Long constant rides can be fueled by onboard fat as it is about ones cross-over point where one transitions from Carb to fat for fuel. I have done many long rides with very little in the ways of carbs and no bonking 6) Keto is a tool to get fat adapted but I would say is not how one should eat all the time but being LCHF is good - you just need to figure out your Carb range 7) Last thing is I have been doing this for 3 years, yes it is a long term commitment, and never worry about Ketosis as it is what it is Bottom line LCHF is where it is at and Keto is a great tool for recovery and doing a reset but for me is not a long term way to eat but KCHF is and I would say as one gets older the LCHF is even more important as our metabolism changes.
The low carb approach is erroneous for sports. The reason is fat is a "slow" fuel. While it is correct that ATP yield is much larger for fat breakdown, since every molecule of glucose oxidized yields 36 ATP versus the complete oxidation of a triacylglycerol which yields about 460 ATP (each triglyceride molecule contains three fatty acid molecules (3 x 147 ATP) plus 19 molecules of ATP formed during glycerol breakdown, generating a total of 460 molecules of ATP the body uses a completely different set of enzymes to metabolize glucose and triglycerides. The rate of triglyceride breakdown is much slower and requires more oxygen for complete oxidation. On top of that, fat can only be converted to ATP through aerobic metabolism. Glucose can produce ATP not only aerobically but also anaerobically, through glycolysis. While largely inefficient (2 ATP yield) it can produce massive quantities of ATP all at once without oxygen. In fact, fast-twitch muscle fibers rely on the quick glycolytic pathway to meet high power output the reason lacking myoglobin to process oxygen but fatigue fast unlike slow-twitch muscle fibers which are rich in myoglobin and mitochondria able to breakdown both fat and glucose aerobically. Low carbohydrate diets are just nonsensical for strength sports. Regarding, endurance sports the rate limiting factor is oxygen availability. Our bodies rely on fat on low intensity exercise (up to 80% while walking) because there is enough oxygen available to thoroughly oxidize fat. As exercise intensity increases, oxygen becomes a limiting factor. Our muscles shift energy metabolism to carbohydrate as carbohydrate breakdown uses less oxygen and can be used anaerobically during peak efforts. Most long distance races are actually about speed endurance (unlike ultra distance events which are pure endurance) relying more on glycogen stores like strength sports only a bit less having fat some contribution aswell. The only remote possibility in which ketogenic diet could work are ultra distance races.
@@peterwicksteed5478 don't argue with them. let them believe that they believe and you keep following your beliefs. if they sew benefits then its good for them.
That is the result of every test conducted under 4 months... Yet to find any tests conducted longer term. The fact that it's believed you cannot eat carbs in keto shows the limited knowledge out there. I increase my carbs and protein on heavy, threshold session days and weight training days, in turn I also increase the fat intake to maintain my macros. This means you end up with a caloric surplus, but keto allows me to train on a deficit on lighter days, and fast 24/48hrs without giving it a second thought, balancing out my calories through out a full week. What the majority fail to see is the ability to manipulate your macros and not affect your state of ketosis once you are fully fat adapted. No study out there has looked at a properly, fat adapted athlete. Why? Because no athlete is willing to forego 4 months of what they perceive to be under performance.
One thing you get wrong is that there is shift from fat to glucose at high intensity. Yes, proportionally more glucose utilized at high intensity, but quantitatively more fat as well. In ketosis glucose from muscle glycogen stores is utilized as well. Fat oxydation rate bottleneck applies to both glycolysis and ketosis, there is no difference in this regard. Study a lot of people reference as proof of fat oxydation being limit of performance in ketosis was administered with mistakes. high carb and low carb groups protein intake was equal, while low carb group needed higher intake to replenish glycogen and recover. Check recent studies where protein intake and training was adjusted, performance was the same or better.
@@AlexeyOsodoev Yes. Surely some fat is continuously oxidized, but carbohydrate oxidation picks up with intensity. Fat can't fuel properly efforts above a certain percentage of a given VO2max value. It's like an inverse relationship between fat and carbohydrate oxidation rates and exercise intensity. And if you hit a sprint/anaerobic zone there is shift for other energy systems, like the anaerobic glycolysis or the creatine phosphate pathways. Certain people get the notion that the laws of biochemistry can be bent and/or don't apply to them because reasons. While it's true that endurance training increases the muscle capacity to store and oxidize triglycerides even at higher intensities which if additively combined with the ketogenic diet that assumedly increases fat oxidation rates, one could theorize about the potential of such approach. In reality the benefits from both training and keto still wouldn't enclose the difference with proper carbohydrate fueling if performance is the objetive.
I just rode 80 miles on full blown ketosis fully fasted throughout the entire ride with the help of only electrolytes and potassium supplements to keep me going but I can definitely tell you that this ride wouldn't have never been possible eating any kind of carbs. And im planning on pushing for 100 mile ride on ketosis and eventually get to my 200 mile goal on full blown ketosis.
Did Keto for the past 7 years. After a good 6 months of adaption and getting your body not only to produce but also to fully utilize Ketone Bodies as a fuel you really feel your energy increases. It is important to understand that Keto is not a high protein diet, you would still aim for 1.2 to 1.6g per BW dry mass and fill your calories from fats.
Doing keto now. So far, i've lost 4kg in two weeks, but power is definitely down by around 15%. If i need to go hard for a race, I make sure I carb up the day before. Boom! the energy's there, and i'm also lighter. Once the race is done, it's back to low carb to keep losing weight.
Underground Body Opus - I did this as a much younger me over 20 years ago for reasons not tied to cycling. I couldn't do it these days. This particular version of a keto-diet meant as a team we were dealing with the "keto-flu" every Monday. It was truly painful. The point is, Ketogenic Diets have been around a long time and there is solid science behind the effects. In the end, it comes down to a sustainable lifestyle for yourself and those close to you.
I really appreciate your comments at the close of the video. I started with a whole foods diet because my acid reflux was creating significant health issues. After a month, I had really dropped some unwanted weight. I stuck with it and dropped 22 pounds. Eventually, I moved to more of a keto diet (not a big change from what I was doing), and the two amazing aspects for me are that I stopped taking antacids as I didn't need them, and have not experienced a bonk since, including on some wicked hill climb days. Even with hard effort, I have the stored energy to keep going. Anecdotally, I would say that if you have struggled with stomach issues eating a high carb diet, consider this alternative.
On carbs I was a slow 250 pound bike rider. After 1 year on low carb keto diet I became a much faster 195 pound rider. I can ride all day now on my own body fat reserves.
The ones claiming to go further and faster are the ones who have lost their pounds on keto. Of course they're fitter after losing fat. Normal people don't have much bodyfat, so why not use healthy food full of vitamins and antioxidants...
@@peterwicksteed5478 btw where the fats comes from doesnt matter the body doesnt care if its the same chemical if its from a chemical plant who produces that exact fat only or if its from a cow avacado or what ever
Jason Dakin btw, according to Wikipedia 63% of the UK adult population are classified as being overweight or obese. I fear these are the “normal” people in the UK. I was one until I started living the LCHF lifestyle.
@@JasonDBike Then why has it helped Zach bitter continue to break world records? He didn't start eating a low-carb lifestyle to lose weight. Zach is finding that it is helping his recovery and stable energy during races. He has also found that he doesn't need to consume as much during races.
10 days is enough to get your body producing ketones, but it’s not enough to get your body “fat adapted”.. your body upregulates the number of fatty acid receptors on your muscles and allows you to burn more fat directly.. your body also upregulates the number of mitochondria in the cells. The performance benefit is actually more than the data suggests. Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney have shown that fat oxidation rate in fat adapted athletes is 2.3 fold in low carb adapted athletes.. and 10 days isn’t enough to get you there. A little excerpt from the results they have observed; “Peak fat oxidation was 2.3-fold higher in the LC group (1.54 ± 0.18 vs 0.67 ± 0.14 g/min; P = 0.000) and it occurred at a higher percentage of VO2max (70.3 ± 6.3 vs 54.9 ± 7.8%; P = 0.000).”
Been in and out keto for the past 4 or so years and would recommend to give yourself a little more time to get really fat adapted. Having the body produce ketones and being able to fully use them are not the same. But great comparison and definitely looking forward to a next evaluation. Try the same thing after 6 weeks of ketosis and things might look different. Also, the idea that high protein kicks you out of ketosis is kinda a thing of the past. Don't worry about too much protein, you can go as high as 45% protein, 45% fat and 10% carbs, test yourself, every body reacts differently.
@Brainjock how is it bad on the environment? And why is it a gimmick? U truly have no clue about what the ketogenic diet entails. I'd recommend educating yourself about it before judging. Keto is not bacon and cheese.
I just took up cycling this year and was losing weight cycling in ketosis but listened to a lot of advice saying that I had to eat carbs in order to cycle well so I stopped. Since exiting ketosis I've started gaining weight back, lost some of the mental clarity that I had, don't like the fact that I need to eat more during my long rides and my blood sugar (which was a bit high before I started but had normalized while on ketosis) is starting to creep back up. Hats off to JP for tackling a complex and controversial subject; you've encouraged me to take up the keto diet again. Also I would say that I had the same problems sleeping while on a keto diet but I realized that I don't need as much sleep when I eat this way (I go down from about 8 hours needed per night to 6 hours). That in turn makes it easier to wake up at 5am for a ride... :)
I went full keto several years ago and on the 7th day I definitely hit the keto flu which lasted a week. After that I was not very hungry and lost too much weight. I felt stronger, more clear headed and could ride without eating or even drinking much. Ribeyes are the best fat😊
Few comments from experience of being in keto for a year. I'm back to carbs btw. 1. Takes 4-6 weeks for body to get fully adapted 2. Your body stores a good amount (1000+ calories) of glycogen in liver and muscle. 3. Heart rate will be higher on keto for similar carb effort. 4. Don't skimp on protein, excess will be used for gluconeogenesis and not breaking down muscule mass. 5. Electrolytes are key for keto 6. Lots of water needed 7. Worst in my experience... 20% drop in watts Some other benefits... 1. Recovery is faster 2. Euphoric mental state 3. Never needing to carry sugar on the ride
Ketogenic since 2011: When I made the switch, I didn't workout for the first 2 weeks, then started running. To me it is not restrictive, it is freeing. I am a sugar addict and total abstinence has helped me tremendously. I added cycling in the past 6 years and usally ride fasted in the morning, waiting until noon to eat (18/6). It is critical for me to get lots of salt and electrolytes however. I have put migraines to bed and problems with dehyration and cramps since figuring that out. I make my own electrolyte mix as well as LMNT packets (for convienence) and have 6-12000mg of sodium a day (depending on exercise/heat/sweating etc) along with potassium and magnesium in 2-4 liters of water. I think alot of athletes don't understand how much salt you need if you are an athlete and you will feel terrible if that is lacking. LMNT website is very helpful for scientific references. PS Salt in your diet is not causing high blood pressure, sugar and insulin resistance is causing the body to hold on to water in the blood and increases pressure. Age 62 female.
Hitting those numbers after only a few days in ketosis ist insane! Imagine the body gets the neccessary time to fully adapt to keto. That usually takes months, not days. Much better performances should be possible still.
Seems like (from the video footage) you are having a fair bit of sugar in the "Keto" diet with quite a few video shots of fruit... would also be interesting to see the effects of a Keto diet long term (some how have studied this, but not many).
A lot of the effect here seems to be that you lost weight while maintaining your power. You'd get essentially the same gains by losing the same weight some other way.
If I went 15 hours without eating I would literally be in the hospital being tube fed. If I go more than 5 hours without eating I start getting light headed and pass out.
I used to be like that too! That's the reason why I decided to try fasting. I was very easily hypoglycemic several years ago, and I felt I was exhibiting pre-diabetic symptoms. Took me a long time to get used to fasting, but now I quite like it!
How do you sleep? I have heard many people claim that they can't go more than 3-5 hours without eating. then I ask them when they stop eating before going to bed, how long they sleep, and how long after waking in the morning do they eat again. You may find that you have already been fasting for 10-12 hours.
@@zwiftrogue3938 the difference is while you're asleep you're barely using any calories at all, during the daytime while you're awake you're burning a crapload of calories even if you're not doing anything.so I'll rephrase what I said. while I'm actively burning calories I can only go a few hours without eating, while I'm not burning calories I can go 20+ hours without eating
@@bobbyhempel1513 I was the same when I first tried out fasting. That's why I thought about it and did some research on the topic for roughly two years before I had the courage to finally try it. The following are just my opinions, so you don't have to feel you have to take it if you don't want to. No worries. Most people are okay with skipping breakfast once in awhile, so if you are in fairly normal health, you can consider doing this routine first: the 18-6 intermittent fasting routine. 16 hours of not eating means you will eat two meals a day (lunch+dinner) and those two meals will ideally be within 6-8 hours of each other. I always have black coffee to start my day--because any protein intake will stop your fast, so skip the milk/cream--because I do feel droopy and coffee is an appetite suppressant. (I'd go easy on the coffee if you find you start to get shaky hands or a racing pulse.) You can consider trying an early lunch, when you first start out. I wouldn't recommend eating a late lunch; that would KO a beginner. TBH, I actually started with 24-hour fasting first, in the very beginning. So I picked Saturdays for the deed, because I could stay at home and take it easy, and I went on a dinner-to-dinner fast. That means I ate dinner as normal the night before, then skipped breakfast and lunch the next day. I would go take a nap in the afternoon when I was hungriest and weakest, and when I woke up, it was basically time for an early dinner. I did this every week until I could venture to leave the house while fasting, and then eventually, watching other people eat while I was fasting. Took me a couple of months and teeth gritting! Then I eventually tried going to work while fasting. That was very hard at first, but then I found that not eating actually made me feel super alert and switched on. If I may, I would recommended doing a dinner-to-dinner fast and not breakfast-to-breakfast. And that you are not the one preparing your own dinner while you're fasting (that was torturous for me. It was a dumb move). It also helped that I am single and so I don't have to watch other family members eat, when I first started fasting. Not sure how you will tackle that one as perhaps you may live with family members. 🤣 Lastly, if I may add this: 30 mins before you have your dinner again, on the day your break your fast, it would be good to have some kind of protein as a snack, ie nuts or an egg. This tells your body to stop the fasting process, so that the body will not go into some kind of "super nutrient absorption mode" when it senses there is food incoming again (mildly related to what's called "refeeding syndrome"). That would make you gain weight rather easily. And for the fast-breaking dinner, it's easier to tolerate if you avoid carbs that meal, and also eat more protein. This has to do with the spike in production human growth hormone that you'll experience 12 hours in during your fast, which is an effect that encourages muscle production. If you want more information on what I mentioned, you're welcome to contact me. If you don't want to, that is fine too. Thank you for listening. (I am not a medical professional, I just happened to work in a hospital before. Also, if you go online and look up fasting and intermittent fasting routines, you will find roughly the same info as what I've mentioned here. Hope this helps!
Great vid, thx! I have been doing keto for over a year and a half, lost 50 pounds, and am more active than ever and finally at a good weight at 51. It takes a while to be back to full power when you first start that diet, but after adapted I feel stronger. I have been climbing big western US mountains and power to weight is a major benefit. I can climb a big volcano mountain on very little food. Setting PRs on my bike routinely still. It is not hard to stay on for me, but I understand everyone is different.
I have cycled on and off Keto 3 times in the last year. Each time it gets easier to get into ketosis. I love the mental acuity and the ability to cruise up steep, long ascents.
I was one year on Keto - amazing, especially during summer time. My body learned and upgraded mitochondria to have ability to properly utilized fat into energy after that time, and it stays with you after you done with keto! So pretty much double fueled now, fats/carbs. Now I am simply low carb, high fat, still more stable and spreaded energy levels etc. Once I know that I will need more kick during ride or do more anabolic training in the gym then more carbs are introduced
Jeremy this has been one of the very best GCN Postings in years and right up there with the serious stuff Emma Pooley and Chris Opie used to do. Less crazy GCN does science BS and more real educational stuff that real riders can benefit from. I’ve been Keto since the end of May and it has been a total revelation. At 66 I’m pain free in my knees and back for the first time in 10 years. I’m sitting Personal Bests on Strava weekly and I’ve got miles more energy. Keep it up for 5 weeks and re run the 5 min and 20 min test and be further amazed mate. You will dump the baritos , pasta, pizza and rice forever and never crave them again.
Butter and cheese are good sources of fat for energy, if they're good quality, grassfed butter, real cheese (from raw milk) then it's super healthy. (short and middle chain saturated fats are the best source of energy, SCFA & MCT) And to limit protein you have to avoid lean cuts of meat, go for the fattier cuts! Bacons eggs and avocado is perfect example, love this meal :) Couldn't imagine doing keto without butter because it is so hard to find fat in meat at the supermarket.
I still think the best choice is "use carbs when carbs are needed" method. In this regards I land up averaging around ~125g per day. Some days more towards 50-75g...some days well above 200g. Regardless...i feel this ensures my body burns fat as a primary (which is verified by testing) @ 0.98g/min (not amazing, but not terrible). This also means I can ride almost indefinitely on just electrolytes...no food needed for 4+ hours.
Keto adaptation and fat adaptation are different. Keto adaptation takes months if you're strict, fat adaptation only takes a few weeks depending on how well train you are and the composition of your diet. Keto is great if your willing to stick it out and aren't concerned in racing crits, cx, xc. Fat adapted is where the benefits are for a wider range of disciplines.
@@josheatsbananas4373 He said leafy greens are carbs, therefore he's not fully on keto. The leafy greens should have been left out of the comment because they ARE part of a keto diet.
@@Markhypnosis1 I hear ya, you make a good point. The tortillas and fruit in this video are baffling though. I wish he had done his ketone test right before that last ride.
When it works its amazing, the smoothest energy release ever, no lows, just a constant flow of energy. But its hard to get right! A low (not zero) carb lifestyle has benefited me in terms of less joint pain etc. I've lost weight and am fitter than I've ever been at age 50. But I tend to have some carbs before excersise, and bananas during a ride, then protein and fats after. Keeps the weight off but means I'm not relying on those ketones, as if they are not there, and you have no carbs in you, any bike ride will feel like you've done 100 miles before you start! If you trained for months for a race, would you really go out without carbs and some gels etc with you on the big day? You'd have to be very sure of yourself to do that.
do research on the side effects of a keto diet (which can lead to high blood pressure (and more) resulting from a carbohydrate intolerance). Do research the facts about cholesterol and what it does to our arteries. You're in your 50ties now, be careful! doi:10.1001/archinte.1927.00130120077005 doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1934.sp003113 www.jci.org/articles/view/89444 doi:10.1196/annals.1333.025 doi:10.1097/MJT.0b013e318235f1df
Once your health is better, your insuline resistance is gone, you may go with a more liberal low carb diet, with more protein and less fat. For me, I don't need to be in strict keto to keep me healthy.
Great video Jeremy. Like you my Total FTP increased and i lost weight. That is great. We could also include 2 benefits from low carbs which is better recovery and no bonking. But the main focus to go low car is better health. Because people are slim and doing lots of exercise they think they are healthy. Healthy is better defined by blood and urine test to cover tg, hdl, white blood cells, lymphocites, red blood cells, liver enzymes, blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, nutrients such as vit b12, iron and especially CRP. The overall analysis will certainly predict if you will get a certain disease. In many low carbs people they have improved many of these biomarkers. Exercise is good but food is the main variable for your health.
Yes, agree. I was always scratching my head at high-performance elite athletes who would end up with Type-2 diabetes or diabetic-like symptoms. If the DM2 is not due to a sedentary lifestyle, then the only other remaining explanation must be due to diet and chronic high-caloric intake during training (fructose in power gels, for example).
the 1st 10 mins of the video I knew you were doing the keto wrong but once you got it, you nailed it. its not for everyone and you're right its hard to get right.
I still eat too much carbohydrate for my diabetes, I think. Type 1 diabetes for 50 years, big fan of keto diets in theory, less adherent in practice. I do understand why people on RU-vid attempting a keto or even an Atkins diet gorge on protein but won’t eat enough fat: a lifetime of anti-fat propaganda can do that. I’m impressed that you did so well after a bit of advice.
But yeah the full of effects of keto come when you fat adapted after a month of ketosis cuz your body builds the mitochondrial machinery to process not only ketone but fat more efficiently and your ketones might drop after a few weeks if you do urine tests cuz ur body uptake more as the body progresses through fat adaptation
Been doing Whole Food Plant based eating. Changed my macros to 50 percent protein 40 percent carb and 10 percent fat. Been optimal for my performance. Limit starches but lots of greens and veggies. Healthy fats and plant proteins. Works well for me so far.
have tried twice for two months at a time I was running marathons more than biking in my 20s I quit both times due to liver pain, possibly another organ tried balancing out acidity, but it was not effective I did research, doubly so the second time, did not work for me I did notice the tremendously stable energy and mental awareness I was able to replicate the stable energy with a carb diet Deleting refined sugar and sticking to slow, fiber rich food
i had been doing keto, dirty keto, carnivore, with mixed results. then i started doing omad, and 2 - 3 - 4 day fasting, all of these while doing cycling. for me being in deep ketosis, is when you are able to do 3 hours of cycling or more just tapping in to your own body fat. or when you are able to put out as much energy 15 hours after your last meal, as you could on a normal high carb diet suckin down gel while riding. and getting to that stage of ketosis takes months of intermittent fasting while on low carb and fairly low protein intake. eating high vegetable and fat, and normal protein while intermittent fasting is the best way to get to that stage. i can do cycling while fasting the first 48 hours of fasting, no problem. after 48 hours, anything harder than long walks isn't very comfortable. i do this mainly for weight loss, and it very effective. but also for all the other health benefits like autophagy, reversing metabolic syndrome etc. at first it was just to get thinner and healthier, but living like this feels much better. a bit difficult to eat with other people, but worth it for me
You can drink beer or two and still be in ketosis. Also there's keto cookies and treats, you just don't crave that much for sweet taste, when you are well fat adapted
So to do a true comparison you need to allow your body time to adapt and grow some more mitochondria. There will be at least 6 weeks for many to begin to adapt. For full adaptation it can take up to 6 months. 1 week is going through the unpleasant stuff without the true benefit. Well done for doing it but perhaps consider a longer period to see how that goes. Anything less than a month and it is still not working up to it's full potential. Check out the work done by Professors Phinney and Volek for more info. Adding oils is good. Avoid SEED OILS like the plague! I look forward to hearing about your long ride :)
I'm on low carb for 6.5y. Have kept 38lb off for that time. Have ridden UK end to end twice on it. Climbing much easier lighter and my mood is much better.
OMG YEAH! I was thinking, there has to be some Latino that you know that can help you fix this? My wife is Puerto Rican... and yeah, she would shoot me if I said that. Like for realz. Then again, I speak spanish... so yeah. Try just a little bit harder bro!
It’s really not that difficult to restrict your carbs. Cut bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta, all things I love btw. Leafy green stuff is good.Fruit is fine as long as you check the carb content. The big issue is ... beer (liquid bread). And alcohol in general. 😕
There is no one size fits all with nutrition - what works for one might not work for anyone else as we all have our own unique microbiome. This is why specific diets (Atkins, South Beach etc) only work for a few but not for most others. Also, carb 'free' dieting/nutrition doesn't exist, it's low carbs....most of the stuff on Jeremy's plate does contain limited amounts of carbs. By the way - your brain needs them! Also please be aware of others when you are in a state of ketosis as your breath might not smell too nice (currently obviously with social distancing not so much of an issue :-))
Every time you eat high-carb meal, you experience reactive hypoglycemia, starving your brain. In ketosis your blood glucose is sustained at stable level by gluconeogenesis. And more tissues switch to ketones, means more glucose is available for your brain. In addition to stable supply of glucose in ketosis your brain can utilize ketones. So if you care about properly feeding your brain, you should avoid carbs.
@AG Coarseman You have. Self-assessment is subjective and depends on your reference point. If you are eating high-carb and never did keto for at least a week, you perceive mental fog and fatigue as your normal energy level.
@AG Coarseman I'm not telling how you feel, like I said, how you feel is SUBJECTIVE. But if you eat high carb diet, OBJECTIVELY you experience reactive hypoglycemia on regular basis and as a result have higher level of mental fog.
@AG Coarseman OMAD can be considered half-assed keto in this regard, benefits of both have the same roots - your ketone levels rise until your next meal and your body doesn't rely on carb intake around the clock. I would do keto OMAD as well, but it's unsustainable for me, I can't squeeze adequate protein intake into one meal. You kind of defeat the purpose of OMAD by upping carbs on ride days, might benefit even more from increasing protein instead of carbs. Your body needs more protein for muscle tissue recovery and already utilizes a lot of amino acids to synthesize glucose when you are fasting, this demand can't be met by fats or carbs.
I haven't read into Keto diets vs high-carb diets in a long time, but this video made me think of it in a new way. I've got two new categories that I want to find data for now: 1. Is one better than the other for a steady state diet while training to develop cycling fitness? Are certain training zones benefited more than others by each diet, or is one simply better for developing all training zones? If the former, coaches could prescribe diet switches within a long-term training phase in order to target specific gains within a zone! 2. Similarly, are there single day performance gains to be had by maintaining one of these steady state diets and then abruptly (a few weeks) switching to the other? Great video that makes me think. Thanks Jeremy & GCN!
Jeremy, fantastic video, excellent journalism. Looking forward to your updates too. Please consider doing Keto for at least 6 to 8 weeks to get yourself fully fat adapted. I've been on Keto for over a year, I find my 1 minute power is down a little but my 20 minute power is up. Which for me, is exactly what I want. My experience has been; no leg pain, no bonking, improved endurance and faster recovery. I do have to climb out of the saddle more often but the increased energy I feel, more than makes up for it.
