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Several years ago, in my earlier days of road cycling, I was introduced to 'keto', (also known as LCHF - low carb, high fat). It's a way of eating where you reduce your daily carbohydrates intake to approximately 25 - 50g per day.
Some Billy-basic science behind keto:
At a very basic level, bodies have two sources of energy to call upon. Glucose /glycogen (which is what carbs /sugars turn into once eaten) or fat. Our bodies find it easier to burn glucose so it'll use that first and store any fat as back up (usually around bums, tums and waists).
As a highly simplified example, let's say you eat a burger and bun. The body will turn the bun into glucose /glycogen and burn that first. It'll store the fat from the burger for when the glucose runs out. The problem some people have is that the glucose never runs out because they keep topping it up with carb- /sugar-heavy foods. If they keep eating equal carbs with fat then the fat continues to get stored meaning waistlines start becoming coastlines.
If people are insulin resistant (IR) then problems are compounded as their bodies don’t respond well to insulin and can’t easily use glucose from their system. In this case the body tries to use up glucose but can't do it quickly + the fat stores continue growing = significant weight gain, even if they're quite physically active. Ever heard of people say "I do all this exercise but I can't shift the weight"? Then it could be that they're IR. (I stress that it could also mean a lot of other things too, [I'm by no means a doctor], but IR might be something they want to get checked out).
What is 'Ketosis'?
The goal of keto is to get into 'ketosis', which is where your body adapts to efficiently burn fat as its main source of fuel. To get fully 'fat-adapted' can take a few days to a couple of weeks depending o
n the individual i.e., how drastically they reduce carbs from their diet, and how much intense exercise they do to burn away the glucose /glycogen in their system.
Two things that are important to point out at this stage is that this is low carbs NOT 'no' carbs. Also, the fats you eat are healthy ones. I'm not talking about stuffing your face with bun-less Big Macs and pork scratchings every day (although the latter is a lovely alternative to crisps when a hole needs filling now and again! 🐷😋). Think avocados, grass-fed butters, lamb, cream, cheese, olives /olive oil, fish, almonds and macadamia nuts etc.
My previous encounter with Keto:
LCHF (not necessarily ketosis) is often a way of eating prescribed to type-2 diabetics as it keeps sugar levels low and avoids fluctuations in insulin. I don't have diabetes but when I originally heard about keto I was intrigued. I gave it a go for a few months and the results back then where fascinating. Not only did I lose a lot of weight (SPOILER ALERT: eating fat doesn't make you fat!), but my minor food allergies disappeared all together, as did physical niggles I'd been carrying for a while.
So if the benefits I experienced back then were so good why did I stop? Well you see, I have this condition... It's called being 'human'! And like most mere mortals I can often struggle with willpower. The lure of sugar and bread and sweets and pasta and milkshakes and Big Macs (with the bun) and, and ,and was just too great so off the wagon I fell... In biblical fashion. Back went on the weight, back came some of the physical inflammation, but interestingly my minor allergies to apples, peaches and other soft fruits remained at bay.
Why I'm experimenting with keto again:
Fast-forward several years to 4 weeks ago and I decided to give keto another go. Weight-wise, I was the heaviest I've been for many years; general energy levels had been low for a while, and more aches and pains were returning. Also, I'd recently taken myself off my anxiety meds (reducing down from 100g of Sertraline over a couple of months) and didn't like the way the sharp edges of my symptoms were randomly returning with increasing regularity and literal gut-wrenching intensity.
I'm also fully aware that I'm the type of person who can't just 'have one biscuit'. Once I get the taste, that 'one' becomes the whole packet, so I need a way of eating that does restrict me.
I can be very disciplined but only up to the point of 'breaking the seal'. Give me a Haribo Tangfastic sweet and you won't see the rest of the packet for the cloud sugar dust cloud my subsequent eating frenzy will create.
Common things you'll hear about keto:
When people find out you're doing keto you'll hear lots of questions /opinions. Three of the most common I get are:
"Keto? Isn't that Atkins?"
Kinda. But in Keto you're meant to include fruits (low sugar berries such as blackberries, raspberries and strawberries), and vegetables (any that grow above ground are great - leafy greens, broccoli, spinach etc. [all high in rich, complex carbs])
"All that fat can't be good for you?! You better check your cholesterol!
Yes, fat can be good for you, if it's healthy fats /good cholesterol, and it's the only source of fuel your body is burning.
Prior to originally researching keto, and based on what the mainstream media bombard you with, I had no idea there was good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol.
Good ol' Rupert Murdoch et al had me believing that all cholesterol was the devil incarnate. What I soon learnt was HDL actually helps your body get rid of excess bad cholesterol. This means it's less likely to clog your arteries. LDL is the bad stuff and is what takes cholesterol to your arteries. Too much and it starts to form as a hard plaque on your artery walls, which is what blocks those little suckers and causes clots, heart attacks and strokes. A keto diet promotes healthy HDL.
"Any restrictive diet is stupid and isn't sustainable. Everything in moderation!" I agree with the first part of this. My original stint at Keto proved this for me, personally. Do I think I'll stay on keto forever? Absolutely not. But my aim this time, if I find it beneficial, is to remain in it for as long as possible. When I invariably stray from the path I'll try and put myself back on to it as quickly as possible.... Once I've sunk a few ice-creams and Family Buckets obviously. (ahem). As for 'everything in moderation'... As mentioned earlier, it's the 'moderation' bit I struggle with. 'Moderation' doesn't work if you're an 'all or nothing' kinda guy when it comes to unhealthy food.
My road cycling on keto experiment:
So what about road cycling whilst on keto? Can I adapt my body to run on fat and still cycle the same distances at the same levels of performance I'm used to enjoying? Well that's what this series of blog posts is going to find out.
The plan is to track an honest, transparent, unbiased, warts 'n' all record of my progress (or decline). I'll be sharing the highs and lows, the lessons and the laughs, so if any other amateur roadies out there are thinking about keto, you'll be able to benefit from the hindsight my experiences bring.
I plan to cover things such as the food I eat before rides, the keto friendly snacks I take with me, the emotional and motivational ups and downs I experience, and any other lifestyle adjustments I make /the products I end up throwing into the mix Plus anything else I stumble across, which I think will be interesting and /or helpful.
Stay tuned for 'diary entry #2' in the near future - where I'll be sharing what I experienced in week 1 of my keto transition. In the meantime it would be great to hear what others think /know about keto.
Does anyone else do it, or has tried it in the past? If so, what can you share about your experience that others in the m2M Cycling community can learn from? Drop a comment below and perhaps we can all learn from each other.
See you again soon... (now where did I put that deep fried block of cheese?)
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