Hi team
I have been a long distance runner on and off for ages, I’ve been eating keto now for 3 months and have just started an 16 month training for Ironman 2021.
I know in theory keto is brilliant for endurance etc, but what’s it like in practice? I’d love to hear from anybody who has been training in keto, what they use to fuel, how (if at all) do they pre-load and what do you do raceday?
Thanks heaps
Charlotte
I know in theory keto is brilliant for endurance etc,
Charlotte
I’m not sure you know the definition of “know”.
are you serious? Sorry if I should have wrote I believe in theory, I’ve read in theory… Pretty sure you have an understanding of my question, sorry if I confused you.
I’m not ‘keto’ but high fat low carb so similar but I am not scared of carbs to eat in general or racing but generally during or after training sessions. I often do my morning training session just on a fat black or bulletproof coffee whatever you want to call it. As training and racing fuel I have been using Generation Ucan. It works and I like you don’t get the same peaks and troughs as you do on sugar but it doesn’t mix well with water and can be a pain in the arse. For the run I go to Vfuel gels that contain MCT oil. At some stage I will turn to coke in IM but that is generally where I feel like it on the course. I always carry bananas training on the bike as well.
Have a look at Dan Plews fastest AG at Kona last year blog and youtube videos. He is HFLC diet. His race day breakfast is Ucan and eggs. I often have a fat black coffee and Ucan before a race.
awesome! Thanks for the advise and link :O)
Yeah the “theory” is so good that Team Sky and half the pro peleton are on a ketogenic diet and doing intermittent fasting. Oh wait, they aren’t…
So what? Not everybody’s needs, age and genetics are the same.
What works for some might not work for others. By your way of reasoning it seems you would recommend what riders at sky eat to an overweight middle aged guy with diabetes.
So what? Not everybody’s needs, age and genetics are the same.
What works for some might not work for others. By your way of reasoning it seems you would recommend what riders at sky eat to an overweight middle aged guy with diabetes.
This is why we have research. People drink their own pee, their dogs pee, believe the earth is flat and that water has healing powers. Thermodynamics is real. LCHF is not. Its not controversial in its own right, but when people fool uneducated people, it tastes a bit foul to me 
Good for the Inuit that they didn’t read research papers, otherwise they would have become extinct!
Good for the Inuit that they didn’t read research papers, otherwise they would have become extinct!
Who said fat is dangerous? LCHF is the other way around. If someone told you carbs somehow know how to trick thermodynamics, you probably wouldn’t believe them
Yeah the “theory” is so good that Team Sky and half the pro peleton are on a ketogenic diet and doing intermittent fasting. Oh wait, they aren’t…
Well Sky and others in the pro peloton are using ketone drinks, which is effectively a (very expensive) way of getting the benefits of a ketogenic diet instantly and without having to actually do the diet.
Ketogenic diet and fasting isn’t going to work for pros who are cycling 30+ hours a week, would be impossible to fuel their workouts. It’s much more possible for a time-restricted AGer, and the fact that pro teams are spending $30-40 per serving of ketone drink (apparently) suggests there may be benefits to a ketogenic diet worth exploring.
I know in theory keto is brilliant for endurance etc,
Charlotte
I’m not sure you know the definition of “know”.
Sorry for the snark. It’s just there is not a shred of data that shows keto is good for endurance athletes. The very very few who go fast on it are fast in spite of their diet, not because of it.
Improvement in fat burning can be done without keto.
I’ve been following Vinnie Tortorich and his NSNG diet. It’s very similar to Keto. For either diet, there is one lingering question that I can’t get a definitive answer on. I’m thoroughly convinced that-- day to day-- low/no carb is the best way to loose weight and improve body composition. But I’m not at all convinced that racing on low/no carbs is in any way beneficial. In other words, I’ve seen nothing definitive that says using your body’s fat stores during a race is somehow more efficient than a banana, gel, gatorade, etc.
I do have a recommendation. Learn how to test your blood for ketones. I’ve learned a lot about how my body burns fat by taking periodic measurements.
Yeah the “theory” is so good that Team Sky and half the pro peleton are on a ketogenic diet and doing intermittent fasting. Oh wait, they aren’t…
Well Sky and others in the pro peloton are using ketone drinks, which is effectively a (very expensive) way of getting the benefits of a ketogenic diet instantly and without having to actually do the diet.
Ketogenic diet and fasting isn’t going to work for pros who are cycling 30+ hours a week, would be impossible to fuel their workouts. It’s much more possible for a time-restricted AGer, and the fact that pro teams are spending $30-40 per serving of ketone drink (apparently) suggests there may be benefits to a ketogenic diet worth exploring.
And the reason why they use ketone drinks is because they can get the benefits without loosing the high end power which you lose on a ketogenic diet. There is no logical bridge from there to exploding a ketogenic diet.
I know in theory keto is brilliant for endurance etc,
Charlotte
I’m not sure you know the definition of “know”.
… or, given that we are talking scientific evidence, ‘theory’.
.
Good for the Inuit that they didn’t read research papers, otherwise they would have become extinct!
Actually, Inuit who go into keto did almost become extinct. Keto is apparently so detrimental to survival that in the evolutionary short period they’ve been up there (they’re not an ancient people group), most of them now have a genetic trait that keeps them from going into ketosis that is almost unheard of in the rest of the population. The Inuit are a strong argument that long-term keto must be a very bad thing.
It’s just a fad, like many other diet trends we seee come and go.
The tried and true method of fueling is carb the f$&k up!
If anything, from professional triathlete and runner interviews, who call keto diet a mere trend, say they file primarily with carbs, and supplement their diet with plenty of proteins.
The one and ONLY ONE segment of the population to have been scientifically shown to benefit from Keto is autistic children. Seizures have been lessened. Otherwise, not 1 true peer reviewed study has shown a benefit, and many have shown detrimental results, especially in short efforts.
The one and ONLY ONE segment of the population to have been scientifically shown to benefit from Keto is autistic children. Seizures have been lessened. Otherwise, not 1 true peer reviewed study has shown a benefit, and many have shown detrimental results, especially in short efforts.
Reverse type 2 diabetes:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1325029/