Anyone Else Ever Been In Ketosis For Weight Loss?
Hi Kids:
Since I am not "training" and need to lose a few (OK, several) pounds, last week I started a low-carb diet program. In short, I have essentially eliminated carbs to the point that my body is now using my body fat for fuel instead of my glycogen stores (because they are depleted). Similar to what body builders do before a competition. I am eating mostly veggies that are salads with a protein (steak, chicken, fish) mixed in. I have lost 6+ pounds already.
I am on day 8 and the first 6 days were tough (hungry, etc.) but now I am not that hungry anymore. I have Ketostix (they are like pregnancy tests) that I pee on and I am definitely in Ketosis based on the results.
Anyone else try this type of diet? If so, would love to hear how long and what your experience was like.
Thanks.
John
(Brenda Ross Groupie)
Comments
Did it. I was 188 at my heaviest. Dropped to the low 160's over the course of 8mos or so.After about the first 6 weeks or so I added fruit back in. That was heaven.
That was a few years ago.
I am not as strict now as I was then. No ketostix. I fuel my long runs and rides with the usual gels and powders.
But I do try to eat how you outlined above. I have maintained my weight and if I see myself getting heavy, I know what to do about it.
Good luck!
Nice. Glad to hear I am not alone. I would have never tried this when I was training. I needs losta carbs.
The interesting thing now is I have a TON of energy (almost manic at times) and the taste of coffee is terrible. Tastes very acidic. Even my favorite java.
Rock on,
John
I do sort of do what you are talking about, but I am far stricter on starches rather than "carbs". All carbs are not created equal after all. Here is a blog post I did based on a lot of questions I received about my 80 pound weight loss.
http://dinosarti.com/blog/2013/2/3/so-what-do-i-eat
BTW, the book is ~$5 in kindle format, easily worth it.
@Dawson - what the heck is the renegade diet? Hmmm, I must research this! Thanks for the tip!
@Dawson, I'm interested in info on the "renegad diet" too. salexand652 at gmail dot com.
John- ah, ketostix. I remember those days. I lost a nice chunk of weight maybe 10 yrs ago on Atkins and used those sticks. I was on it for quite awhile and prob lost 30 lbs. I'm a strong believer (for me) in that kind of diet but been doing well just eating normally and cutting out sugar although cutting out more carbs might trigger more weight loss. I was concerned about training and racing performance so ill have to check out that book...
The thing about Atkins, at least the way I did it, is I wasn't hungry. If you're hungry, eat some bacon, cheese, chicken whatever. I also probably didn't do the diet the way it was intended but it was fun, back in the pre tri days. Double cheeseburgers at bk and flung the bun out the window. Lol
Dawson- Ditto on Renegade. dubk at hotmail.com
The Fifth Key of EN Execution: "run ep+30, walk the bacon stations; Remember your One Thing is More Bacon."
Although I have not tested my urine for Ketosis I am nearly certain the ammonia smell of my urine everytime (3) I have done the nutrisystem weight loss program is from Ketosis. I lost 40 pounds and it did not seem to effect my training. But I do wonder about increased risk of renal failure down the so I kept drinking lots of water to protect my kidneys. Without knowing your medical history it seems prudent to mention your urine results to your general practitioner as another precaution.
@ George- The book I just read said that sodium is key. In ketosis your body/kidneys work differently so they reco'd a couple of bouillon cubes per day to increase the sodium. I would reco this book if you're doing this type of diet. I did Atkins for a long time and never knew that.
I will prob start this weekend, but i need to make a shopping list and get to the store to prepare myself. I'll start a thread once I kick it off....
Hi All:
He said this all tongue in cheek.
Thanks for the responses.
A bit of back story for ya: I had my physical in January and my doctor said I was doing great! Except my blood pressure was up, I was a bit overweight. My cholesterol was high and my BMI was out of whack.
We talked for a long time about options and I started the Ideal Protein diet through his office. In short, I buy some of their food and I also eat stuff I buy and I limit carbs to 20 to 40 PER DAY. I go in once a week for testing where they measure my progress using all the tech toys in the docs office (fat%, lean mass, body water, etc.). As an EN member I like data and I get to see my progress in almost real-time. Good new is that almost all of the weight I have lost is fat, not lean muscle mass. That is my goal.
Over the past 2.5 weeks I am down 14 lbs., I have almost too much energy (I feel manic at times), I am sleeping like never before, and I feel great overall. I am almost never hungry.
I am also a coffee nut and I am now down to maybe 1/2 cup in the morning and that is all the caffeine I have all day. Coffee just tastes bitter now.
Yes, I am drinking a TON of water everyday. :-) I am peeing like a race horse.
Next week I get back on my bike for some light riding and will start slow-burn TRX workouts.
Lastly, I have done all the fasting, paleo, cleansing, etc. diets in the past and they all did well. However, getting all the almost real-time data along the way is an added bonus.
I also realized my home fitness scale is WAY off on my body numbers.
That is it for now. I will post after next weeks weigh-in.
Rock on.
John
I started the keto diet on Jan 1 in preparation for Texas 70.3. In the last 33 days I've dropped 17 pounds without working out much (I've only put in 9 workouts this year due to a nasty fight with H1N1). I'm really excited about my progress so far! I have adjusted my weight loss target for April 1 to be down a total of 30 pounds.
From the conversation in this thread it looks like several of you veteran racers have at one time been eating high fat/low carb. Did you change your race day strategy? Have any of you raced a 70.3 without on-course carbs and carb loading prior to the race?
http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/11526/Default.aspx
and here:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/11819/Default.aspx
Also, as the author mentioned, you need to take in extra sodium (like dirnking bouillon cubes) or you'd feel nauseous. And I did, but sometimes not enough so i get wicked nauseous. Other than heart palpiations and nausea, it was great. LOL
As a sports medicine doc, I urge caution in adopting "all or nothing" style diets or dietary plans that say that food x is bad or you should "never" eat food y.
At the end of the day, what most of us are looking for is a sustainable and healthy diet that allows us to meet our weight and performance goals.
Adopting a drastic dietary plan for a short period can certainly help with weight loss but then one needs to transition to a sustainable and healthy plan to maintain that weight loss. Repeated large weight fluctuations can make it more difficult to lose weight in the future.
While many of the Paleo -type diets can help us lose weight, the high intake of meat can cause health issues with cholesterol when used for long periods.
In most instances,the best and most sustainable diet is one that emphasizes fresh vegetables and fruits with healthy meat choices and smaller amounts of healthier carbs. Just like the wiki says "Nutrient dense rather than calorie dense."
Lose the junk food and as much of the processed food as possible. The best diet is the one that works for You and that you can sustain over time.
I think that weight loss and training/race nutrition may be best viewed as separate spheres for the purpose of dietary intake. Gels and sports drinks really should only be used in settings where you are burning or immediately going to burn those calories but they can clearly help performance on race day.
http://m.ironman.com/triathlon/news/articles/2014/02/lose-weight-by-eating-more.aspx#
Hi all,
My own experience echoes many of those above - serious injury, followed by inactivity and weight gain (zenith 250 lbs / 6'1"), weight management came from militaristic (< 4 grams carbs / day) program for 6 months - nadir weight 172 lbs. Not hard once in ketosis - never hungry /lots of energy. I raced last season 195 lbs max and at IMMT was 181 - the kicker is I cannot train off carbs - ZERO energy, zip, feels like I am moving through tar. I retried this in January this year and could not maintain the program and the EN outseason efforts, so I bailed. The low carbohydrate thought leaders suggest that after several weeks (2 - 6 depending on your personal physiology) you will "keto-adapt" and have some pep - did not happen for me.
I have not tried very low carbs except during workouts. How does one time that? How has it worked for those in whom a keto-adapted state did facilitate aggressive endurance training?
Thanks all.
John, Great post! Glad it is working for you. The data is very important.
I have been following the Paleo (modified version by Dr.) since Nov 15,2013 and have lost 21lbs. and still counting.
Modified: eat lean protein, veggies,(no root vegetables, example- carrot) no carbohydrates ,no beans, no dairy, no processed food, only 12cup berries a day(no other fruit).
I had several allergies to all the foods I was eating and couldn't loose any weight, even with exercise and calorie restriction. I finally found something that works for me.
My challenge that lies ahead will be fuel for the long workouts and races. my concern was going back to eating gels, bars,sports drinks with all the sugar.
If my workouts are under 2 hours I only drink water and take 10 MAP pills before working out. I have been using salt sticks, electrolytes in water because the workouts are becoming intense. Im in OS week 9,next week moving to swim for a week then 1/2 Ironman training.
@Thanks Ralph for the article lose -weight -by-eating-more. it was very informative and I'm going to try this for fueling my workouts.
as stated in the article:
In short, eat plenty of calorie dense foods with a high-carbohydrate content before, during, and immediately after training. For the rest of the day, eat nutrient dense foods. This timing of your meals will sustain performance and allow your body to burn off the excess fat.
Focus the majority of your starchy or sugary carb intake in and around training so your body has a quick source of energy to keep you going.
can anyone suggest some calorie dense food for before/after workouts that don't consist of dairy/wheat/gluten/processed?
plus thoughts for starchy or sugary carb intake: do I use gels,bars,perpetuem (by hammer),sports drink(EFS-electrolyte fuel system) ,salt stick for fuel on the bike and run?
Race season is just around the corner! Need the snow to thaw in Michigan....although, its great for sitting in after a workout!
I started Whole30 this week, which is basically a paleo style diet, but with none of the paleo "baked goods" (no flours, etc.) Fruit is on the table- but no soy, beans, grains, dairy, etc. I just am at a point where I am working really hard on body composition but I've lost and gained the same 5 pounds 3 times since January. I know that can't be good. I don't feel that great either, my sleep is terrible, and I suffer from terrible night sweats (TMI, I know, but it's really something, and age-wise, I am not quite "there"). In 3 days, my sleep has improved, I didn't sweat at all last night, and I actually "sweat" on my run yesterday. I hadn't been too sweaty lately in my workouts despite a concentrated focus on hydration throughout the day (no lack of trips to the bathroom...).
@Yvette, I would be interested in your strategies about fueling workouts, races, etc. I don't really know how to fuel the long workouts yet, but they are coming fast, and I need to get on top of a strategy. I have S Caps, and I have used dried fruit and nuts before a workout, but really looking for something to continue to fuel. I wonder after the 30 days if I should just go back to gels, etc. for wkos and races, but I am looking for alternatives if I am already feeling this good, I wonder what 27 more days will bring?
Thanks for any input!
@Yvette - I have been following a Paleo, fat-adapted diet myself since September 2013. Congrats on your progress. I normally do my workouts in a fasted state and that has been working well for me. I normally take 2 salt stick caps before my bile or run. On the bike, I take 2 salt stick caps per 30 mins. I sweat a lot. I also use Emergen-C Electro Mix every 5-10 mins on the bike.
For longer workouts, I do the following concoction:
1 date, 1 TBS Coconut Oil, and 1 TBS chia seeds - this is a concoction that works for me and has not caused any gastric distress. I normally do this before the workout - it lasts me 2 hour long workouts. I will continue to monitor as I get into longer workouts. I have also seen other paleo options for endurance but have not tried them yet. Will keep you posted as I do.