Bulletproof Diet: Anyone test this?

aarmau

I know Dave Asprey is often blasted for information that is not completely true, but I was wondering if anyone here uses the Bulletproof coffee or diet?

 Just curious. I weighed in today and found myself the heaviest I have ever been so besides getting back into shape in 2015, I am in need of some quality eating.

 

morpheus

I make my own bulletproof coffee. I don't have a French press so it's not quite the same.

I take my coffee black so adding the grass fed butter and coconut oil took a bit of getting used to. Very creamy, all that fat really fills you up. I can't really vouch for added energy but it is another way to get some coconut oil on board.

I've had a good year as far as focusing on nutrition and body comp. But, I can't point to bulletproof coffee as the main reason. It's just one of many changes that I made.

I see it as a nice treat in the morning. If I'm not working out until mid morning, I'll have the BP coffee and a slice of multigrain toast with almond butter as soon as I get up. If I have to work out super early, I'll save the BP coffee for post workout, after the proper recovery snack.

I don't think you really have to buy the brand, but I'm not sure why that guy claims that buying his BP coffee is the only way to get it right.

aarmau

Thanks for responding Chris. I am going to try to the coffee. I am a huge coffee drinker so this will be a challenge at first. I do workout early in the morning around 4:30 - 6:00 am so will probably be drinking this along with some protein to hold me over.

I will see how it holds and adjust from there.

tim cronk

Sorry Aaron... I'm firmly in the vegan , high carb , calories in/ calories out camp..... However since I love coffee and coconut oil I did try it (no butter of course) and I though it taste like crap...I also did not use his coffee but used SBUX espresso beans.... I'll have my coffee strong and black thank you! I think BP claim to fame is NO mold LOL!

calebgroom

I've been eating HFLC all year and start most days with bulletproof coffee. I include liquid sugar-free sweeteners (vanilla or hazelnut) and heavy whipping cream - mostly because I don't appreciate a good black coffee.

calebgroom

Few quick clarifications:

1. I don't know anything about Dave Asprey.
2. Bullet proof coffee is how I describe coffee with butter and MCT or coconut oil added. Its not a brand.
3. I've never heard of a "bullet proof diet". I do know that BPC is a popular option for people on a high fat+low carb diet.

There are plenty of resources on the web about high fat+low carb if that's what you're interested in. Ben Greenfield is probably the most popular endurance athlete/coach who advocates for it if you're looking to read more about it.

I look more like Charles Barkley than Craig Alexander and I'm not here to say any certain way of life is right or wrong. 

Leslie Sedlak

Both my husband and I follow a ketogenic (high fat, moderate protein, low carb) diet, modified for higher training sessions with "strategic carbs" placed close to our workouts. My husband, also a triathlete, but not built like one - think defensive lineman has lost 60 lbs following this high fat diet. We like to call it more of a whole foods diet, as we don't eat anything packaged that has more than 3 ingredients or anything we can't recognize as food....and a lot of fat. In short - we love it. More energy, fantastic sleep, reduced fatigue, better recovery after workouts, reduced brain fog.

Mainly wanted to shout out some resources for anyone interested.
TriSpecific - blog and podcast (Friday Fat Black). These two Aussies are fat-adapted (another term for athletic version of keto diet) gurus and fun to listen to.
www.mariamindandbody.com - a great resource for all things keto, from recipes to success stories.

I don't fuel with anything more than a Bullet proof (I use MCT oil, butter and heavy cream) for anything shorter than two hours in the am. In fact I do all workouts less than 2 hours in a fasted state (other than coffee and my homemade electrolyte mix) Tummy distress completely gone on the run, and haven't bonked on a ride yet. **Note you need to increase salt intake a bit more throughout the day because with a reduced amount of carbs and inflammation in the body, the body doesn't retain salt - so you need to be conscious of that.

if anyone is interested in more information or has questions - shoot me a message and I'm happy to digress more

aarmau

A lot of great ideas being shared. I need to test out different approaches to see what will work for me. My problem is the lasting effect where I can make a change that becomes lifestyle. This is where I struggle. I will test things for a bit, lose steam, and be done. Not so much a diet person, but realizing I need to change how I eat and prepare my body for training and lifelong health.

Leslie Sedlak

One thing I can share is "You notice what you don't notice" when going fat-adapted. There is a period in that second week that gets kind of rough - because you're resetting your insulin levels and training your body to use fat. So give it a chance and it will change your life. When we switched our family to it -kiddos included - I couldn't believe the attitude and sleep difference - definitely for the better.
Good Luck!

calebgroom

Posted By Aaron Maurer on 01 Jan 2015 01:40 PM


...My problem is the lasting effect where I can make a change that becomes lifestyle.

Today is my one year anniversary of the keto way of life. Last January I was 256 pounds (6'2"). By the end of April I was at 215. I've stayed roughly in this neighborhood for the rest of the year.

I've tried many diets that I couldn't stick to because, eventually, I could not sustain the discipline needed for them to work. Keto is the first one that I've turned into a lifestyle and I believe its because its really easy. Ribeye steaks, cheese, ranch dressing, bacon...yes, please!

Again, to each his/her own!

Jacklyn Moore

@ Leslie- Please digress more. How does one start. What are some basic resources? I would love to learn more. Tried Paleo. Not my families cup of tea. Curious about this. Thank you and happy new year.

What is your homemade electrolyte stuff? I tolerate very few commercial mixs?

[Deleted User]

Leslie, Thank you for the info! I am new to EN. I also follow a lower carb higher fat diet, but I have been off "serious" training for the last year and have not yet trained hard or raced fat-adapted. However, I begin my OutSeason training tomorrow 1/5/15 and have lots of events scheduled for 2015. I would love to stay connected with you to see what has or hasn't worked for you nutritionally. Thanks again!

emarlow

For those finding success with the weight loss and adaptation for training - what did you use to plan your meals in the beginning? was there 1 resource that really stood out for you or a set meal plan you followed?

morpheus

Eva,



You could post your question as a separate thread by itself. You'll get lots of looks, and answers by doing that. It's kindof hidden in here since some people might not be interested in BulletProof Coffee.



But, I'll share a few tidbits that really helped me over the last couple of years.



Unfortunately, it's nothing that you don't already know.



I'm a mish mash of attacks. I try to combine my wants/needs for what I'm looking to accomplish for my health (first), training (second), 'jeans size' (a distant third) with my real world pantry that must feed my wife (who is not an endurance athlete, nor cares to be...she's the smart one) and my 3 kids (typical diets of kids).



When I'm preparing my food for the day, I have autonomy. At home, I refuse to be a big inconvenience so I compromise.



Clif notes:

Lots of big salads with nuts and berries and fruits, and it's not crazy to see me eating a salad for breakfast  Lots of brown rice with beans and liquid amino acids Lots of non fat, plain greek yogurt with lots of fruits and nuts.  oatmeal, steel cut, nothing fancy, topped with greek yogurt/fruit/nuts.Agave nectar is my sweetener. Coconut Oil is daily. grass fed butter, just for my own bulletproof coffee. almond butter and multigrain toast (1 slice, and not every day) .yes to chia seeds/flax seeds/macca powder/plant based protein powder, etc (But, this is not a requirement, not to stress over adding this stuff) .

yes, I do the green smoothie thing...kale, beets, etc with fruit, coconut oil, almond milk, avacado, etc. lots of good recipes out there.

grab lots of veggies to snack on.

lots of water



I'll think of others.



Books like The China Study, Thrive, Finding Ultra helped me.



Again, I'm not all in on anything. I eat regular food, too. But, not like I used to. The body was made to be a factory and to cleanse itself. If we put crap in every now and then, it will take care of it. But, if we do that all the time, we overload that system. So, if my fam wants a pizza, I'll get a greek salad to fill up on and then just reduce the amount of pizza that I eat. If they want a burger, ok, but I don't eat but one and I do stay away from fries and chips. I try to go meatless for most of my meals, not all, but most.



Eat more good quality, eat less crap. The better the quality of the in, the more quantity you can eat, so it's not necessarily a restrictive approach.



This approach, without heavy training hours, shaved off that 5-10 lbs without ever getting hungry.



gotta go to work. If I think of more, I'll let you know.



Consider posting this question in the forum and see what happens.



C ya!

emarlow

Chris thank you so much!! Great info and advice!!!

Stephanie Hartmann

Green shakes, avocados, kale, BCT and MCT oils, grass fed butter in my bullet-proof coffee. I do what makes sense to me and skip the rest. My husband is a marathoner and newly an ultra-runner so we are like-minded that way. Bulletproof coffee allowed me to stop using cream. It's also better than any latte I've ever had. I wish I ate less meat, but alas, I love it. Fortunately I also love oily fishies. I wish I liked beets.. blech. I do like the beet tops!

kimmydct

Leslie and everyone- This is very interesting to me as I tried a no-carb/hi fat thing a few years ago, but the nausea (from low sodium?) did me in. Plus a "cardiac episode" during a race. Aside from this, I def do well on this type of diet (ie controlling body comp, energy, reduced hunger and crankiness, etc) The program I used was from "The art and science of carb free lifestyle" which showed endurance athletes can absolutely train and race carb-free. (Yes and no for me...)

Here's my thread on the start of my journey:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/11526/Default.aspx

And the race that triggered the end:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/11819/Default.aspx

Just wondering if anyone has experienced any of these symptoms? As I struggle to loss weight with simply tracking intake and exercise, I need to do something. I wonder if a low-carb vs. no-carb plan is better? Perhaps like Leslie mentioned, using carbs strategically?

Leslie Sedlak

So, I have to say we have never done no-carbs. The lowest I have gone is 30-50 grams of carbs per day when I'm going through a 'hard reset'. Which I only do during a time when I am doing little to no training and basically active recovery sessions as you are asking your body to change how it works the essentials, and you need time to rest and 'focus' on those tough times when you are 'cranky' from trying to overcome the sugar addiction.

During training for this IM (IM NZ in 22 days) I have done most of my morning workouts (all are less than 2 hours) in a fasted state. i do refuel with carbs after. And on my long weekend workouts, I start bringing in carbs at 1:15 - 1:45 depending on how I feel. I bring in around 100 cal/hr (I am a female 120 lb athlete) of carbs and usually have more carbs the night before those workouts as well. Then to reign it in a bit, after my long Sunday workout, I'll have a few carbs to replenish, but I tone down the carbs until Tuesday as my Monday workout is usually a swim and I don't need carbs to do those at pace.

I honestly don't even know how many carbs I eat each day. I can tell I'm having too many when I crave them. Then I know I need to dial it back a bit. I would also say that it's worth noting that the body burns fat 'in the fuel' of carbohydrates, and although (if you are in ketosis, which I don't think I"ve ever reached) there is a way for the body to basically create glycogen from ketones, I think it's important when you are training so much to make it as easy as possible for your body to burn fat. So First teach it how to burn fat = hard reset period, and then Second, begin your training and up the ante each week.

vespapower.com is a great resource site. And any of the TriSpecific (Friday Fat Black) podcasts with Vespa owner Peter Defty are really great at explaining ketosis, the diet and finding that optimized fat metabolism.