Finally Fully Fat Adapted?!? 🤔

[Cosmo501]

I've had a few ups and downs the past month or so and have been lurching between keto, low-carb, with intermittent bouts of a few days of carby consumption.

Each time the scales have shot up wildly for a week, then straight back down. I don't worry about it too much, except it sets me back with weight loss goals.

One thing that sets me off on a carby few days is that I've been needing to fuel my longer runs with having a bit of fruit, or honey with yoghurt, it often has sent me on a bit of a few days off track generally. Oh that was nice.. maybe I'll just have a bit more fruit...

BUT ... this time is different! Yesterday, finally, after hanging in there with this low carb business for 7 months now... I actually ran solidly and energetically for over an hour with just as much energy as if I'd had some carbs... and I felt like I could go on for another few km's. I didn't have anything except a few nuts before I went out because I was just planning 5km... felt so energised I just kept going.

Feeling like I might have finally cracked it!

Loving LCHF!

[AnnieW55]

Its a great feeling when that happens. I’m no longer running due to injury (but never say never) and fat adapted running is the best. I regularly ran HM distances with no extra fuelling other than water.

[Cosmo501 in reply to AnnieW55]

Sorry to hear you're on the injury couch for running. It's inspirational to hear your experience of running longer distances though! Not sure I'll make it to half marathon distance, but I can only try...

I hope you recover well and get back to running in time.

[AnnieW55 in reply to Cosmo501]

Thanks. I have been cleared to run slowly (is there any other way 😀) by my surgeon but for no more than 30mins at a time, permanently. I actually broke my hip (stress fracture) towards the end of a marathon. I literally ran myself to a standstill. At the moment I’m Nordic Walking as it’s too uncomfortable to run but I haven’t given up on the idea. I’m old too with osteopaenia so load bearing exercise is a must along with good nutrition LCHF for me.

[Cosmo501 in reply to AnnieW55]

Oh wow! That’s one hell of an injury! That must’ve been pretty scary and painful at the time it happened. So pleased to hear you’ve been cleared to run again... but Nordic Walking sounds like a great plan for now 😊 Take care and enjoy!

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

Ha - same here. It took me about a year of low-carb eating to get to the point where I felt I was exercising at the same intensity as my old high-carb low-fat self. As far as running is concerned - which I've only got into quite recently - I'm now at the point (like Annie) where I feel like I can just keep going forever. I stop when my feet or knees are hurting (cos I'm old), but running on fat I don't have that sense of creeping fatigue that used to be a standard feature of carb-fuelled running.

I particularly enjoy the fact that what I'm doing is (according to the NHS and a whole bunch of "experts") not physically possible.

[Cosmo501 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

That's so good to read!.. so it is truly possible then. Fantastic. But.. when oh when are the NHS going to update their advice? It's really quite frightening. My child's school sent home an NHS advice pamphlet saying it's better to give children skimmed or semi-skimmed milk instead of whole milk. I was so cross. I tried to speak to someone about it but met a complete brick wall.

So running while I'm in ketosis shouldn't do me any damage then?!.. I've been worrying because I'm sure I read somewhere that you're not supposed to exercise too hard when in ketosis, but I just feel so energetic now... finally!

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to Cosmo501]

Frightening is the word. I was talking to my niece yesterday (who is in her 4th year of medical school) and she mentioned that doctors are no longer required to take the Hippocratic oath. Whereas once they had to promise in front of their professors and peers to "first do no harm", this is now just an unspoken sentiment with no particular import attached to it.

I suppose the other aspect is that Nutritionists - ie., busybodies who weren't smart enough to get into medical school - run the show as far as eg., skimmed-milk recommendations are concerned. They have never had to promise to do no harm. So off they go, causing harm with wild abandon, and nobody ever hauls them up on it because they are the sole arbiter of dietary right and wrong.

I'm not sure if I've ever exercised "in ketosis" - my net carbs are in the 50-100g range - but I believe there are several ultramarathoners who do exactly that. I cannot think of any biological reason why it would be harmful, and the fact that people are doing it without any ill effects should be reassuring.

[Lynne64 in reply to Cosmo501]

If you consider that the food industry would be in serious trouble if we all started eating properly, I doubt they will ever issue the right advice 😡

[AnnieW55]

Have a look at the work of Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney on the science of low carb performance in sports. It should reassure you.

[Cosmo501 in reply to AnnieW55]

Will do. Thank you!

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to AnnieW55]

+1. That book is required reading for any low-carb athlete, IMO.