Diet: Low Carb and Ultra Cycling

[KneeDrachen]

No worries. Any app (Android) anyone can suggest?

I've found a few, and I know more people will complain that compliment an app, but I am looking for something to track carbs etc to keep myself in line.

 

[KneeDrachen]

I made a "keto fat bomb" peanut butter cup batch (12 per recipe), but used sunflower butter as a sub for the peanut butter since legumes are verboten.

I'm getting there, the lack of bread/pasta hasn't bothered me yet, I've been snacking on sunflower seeds (salt free and already shelled).

Tonight it is chicken parm (no breading) and spaghetti squash as a sub for "real" pasta.

 

[DavidCH]

Keto is always getting on the scales. Remember though.... muscle is heavier than fat. You want to build muscle but lose the fat. I supplement my diet with a high protein shake low carbohydrate powder. It's not cheap. The stuff I use, I tried to buy in America and it was three times expensive. I mix it with almond juice zero with a bit of ice and have it directly after getting back from a ride. It helps with the repair... the aim is to be able to go for another ride tomorrow.

 

[ccf]

What are good fueling options for long rides (>80 miles) on a keto diet?

 

[Maria Parker]

I eat nuts, pork rinds, and cheese if I am stopping at gas stations. If racing, I eat very little. It is not necessary to eat at all if you are keto-adapted. It is very important to get your salts and water however. If you are not fully keto-adapted, you will not be able to go without eating. Jim eats a few carby foods when he races. His thought is that he is burning them faster than they can affect his blood sugar.

 

[ed72]

What Maria said.....shorter and better.

 

[ccf]

I rode 71 miles with 5600 feet of climbing without eating! I could've gone farther, but had to get back in time for a dinner reservation. Very cool.

 

[LarryOz]

I started back on full Keto diet 7 days ago as I crept back into some bad eating habits over the summer and also gained some weight. I am training very hard for a 1 HR TT in a couple of months, so most of my training sessions now are ridden at FTP for nearly an hour about every other day. I noticed since I dropped all sugar and carbs (other than fresh veggies) that I just can't hit the power numbers that I used to the week before. I am talking about maximal effort and extremely high HR for an hour+. >170. My max power has seemed to suddenly drop by 20%. I know this is a long thread and someone might have mentioned this and commented on it before, so I am sorry I bringing it up again. Anyone with similar experiences? Thanks for sharing

 

[cranky cyclist]

From what I have read, Keto is great for long endurance rides at less than FTP. However, once you are in FTP territory you need more carbs for endurance.

 

[1happyreader]

Anyone with similar experiences?

Experience,,, no.

Jeff Voleks test subjects had power return after they adapted. That took several weeks , I think .

Let us know how you feel in a month or so.

 

[DavidCH]

That took several weeks

That's what I've been told too.
Your metabolism adjusts quicker if you are on the keto boarderline.

 

[LarryOz]

That's what I've been told too.
Your metabolism adjusts quicker if you are on the keto boarderline.

"keto boaderline"? ??????? what is that???

 

[DavidCH]

I meant the body's keto threshold level. I know it sounds crazy but I also go into ketosis at spiritual retreats but that's probably because I just eat salads LOL

 

[The Brook]

We recently had a bunch of birthdays in the last 2 weeks on both sides of the familly (3 on mine, 2 on hers) and as with most birthdays, there was a lot of cake, and I was mainly successful in keeping the amount partaken low, but not with the last birthday, which we hosted for her youngest son.
Because of allergies and intolerances, we picked up a Nut free (for the oldest son, who is severly allergic to all nuts) milk free (youngest son has an intolerance), and Gluten free cake (Daughter has an intolerance).
What it did have was a lot of sugar! At the birthday supper on Sunday, I had a slice of it, and found myself craving more, but I held back.
Then yesterday, I noticed my legs were wooden, it took me a long time to loosen up, and I wasn't able to push very hard, that surprised me as I had taken a riding day off the previous day, due to having too many errands to run that day. Usually, after a day off, I'm full of energy and ride hard!
Well, we had some leftovers of the cake, and Shelley and I polished it off last night, and this morning, I woke with a headache, and on my commute to the office, my legs felt totally leaden, I was unable to fully warm up in the 45 minute ride despite it being quite warm outside (75 degrees F at 6:30) .
As I type this, I feel somewhat less that my normal self, and I talked to Shelley, she said she felt somewhat Yuccky!
So, if anything has convinced me to make sure to keep sugar away from my diet, this has been it!!!

Anyone else notice this if you stray?

Denis

 

[1happyreader]

So, if anything has convinced me to make sure to keep sugar away from my diet, this has been it!!!

Anyone else notice this if you stray?

Denis

I haven't noticed the backlash, as much as in my youth (cokes, and pastries ).
Have found my MEMORIES taste better than most cheats these days.

 

[ccf]

I rode the Marin Century yesterday, and attempted to do it without fuel, just Nuun-infused water. But I ran out of gas at mile 83. I stopped at the top of a hill, found some shade under a tree, wolfed down two Cliff Bars, and sucked down a lot of water from my hydration bladder. That gave me enough energy to get to the end. Not sure why I couldn't complete it without fuel. When I did the 71 mile ride without fuel a few weeks ago I felt great and would have gone farther if I didn't have a deadline to get home. I was off the bike for a week dealing with a family issue, then did a pretty hard ride Thursday evening, so maybe it was just pre-ride fatigue.

 

[ed72]

I rode the Marin Century yesterday, and attempted to do it without fuel, just Nuun-infused water. But I ran out of gas at mile 83. I stopped at the top of a hill, found some shade under a tree, wolfed down two Cliff Bars, and sucked down a lot of water from my hydration bladder. That gave me enough energy to get to the end. Not sure why I couldn't complete it without fuel. When I did the 71 mile ride without fuel a few weeks ago I felt great and would have gone farther if I didn't have a deadline to get home. I was off the bike for a week dealing with a family issue, then did a pretty hard ride Thursday evening, so maybe it was just pre-ride fatigue.

7000 feet of climbing with a big one from mile 81 to 82.5. Depending on your FTP, weight and respiratory exchange ratio, you likely were burning a high percentage of glycogen on the climbs. You ran out at mile 83. Was the 71 miler as hilly?

 

[ccf]

Yes, my power output on the climbs earlier in the ride was above my aerobic threshold. But power output during flats and descents was below. For the hill where I ran out of gas I really couldn't put out more than my aerobic threshold; too much discomfort.

5600 feet over the 71 miles. So a little more feet/mile for the 71, but basically about the same.

 

[ed72]

A few months into fat adaptation, I attempted a hilly 200K Brevet with no food and only bulletproof coffee for breakfast of course, it was just freezing. I bonked at about 95 miles with light sleet on long climb. I dug into my emergency stash and hung out under a big oak tree until the glucose hit the brain. It took me about 5-6 months before I was totally bonkproof and was in nutritional ketosis the whole time with no cheating. I am a believer in a little carbs during long rides but I don't need much, maybe 100 cals per hour. The most I ate was 190 cals per hour when I did 400K Brevet in 13 hours and 14 minutes. The problem is also you need a lot of fat for something like Paris Brest Paris and it certainly helps on hills not to run out of glycogen even when fat adapted in my opinion. I lost almost 7 pounds of fat on that ride. One of the benefits (sorry if I wrote this before) of fat metabolism is few H+ ions compared to glycolysis, so, I found it easier to do long rides.

 

[The Brook]

I fell off the wagon, i.e: I ate a few sugary deserts in a short period, which caused me to crave chocolate, at first, only a few squares, then more and more.
I kept telling myself that the last piece would be my last piece, but next thing I knew, I had put on 8 lbs, and when I checked my blood pressure, it was dangerously close to the Red Zone.
If anything convinced me to give it up once and for all, it was that reading.
So I got back on the wagon a few weeks ago, and have lost 3 of those lbs, still craving chocolate and sweets, but I now know that it is an addiction that is easilly renewed. I learned my lesson. I'll never go back there.
A quick observation: I noticed my legs gradually feeling heavier during that period I was not in Ketosis, despite my riding either every day or every 2 days (sometimes doing it on the Gym's recumbent if there were too many rain days in a row). Today, on my morning commute, my legs felt much better, corroborating my previous observation that being in ketosis seems to help with lactic acid issues in my legs (don't know if I worded this properly, but English is my second language).

Be well everyone.

Denis