Keto and working out. The Ultimate Guide to Exercising on the Keto Diet: 6 Essential Facts
What are the key things to know about exercising on the keto diet. How does the keto diet affect high-intensity exercise, fat burning, energy levels, and calorie burn during workouts.
The Impact of Keto on High-Intensity Exercise
The keto diet, which puts the body in a state of ketosis by burning fat for energy instead of carbohydrates, may have a negative impact on high-intensity exercise performance. This is because high-intensity activities like strength training, sprinting, and other sports are primarily powered by the carbohydrates stored in muscle cells as glycogen. Since the keto diet shifts the body’s fuel source away from carbs, it can make these types of workouts feel more exerting and lead to reduced performance. A 2017 study found that participants experienced drops in endurance capacity and peak power after six weeks on a ketogenic diet.
Keto and Steady-State Cardio: Increased Fat Burn, Decreased Performance
While the keto diet may hinder high-intensity exercise, it can be beneficial for steady-state aerobic activities like distance running or cycling. A 2017 study on elite competitive walkers found that those on ketogenic diets were able to significantly increase fat burning during training compared to those on a more carb-heavy diet. However, the keto walkers also reported feeling like they had to exert greater effort to complete the same workouts and were less likely to finish the assigned training compared to the non-keto group.
The Keto Adaptation Process and Exercise Energy Levels
When first starting the keto diet, you may experience decreased energy levels during exercise as your body adapts to burning fat instead of carbs. However, research suggests that over time, the body can become more efficient at using fat as fuel, potentially restoring energy levels. A 2017 study found that while athletes on a high-fat diet initially experienced reduced energy, they saw a return to higher levels later on, especially during exercise.
Keto and Calorie Burn: More Efficient Fat Utilization
One potential benefit of the keto diet for exercise is increased calorie burn. A 2018 study found that when overweight adults replaced carbs with fat for five months, they were able to burn about 250 more calories per day compared to those on a high-carb, low-fat diet. This is likely due to the body’s improved ability to efficiently utilize fat as a fuel source on the keto diet.
Considerations for Keto and Exercise
When embarking on the keto diet, it’s important to be mindful of how it may affect your exercise performance, especially for high-intensity workouts. While it can boost fat burning for steady-state cardio, the shift away from carbs as a fuel source may initially hinder your ability to power through intense sessions. Patience and allowing time for your body to become keto-adapted is key. Monitoring your energy levels, workout performance, and overall recovery can help you determine the best approach for exercising on the keto diet.
Optimizing Keto for Exercise: Tips and Strategies
To get the most out of exercising on the keto diet, consider the following strategies:
- Prioritize lower-intensity, steady-state cardio activities that allow your body to efficiently burn fat
- Gradually increase exercise intensity and duration as your body becomes more keto-adapted
- Ensure you’re getting enough electrolytes and hydration to support exercise performance
- Experiment with targeted carb intake around workouts to help fuel high-intensity efforts
- Listen to your body and make adjustments to your diet and exercise routine as needed
By understanding the nuances of how the keto diet can impact exercise, you can find the right balance to optimize your performance and overall health benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the keto diet affect high-intensity exercise performance?
The keto diet, which puts the body in a state of ketosis and burns fat for fuel instead of carbs, can negatively impact performance during high-intensity exercise. This is because high-intensity activities like strength training and sprinting are primarily powered by the carbohydrates stored in muscle cells as glycogen. With the body relying on fat instead, these types of workouts may feel more exerting and lead to reduced performance.
Can the keto diet boost fat burning during exercise?
Yes, the keto diet can enhance the body’s ability to burn fat during exercise, especially for steady-state aerobic activities like distance running or cycling. Studies have shown that athletes on ketogenic diets are able to significantly increase fat burning during training compared to those on more carb-heavy diets. However, this increased fat utilization can come at the cost of overall exercise performance.
Does the keto diet affect energy levels during exercise?
Initially, the keto diet may lead to decreased energy levels during exercise as the body adapts to using fat as the primary fuel source instead of carbs. However, research suggests that over time, the body can become more efficient at utilizing fat for energy, which can restore energy levels, especially during exercise. A 2017 study found that athletes on a high-fat diet experienced reduced energy initially, but then saw a return to higher levels later on.
How does the keto diet impact calorie burn during exercise?
The keto diet may enhance calorie burn during exercise due to the body’s improved efficiency at utilizing fat as a fuel source. A 2018 study found that when overweight adults replaced carbs with fat, they were able to burn approximately 250 more calories per day compared to those on a high-carb, low-fat diet. This suggests the keto diet can boost the body’s calorie-burning capabilities, even during physical activity.
6 Things You Need to Know About Exercising on the Keto Diet
If you’ve decided to try out the ketogenic (“keto” for short) diet, you probably hope to reap some of the myriad health benefits it claims to bring. The keto diet is designed to put the body in a state of ketosis. When your body is in ketosis, it is burning fat as a fuel source, as opposed to running on carbohydrates. The touted advantages of keto include weight loss, boosted energy, and fewer blood sugar swings.
RELATED: Everything You Should Know About the Potential Risks and Benefits of Keto
One question mark around the diet, however, is whether or not it does your exercise any favors.
“We have very little evidence that says the ketogenic diet is better for anything exercise-wise,” says Andy Galpin, PhD, a professor of kinesiology at California State University in Fullerton. Though for some types of exercise, it might affect performance more than others.
Here’s what you should know.
RELATED: 10 Amazing Benefits of Exercise
1. It May Be Tougher to Boost Performance When It Comes to High-Intensity Exercise While on the Keto Diet
The majority of high-intensity exercise — activity that requires short, intense bursts of energy — is powered by the carbohydrates you eat. The human body stores carbohydrates in the muscle cells as muscle glycogen. That muscle glycogen becomes an immediate fuel source for your body when you do any sort of activity that periodically requires intense movement, including strength training, sprinting, and other sports.
If you’re on the keto diet, your body is burning fat for energy rather than carbohydrates (if you’re doing keto right). As a fuel source, that fat isn’t as easily burned as carbohydrates, so the process is overall less efficient, Galpin explains.
The result is that the keto diet tends to limit performance during high-intensity workouts, while lower-intensity workouts may be less affected.
One small study from February 2017 that followed 42 healthy adults after they spent six weeks on the ketogenic diet found that the participants’ performance in endurance capacity and peak power dropped.
Galpin says he wouldn’t recommend the diet as a means to improve performance. “It’s not going to be any better for physical performance than the standard diet,” he says.
RELATED: What to Eat Before and After You Work Out
2. Keto May Boost Fat Burn
While keto may not be best for things that require short bursts of energy such as weightlifting or Spinning, it does seem to work well in burning more fat in people who like to do steady state aerobic exercise, like distance running or cycling at a steady pace.
A 2017 study of elite competitive walkers showed that the athletes who were on ketogenic diets were able to significantly increase fat burning in their bodies during training compared with walkers on a more standard diet that included carbohydrates. But despite burning more fat during training while on the keto diet, those athletes also experienced worse athletic performance than the athletes on the more standard diet. The race walkers on the keto diet complained that they felt it took greater exertion to complete the same workouts as the athletes on a more standard diet, and they were less likely to complete the assigned workouts compared with the athletes on the more standard diet.
3. You May Feel Like Your Gas Pedal Doesn’t Work as Well, Especially at First
As your body becomes “keto-adapted,” it begins to train itself to burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. Initially, that process may leave you feeling less energized than usual when it comes to working out.
Some research findings suggest that athletes have been successful in increasing their ability to use fat as a fuel source, according to Nitin K. Sethi, MD, a clinical associate professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, who began studying the effects of the keto diet on human performance because one of its original purposes was to treat epilepsy.
Dr. Sethi cites a small July 2017 study: “While athletes on a high-fat diet experienced reduced energy initially, the athletes experienced a return of higher levels later on, especially during exercise.”
Sethi cautions that the athletes in the study had more difficulties undertaking higher-intensity forms of exercise.
4. Your Body May Burn Calories Quicker on Keto
A 2018 study found that when overweight adults replaced carbohydrates in their diet with fat for a period of five months, their bodies were able to burn approximately 250 more calories per day than people who ate high-carbohydrate and low-fat diets. Keep in mind though that gram per gram, fat is more calorie-dense than carbohydrates: Each gram of fat has 9 calories, while a gram of protein or carbohydrate has 4 calories, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
That difference in caloric burn over the course of a day can add up when it comes to weight loss. Remember, to lose weight the body needs to burn more calories than it takes in. “Calories are not the only thing that’s relevant, but they still matter,” Galpin says.
RELATED: Study Sheds Light on How Low-Carb Diets Can Boost Metabolism and Help With Weight Loss
5. Keto Is Better for Maintaining Muscle Mass Than Adding Muscle
Maintaining and growing muscle mass helps slow down the aging process and protect against the risk of age-related bone loss. Muscle mass helps you to burn more calories each day, even when you aren’t exercising.
RELATED: What You Should Know About Exercise at 40 and Beyond
If you are in the gym to keep the muscle mass you have, a ketogenic diet could work for you. But if you are looking to add muscle mass, the lower amounts of calories and protein you take in each day while you are on keto could make it tougher for you. “The average person is going to have a much harder time adding muscle on keto,” Galpin says.
Part of that difficulty would arise if you’re trying to consume fewer calories than you burn, meaning if you’re on the diet for weight loss (and that would be the case if you’re on any diet). But it’s also more difficult to build muscle on keto because your body has fewer carbohydrates available, which it would otherwise store in your muscles and use as part of the muscle growth process. It’s not impossible, but it’s a much less efficient way to build muscle, Galpin says.
6. Just Because You Are Burning Fat, That Doesn’t Mean You Are Losing Fat
While the ketogenic diet can be a good way to train your body to use fat as a fuel source, it doesn’t mean that when you exercise, the body will use up all that fat. You still need to be burning more calories overall than you’re consuming to actually lose fat (and lose weight).
“Burning fat doesn’t always mean fat loss,” Galpin says. When you are on keto, you burn more fat, but you also store more fat, because more of your calories are coming from fats than they otherwise would, he explains. “You still have to have a calorie deficit to see weight loss results.”
6 Quick Tips for Running Your Best Marathon
Anyone who is in training or has trained for a marathon knows that there are certain rituals before, during, and after a race. Yet there are many misconceptions…
By Brianna Majsiak
Millions of Peloton Bikes Recalled for Injury Risk
Peloton issued the recall after receiving more than 30 reports of seat posts breaking during rides. Riders can receive a free replacement seat post.
By Monroe Hammond
8 Ways to Sit Less and Move More Each Day
Hate to exercise? Just adding in easy activities — as simple as standing up and stretching — can make a significant difference to your weight and well…
By Wyatt Myers
How to Fit in More Steps Every Day
How many steps do you take each day? Higher daily step counts tend to be linked to a lot of health benefits, including overall mortality (meaning, yes…
By Elizabeth Millard
Running: What It Is, Health Benefits, How to Get Started, and How to Get Better
Running is a workout that can boost your heart health, bone health, mood, energy, and more. Here’s how to get started, how to get better, and how to avoid…
By Elizabeth Millard
8 Ways Strength Training Boosts Your Health and Fitness
Here’s why strength training is so good for your health and fitness, from stronger bones to boosting weight loss to helping you manage conditions like…
By Chris Iliades, MD
Is Strength Training Good for Weight Loss?
Resistance exercise may not burn as many calories as aerobic, but it can support weight loss in other ways. Here’s how.
By Lauren Bedosky
6 Tips to Safely Burn Fat and Feel Your Best
Though working out while on the keto diet can seem intimidating, not only is it good for you, but it can actually improve your keto diet results. Once your body has adjusted to being in ketosis, exercising on keto with the right workout routine, supplementation, carbohydrate consumption, and self-monitoring can maximize your weight loss results, increase muscle mass, and give you a long-lasting energy boost.
In this article, you will learn:
- Can You Workout While on the Keto Diet?
- 6 Tips to For a Great Keto Workout
Can You Workout While on the Keto Diet?
Absolutely! Working out is one key strategy when it comes to achieving your health goals, and that includes when you’re on the keto diet.
A recent study found that working out while doing keto can increase weight loss from fat stores without affecting lean muscle mass.
What’s more, its also been proven to increase endurance during exercise as well as offer a faster recovery period after intense workouts.
A study in the Journal of Physiology of athletes on the ketogenic diet found that they were able to burn significantly more fat during training compared to other athletes on normal carb-rich diets.
Because ketosis uses fat as fuel instead of carbs, working out on the keto diet directly uses fat for energy, thereby accelerating weight loss.
6 Tips to For a Great Keto Workout
Working out while in ketosis may seem intimidating at first, but with these 6 pro tips, you can optimize your workouts, feel confident at the gym, and experience better weight loss and muscle-building results!
1. Ease Into Your Workout Routine
Though exercise is the perfect complement to the keto diet, that doesn’t mean you should force yourself to work out if you don’t feel good.
When you start keto, your body goes through a significant metabolic adjustment phase where your body is switching from burning glucose as its primary fuel source to ketones. This adjustment is called the keto flu and while each person is different, the average adjustment period can take anywhere from one to three weeks.
While working out can actually help to ease the symptoms of the keto flu, your first few workouts might feel sluggish and more challenging than usual.
This is a normal part of the process, so listen to your body, scale your workouts accordingly, and know that it gets easier and more enjoyable once your body adjusts to ketosis!
2. Choose a Keto-Friendly Pre-Workout
As essential it is to use a pre-workout supplement that’s keto-friendly, it can be a challenge since most products on the market tend to be loaded with sugar (which can kick you out of ketosis).
Pure C8 MCT oil is one of the best keto-friendly pre-workouts because its energy-boosting, metabolism-enhancing benefits help to increase efficiency while exercising on keto.
When taken 30-60 minutes before a workout, your body rapidly digests C8 MCTs and converts them into ketones for a long-lasting energy, a better workout, and ultimately, maximum results.
(Related: She Took Pure C8 Keto MCT Oil for 7 Days and This is What Happened)
Learn more!
3. Opt for Strength Training Over HIIT Workouts
Aerobic exercise (aka low intensity, steady-state cardio activities) is the best type of workouts when on the keto diet. This includes strength training, yoga, and stability training.
Here’s why: the body uses fat as its primary energy source during lower-intensity aerobic workouts, and since the body is fat-adapted while in a state of ketosis, you’ll reap even more weight loss benefits.
Unlike aerobic exercise that uses fat as energy, anaerobic exercises require large bursts of fuel from glycogen (a type of sugar that stores energy). On the other hand, anaerobic exercise (aka highly-intensive workouts) like CrossFit, sprinting, and HIIT require glycogen to fuel the body, which a low-carb and low-sugar keto diet isn’t suited for.
A recent study from Saint Louis University studied the effect of physical performance in 16 men and women who were in ketosis. They ultimately found that keto diet significantly decreased performance in anaerobic exercises due to their low glycogen levels.
In other words, you can still do HIIT workouts on keto, but you’ll likely feel more sluggish which can ultimately result in decreased performance.
4. If You Are Doing High-Intensity Workouts, Boost Your Carb Intake
While a normal keto diet normally may not sustain a high-intensity workout routine, there is a way around it with a targeted keto approach.
While a standard keto dieter consumes anywhere between 20 to 40 grams of net carbs per day, a keto dieter with a very active lifestyle can simply consume an additional 15-30 grams net carbs from simple carbohydrates (like fruit) 30-60 minutes before a high-intensity workout.
Eating carbs directly before an intense workout allows the body to fuel your muscles with enough glycogen during and after your training for a great workout.
Do note, it’s important to eat these extra carbs within the recommended time frame of 30-60 minutes before a high-intensity workout to avoid being kicked out of ketosis.
5. Make Sure You’re Eating Enough (Especially Fat)
How you fuel yourself matters when living an active lifestyle, and fueling yourself correctly on keto is no exception.
When engaging in a consistent exercise routine, it’s essential to nourish your body with quality foods to properly fuel your workouts, help you develop lean muscle mass, and support a fast recovery time.
Unfortunately, it’s common to overlook micronutrients on the heavily macro-focused keto diet. To help you get your daily nutrients in, MCT oil, fresh fish, omega 3, avocado, and quality meats are some examples of healthy options that offer your body clean fats, important vitamins, and minerals to help you feel your best.
6. Listen to Your Body
One advantage of the keto diet is that you can create your own experience according to what works best for you. Combining a clean keto approach with your preferred workout can accelerate weight loss and increase your overall energy while promoting a healthy lifestyle, but there’s no “one size fits all” template, so it’s up to you to decide how best to do so.
If you’re following the keto diet and regularly exercising, yet experiencing subpar energy levels or halted weight loss, these may be signs from your body that your workouts aren’t serving you as they should.
In that case, consider adjusting your workout routine, eating more nutrient-dense foods, or adding more carbs before your workout before intense training.
It can take a little time to find the best keto workout to maximize your results, but by listening to your body, you can find the balance you need to achieve the results you desire while feeling your best!
UP NEXT: What is Clean Keto? + 8 Simple Tips to Clean Up Your Keto Diet
(Want articles like this via email? Here’s the sign up!)
Keto diet and strength training: how to build muscle?
How does nutritional ketosis affect exercise? It is believed that it gives a lot of strength for exercises that require a long
endurance. But at the same time it causes some difficulties when you need a powerful surge of energy in a short time. So allowable
Is strength training on keto? And how to improve the relief of muscles in conditions of sharp restriction of carbohydrates?
What are the features of training on keto?
When switching to keto, ketone bodies formed from fats become the main source of energy. They are spent on
most of the needs of the body, including giving strength for sports.
Many who follow the classic ketogenic diet and exercise regularly report no fatigue
after training and the willingness to actively spend the day further. It seems that the muscles are ready to work without a break!
However, this is mostly about cardio training or training that does not require an explosive burst of energy during
a few seconds when it comes to lifting the barbell and other high-intensity exercises. In this case, as a source
fast energy requires glycogen stored in the muscles.
With severe restriction of carbohydrates, its reserves are reduced. On the one hand, this limits the quick compensation
energy costs, but on the other hand, it has positive aspects. For example, glycogen is known to retain water.
So, its reduction will partially get rid of excess fluid. On a low-carb diet, excess fluid, and with it puffiness, also go away due to a decrease in production.
insulin. Therefore, professional athletes and bodybuilders often resort to a ketogenic diet if they want to quickly lose weight.
weight from fat and water, improve body composition.
What influences muscle growth?
Muscle protein synthesis and increase in muscle volume depends on two main factors: nutrition and physical activity.
First of all, it is important to monitor the quality and quantity of protein coming from food. depending on the amino acid
composition, the anabolic properties of its various sources are very different. Muscle building is promoted by proteins with high
content of essential amino acids. Leucine is the most powerful muscle growth stimulant.
activating a special anabolic complex mTOR. This complex is responsible for muscle protein synthesis and at the same time
prevents it from breaking down.
In addition to nutrition, exercise and the level of its intensity are very important. The fact is that muscle overload with power
resistance exercise also activates mTOR and promotes muscle mass gain.
The mTOR complex is affected by more than nutrition and exercise. Insulin and insulin-like factor are involved in its activation.
growth (IGF-1). On a low-carb and ketogenic diet, their production is reduced. This fact partly explains the need
carbohydrates, as insulin release stimulants, for muscle growth. However, studies have shown [1 – 3] that anabolic
the action of insulin is realized even at its low concentrations, which are produced in response to the use of protein.
In groups of athletes who took protein and protein in combination with carbohydrates, after exercise with weights, significant differences
not found in muscle protein synthesis.
How much protein is allowed?
Protein is an essential building material for muscle fibers. On a ketogenic diet, its amount is
20 – 25% of daily calories.
Will this be enough to provide the muscles with the resource they need for growth? Yes, and here’s why.
First of all, protein is absorbed better on a ketogenic diet. With exact observance of the proportions of BJU, the intensity decreases
gluconeogenesis, or the formation of glucose from the amino acids of a protein in muscle tissue, which means that this protein is better preserved
within the muscles.
Secondly, much depends on the characteristics of the metabolism of each organism. Some people don’t need to be restricted at all
protein to achieve sustained ketosis.
Third, what is 20% protein per daily calorie intake? Let’s say the diet is 2500 kcal, then 500 kcal of them
will be protein. And this is 125 g of pure protein per day. Not so little. According to generally accepted guidelines for
sports nutrition, it is believed that in order to build and maintain muscle mass, daily protein intake should
be 1.4 – 2.0 g per 1 kg of weight, which fits well into the proportions of ketogenic nutrition.
It is desirable to distribute the intake of protein evenly throughout the day, then the one-time protein load will be small,
and the chances of knocking the body out of ketosis will be much less than if you eat the entire portion at a time.
Which training is best?
On keto it is quite possible to successfully go in for sports. Difficulties occur only when the body adapts to a new
eating style. During this period, there may be a feeling of loss of strength, endurance, decreased performance. But all this wears
temporary and goes away as soon as the body learns to use ketones for energy.
The keto diet works great with aerobic exercise to provide energy for long-term endurance. These include:
- long-distance running;
- low intensity aerobics;
- cycling;
- race walking;
- dancing;
- swimming;
- light strength training.
Anaerobic workouts that require an explosive burst of energy are not quite suitable for keto. They are characterized by high
intensity and short duration. These include:
- intensive strength training;
- crossfit;
- bicycle race;
- sprint, speed races;
- powerlifting;
- weightlifting.
Why is that? During low-intensity workouts, the body can easily use fat as fuel,
because the energy demand per unit of time is not very high. With high intensity training, you need to already
much more energy per unit of time. And for such workouts, carbohydrates are the preferred source of energy,
including in the form of glycogen stored in the muscles. After all, they are utilized and processed into energy much faster and
lighter than fat.
Does this mean that high-intensity training is contraindicated on a ketogenic diet? No! You just need to know the nuances
their implementation.
How to train at high intensity?
High-intensity exercise is effective for building muscle, but if you do it on keto, you either need to change the mode
classes, or slightly deviate from the classic version of the diet.
When doing strength exercises, low repetitions with long rest periods are recommended. Why?
The supply of ATP in muscle tissue is limited, so the energy expenditure for training must be constantly compensated. First for
To do this, the body uses the simplest and fastest energy supply system – ATP-CF (adenosine triphosphate – creatine phosphate).
Its essence is that CP is split into creatine and phosphate, after which the resulting phosphate is used to regenerate ATP.
from ADP (adenosine diphosphate). But this system does not function for long, it lasts for a maximum of 2 minutes of intensive work,
since the number of CFs is limited. After it exhausts itself, other energy supply mechanisms are connected.
This means that for intensive training for more than 2 minutes, carbohydrates will be needed as a quick source of energy. But if
after 2 minutes the work of the muscles will stop, then the level of CF will be restored within a few minutes.
Therefore, intensive strength training on keto is only possible with a small number of repetitions
(while the ATP-CF system is working) with long periods of rest to restore it. Up to 6 repetitions recommended
with breaks of about 5 minutes.
If you still need long intense training with a large number of repetitions, then to ensure
enough energy use a targeted or cyclic keto diet option. Unlike classic keto
they include an additional intake of carbohydrates, but at the same time they allow you to stay in ketosis or quickly return to it.
This format of training is popular with athletes and bodybuilders.
On a targeted keto diet, consume 20-50 g of high glycemic carbohydrates 30 minutes before training.
This allows you to saturate the body with glucose and train with greater intensity. Ketosis is not interrupted, because
that the additional glucose taken is completely spent on energy for physical exertion. The exact amount of carbohydrates
calculated by weight, height, age of the athlete and the severity of the upcoming load.
The cyclical keto diet includes 1-2 days of carbohydrate loading and consists of two alternating cycles with different
BJU ratio:
- first (regular keto) – 75% fat, 20% protein, 5% carbs;
- second (carb loading) – 25% fat, 50% protein, 25% carbohydrate.
This diet helps to gain lean muscle mass and burn the remaining fat in the abdomen. On busy days she
Restores muscle glycogen stores needed for high-intensity exercise.
Eating carbohydrates before your workout or on your carb days will give your muscles instant energy,
necessary for explosive performance without diminishing the benefits of a ketogenic diet.
A few tips
The ketogenic diet has many health benefits and goes well with exercise,
including strength training and muscle building. Although muscle growth is slower.
If you have been into sports for a long time and decide to try keto, first consult with your doctor, nutritionist and
a trainer to create a training program and nutrition plan based on your goals. The same is recommended if
you have been following a ketogenic diet for a long time and suddenly decided to play sports. Perhaps to improve and increase
speed of results, support of the body, you will need to take nutritional supplements. For example, increase stamina for more
long-term exercise is well helped by MCT oil, which contains medium chain fatty acids.
acids. It also facilitates entry into ketosis and maintains this state with the use of a little more
carbohydrates.
In addition to nutrition for sporting achievements, do not forget about healthy sleep and stress reduction.
References:
[1] Staples A.W., Burd N.A., West D.W., Currie K.D., Atherton P.J., Moore D.R., Rennie M.J., Macdonald M.J., Baker S.K.,
Phillips S.M. Carbohydrate does not augment exercise-induced protein accretion versus protein alone // Med. sci.
Sports Exerc. – 2011. – Vol. 43, No. 7. – P. 1154 – 1161.
[2] Koopman R., Beelen M., Stellingwerff T., Pennings B., Saris W.H., Kies A.K., Kuipers H., Van Loon L.J. Coingestion
of carbohydrate with protein does not further augment postexercise muscle protein synthesis // Am. J Physiol. Endocrinol.
Metab. – 2007. – Vol. 293, No. 3. – P. 833 – 842.
[3] Glynn E. L., Fry C.S., Timmerman K.L., Drummond M.J., Volpi E., Rasmussen B.B. Addition of carbohydrate or alanine
to an essential amino acid mixture does not enhance human skeletal muscle protein anabolism // J. Nutr. – 2013. –
Vol. 143, No. 3. – P. 307 – 314.
Training and the KETO Diet – Stevia
There are many diets for weight loss or maintaining the required body weight that are combined with training. Some of them bring the expected results, others are just an excuse to earn money for coaches and some nutritionists. First, let’s look at what ketosis is and how it applies to this diet.
Ketosis is a normal body state in which carbohydrate levels are so low that the body begins to consume fats and proteins to replenish energy balance. Replenishment of energy occurs due to the breakdown of ketones and fats – as a result, body weight decreases. The additional combination of a keto diet with physical activity helps to achieve a better result. In order for the combination of training with a ketogenic diet to be safe and effective, remember two important rules.
Rule 1: Don’t starve yourself
The keto diet is not effective in starvation, but only in the process of reducing carbohydrate intake in the diet. To control BJU indicators, special calculators have been created to help set the required level of macronutrient intake. With the help of them, you can adjust the quality of nutrition or determine the required level of a particular macronutrient.
Diet involves the consumption of food in the quantity required by the body, but with a controlled carbohydrate content. The following products become a source of energy:
- meat and sea or ocean fish;
- oils;
- seeds, nuts;
- eggs and cheeses;
- green vegetables without starch.
When purchasing a product, be sure to look at its nutritional value indicated on the label – it’s easier to calculate how much protein or fat you can get from it, as well as find out how many calories you need to reach your daily norm, taking into account the loads.
Rule 2: Go for low-intensity workouts
To maintain the results of a change in diet, it is necessary to maintain muscle tone through sports and strength training. Since the keto diet is a system with the exclusion of an energy-important component in the form of carbohydrates, it is worth taking care of switching to low-intensity workouts that do not require large muscle glycogen stores. As practice has shown, in this case, training with a small load on the body and large intervals between exercises and approaches will be more effective.
If you do too much hard exercise, your body will lose energy and become severely exhausted. Ultimately, you will not be able to achieve a positive result. To set a course for the intensity of classes, consult with your trainer or your doctor.
Do not forget about strength training
From time to time, stand and increase the load on the body to maintain muscle strength and tone. This is important, as a keto diet can also take away muscle mass, and strength training will prevent this process by shifting catabolism towards fat. It is worth using light or moderately heavy weight with a large number of sets and rest periods in between.
Avoid heavy lifting or extreme strenuous sports, as these activities have an increased risk of injury. We add that the most effective workouts are selected individually by the trainer, taking into account the characteristics of each organism.
When a person performs strength exercises every day, it seems to him that the result will be noticeable in a matter of days. In fact, this is not the case – even in normal training conditions. When following a keto diet, the likelihood of losing muscle mass increases, which affects the speed of the result after training. However, if you approach the process without haste and correctly calculate all the loads, the result will be noticeable.
When to eat sweets on a keto diet
To achieve effective fat burning, you should reduce your carbohydrate intake as little as possible. But for those who cannot imagine their life without sweets and at the same time want to lose weight, special recipes for confectionery have been developed.