60 days on Ketogenic Diet: Experiment Results!
Hi there !
I’m super exited to tell you about my ketogenic diet experiment. I’ve decided to live and train without carbohydrates/sugar for at least 60 days. I know it seems kind of crazy, but why not to try.
In this article I talk about why Am I doing this, how was the process, how I felt etc. Also all my workouts are included, my body measurements before and after, pictures, my meals and products I’ve eaten.
It has been a long way and finally after countless hours of putting everything together you have a chance to read about it and maybe (hopefully) learn something out of my experience.
It’s my first article in English so please have mercy LOL
The reason why I’m doing this experiment is to answer all these questions:
- How my body is going to function without almost any carbohydrates/sugar ?
- How my brain is going to work?
- How my workouts are going to look like? Am I going to able to train hard ? If so, can I maintain high intensity during my workouts ?
- How Am I going to recover?
- What is going to happen with my sleep quality?
- Is it a effective way to get ripped and finally lose the last couple pounds from my belly ?
First of all, I’m going to give you some basic information about the ketogenic diet and what this is all about.The concept of ketogenic diet is to deliver 80% of our daily kcal from fat (yes you heard me right), 15% from protein and only 5% from carbohydrates.
That’s the general rule. As always there are exceptions and this proportion may vary from person to person depending on goals and health parameters such as insulin sensitivity, body composition, gender or activity level.
For instance, an athlete who wants to maintain or even gain a bit of muscle mass will have an intake of protein around 20-30% and a bit less fat.
These 5% of carbs are from vegetables or sometimes you will find 1-2g of sugar in 2 tbs of almond butter for instance. Having 0g of sugar in your diet is almost impossible unless you eat meat and bacon all the time haha.
We need to lower carbohydrates in order to become keto-adapted (get into the state of ketosis) and to maintain ketosis. There are some people who can tolerate a bigger amount of carbs while staying in ketosis, mostly athletes, but I don’t want to discuss this topic now.There is no one-size-fits-all approach for ketogenic diet.
What does it mean keto-adapted ?
It basically means switching from using carbohydrates as the main source of energy to metabolizing fats as fuel.
Why is lowering carbohydrates so important for ketosis ?
Because, it provides the necessary conditions for our body to use ketones for energy!
Therefore:
- blood glucose levels needs to drop (low glucose = low insulin level)
- insulin level needs to drop (low insulin level = body can break down triglycerides efficiently)
- glycogen stores need to be depleted
Every carbohydrate either simply (candy) or complex (quinoa) will be turned into glucose sooner or later.
I am not sayin that carbohydrates are bad for you. More important is what kind of carbs you are eating, when and of course how much.
As we know, there is a alternative fuel our body can use under various conditions. The answer is ketones. Ketone bodies are molecules produced by the liver in the process called beta-oxidation. Our body metabolizes (breaks down) fat for energy, brain power etc.
There are three kinds of ketone bodies:
- acetoacetate (AcAc)
- beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)
- acetone ( produced by breaking down AcAc, making it a by-product, however for our purpose, it can be considered a ketone body)
The liver produces ketones only under certain physiological conditions, such as fasting, extreme caloric restriction or ketogenic diet.
When glucose is available in the blood, the body will use it to make energy instead of dietary fat or stored fat. Nevertheless, when glucose is depleted (glucose is still around but isn’t as high) ketones become the primary fuel source.
Some cells, like those in certain regions of the brain and red cells, can use only glucose for energy.
During periods of low glucose availability our bodies also increase lipolysis (breakdown of lipids).
Consequently our body is forced to use a fuel other then glucose. The result is an enhanced release and reliance on fat.
Interesting fact is that most of us are able to store 1600-2000 kcal (400-500g of carbs) in the form of glycogen.
What do you think how much kcal from fat is an average person storing?
The answer is 30.000-60.000 kcal, the number can go up to 100.000 or 200.000 kcal in a obese person.
This explains why people can fast days or months and still be fine.
In 1973, under supervision of researchers from Scotland University a 27 year old male was fasting for 382 days. This is the longest fast ever been recorded.
The patient weighted 456 pounds-207kg, consumed water and had taken vitamin supplements during the fast. He lost 276 lbs-125kg and finished his fast weighted 180 pounds-82kg.
The researchers say that despite hypoglycemia the patient remained sympton free, felt well and walked about normal.
This is an extreme example for people who claim they can not go without food for 24 hours hehe.
As a matter of fact, it was easier then I expected to cut almost completely carbohydrates and sugar from my menu. I thought it’s going to be tough, that I’m going to feel tired, especially in the beginning. Fortunately, something like that never happend to me.
Maybe I am an exception, because from what I know, most people suffer in the first couple of days in the transitioning process. Before doing keto I was not consuming many carbohydrates, usually around my workouts or for dinner. This made my transition easier.
Our body runs on carbohydrates since we were born, therefore it is not a surprise that if we stop this energy supply we might experience tiredness, lack of energy or focus, headaches (these symptoms are called keto flu).
Certainly it takes time to switch from carbohydrates to fat. For some people it may take a couple days for some weeks or months depending on many factors.
Recovery from my workouts was way slower on ketogenic diet in the first 3-4 weeks. Workouts that caused DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) on keto would not effect me at all on a diet with carbohydrates.
After 4 weeks it has started to getting better. Until now (8 weeks on keto) the recovery is I would say almost the same as on a diet with carbs.
The conclusion is, my body adapted, because I didn’t change my food or supplements.
The literature says performance levels are restored after about 6 weeks, although it sometimes takes longer. Again it is a super individual thing.
The ketogenic diet and the benefits of fasting are not a new discovery. In ancient times, fasting was used as a sacred and nutritional therapy for various conditions, including epilepsy.
Throughout the years the approach has evolved and nowadays we have lots of research done on ketogenic diet.
Electrolytes and some micronutrients appear to drop at the beginning of ketogenic diet. Once a person is keto-adapted those levels tend to return to normal.
Important on keto:
Sodium
Helps the body regulate water levels, blood pressure and pH balance, nervous system regulation, muscle activity. In the absence of carbohydrates, body starts to excrete sodium and water.
Sodium is also lost rapidly during exercise through both urine and sweat. Therefore, we have to take care of the proper sodium intake, especially during the first weeks of keto. 3-5g should be fine. Himalayan salt is a great source.
Potassium
Helps body to maintain pH balance, builds protein, regulates nervous system, sustain normal growth and control the electrical activity of the heart.
Our levels might decrease, because of water excretion. At least 2-3g daily. Great source is avocado, 0.5g in 100g.
Magnesium
helps to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, heart rate, supporting a healthy immune system, regulating blood glucose levels.
There are many non-carbohydrate magnesium sources.
Fiber
Important for your gut health (support good bacteria), improves insulin sensitivity, elevate satiety. Eat green leafy vegetables !
Here are some supplements I was using during my experiment
