Okay, I was not in shabby shape when I started on a ketogenic diet in May. I was at 19% body fat and a musclehead in love with weightlifting, but wanted to develop more athleticism than you can get from just free weights.
Now, I have no plans to abandon the weights. Don’t be silly. I’m pretty sure I will always be a Chick Who Lifts.
Problem was, on my low fat, low carb, low cal, low EVERYTHING diet (which I kept to religiously), I didn’t have ENERGY for much else than weights.
In comes keto. Big props to PT #2 who put me on it. I was terrified to try it at first, worried about losing any of my hard earned gains, but he had been on it for three years and he certainly had lower body fat than I did.
So, I jumped in.
Immediately my energy levels went through. the. roof.
DON’T KNOW KETO?
Think Paleo diet. But more fat. How much more?
Get this– calculated for my activity level, age, height, and weight– I consume 177 grams of fat per day (along with 110 grams of protein and a measly 25 grams of carbs). Calories fluctuate but I stick strictly within these macros.
The ketogenic diet was designed in 1924 by Dr. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic to combat epilepsy, and as it turns out, the diet has proven to be effective therapy for a number of illnesses. In the last decade or so, athletes have been taking to the keto diet as well, and in growing numbers.
“The diet is high in fat, supplies adequate protein and is low in carbohydrates. This combination changes the way energy is used in the body. Fat is converted in the liver into fatty acids and ketone bodies. Another effect of the diet is that it lowers glucose levels and improves insulin resistance.” –The Charlie Foundation
YOUR OWN NUCLEAR REACTOR
You’ll see in my bio that I characterize myself as having the energy of a nuclear reactor. Since keto, I have difficulty expending all my energy. My muscles may give out but I will still, somehow, have energy.
Thanks to the incredible energy levels I get from keto, within a few months I was able to increase my cardio capacity tremendously. Starting as a complete non-runner, I was able to get to a 4K pace of 6:10, do multiple sets of unassisted pull ups, and adopt a tabata routine in my before-work predawn workouts… which I get up a 4:30 in the morning to do. Happily.
My body fat dropped another 2 percent by the time I was 3 months into the diet.
Granted, the past two months of lower-than-desired activity has probably gained me back those 2%, but I have some Bold New Plans for my fitness routine. More on that later….