I need more energy for tomorrow's hike, what to eat?

keto
newbies
food
(Vibeke Larsen) #1

Hi all. Newbee here. I’m 3 weeks into keto, objective is to loose 7 kg (14 pounds ish?)
I’m probably still adapting to keto, but I have zero energy in my legs, high pulse and lactic acid buildup when I do more enduring activities like hiking, biking and ski touring. Tomorrow I really want to “perform” for the ski tour, i.e I want to make it to the summit …

Any advice on how to boost energy levels without too much damage to the keto effect? What to eat and when?

So far on my diet im down from 70kg to 66kg.
My macros are 25g carbs, 75g protein and 105g fat, 1350 kcal, about 20% deficit before activity.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

Eat more. You’re making the classic newbie mistake restricting energy input too much too soon. Keto is not a quick weight loss diet. It’s a long term metabolic normalization process that generally includes weight normalization as well. A lot happens and you have to give yourself enough fuel to enable it to happen.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #3

Unless you’re a very petite woman I totally agree with @amwassil, eat more food. Don’t tie yourself to a deficit diet that a calculator tells you to for weight loss. If you keep your cabs low (25g is probably okay but we recommend 20g for everyone starting out here) you’re golden. Don’t count calories especially right now. I have absolutely no idea of how many calories I eat daily. I eat by following my appetite which works for most of us. I know Mike has to monitor his closely from his personal experience in maintenance but you shouldn’t focus on that now. Eat enough to keep your energy up. You want your metabolism ramped up and burning fat for fuel and at the stage you’re in this is crucial. Your body will tell you how much food you need once your hormonal signals start to behave properly again. After all you want to be able to sense how much you need to eat and not be tied to over or under eating on a day when your body is telling you something different than the calculator allows. This is supposed to be a natural process for us. It became unnatural when we started eating a higher carbohydrate diet about 10,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture and shifting to grains as a big part of our diet. Carbs screw up your natural hunger/satiety signals. Instead of tracking and trying to hit all your macros focus on carb limits as a max, and less is better. Carbs aren’t a target we need to try to hit in any way. Eat meat and protein as you crave without worrying, it’s really difficult putting on fat eating protein. Eat fat so you don’t feel run down and for a sustainable period without hunger. Protein and fat are the key nutrients and you need to find how much works for you personally because a macro calculator is not more in tune with your body than you are. Enjoy the hike and eat up! :cowboy_hat_face:

#4

I’m not a doctor or nutritionist.

However, Keto turns your body into a fat burning machine. If you aren’t fully fat adapted yet, your body isn’t able to fully access your stored fat for energy. I’d eat more fat on the days you are planning to be very active. It won’t undue the work and time you have already put into transitioning to Keto. Also, don’t limit your protein and fat intake if you are hungry.

Make sure you are getting your electrolytes - salt, potassium and magnesium are all important. Especially for those who are still new to Keto. Eventually you may not need to supplement as much, but it may take a bit of time.

(UsedToBeT2D) #5

More fat

#6

I simply would eat more food. Simply more fat should work too but if it’s more comfortable to raise protein too, I would do that.
1350 kcal isn’t much but if you are active, it’s very little, eat more. If you keep your carbs low, it should be fine.

(linda) #7

Coffee!!