nutmisc folks that have tried keto...

[illiniStrive]

what benefits did you notice (if any) mental-wise?

i've only fiddled around it for brief stints in the past, usually during breaks and such where i was pretty much not doing anything so i wouldn't've noticed any changed on that front anyway had there been any. i know that the process of getting into keto can be a bitch... fogginess and so forth... but rumor has it once you're there everything is crystal clear

but i'm getting into an end of the year workload push. trying to get research done for an article right now, plus some proposals as well as looking into starting applications for summer fellowships... basically, if i had some ******** i'd be set lawl. but, barring that i'm wondering if a month or so of keto (at maintenance or a tad below) would actually help.

so for those of you who have tried keto (like actually tried it; not just low carb for a few days...) did you experience any of these 'magical' mental clarity benefits that tend to get touted?

[InItForFitness]

Interested to see responses.
Have considered it, but I think I'll hold off until I go on my cut this spring.

[Lvisaa2]

Never gotten past the induction phase. Hits me like a truck. Feel like utter crap and no carbs greatly affects my mood in a negative way.

[deadpool9]

Never gotten past the induction phase. Hits me like a truck. Feel like utter crap and no carbs greatly affects my mood in a negative way.

Same here. Blood sugar bottoms out and I feel horrible. That was just attempting carb cycling though, the no carb days sucked bad.

[WMLifting]

Never done keto. Never really tried low carb. If I drop my carb intake for a day I feel fine, though. I would imagine it being very satiating as I have had meals that were just veggies, meat/eggs, and ~10-30g fat and I didn't feel hungry, but I did crave carbs.

Interested to see responses.
Have considered it, but I think I'll hold off until I go on my cut this spring.

I recommend finding what works best for you during your bulks rather than your cuts. Their will be a big difference on energy through macronutrient intake and hyper/hypocaloric state, of course.

[naturalguy]

Tried it for a while and didn't like it, felt terrible, workouts suffered and no extra fat loss than a conventional diet

[InItForFitness]

I recommend finding what works best for you during your bulks rather than your cuts. Their will be a big difference on energy through macronutrient intake and hyper/hypocaloric state, of course.

I understand your viewpoint, however I'd have to counter argue that one should experiment with their dietary techniques during both cycles to determine what works best for them.
How will I know if I prefer a Ketogenic style diet on a cut (as opposed to non-keto) if I've never attempted it?

[Lvisaa2]

I understand your viewpoint, however I'd have to counter argue that one should experiment with their dietary techniques during both cycles to determine what works best for them.
How will I know if I prefer a Ketogenic style diet on a cut (as opposed to non-keto) if I've never attempted it?

Actually, he is correct when it comes to Keto. Due to the already demanding induction phase, most don't suggest you start Keto while cutting. Once you've induced it for the first time then you should be fine to do it whenever.

[InItForFitness]

Actually, he is correct when it comes to Keto. Due to the already demanding induction phase, most don't suggest you start Keto while cutting. Once you've induced it for the first time then you should be fine to do it whenever.

Noted.
I'm never opposed to being corrected.

So if I was curious to try it than I should go through my first introduction during my bulking phase?
Than afterwards feel free to switch dietary strategy as I see fit/wish to experiment with?

[Lvisaa2]

Noted.
I'm never opposed to being corrected.

So if I was curious to try it than I should go through my first introduction during my bulking phase?
Than afterwards feel free to switch dietary strategy as I see fit/wish to experiment with?

Or during maintenance. After your first induction, the subsequent ones are supposedly easier so you should be able to switch up strategies without the hell of the first induction. I'm not sure of mechanisms or why, but it's what I've read, although I am by no means a Keto expert. I do think most everyone would find advantageous benefits from being fat adapted, I just notice severe affect changes when I'm on low-carb. I believe I already have a serotonin imbalance and I think carb depletion just exasperates it.

[InItForFitness]

Or during maintenance. After your first induction, the subsequent ones are supposedly easier so you should be able to switch up strategies without the hell of the first induction. I'm not sure of mechanisms or why, but it's what I've read, although I am by no means a Keto expert. I do think most everyone would find advantageous benefits from being fat adapted, I just notice severe affect changes when I'm on low-carb. I believe I already have a serotonin imbalance and I think carb depletion just exasperates it.

Thanks as always for the tips.
I'll have to research a bit in the sub-forum and see what I can dig up.

Maybe I'll give it a run at the end of my cut while I'm maintaining relative leanness for the summer.

[illiniStrive]

Tried it for a while and didn't like it, felt terrible, workouts suffered and no extra fat loss than a conventional diet

i'm not really interested in it for any increased fat loss benefits (hence why i'd probably stay at maintenance or maybe slightly below). purely curious about what i could get out of it in terms of increased mental efficiency; whether or not i'd be able to get through my work faster with possibly better results than otherwise.

this is ofc past the first induction phase. after which i would probably not refeed for 3-4 weeks.

edit: though really, it's just an idea to toy with at this point, maybe for the future? i'm a little too in the thick of things to give it a go now realistically.

[WonderPug]

what benefits did you notice (if any) mental-wise?

I've found that, in nutritional ketosis, I have dramatically greater focus and I don't have the energy crash/brain fog post meals or in the absence of meals.

[SuffolkPunch]

Having previously found it very difficult to lose weight due to problems with reactive hypoglycemia, going full keto was well worthwhile. I did CKD but that probably made it take longer to become properly adapted - and weightloss was slow probably due to overdoing it on carb refeed days.

Having gone through it, I can now lose weight like a normal human - 1lb a week without lots of muscle loss, fatigue, dizzyness, anxiety etc.

[naturalguy]

i'm not really interested in it for any increased fat loss benefits (hence why i'd probably stay at maintenance or maybe slightly below). purely curious about what i could get out of it in terms of increased mental efficiency; whether or not i'd be able to get through my work faster with possibly better results than otherwise.

this is ofc past the first induction phase. after which i would probably not refeed for 3-4 weeks.

edit: though really, it's just an idea to toy with at this point, maybe for the future? i'm a little too in the thick of things to give it a go now realistically.

I wouldn't recommend keto increased mental efficiency

[Andrew_S]

Say goodbye to thick, hard erections, OP. Don't do it.

[necon76]

Say goodbye to thick, hard erections, OP. Don't do it.

Just like when I retired form being a scout master.

[WMLifting]

Noted.
I'm never opposed to being corrected.

Neither am I. I was actually about to rethink it until Lee stepped in lol

[Lvisaa2]

Neither am I. I was actually about to rethink it until Lee stepped in lol

I agree with IIFF in most cases. The way your body reacts to different diets and macro allocation will differ dependent on if you are bulking or cutting. It's just different with keto or in a situation where you have a time table. Ideally, when you have timetable you've already experimented enough to know how your body works.

[acrawlingchaos]

I just get angry on keto... an irritable sob.

[Lvisaa2]

I just get angry on keto... an irritable sob.

That's how I get when I'm too low on carbs. I turn into a woman during her time of month. I go from pissed off to depressed. I may try to do it again while supplementing with 5htp, but I dunno.

[PhiSig2298]

I did it, didn't count cals and lost weight with ease. I'd eat eggs/bacon/cheese for breakfast, lb of hamburger for lunch and then steak/chicken and cheese for dinner Almost every day. Greens sprinkled here and there just because.

That being said, I'm not going to cook additional meals for my family just so I can be in ketosis and I'm sure as heck ain't taking my wife's carbs away.


Edit: didn't read the mental-wise part.. Zero brain fog, felt great

[RyanWorkman1]

i'm not really interested in it for any increased fat loss benefits (hence why i'd probably stay at maintenance or maybe slightly below). purely curious about what i could get out of it in terms of increased mental efficiency; whether or not i'd be able to get through my work faster with possibly better results than otherwise.

this is ofc past the first induction phase. after which i would probably not refeed for 3-4 weeks.

edit: though really, it's just an idea to toy with at this point, maybe for the future? i'm a little too in the thick of things to give it a go now realistically.

To answer you question about mental clarity, once your body starts to recognize fat as the dominate source for your energy, then, yes, things do get better. Initially, you'll need to go two weeks with the absence of carbs, except for very small amounts of veggies a day along with high fats and proteins. Honestly, the first two weeks are pretty hard energy wise, but afterwords you'll definitely be back to normal or even better than before. None the less, you're going to lose some body fat with this program. It's just up to you how much you lose, if you end up having an interest in taking it there. I've done this program for several of my shoots in the past and it worked like a charm. The things I felt were; great/consistent energy, ZERO cravings, more strength and GREAT pumps when training. However, If you decide to try it I would just suggest not staying on it too long, since it can cause a state of ketoacidosis. I'd read up a bit on that before trying anything.

[NeroMaj]

I did a ketogenic diet about 2.5 years ago and dropped 41 (235 to 194) lbs in 8 weeks and lost a ton of both body fat and muscle mass. I did the traditional Atkins approach with two weeks at 20 g total carbs, then week 3 switched to 30 g net carbs, and added 10 g/week from then on out until I hit my target weight and started maintaining. The diet definitely did wonders for dropping fat, but if you couldn't tell, my overall calorie count was unbelievably low. I think had I kept my calories at the proper amount I could have saved some lean mass and just eliminated the fat, but you live and you learn.

As for the induction phase, the first 6 days were pure hell, but after that I was just fine for the rest of the diet.

I am preparing to cut by the end of January, assuming I hit my target weight of 230-235 before then, and I will probably be doing keto again, but focusing on keeping my calories in check to preserve lean mass.

[HealingHands8]

Sorry to hijack thread op, but have a related questions that doesn't warrant it's own thread;

has there been any studies that have looked at sports performance during nutritional ketosis? Preferable in athletes, not in those who are obese.

[muruku]

Sorry to hijack thread op, but have a related questions that doesn't warrant it's own thread;

has there been any studies that have looked at sports performance during nutritional ketosis? Preferable in athletes, not in those who are obese.

I only know of anecdotal evidence eg. master sgt mike morton (sp?) the ultrarunner. you might want to look into tim noakes work too.

[wickedwayz]

That's how I get when I'm too low on carbs. I turn into a woman during her time of month. I go from pissed off to depressed. I may try to do it again while supplementing with 5htp, but I dunno.

I am moodier than usual when on keto but notice the best results. I am thinking about switching back to keto

[Gxp23]

Tried it for a brief while, but it was a long time ago where I lacked any discipline to stick with it, not sure if I would ever try it again, just didn't feel right.

[illiniStrive]

That's how I get when I'm too low on carbs. I turn into a woman during her time of month. I go from pissed off to depressed. I may try to do it again while supplementing with 5htp, but I dunno.

iirc, our hormone profile most closely resembles a man's (lowered estrogen, testosterone rises) during that TOTM than any other time

[midcoastking33]

goodbye serotonin