Keto And Working Out: A Match Made In Heaven?

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet that puts the body in a state of ketosis, where it burns fat as fuel instead of carbohydrates. While the keto diet is associated with weight loss, certain workouts may be more challenging. High-intensity exercises that require short bursts of energy are fuelled by the carbohydrates in the body, and since the keto diet restricts carbohydrate intake, it may be tougher to boost performance. Lower-intensity, steady-state exercises like jogging, cycling, yoga, and strength training are better suited for the keto diet.

The keto diet can also cause side effects like the keto flu, which includes symptoms such as exhaustion, brain fog, and muscle cramping. It is important to ease into a workout routine when starting the keto diet, focusing on lower-intensity exercises until the body adjusts to using fat as its primary energy source. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure adequate calorie and fat intake while on the keto diet, especially when engaging in physical activity.

There are also targeted and cyclical ketogenic diet approaches that involve temporarily increasing carbohydrate intake before intense workouts to improve performance. However, these strategies are more suitable for high-performing athletes. Overall, combining exercise with the keto diet can maximise its health and weight loss benefits while maintaining lean body mass.

Keto may impair high-intensity workouts

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet that puts the body in a state of ketosis, where it burns fat as fuel instead of carbohydrates. While this has weight-loss benefits, certain workouts may be more challenging.

High-Intensity Exercise

High-intensity exercises, such as strength training, sprinting, and other sports, require short, intense bursts of energy. The human body powers these activities using carbohydrates stored in the muscle cells as muscle glycogen. On a keto diet, the body burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates, and fat is not as easily burned, making the process less efficient. As a result, keto tends to limit performance during high-intensity workouts.

Studies on Keto and High-Intensity Workouts

A small 2017 study found that after six weeks on the keto diet, participants' performance in endurance capacity and peak power dropped. Another study of elite competitive walkers showed that while athletes on keto burned more fat during training, they also experienced worse athletic performance and increased exertion compared to those on a standard diet.

Recommendations for Keto and High-Intensity Workouts

If you're doing high-intensity workouts, it's important to listen to your body and adjust your workout routine, eat more nutrient-dense foods, or add more carbs before your workout. You can also try a targeted keto approach by consuming additional net carbs from simple carbohydrates 30-60 minutes before a high-intensity workout to fuel your muscles with glycogen.

Keto may boost fat burn

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet that can put the body in a state of ketosis, where it burns fat as fuel instead of carbohydrates. While the keto diet is not ideal for high-intensity workouts, it can boost fat burn during low- and moderate-intensity exercises.

The Benefits of Keto for Fat Burn

Keto can help boost fat burn during exercise, especially for endurance athletes. A 2017 study of elite competitive walkers showed that athletes on ketogenic diets were able to increase fat burning in their bodies during training compared to walkers on a standard diet that included carbohydrates. Another study in 22 athletes found that switching to a ketogenic diet increased fat burning over a four-week period.

The Drawbacks of Keto for Fat Burn

While keto may boost fat burn, it may also impair exercise performance. In the 2017 study mentioned above, athletes on the keto diet experienced worse athletic performance than those on a standard diet, reporting that it took greater exertion to complete the same workouts. Additionally, keto may decrease energy levels, especially during the initial transition period, and impair muscle growth due to restricted protein intake.

Tips for Exercising on Keto

• Focus on low- and moderate-intensity exercises such as walking, jogging, biking, yoga, and stability training.
• Avoid high-intensity exercises such as HIIT, CrossFit, and sprinting, as these require glycogen (fuelled by carbohydrates) for energy.
• Make sure to eat enough fat to reap the benefits of keto and avoid feeling extremely hungry.
• Listen to your body and adjust your workout routine and diet as needed.

You may feel less energised at first

Transitioning to the keto diet is hard enough on its own without adding hardcore workouts into the mix. In the first week or two of your transition, it's important to focus on lower-intensity workouts. This is because, 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 energised than usual when it comes to working out.

The Keto Flu

The transition from burning glucose to burning ketones as your main fuel source can be brutal if you're not careful. As your glycogen stores decrease, your body feels like it's running out of energy. If you transition too quickly away from a high-carb diet, you can experience symptoms of the "keto flu". These symptoms include exhaustion and lack of energy, brain fog, muscle cramping (likely due to dehydration), and irritability. You're most likely to experience these things at the very beginning of your transition, and once you become keto-adapted, they'll subside.

Choosing the Right Types of Exercise

Choosing the right types of exercise as you make your way into a state of ketosis will help you stay on track with as little pain and discouragement as possible. Low-intensity aerobic exercises like rowing, walking, or biking are ideal for the beginning of this diet plan. They will help deplete your glycogen stores more quickly, which will help you reach ketosis more quickly – a great end result without making you feel terrible in the process.

Slower activities that nourish your body like stretching, rolling, and stability work are also great activities to start with as your transition into the ketogenic diet. Stretching and rolling help reduce and prevent muscle cramping (as does drinking lots of water), and stability work, like balance exercises and core training, helps keep your muscles engaged but not pushed to the max. Yoga, which incorporates both stretching and stability work, is a great way to move your body at the beginning of the keto diet.

High-Intensity Workouts

High-intensity workouts or heavy weight lifting at the beginning of your transition could make your keto flu symptoms worse. That's because these activities require a lot of energy from your muscles, which aren't optimised for keto yet. The effect of these more intense activities when you're not keto-adapted could mean more muscle cramping, lower performance, more exhaustion, and ravenous hunger. None of these things help you on your weight loss journey.

You may burn calories quicker on keto

The ketogenic diet is a popular choice for those looking to lose weight and improve their health. The diet is designed to put the body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. While there are many potential benefits to this diet, there are also some considerations to be aware of, especially when it comes to working out.

One question that people often have about the keto diet is whether or not it can help them burn calories quicker. The answer is a bit complicated. While some studies have shown that the keto diet may increase the number of calories burned during exercise, this effect is not well understood and may be due to the high-fat content of the diet. Additionally, the keto diet can impair exercise performance, especially in high-intensity workouts.

The Science Behind Keto and Calorie Burning

A 2018 study found that when overweight adults replaced carbohydrates with fat in their diet for five months, they burned approximately 250 more calories per day than those on a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. This difference in calorie burn can be significant for weight loss, as the body needs to burn more calories than it takes in to lose weight. However, it's important to remember that fat has more calories per gram than carbohydrates, so this higher calorie burn may be due to the composition of the keto diet rather than an increased metabolic rate.

The Downsides of Keto and Working Out

While the keto diet may lead to increased calorie burning, it's important to consider the potential downsides of this diet when it comes to working out. The keto diet can impair athletic performance, especially in high-intensity exercises. This is because high-intensity exercises are typically powered by carbohydrates, which the body can burn more easily than fat. As a result, people on the keto diet may find it more challenging to perform high-intensity workouts and may experience decreased energy levels, especially when they are first starting the diet.

Making Keto Work for You

If you're considering the keto diet and want to continue working out, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, it's important to make sure you're getting enough fat in your diet. This is crucial for maintaining energy levels and ensuring you're actually in ketosis. Second, it's recommended to focus on low- to moderate-intensity exercises, as these are less likely to be affected by the keto diet. Finally, listen to your body, and if you're feeling tired or unwell, consider adding some more carbohydrates to your diet.

Keto is better for maintaining muscle mass than adding it

Maintaining muscle mass is crucial for slowing down the ageing process and protecting against age-related bone loss. It also helps burn more calories, even when the body is at rest. While the ketogenic diet may not be the best option for adding muscle mass, it is ideal for retaining it.

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet that puts the body in a state of ketosis, where it burns fat as fuel instead of carbohydrates. While this can lead to weight loss, it also makes certain workouts more challenging. High-intensity exercises that require short bursts of energy are fuelled by the carbohydrates stored in the muscle cells. On the keto diet, the body burns fat for energy, which is not as easily burned as carbohydrates, making the process less efficient.

The keto diet can limit performance during high-intensity workouts, but it is better suited for lower-intensity exercises. Low-intensity, steady-state workouts such as jogging, cycling, yoga, and stability training are ideal for the keto diet as the body uses fat as its primary energy source during these activities.

Additionally, the keto diet can help speed up post-workout muscle recovery. Some studies have shown that the keto diet led to self-perceived improvements in recovery and inflammation after exercise. It has also been found to reduce levels of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, two enzymes used to measure muscle damage.

While the keto diet may not be ideal for adding muscle mass due to the lower intake of calories and protein, it is excellent for maintaining muscle mass. This is because the body can still burn calories and fat during low-intensity exercises, which are less affected by the diet. The keto diet's ability to preserve lean body mass while maximising weight loss and improving recovery makes it a better option for maintaining muscle mass than adding it.

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