Low Carb or Ketogenic?
In the carb-centric dietary world, there are many factors to consider. Should you be low carb? How low? All the way down to strict ketogenesis? What's the difference and how do you choose?
I'm not a scientist or a dietician, so I gather my information from multiple sources to understand multiple opinions and hear some of the science behind it all. In layman's terms, my understanding is that "low carb" typically means a daily carbohydrate intake of 80-100 grams. "Ketogenic" diets are more strict because the goal is to get the body adapted to creating ketones and fueling the brain from that source, so ketogenic diets are much lower in carbohydrates -- all the way down to 30-50 grams daily. One loaded up leafy green salad with some cucumbers, bell peppers and some shredded carrot could be your entire carbohydrate intake for the day on ketogenic diets!
How you choose really depends on you. What's your goal? Are you just trying to get off the sugar train and get your blood sugar regulated? Do you have a high percentage of body fat you need to burn off? Are you fighting cancer and want to be sure your body is employing every fight mechanism? How dedicated can you be to meal preparation? How well will you document and record every bit that goes into your mouth?
My goal is to burn clean fuel, use my fat stores to tap into ongoing energy on runs over 10 miles, and increase the amount of vegetables in my diet for overall nutrition and health. Mostly, I want to feel strong, steady, and not have sugar or carb cravings. That equates to a lower carb category of 80-100 grams of carbohydrate per day, which is achievable and allows me to snack on veggies like cucumbers, raw broccoli, celery, and bell peppers. On a lower keto diet, I'd be snacking on homemade "fat bombs."
I've been re-focused for a few days on my low carb eating and so far have not had any crashes. I've got some signs of carb dependence still, so I have to keep it up and be patient while my body remembers how to find fat and burn it. Some of my lingering carb dependence signals are: I'm hungry first thing in the morning, even though there are plenty of fat reserves to go to. I need to snack during the day, not because I'm hungry but because I "want something."
There are other signs that I'm making progress: when I "want something" it isn't a strong craving for carbs or sugar, it's just a steady hunger signal. So nuts, a low carb protein shake, or eggs are all things that satisfy that little voice. I'm not crashing -- no shakes, no heat waves, no desperate hunger. When I exercise, I feel steady and strong.
Yesterday, I ran 4 miles with some friends at a nice slow pace that got my heart rate up a little but not too much and burned some extra glucose from my muscles. In the morning, I had a low carb protein shake blended in cold coffee (I'm using biPro Whey Protein Isolate right now). After my run, I ate a 3 egg omelette with onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and mozzarella cheese for breakfast/lunch. I took the kids to the beach and treated myself to a White Claw hard seltzer that is 5% alcohol (about a typical beer's worth) for only 4 carbs. For dinner, I made a charcuterie tray with some different cheeses, some almonds, pepperoncini, and pieces of turkey. I planned to have a big salad for dinner, but I didn't feel like it once I ate the charcuterie, so I just went to bed and ended up with an overnight fast from 8pm to 8am. When I woke this morning, I broke the fast with a coffee with a tablespoon of grass fed butter and an egg blended in (I raise 12 hens so I have control of the eggs and know they are totally fresh and from healthy birds -- I don't add the egg if I have to buy them from a store!). So my body got a 12 hour fast during which it got to take a rest from digestion, burn some fat overnight as a fuel, clean out the junk in my joints and heal the muscles I'd used on the run. Then I woke and gave it a little more fat to burn just to keep the fat-burning engine rolling and get it trained up again for how to burn that fat!
Everyone has had that experience where they are hungry in a desperate sort of way. Like you are going to fall over and die if you don't get food NOW! It's that panicky sense where you feel unsteady, grouchy, "hangry" and ready to mow down anyone who comes between you and your next fastest meal. THAT'S what's gone for me now. So I've just come off my overnight 12 hour fast, had my coffee and it's been almost 2 hours. I'm hungry, but in a basic empty-stomach, gotta go make some breakfast kind of way.
When you get to that point, where hunger is not an emergency. Hunger is not to be feared. There's not a desperation to it this time. That's how you know you're getting over the carbo hump and starting to slide into becoming a fat burner. I'm not there yet, but I've hit this milestone and it's a great sign!
I'm not a scientist or a dietician, so I gather my information from multiple sources to understand multiple opinions and hear some of the science behind it all. In layman's terms, my understanding is that "low carb" typically means a daily carbohydrate intake of 80-100 grams. "Ketogenic" diets are more strict because the goal is to get the body adapted to creating ketones and fueling the brain from that source, so ketogenic diets are much lower in carbohydrates -- all the way down to 30-50 grams daily. One loaded up leafy green salad with some cucumbers, bell peppers and some shredded carrot could be your entire carbohydrate intake for the day on ketogenic diets!
How you choose really depends on you. What's your goal? Are you just trying to get off the sugar train and get your blood sugar regulated? Do you have a high percentage of body fat you need to burn off? Are you fighting cancer and want to be sure your body is employing every fight mechanism? How dedicated can you be to meal preparation? How well will you document and record every bit that goes into your mouth?
My goal is to burn clean fuel, use my fat stores to tap into ongoing energy on runs over 10 miles, and increase the amount of vegetables in my diet for overall nutrition and health. Mostly, I want to feel strong, steady, and not have sugar or carb cravings. That equates to a lower carb category of 80-100 grams of carbohydrate per day, which is achievable and allows me to snack on veggies like cucumbers, raw broccoli, celery, and bell peppers. On a lower keto diet, I'd be snacking on homemade "fat bombs."
I've been re-focused for a few days on my low carb eating and so far have not had any crashes. I've got some signs of carb dependence still, so I have to keep it up and be patient while my body remembers how to find fat and burn it. Some of my lingering carb dependence signals are: I'm hungry first thing in the morning, even though there are plenty of fat reserves to go to. I need to snack during the day, not because I'm hungry but because I "want something."
There are other signs that I'm making progress: when I "want something" it isn't a strong craving for carbs or sugar, it's just a steady hunger signal. So nuts, a low carb protein shake, or eggs are all things that satisfy that little voice. I'm not crashing -- no shakes, no heat waves, no desperate hunger. When I exercise, I feel steady and strong.
Yesterday, I ran 4 miles with some friends at a nice slow pace that got my heart rate up a little but not too much and burned some extra glucose from my muscles. In the morning, I had a low carb protein shake blended in cold coffee (I'm using biPro Whey Protein Isolate right now). After my run, I ate a 3 egg omelette with onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and mozzarella cheese for breakfast/lunch. I took the kids to the beach and treated myself to a White Claw hard seltzer that is 5% alcohol (about a typical beer's worth) for only 4 carbs. For dinner, I made a charcuterie tray with some different cheeses, some almonds, pepperoncini, and pieces of turkey. I planned to have a big salad for dinner, but I didn't feel like it once I ate the charcuterie, so I just went to bed and ended up with an overnight fast from 8pm to 8am. When I woke this morning, I broke the fast with a coffee with a tablespoon of grass fed butter and an egg blended in (I raise 12 hens so I have control of the eggs and know they are totally fresh and from healthy birds -- I don't add the egg if I have to buy them from a store!). So my body got a 12 hour fast during which it got to take a rest from digestion, burn some fat overnight as a fuel, clean out the junk in my joints and heal the muscles I'd used on the run. Then I woke and gave it a little more fat to burn just to keep the fat-burning engine rolling and get it trained up again for how to burn that fat!
Everyone has had that experience where they are hungry in a desperate sort of way. Like you are going to fall over and die if you don't get food NOW! It's that panicky sense where you feel unsteady, grouchy, "hangry" and ready to mow down anyone who comes between you and your next fastest meal. THAT'S what's gone for me now. So I've just come off my overnight 12 hour fast, had my coffee and it's been almost 2 hours. I'm hungry, but in a basic empty-stomach, gotta go make some breakfast kind of way.
When you get to that point, where hunger is not an emergency. Hunger is not to be feared. There's not a desperation to it this time. That's how you know you're getting over the carbo hump and starting to slide into becoming a fat burner. I'm not there yet, but I've hit this milestone and it's a great sign!
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