Who doesn’t know about the Keto or Adkins diet? Chances are you either know someone who was on the diet, is on the diet, or will be starting the diet very soon. You, yourself may have already been on this diet. I have, and I am here to tell you that it works! Especially if you run, though when I say run I mean jog very slowly because you are drained of all energy during runs on this diet.
Before I attempt to explain why I decided to run while on the Keto diet, I should briefly explain the diet in simple terms. Basically, the diet is a low carbohydrate diet. Our bodies essentially eat three different types of food; carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Before humans started farming and storing food, carbohydrates weren’t as available as they are now, they were gathered in the summer and consumed. The carbohydrates we consumed which weren’t used for immediate energy were then turned into fat to be stored and used as energy in the winter months when food wasn’t as readily available. Fats and proteins were available in the winter which came from the animals we hunted. We used our own bodies stored fat for energy during the winter when carbohydrate sources were scarce. Similar to bears, just without the whole hibernation thing.
Fast forward to farming, food processing, and refrigeration and now we have an obesity epidemic on our hands! All of the carbohydrates we eat are being stored up for the long winter food shortages our bodies will likely never experience. In order to use up this excess fat, we eliminate almost all carbohydrates from our food intake. Our bodies then burn our own fat and use that as our source of energy! We start losing weight rapidly and seemingly effortlessly. The fat we burns leaves a by-product of that fat burning process in our blood, known as ketones. Hence the name, Keto Diet.
With my simple explanation out of the way, I should touch on why I chose this diet. It’s because it works. I was too heavy. I joined a contest to lose 30 lbs in 9 months and ended up achieving that goal. Most of the weight loss was due to the Keto diet while running. When I say running, what I really mean is that I jogged very slowly. I attempted researching training for races while on a low carb diet and most people didn’t recommend it. The one exception was if one was training for an ultra in order to train their muscles to use their stored fat as their fuel source. As if ultra runners have fat stores.
Shorter runs weren’t too bad. They went by pretty quickly and I was eating about 20 grams of carbohydrates daily, so a quick 30 minute run was fine. It was the longer runs that were brutal. I remember running over 10 miles and after mile five or six, I felt like I had no energy. There was no power in me that could make me run fast. At times, I would stop and walk a short time and run again. I made sure to have plenty of water on me, and I would eat, but not carbohydrates.
So, you want to know if I would recommend being on this diet and train for a race? I wouldn’t recommend using this diet while training to win a race or hit a PR. I wasn’t training for any of those reasons. I was training for my first full marathon when I committed to the Keto diet. I also wouldn’t recommend low carbs for that kind of training as well. It was just how my schedules happened to work out with the contest and the race. It hampered my training and I think might have hurt my race time. I felt so drained on my long run days, that I didn’t look forward to my next long run and my training suffered because of it.
I did however carb load before any races while I was on the diet, but that meant that glycogen stores got refilled, which meant a lot of water weight gain. Those carbohydrates made me feel amazing on my race days though! I felt like I could run like the wind! A very slow wind, like a slight breeze on a warm day, but way better than a long run while on the diet.
I would recommend using this diet for the times when you aren’t training for long distance races and are trying to take off weight. It does work. I would also tell you, medical disclaimer right here, to go see your doctor, or nurse practitioner, about a weight loss plan which is right for you.
After I was successful at losing the 30 pounds, I went off the diet and continued to run. What a difference it made. I felt like I had so much more energy while I was running. I was able to fuel myself better before and during long runs. My mood improved as well after I finished my runs. Likely I will run while on this diet again to lose weight as my weight never stays constant, and I am not an ultra runner with barely visible fat stores!
