NYT article > fat vs carbs for athletes


evaq

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Some of this will be familiar territory for those of you who know about keto and low-carb diets, but what I found interesting were the "transitional symptoms" of fat adaption. I've definitely felt all of them - not for a full month, mind you, but for several weeks. Particularly running.

 

"...bear in mind that the switch is likely to disrupt your training. Performance actually declines dramatically during the first several weeks, Dr. Volek said, especially if you are attempting to induce ketosis. The body runs low on glycogen before it becomes well-adapted to using fat, and people tend to feel fatigued, heavy-legged, nauseated and ill for up to a month."

 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/25/should-athletes-eat-fat-or-carbs

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Thank you for posting that article - it well summarizes some of the costs/benefits of becoming fat adapted for those of us who are active.  The one premise I do not like, which the article briefly acknowledges (kind of), is combining the diet of early humans (from an evolutionary standpoint) with an exercise approach that has almost nothing to do with early humans (long, steady-state cardio).  It is a logical leap, but still a leap, and one that should not be glossed over.

 

-TRJ

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