re: Doing my First Carb Up in Over 3 Months

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. I can't imagine being concerned about planning in a day of 100g kf carbs. 

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This isn't computing.

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I’ve been doing strict keto eating usually around <10g net carbs daily for 3 months and lazy keto for 5.

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I did it for about 3.5 weeks and I agree, I didn't really have the urge for stuff like that. But one day, don't know why, I decided to say screw it and take a weekend off. Didn't crave it, but once I had it, I fell in love all over again .

I didn't quit keto due to cravings. I quit due to not seeing a huge difference in weight loss compared to counting calories. And also just the hastle of planning meals, etc.. I also immediately saw improvements in my running and swimming when I got back on carbs.

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You just hitting a dextrose supplement or what

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Yep. Sorta. Tbh, I just grabbed a box of Gatorade chewy things at Albertsons in Missoula before my mtn race because I didnt get to town until late the eve of the race. I had never experimented w dextrose etc so this was incredibly dumb before a wilderness race but it worked out.

Not the best way to target keto/carb, but the chews do have dextrose and some electrolytes. As you know, for keto, you're supposed to use dextrose instead of fructose because you burn it up faster.

I don't do this often, as I'm well fat adapted and I can prevent bonks w eating a lot the day before a long run, and using MCT and/or exogenous ketones.

But that glucose burst for serious hills and shorter events is nice.

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Aren't you considering carbing up because you feel incredibly weak?

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I feel increasingly weak because I did 120 days of insanity max:30 and dropped 25 lbs. didn’t lift a weight that whole time and ate <10g of carbs a day. Going into the gym now with my glycogen stores at zero is evident.

So update I actually don’t feel bad at all. My 83g came from 1 cup of overnight oats and 1 large sweet potato so I tried to keep it clean and not spike insulin. I’m back to strict keto I’ll update after the gym tomorrow.

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This is why I am against Keto. I could not understand how you could perform with the same intensity on no carbs. I can see the benefit with weight loss in general but for performance in lifting or cardiovascular it just seems that you would be lacking.

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Read the latest studies on this. Cliff's Notes: it isn't that simple.

This is a very broad summary, but it cites some of the research and is balanced. (I won't bore people with full studies here.)

LINK

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Low-carb or ketogenic diets can be a good choice for healthy people who are mostly exercising and lifting to stay healthy.

However, there is currently no solid evidence that they improve performance over higher-carb diets in athletes.

That being said, the research is still in its infancy, and some early results suggest that they can be a good choice for low-intensity exercise or ultra-endurance exercise.

At the end of the day, carb intake should be tailored to you as an individual.

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One thing keto does for me as an athlete is keep inflammation down. Way down. I used to have tennis/skier elbow, chronic severe knee pain (various types), back issues. All gone. I'm not saying keto was the only factor but it was the one change i made that was common to all of these improvements.

Also, saying you're "against keto" isn't very meaningful. People from ordinary fitness and outdoor-active types, to world record ultra runners like Zach Bitter, Ironman / Spartan racers like Ben Greefield, and pro athletes like Lebron use some form of "ketogenic diet."

The serious athletes obviously utilize a lot more carbs than the average Joe. And targeted or cycling keto of some fashion is the common MO. (Another resource is Dr. Peter Attia, for diet and health-span generally. He isn't "strict keto" any more, basically due to one Asian noodle dish he is obsessed with. But he is much more "keto oriented" than most folk.)

My experience as an ordinary amateur/dabbler:
As I've mentioned, I can wake up after a 12 hour fast (during many months of low-carb eating) and run a 30k (that's my typical goal for long workouts) on nothing but MCT oil. I experiment with exogenous ketones some, and they're amazing but not necessary. I never ran more than 14 miles before ketosis due to knees.

I can ski hard all day for days on end now. Not so much, before. And this all happened into my 40s.

If I'm doing something where my heart rate stays high for extended periods then as mentioned I supplement w glucose (dextrose). this is a recent experiment. I'm honestly not sure it's necessary or particularly helpful for 99% of my activity. I use it as a substitute for storing glycogen basically.

Staying hydrated, w electrolyte supplement, is key.

I also vary protein intake based on training goals. Experimenting w gluconeogenisis, and trying to preserve lean muscle as I hit the normal deterioration stage of life. Essential amino acids, collagen (bone broth usually). I'm just now getting back into lifting after decades off.

I understand choosing something besides keto for performance. But to being against ketosis isn't the best way to look at it, imo. There are all sorts of ways to produce and utilize ketones--it isn't a monolithic "diet."