Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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First ten days, plenty of fats and proteins and less than 80g of carbs daily. (massively lower than I used, but simply LC, not ketogenic!)

PRO: no sleepy, relaxed, calmer, no mood swings, dramatic drop of my sugar cravings.

CONS: exhaustion when working out (impressing, I was almost fainting today) + Short memory loss (even more impressing!).

I know enough about adaptation and fat-burning improvement over 3/4 weeks. But I am pretty worried

do I need to cut down some distance during run sessions for a while??

I have an IMPORTANT EXAM within 3 weeks, in my shoes, would you increase your carbs intake and "postpone" the transition, adaptation, whatever...??

I'm sure most of you have jobs, exams, work out habits. How did you handle them in your first period on paleo/low carbs

flag	asked May 19 2012 at 19:04 diletta 137●4

limitless365.com/2012/05/02/… this... – mzrdnan May 20 2012 at 9:16

borofergie · Accepted Answer · 2012-05-19 19:36:06Z UTC

Steve Phinney says that you need up your salt intake:

"when the human body adapts to low carb, the body becomes very efficient at excreting salt. That’s good if you have high blood pressure, or if you’re bloated and fluid overloaded. It’s fine to reduce that. But there is a certain amount of salt our body needs...

I’ve had people tell me, I tried that low-carb diet of yours and the scales went down. But I was so light-headed. If I took a hot shower I’d feel like I was going to pass out, because I was completely washed out. That diet’s worthless!

I’d say to them, would you try drinking a cup of boullion."

http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/2011/04/14/steve-phinney-low-carb-preserves-glycogen-better-than-high-carb/

Endurance running shouldn't be a problem, as long as you stay below your lactic threshold, as you'll be burning more fat than carbs. I eat <20g of carbs a day and can easily run 9 miles without a problem.

Again, Volek and Phinney say that it takes 3-4 weeks before you become "keto-adapted", and during this time you'll probably struggle a bit.

red_leaf · Answer 2 · 2012-05-19 19:25:25Z UTC

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I'd knock off the distance running or compensate by eating more carbs (sweet potatoes/white potatoes/etc). I'm not a distance runner, nor would I recommend it as exercise but maybe some running enthusiasts can give you a better answer.

answered May 19 2012 at 19:25

red_leaf
974●2●7

Distance running is low-intensity. It's all about fat burning. – borofergie May 19 2012 at 21:57

Jackie · Answer 3 · 2012-05-19 20:25:44Z UTC

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Taking the June LSAT? If it is a test that is intense, I would keep my diet the same as through my entire studies, I find that I tend to need more carbs (usually extra fruit) when I am studying hard for an exam. Good luck on the test!

answered May 19 2012 at 20:25

Jackie
4,620●1●5●13

Veriria · Answer 4 · 2012-05-20 13:37:51Z UTC

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I'm not an expert, but you NEED carbs if you're going to work out!

Check out "carb cycling" especially if you lift.

answered May 20 2012 at 13:37

Veriria
921●4●11

	You might need carbohydrates for anaerobic exercise like weight lifting (but probably not as much as you think). You certainly don't need it for endurance exercise like distance running or cycling. Check out Volek and Phinney's "Art and Science of Low Carb Performance" or "the Art of Avoiding the Bonk". – borofergie May 20 2012 at 17:30
	Sure, show some links baby! – Veriria May 21 2012 at 2:28
	Aside from that, you DO need to ingest an appropriate amount of carbs per day to prevent protein loss, if you are a heavy weight lifter, endurance runner, etc. – Veriria May 21 2012 at 2:38
	Here are some articles by Mark Sisson: marksdailyapple.com/primal-athlete-compromises/… marksdailyapple.com/… Excerpt: "...However, when you train long every day (over an hour), your carb needs will increase. The key is discovering EXACTLY how many additional carb grams you need each day to refuel muscles, but also to keep insulin and fat storage to a minimum. Too few and you won’t recover from day-to-day. Too many and you’ll set yourself up for inflammation and unnecessary weight-gain." – Veriria May 21 2012 at 2:51
	Ahh, had another link and it didn't show up: marksdailyapple.com/… – Veriria May 21 2012 at 2:53

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first days on low carbs: pro, cons and …who can relate?

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