RE: Quitting Sweets? and what I eat during a normal day
Kudos on a fantastic challenge and sticking to it.
I hesistate in commenting because I don’t want to be one of those crazies who get into what they’re doing and think everyone else should as well... but you’re so close.
First, a misconception:
when hiking or on long runs because intense physical activity sometimes requires eating something that will boost your energy levels.
No! You only need to keep sucking in sugar and carbs because you are fueling off of glucose. If you switch to fueling off of fat, you won’t need anything for hikes and runs except water (and maybe Salt Stick). When I first started reading about fasted runs, I thought these guys were nuts. Then I started reading up on low carb high fat (LCHF) nutrition and... whoa! There is science behind this. There are a lot of carbs hiding in what pure eating and they are... sugar.
If you want to look into it, the best resource I’ve found is Phinney & Volek: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708
Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the awesome comment. I've done some research on this before but I find it a bit hard to adapt to that when doing intense physical stuff. On a daily basis I try to eat as few carbs as possible and more healthy fats.
This kind of nutrition strategy only works if it is adopted long term and i order to do that I feel a gradual approach and a lot of personal experimentation is needed.
Yes and no. I am with you on the gradual approach. I find in order to do something extreme (like quitting something), I am more successful if I give myself outs. Over time, I don't need the outs.
I started by reducing my carb consumption. After about a week I had gone full keto. They say it's best to kickstart it by being extreme.
You are 100% correct about the effects on intense physical activity. The fat adaption process takes time. First there is the Keto Flu but I'm finding the main cause of this is electrolyte imbalance. If you enter gradually and focus on making sure you get this balanced and drink a lot of water, you may/should be able to avoid this. Of course, it still takes time for your body to adapt. They also say that fasting helps speed up the fat adaption process. I haven't tried it yet.
The thing I have found to be the most helpful is having a sponsor. You know, someone to answer your questions, give you advice, and reassure you what you are doing isn't absolutely insane.
I do intermittent fasting for almost a year now so that should definitely help. I don't like the idea of restring carbs and going full keto, restrictive diets are not fun long term, but I do want to get most of my carbs from vegetables and fruit. This way they come with a lot of nutrients and they're not just empty calories.