On low-carb diet, advice on upping carbs for heavy workouts?

peasantgirly

ETA:
*****PLEASE: This thread is not to debate the low-carb lifestyle. I just want to know if I double my calories (as a result of a huge calorie burn), is it ok to double my carb intake? I don't want to go out of ketosis.******


I usually keep my carbs around 20 and sometimes way less, with calories around 1500. I'm going hiking today and I know I will burn approximately 1500-2000 more calories. Is it ok to up my carbs since I will be burning so many calories? Or should I stick to 20?

If y'all think it's ok to eat more, how MUCH more? 30?

I'm not looking for an excuse to eat cheesecake; I just would like to know what is safe to pack for the hike in terms of snacks.

TIA for any input!

Sabine_Stroehm

BEANS

20 is so low, do you get dizzy? (I have my macros set for 30% Carbs, which is lower than most folks. I am set for 113grams today. All from plants)

cessi0909

Do you just keep refined carbs that low or any? I am not sure since I don't watch that kind of stuff but I know my banana this morning has more than 20 carbs and it helps with my energy for the day.

tophat1

Oh absolutely! Granola/energy bars, nuts, dried fruit - eat them as you feel you need them. Don't count the carbs, just work on maintaining your energy level through the hike. You can go back to your normal macro plan the following day.

yarwell

you don't need carbs, the fatty acids will fuel the muscles nicely especially if you've been low carbing for a while.

http://www.ergo-log.com/lowcarbendurance.html

Masterdo

For instant energy, nothing is better than carbs, and you probably will need quite a lot of that on that hike Just take with you snacks that are high in protein and carbs, might make you feel better about the carbs, and enjoy

I truly don't see how you manage to eat anything healthy and remain under 20g per day though... I think I get more than that from a banana and a cup of broccoli.

yarwell

I think I get more than that from a banana and a cup of broccoli.

Ditch the banana and it becomes obvious, Starchy sugary things they are.

beccarockslife

You can up them as it's the % that matters not the gms. I would go for things like sweet potatoes and bananas

MichPace8

Anytime I'm going to do a tough workout, I front load my carbs. My definition of carbs is veggies, fruit, and whole grains. It's okay to add in more carbs on tough training days but you need to add in the right carbs. Refined sugary carbs are not something you can add in on those hard training days. The sugar in it will spike your insulin levels waaaayy up and in turn, drive you to eat more or your body will slow its metabolism to start storing. Insulin level spikes start the fat scoring processes in your body.

Eat extra fruit or a bigger salad before, during or after your hike. Skip the refined sugary stuff.

Masterdo

I think I get more than that from a banana and a cup of broccoli.

Ditch the banana and it becomes obvious, Starchy sugary things they are.

I will do that, the day I find a sub 10 hours Kona Ironman finisher eating less than 20g of carbs per day. "Slim couch potatoes" might do well with that, but if burning 1.5k calories is your "easy" day, no way this will turn out fine

To each his own I guess.

yarwell

I think the OP should stick with what she knows and avoid advice from sugar burners operating in a different mode.

Adding 30g of carbs gives you an underwhelming 120 calories, I really don't see the point.

Avoid sweet fruit for sure, full of glucose, fructose and sucrose just waiting to get into your bloodstream and mess up your regime.

peasantgirly

BEANS

20 is so low, do you get dizzy? (I have my macros set for 30% Carbs, which is lower than most folks. I am set for 113grams today. All from plants)

Nope, don't get dizzy. In fact, some days I have less than 10 carbs (and 4 are from my vitamins!), and I FEEL GREAT! My energy levels are so consistent now, not spikes and crashes anymore. It's made an amazing difference in my life.

Do you just keep refined carbs that low or any? I am not sure since I don't watch that kind of stuff but I know my banana this morning has more than 20 carbs and it helps with my energy for the day.

That's all carbs - after substracting for fiber which doesn't get digested so therefore isn't counted. I know what you mean about fruit for breakfast, it definitely picks me up. My problem is with the crash I get later in the day when my sugar drops. I prefer to keep it more even, which I achieve with ketosis (fat-burning).

you don't need carbs, the fatty acids will fuel the muscles nicely especially if you've been low carbing for a while.

Yeah, I know I don't need them, but sometimes I *want* them, lol. I was hoping I could "earn" some extras with this hike! I've been low-carbing for about 3 weeks now, I guess. Does that qualify as "a while"?

For instant energy, nothing is better than carbs, and you probably will need quite a lot of that on that hike Just take with you snacks that are high in protein and carbs, might make you feel better about the carbs, and enjoy

I truly don't see how you manage to eat anything healthy and remain under 20g per day though... I think I get more than that from a banana and a cup of broccoli.

Well, fruits and veggies are certainly full of nutrients, but OTOH, there is a lot of conflicting arguments about high protein/high fat vs high carb/low fat diets, and all I can say is I "feel" healthier on the former. Of course, I'm eating healthy fats (avocados, nuts, etc), and eating healthy proteins (chicken, fish), so that does make a difference. I imagine if I was eating hotdogs and crisco, I'd probably feel like crap, LOL.

You can up them as it's the % that matters not the gms. I would go for things like sweet potatoes and bananas

Thanks! I was hoping to hear that! :happy:

I think the OP should stick with what she knows and avoid advice from sugar burners operating in a different mode.

Adding 30g of carbs gives you an underwhelming 120 calories, I really don't see the point.

Avoid sweet fruit for sure, full of glucose, fructose and sucrose just waiting to get into your bloodstream and mess up your regime.

Well, darn, I was hoping to bring along berries to snack on....

Masterdo

Well, darn, I was hoping to bring along berries to snack on....

Bring them!

There is no way anything related to healthy lifestyle would actively prevent you from eating berries on a 2k calories hike...

peasantgirly

Well, darn, I was hoping to bring along berries to snack on....

Bring them!

There is no way anything related to healthy lifestyle would actively prevent you from eating berries on a 2k calories hike...

Except I don't want to kick myself out of ketosis. I'm not here to debate whether or not low-carb is "healthy", I just want advice from experienced low-carbers who aren't going to preach to me.

jonski1968

my favourite thing for energy if i know i`m gonna be out walking a while is..

Mash up an advocado, throw in some protein powder and some strawberries...Then add 15ml grade b maple syrup...I never have a crash on that...And if i do, its down to the walk and not the sugar. And you know me PG...I`m always walking sonewhere..

Edited for mg instead of ml..

peasantgirly

my favourite thing for energy if i know i`m gonna be out walking a while is..

Mash up an advocado, throw in some protein powder and some strawberries...Then add 15ml grade b maple syrup...I never have a crash on that...And if i do, its down to the walk and not the sugar. And you know me PG...I`m always walking sonewhere..

Edited for mg instead of ml..

Jonski!

Ugh, out of avocados, and I don't keep anything sweet in the house (no syrup). I'm just gonna stop by the store on the way and grab some strawberries and blackberries. But I will definitely remember your suggestion for next time!

You need a vacation, stop walking so much!!!!

spngebobmyhero

I don't know much about staying in ketosis, but I eat fairly low carb (25% of cals). I would stick with starchy veggies, like squash and sweet potatoes and lower sugar fruits, like berries! Don't do dried fruit, really high in sugar!

firedragon064

1 hour before your work out, eat carb < 50gr. The amount of carb is depend on how hard you will work out.
It may kick you out of your keto stage but you body will burn off the carb and you will come back in keto stage after the work out.
In general, once you are in keto stage, if you eat less 100g of carb a day, you will still in keto stage
tho your "pee" stick won't show it.

if you do heavy workouts almost every day, check out CKD and TKD diet.. it will how you how to do low carb with med/hi intensity work out daily.

volume77

First let me say congrats on adopting this lifestyle!!! Even with all the naysayers... I know I'm in love with low carb... As far as upping the carbs for exercise... I'd say go for it if you want just stag. Under 50 total for the day that's approximately the amount you need to stay in ketosis...going from 20-30 is not a big deal... I'm in maintenance now and my carbs range from 25-50 depending on how much gum I chew that day!!!! Lol congrats on your success so far and please don't let the carb eaters freak you out!!!

volume77

I allow myself a few more carbs on workout days because I know I'll burn them off

VenomousDuck

I maintain my carbs at 10% of my 1500 calorie day and have never had an issue.