Crossfit for Keto?

Franchescuh

I am contemplating on doing Crossfit for a month to see if this will speed up the process of losing fat, toning and stengthening. Anyone that tried crossfit or has enough in-depth idea to how this will affect my lowcarb high fat diet?
Thanks in advanced! xx

Francesca http://instagram.com/Franshescuh

kiramaniac

The husband and I do crossfit. We had actually started cross-fit last June, and didn't start keto until September. We actually gained weight initially, until we started keto (I don't think it was muscle mass - we ate a lot of ice cream last summer).

I think food / nutrition mostly drives the weight loss, while cross fit does help with toning and strengthening. Just be prepared to potentially stall with respect to your actual weight. Since you may be building muscle during this time, the scale may not show much movement. Some people get frustrated in that scenario, and can lose their commitment to keto.

My husband likes to have half of a Quest bar before working out to boost his energy. I'm not a fan of the protein bars, but will sometimes have some peanut butter before I work out.

kiramaniac

There is an individual who seems to have made it her mission to bad-mouth Cross-Fit whenever she sees anything on MFP posted about it. You have likely gotten a private message from her about the so-called dangers of Cross-Fit (I'm assuming you did, since she also messaged me after I posted earlier). Do your own research, but this individual is not a good source for your decision.

Feel free to message me about any questions that you might have. Not sure if you are planning to go to a "Box" or do CF on your own.

RiesigJay

I might be wrong (as I've never done crossfit), but I think it might be too anaerobic for CKD.

I tried to do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu while on a CKD and while the first sessions were OK, the later ones were horrible. I had no strength, no energy, and I couldn't sleep at night despite being dog-tired. I literally felt like a zombie.

Turns out, if I'd done a TKD style of diet; I would've been fine.

SteveSprawl

Question for kiramaniac....in your experience does CF build muscle? I understand it build strength and power and people lose weight doing it but do most people become more muscular in appearance?

kiramaniac

Yes, it builds muscle. The focus is on overall fitness though, not just strength.

"CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are Cardiovascular and Respiratory Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy."

The people I see (those that don't have the layer of fat, like me) are very FIT. Not bulky muscles, but tending to be more lean. Think more the gymnast build than bodybuilder. Still muscles, but strength with purpose not bulk.

We went to a local crossfit games this weekend and one of the challenges was doing "cleans". There was a muscle-head type guy - huge muscles, and just looked hulking. But the type of muscles from serious lifting. He wasn't able to lift the last weight - really bad form. But these guys half his size were able to do it. Form trumped brute strength.

We have a lot of folks at our CF from a local running group that joined to improve overall fitness. Their body types are definitely lean, but with muscle.

Not sure I answered though!

If you have a CF near you, most offer free trials. Maybe check it out directly.

kiramaniac

Oh - I've really upped my workouts this month. I've had virtually no movement in my weight, but according to my scale, which measures lean mass, fat %, etc, during April alone I've gained 6 pounds of lean body mass, lost 7 pounds of body fat, and my body fat % dropped 3%!

For me, keto and CF is working well.

SteveSprawl

Oh - I've really upped my workouts this month. I've had virtually no movement in my weight, but according to my scale, which measures lean mass, fat %, etc, during April alone I've gained 6 pounds of lean body mass, lost 7 pounds of body fat, and my body fat % dropped 3%!

For me, keto and CF is working well.

You gave me what I was looking for, thank you! I recently started a keto diet after reading a favorable article in the New England Journal of Medicine that was published several years ago and knowing people who have lowered their triglyceride levels using a low carb diet.

kiramaniac

Good luck. It can be tough.

I just checked my husband's data and it's similar. Down 3.5% body fat since March 1, with only 2 pounds net loss -- but 9 pounds lost of body fat, and 7 pounds gained for lean body mass.

SteveSprawl

Those are incredible changes. What brand of scale are you using? I may have to invest in one of those.

kiramaniac

We use the Withings Wi-Fi scale. It automatically records all data for multiple users via WiFi, and the data for weight, body fat (amount and %), LBM, BMI, can all be pulled up on an app or online.