Anyone do crossfit while on keto diet?? Personal experiences ONLY please!! Thank you!!

So I've been doing crossfit for about 8 months and I love it. Well I just started the keto diet last Monday. My crossfit coach doesnt think this diet is good for this type of workout. Anyone have success with both?? No bashing please just personal experiences please!! Thank you!!

Replies

  • krissywashington79
    krissywashington79 Posts: 56 Member
    I do high intensity kickboxing and had a hard time with my energy levels while on keto. My energy was completely zapped and struggled to stay awake past 7pm most nights. For me I’ve made more muscle gains following a higher protein lower carb (under 150g) way of eating. I also have WAY MORE ENERGY.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    I do Orange Theory which is...similar. Like we don’t do headstands but there’s a similar mix of sprints, body weight exercises and weights, and it’s high intensity. My first month on keto was very hard, as I got used to being fat adapted. Now, I’m back to my old stamina and speed. I did a 90 minute Orange Theory on Sunday and didn’t even need a nap.
  • lindsief24
    lindsief24 Posts: 11 Member
    Thank you all for your input. I'm gonna give it a couple months and see how my body reacts. I actually had a great workout this morning and felt great!!!
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    lindsief24 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your input. I'm gonna give it a couple months and see how my body reacts. I actually had a great workout this morning and felt great!!!

    That's awesome! I honestly was pretty much back to normal within a week, but it took a month before I could do longer runs. Now I'm lifting heavier. I know a lot of people who do keto say it's great for things like HIIT and sprinting...long distance is harder but if that's not your usual workout, you should be fine!
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
    Not a CrossFit-er, but I used to do mostly plyo-based workouts and those stopped cold when I started keto. In the beginning it was hard to even lift, much less jump! I did a lot of yoga, walking, and cycling instead, and I was anxious about the drop in intensity, but the fact is weight loss was a big part of the reason I was working out so much and so hard, and on keto the weight was finally actually coming off.

    I’m four months in now and i do feel like a lot of my power has come back. I make a point of lifting at least once a week and have seen measurable strength gains. I have a lot more sustained energy, even though I still don’t have as much of the explosive kind. And I’m down 24 pounds, putting me in a clothing size I frankly had given up on.

    So it really depends on your goals, priorities, and obstacles, I guess. I do keto because I’m a lifelong binge-eater and on keto I don’t binge. To me, that’s worth trading some athletic performance, but obviously someone with a different set of circumstances might see things very differently. It’s really just about doing what works for you.
  • lostsomeweightonce
    lostsomeweightonce Posts: 23 Member
    Crossfitter and tried Keto - My workouts started to be affected due to low energy during long WODs. Brought more carbs back in and everything has gotten a lot better. I still stick to CICO but focus more on getting better at my workouts. This, in turn, has changed the way I look in the mirror but less loss on the scale. Ahh! I still remember trying to push through the workouts with no/low carbs that was tough. If you can push through it that's awesome, I sure couldn't.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    Brought more carbs back in ...... but less loss on the scale.

    I don't have the whole context here, like how much is "less loss", but I would venture to guess that the only difference here is the glycogen stores you replenished (i.e. more fluid) after reintroducing carbs. Probably is "less loss", but also (if all other things like caloric intake and activity are equal) same fat loss - which is our bigger objective anyway right?
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    it all depends on your goals. If you want great numbers with your crossfit workouts, the majority of the people i spoke to need carbs for it.
  • Rainqueen77
    Rainqueen77 Posts: 116 Member
    I've found that the harder I work out the more sodium I need to replenish. If I start feeling weak or lightheaded I reach for some electrolytes. I make my own "ketoaid" with magnesium, potassium, sodium and lemon juice, or mio. The sports guys who write books on keto say 1000mg sodium before and after a workout is ideal, if I remember correctly.
  • lostsomeweightonce
    lostsomeweightonce Posts: 23 Member
    Brought more carbs back in ...... but less loss on the scale.

    I don't have the whole context here, like how much is "less loss"....same fat loss - which is our bigger objective anyway right?

    Less loss meaning over 6 months I was loosing less overall weight per month. But you are 100% correct the bigger objective of fat loss was where I was seeing my changes in the mirror. Which is way more important.

    Hahaha going from low carb to a more balanced carb diet definitely showed a quick increase in overall weight due to glycogen stores replenishing. I never really focus on the scale but those numbers jump up fast for a while before slowly going back down.