My Ketogenic Journey

Over the last few years, I have been making micro-adjustments to my diet (meaning, the foods I usually eat) to accommodate dietary fat. I am well past the phase where I can utilize significant amounts of dietary fat for energy instead of mostly relying upon carbohydrates.  Don't get me wrong, I still have times when I eat high-carb meals but, for the most part, I try to limit my daily carbohydrate intake to about 60 grams or less per day and I actively pursue foods that are high in dietary fat.

So, Why?
I have found many benefits to a ketogenic diet. For one, I am genetically predisposed to develop type 2 diabetes. Keeping a ketogenic diet helps me ensure that I do not end up developing type-2 diabetes. Following a ketogenic diet has worked wonders for helping me remain aware of the foods I consume.

What are some other benefits of a ketogenic diet? 
When I went through the phase where I adapted my diet around consuming large amounts of dietary fat, I noticed that I slept better at night. The first few nights I slept noticeably well. I also saw that my skin was less dry. My skin was much softer. I also noticed that I was able to fast for long periods.

Of all of the above good aspects of a ketogenic diet, my ability to fast for long stretches at a time is most remarkable. I find that it is much easier for me to do fasted workouts. I typically do a six-minute workout in the morning and a 20-30 minute workout sometime later in a day before I eat anything.

A Typical Workout
During a typical workout week when I workout twice per day, I usually do a fasted six-minute high-intensity interval training workout (cardio/ab) in the morning, and a fasted 20-minute resistance training workout later the same day. I typically do that Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, I would only do a six-minute high-intensity interval training workout. I would rest every Sunday.

Now sometimes, I will substitute a full-day fast instead of a Saturday morning high-intensity cardio workout (I am using "high-intensity cardio workout" and "high-intensity interval training workout" interchangeably). I find that I can fast for more than 20 hours without ever feeling hungry. I have seen a well-timed 20-24 hour fast comes in handy when I have a social situation that may involve food.

So, what did I learn?
I have found that I get muscle cramps and spasms sometimes while I am in the midst of a period where I am adhering to a ketogenic diet. I am deducing a confounding factor would be that, by habit, I drink a lot of water at the same time. I probably do not need as much water when my diet is fat-centric as opposed to when my body is carbohydrate-centric. I worry that I am depleting my electrolyte concentration with all the water I am drinking. Water consumption would not usually be a problem when I am pursuing a high-carb diet, but when most of my meals are fat-centric, I probably do not need to drink as much water. I can usually resolve the issue pretty quickly, but this is one thing I did not expect when I started on this part of my fitness journey. 

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