{"id":186403,"date":"2021-09-14T07:00:24","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T07:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=186403"},"modified":"2021-09-13T13:37:20","modified_gmt":"2021-09-13T13:37:20","slug":"keto-diet-for-cycling-should-you-do-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2021\/09\/14\/keto-diet-for-cycling-should-you-do-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Keto Diet for Cycling \u2013 Should You Do It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The keto diet is not all effortless weight loss and endless endurance. This diet has drawbacks and can be hard to stick to. Let\u2019s weigh the pros and cons to see what type of cyclist should give this diet a try and who should stay away.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start by listing the main challenges that keto poses for cyclists. That will determine how keto can be used effectively in cycling.<\/p>\n

You lose some high-end performance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Research has shown<\/a> that even though you burn much more fat on keto, it takes more oxygen to burn all that extra fat and your exercise economy gets worse. Also, your ability to utilize carbs is reduced as a result of fat adaptation. It\u2019s a trade-off, you get better at running on fat at low to medium intensity but you lose some ability to run on sugar at very high intensity.<\/p>\n

\"Keto<\/a>
Most people on keto stay below 50 g of carbs per day, which is very different from the usual 300-500 g of carbs that a typical cycling enthusiast on a high-carb diet would eat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Your training and racing might be compromised<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When you get better at burning fat,<\/a> it becomes easier to do those long, steady-state rides. But most good training plans<\/a> also include things such as threshold intervals and speed work. Those types of training are high intensity and your capacity to do them on keto is very limited.<\/p>\n

Similarly, keto can influence your racing ability. It might be OK when you\u2019re riding on flats in the middle of the peloton. But when it comes to pushing hard on a climb, responding to an attack or sprinting to the finish, you just won\u2019t have the same high-intensity capacity as with carbs.<\/p>\n

\"Salmon\"<\/a>
Going keto makes your body much more efficient at burning fat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It can be a challenge to stay keto<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Keto is a very restrictive diet. Limiting carbs to less than 50 g per day means you can\u2019t have any of your typical side dishes such as rice, pasta, bread or potatoes. You also have to abstain from any sweet treats such as milk chocolate, cookies, cakes, sugary beverages, and so on. There are so many carb-heavy temptations in the real world that you have to be really committed to keto to stay on the path. Unfortunately, this is hard, especially when life gets in the way and you have to worry about other things than your diet.<\/p>\n

Should you go keto?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

These are quite serious downsides but do they outweigh the benefits outlined in the previous blog post? It depends on your goals. Let\u2019s try to answer this question for several different scenarios and types of cyclists.<\/p>\n

\"Keto<\/a>
Cutting out carbs and sugar makes it easier to reduce calorie intake and get into a calorie deficit, which is necessary for weight loss. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here are several scenarios where keto can be a good idea:<\/p>\n