Originally Posted by
Hermes
In the 70s, it was the Pritikan Diet which was low fat with no salt or sugar. Then there was Sugar Busters and the Zone. And of course, there was Atkins. Most of these diets make some claim to eating like ancient man and that our digestive systems cannot handle modern food. That may all be correct.
What I have found is that getting the right balance of fat, protein and carbs does make a difference but so does counting calories and having discipline to not eat. I like to ride in the morning without eating breakfast. First, there is more blood available for power production since one is not digesting anything. Second, it trains the body to burn a greater percentage of fat which is a good thing especially if you are a RAAM rider or Stage racer.
This morning I did flying kilos at above pursuit race pace and I did the first one on an empty stomach. I did a shot of PowerBar gel which is glucose and fructose. What I have learned from our nutritionist is that eating any sugar will cause an insulin reaction and inhibit fat burning. However, the kilos were going to be fueled predominantly by glycogen, hence the gel.
I have not been able to find any literature on fat burning using less oxygen. In fact, it seems to be the opposite. However, we all know that if one researches optimum cadence, one will find that 80 to 100 is optimum yet many pros and amateurs are doing time trials at over 100 rpm and think it is better.
For my breathing to become a limiter, I have to be going really hard. What happens to me is that my legs start to feel the pain and I have to tell them to STFU. At the point I go anaerobic and light the fuse, my breathing increases and gets gaspy and at some point I blow and have to reduce power to recover.
My question to OP is where is the supporting research that says that oxygen requirements are lower in Ketosis? Also, is it not feasible that better fitness and lower requirements for oxygen is due to training i.e. OP is getting stronger?
An example of bonking is a marathoner collapsing at mile 20 and cannot go on. He is disoriented and cannot stand. OP's bonk seems like fatigue. But I may be wrong.
From the Free Dictionary:
"Respiratory Quotient (RQ)the ratio of the volume of carbon dioxide gas (CO[SUB]2[/SUB]) given off by the body to the volume of oxygen (O[SUB]2[/SUB]) absorbed in the same time interval. The respiratory quotient may be expressed as
Determination of the RQ is important in research on the characteristics of gas exchange and metabolism in animals and plants.
Animals and humans. When carbohydrates are being oxidized in the organism and the requisite oxygen is available, the RQ is 1. In the oxidation of fats, the RQ is 0.7 and in the oxidation of proteins, 0.8."
The real "proof is in the pudding" for me. Riding for 1.5 hrs into a stiff wind at 85 - 90% HR and hardly puffing was really amazing. And that was at the end of the ride, miles 39 - 61, averaging 217 watts. No nutrition other than my drink (gatorade G2) and I was not tired and could have gone futher, but my grandson's parade was about to start. Not bad for an old man, even if I do say so myself.
Could it be that was due to training and better fitness? Judge for yourself.
I have been training with the same group of triathletes for the past 2 years, tuesday and thursday at 5 am. Indeed I have gotten MUCH better, faster, and fitter. But 3 weeks ago at 85%+ HR, I WAS SUCKING THE SEAT UP MY A$$.
The difference in 3 weeks is nothing less than astounding. I will say the first 2 weeks were very tough. Very tough. Had I not read up on what to expect, I would have given up (as my wife has.) But the experience of others and reading "The art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance" and other similar information gave me the resolve to stick it out.
There is a lot of research on this subject, but most of it was done on athletes who were not on the diet long enough. It takes 6-8 weeks to become fully "keto-adapted" and change your metabolism to burn fat efficiently. Sweden is a leader in LCHF, and they are doing a lot of performance experiments.
Last edited by bobthib; 05-29-12 at 08:42 PM.