How much should you eat? Should you increase your carb intake? And if youโre eating six eggs for breakfast, but getting hunger pains by noon, then what is that a sign of? I cover all these questions and more in todayโs breather episode dedicated to answering some awesome inquiries sent in from listeners.
Most of the questions Iโll cover today center around fitness, food, and fasting. First up is a question from a listener, Tim, whoโs now at the half-way point of his Keto reset Mastery course (congrats!), and has found that heโs actually lost too much weight. I advise him to double his carb intake, as well as increase fat, in order to regain a few of the (many) pounds heโs lost.
Up next is a question from a listener who is an active and healthy 32-year-old mother of two. Sheโs kept up with her running, does marathons, and eats very clean, nutrient-dense food. But sheโs struggling with the fact that, after her breakfast of six eggs, sheโll still get super hungry by noon. Sheโs feeling frustrated by this as she would prefer to just eat in a smaller window, but there is no reason to get discouraged or frustrated. Listen to your body! When your hunger calls, go make yourself a healthy, nutritious meal. If youโre craving sweet potatoes, eat them! If youโre craving protein, go for that – just pay attention to what your body is telling you. Especially if you are breast-feeding, you will definitely need the extra calories and nutrients, not just for you, but for your growing baby!
Hereโs a great question: is it possible to effectively train for a 5K, while eating a keto diet? Sure, but you do need to train sensibly in order to support your ketogenic diet goals. Otherwise, itโll be too much stress on your body.
We wrap up with a wonderful, thoughtful message from Kristin, a listener whoโs been tuning in to the podcast during her long commute to work. She shares the exciting news that she has been able to get off Nexium after 16 years of taking it! Turns out, acid reflux can easily be taken care of through diet, not medication. Kristin and her husband started a total lifestyle transformation after reading The Keto Reset Diet. They completely changed their diet, monitored their screen exposure, got on a great sleep schedule, and dropped 34 pounds combined! And all of this happened because Kristinโs husband just happened upon the book: โI think the moment he decided to purchase that book would be one of those explosive, random events that Art de Vany refers to…it certainly radically altered the course of our lives.โ Thatโs huge, so congrats Kristin, and thanks so much for writing in.
Thatโs all for today – I love reading your thought-provoking questions, so keep โem coming, and enjoy your life man!
TIMESTAMPS:
Tim, who is half-way through his Keto reset Mastery course, is asking what to do now that he has lost too much weight. Should he double his carb intake?ย [04:08]
A 32-year old mother of two runs marathons and eats large eggs for breakfast with butter around 8:00 or 9:00 and finds herself hungry again about noon. What is she to do? [06:26]
People who are athletic or have additional demands have an even greater need for a nutrient-dense diet.ย If you are hungryโฆeat (the right things, of course.). [11:18]
Can you effectively train for a 5K to achieve a PR while on a ketogenic diet? [12:13]
Kristinโs letter describes how hers and her husbandโs life has changed drastically from following Bradโs advice.ย She got off Nexium after 16 years by modifying her diet. [17:55]
LINKS:
- Bradโs Shopping page
- Keto Reset Mastery Online Video Course
- Art DeVany podcast
- William Shewfelt podcast
- Amberly Lago podcast
- Keto for Life
LISTEN:
Get Over Yourself Podcast
Brad (00:00):
Welcome to the get over yourself podcast. This is author and athlete, Brad Kearns, discovering ways to be healthy, fit and happy in hectic, high-stress, modern life. So let’s slow down and take a deep breath. Take a cold plunge and expertly balance that competitive intensity with an appreciation of the journey. That’s the theme of the show. Here we go.
Brad (04:08):
Here we go with more Q and A. Okay. We seem to have a lot of athletes listening to the show or maybe the athletes, the ones with competitive aspirations are the ones who take the time to write in with the challenges and struggles and frustrations of achieving peak performance. And in this case, some rhythm to it is fighting that battle and trying to maintain a commitment to low carb or Keto. So let’s get to it, people, these are some really good questions. Really interesting. Uh, one person Tim writes in that he’s, uh, halfway through the Keto Reset Mastery Online Video Course two weeks into Keto, but his lost too much weight and now trying to start doubling my carb intake to try to stabilize and gain a few pounds. Can you point me to any specific resources to get a handle on this? I’m only working out moderately and I’m fasting between 8:00 PM to 12 noon.
Brad (05:22):
I feel great in the morning and looking forward to medical treatments that may induce additional weight loss. So I think he doesn’t want to lose more weight on Keto. So obviously very rare circumstance. Most people are really interested in dropping excess body fat on Keto. But here you go, you decided to double your carb intake to stabilize. And I think that’s a good strategy. And your question highlights the importance of an individualized approach, especially when you don’t fall into those grand categories of uh, the common person who is, uh, pursuing the low carb scene, mainly to try to drop excess body fat. So doubling your carb intake as you report, one strategy and also increasing your intake of natural nutritious fats. So having bigger helpings and that sort of thing, uh, should kind of right the ship if you’re not interested in, uh, reducing your, your body weight overall and dropping body fat.
Brad (06:26):
Okay, so the next question, next question comes from 32 year old female. Been running for 10 years in that typical chronic pattern that you often discuss and has become a huge fan of the podcast. I’ve been listening to all the podcasts for three years now. How cool. Thank you so much. Anyway, she has run a couple marathons and no slouch either with a three 46 personal best running the half marathon in 139. 10 Ks in 46 very impressive. Also been busy over the last three years having a couple of kiddos. One of them’s three, one of them is six months. I’ve continued to run through pregnancy and postpartum with no issues, not as chronically as before because now she lifts weights and cross trains runs uh, three to four miles a day, five days a week in hot Houston, Texas. She’ll eat six fried eggs and butter for breakfast around eight or nine, but like clockwork, I’m ravenous by 12.
Brad (07:24):
I would love to be able to fast and eat in a compressed eating window. I love those topics, but for three years I’ve tried on and off to tweak my fat protein portion control and all these things and I never seem to last that long between meals. I don’t measure my Ketones. I don’t know if I’m in Ketosis. Generally I eat only 20 to 40 grams of carbs per day. I’m definitely not a sugar burner, I should say so, but try as I might. I can’t seem to go longer than several hours between meals. I’ve been like this my whole life. Of course, much worse when I ate a standard American diet. But I thought I’d get over this by now. Uh, with adherence to the Ketogenic pattern. Any thoughts on this? I’m five, eight one 35. Uh, usually I’m one 28 to one 30, but right now nursing, and I do like how you discuss women’s issues on your show.
Brad (08:10):
But I would love a guest who can talk about the specifics of nursing moms who are very active like myself and also are trying to maintain a very low carb diet. I eat very clean eggs, meat, butter, nuts, avocado, green veggies, dark chocolate. So we have a special case here. Don’t we people? So this woman is very healthy, very metabolically fit, as evidenced by a healthy body weight, uh, excellent endurance performances and a nice clean diet. So if you’re ravenous by 12, my suggestion is to go and enjoy a delicious lunch. And don’t worry about this goal of banking all these fasted hours or eating in a compressed time window because that’s the popular approach of today. Most of these people that are in this game are looking to reduce excess body fat that they’ve been very frustrated with and struggling to get off. Uh, you on the other hand, are a nursing mom.
Brad (09:13):
So you are in a unique growth phase of life, as are your little kids who are growing to try to attain their full size. So when we’re in infancy, childhood adolescents and pregnant and nursing moms and people who are trying to add mass, such as bodybuilders or competitive athletes who want to increase their body composition. My son who wants to keep his body weight on that, he’s probably carrying more muscle than he’s naturally adapted to carry. But he’s working hard by eating everything in sight. He has a full meal and then when we’re doing the dishes, he’s making his next meal. So in those circumstances, you’re in an entirely different category than the mainstream who are looking to bank more fasted hours, try to get away from carbohydrate dependency, eating in those compressed time windows, all those strategies that are all contemplated to become better at burning fat.
Brad (10:11):
So you’re already in the exceptional category, uh, being able to do these great endurance performances, uh, on very few carbohydrate intake. But we have to respect the idea that as a nursing mom, you’re in a growth phase and you want to provide and be in that healthy, uh, reproductive category for, uh, your children’s needs as a nursing mom, uh, which means a free hall pass to consume more calories overall, uh, including, uh, by default more carbohydrates. And we’ll just leave it at that. It’s no more complex than that. When your hunger calls go and make yourself a healthy, nutritious meal, and that’s sort of a blanket recommendation for anyone who is metabolically healthy, uh, performing athletically and experiencing hunger, you have to go honor that. And I would go so far as to say whatever foods that you’re craving, it’s, it’s, if it’s specific to increasing your protein intake, increasing your carb intake, you’re dreaming of sweet potatoes at 12 noon, go hit them things hard.
Brad (11:13):
Okay. How does that sound? Uh, I like your final sentence here where you’re describing the clean foods that you chose. Uh, because I think sometimes we get confused and certain individuals who are, let’s say have a healthy body composition will give themselves a free pass to go and consume junk food, especially if they’re athletic and they’re burning off the energy. So I’m going to contend that people who are athletic or have additional demands such as a nursing mom, have an even greater need for a nutrient dense diet because you have such high nutritional demands right now. Uh, trying to, uh, compete at endurance events and nurse the children. So I would go with extreme nutrient density, making the best choices, but very likely eating more total calories and possibly allowing the, uh, nutritious, colorful carbohydrates back into the game. How does that sound?
Brad (12:13):
Okay. Next comes from a listener named Maciej. Can you effectively train for five K to achieve a PR whileon a Ketogenic diet. All those workouts running at one 80 minus age and going to the track and only doing four times 100 don’t seem to be enough to have the fastest 5k. Where should I look to have Keto support from my 5k training? Is there a 5k keynote training program or should I consider going longer instead? Well, I would consider whatever event is most appealing to you. So if you want 5k, which is your first instinct, go with that. That’s a great goal. And remember the 5k is predominantly aerobic, possibly 80% aerobic and only 20% anaerobic. So this idea that we need a bunch of speed and a bunch of anaerobic exercise to prepare for an event that’s going to last 20 minutes, 25 minutes, whatever your fitness level is, is inaccurate.
Brad (13:10):
So your greatest return on investment in your training, the greatest potential for improvement and to achieve your, your best time in the 5 K is going to come from improving your aerobic efficiency at that magic number of 180 minus age or below. So the over distance workouts in this case where you’re getting very competent at running for let’s say an hour or 90 minutes or even two hours at aerobic heart rates is going to translate directly into being able to sustain a faster pace for just three miles. And yes, those high intensity sprint workouts will make a nice contribution to your 5k performance as well without abnormally stressing your body and compromising your aerobic development. There’s another suggestion I might add here. Sometimes it gets lost in the mix and that is the very best way to prepare for a 5K PR is to occasionally compete in a 5k.
Brad (14:11):
Okay. So if we’re talking about a year timeframe here in the next 12 months, you want a PR in the 5k, I would suggest that going out there and competing, uh, every so often, maybe it’s once a month or once every six weeks. Step on the starting line and race a five K and see how you do. If you go out too fast and blow up, you’ll get a very valuable pacing experience that you can apply next time you go and compete. So basically 5K, people, we are talking about a lot of aerobic base work over distance work where you’re getting more and more efficient at the 180 Minus age, heart rate, longer duration, periods of time, occasional high-intensity sprint workouts in that uh, magic window, that optimal window of 10 to 20 seconds duration per effort with extensive recovery time in between so they don’t trash your cellular structures in pursuit of a sprint conditioning.
Brad (15:10):
And then finally some race specific preparation. Now I didn’t even answer the, uh, the question about doing it on a Keto diet and that one gets tricky. There’s a lot of uh, commentary. There’s a lot of user experiences being shared where people are succeeding doing endurance activities on a very low carbohydrate intake. They’ve kind of transitioned over into this closed loop system where they don’t need to ingest a appreciable amounts of carbs to fuel these efforts, which are quite certainly, uh, burning a lot of glycogen. The faster study had the great insight that uh, a fat adapted athlete eating a low carbohydrate, high fat diet can successfully replenish glycogen overnight after a depleting workout. In the case of the faster study, they did a three hour treadmill run. The subjects were able to replenish glycogen without having carbohydrate refeed. So by other means, they were able to restock the precious glycogen tanks that we’ve heard about for decades are so important for endurance athletes, uh, without that traditional carbs slam after the workout.
Brad (16:21):
So the faster study that stands for fat adapted substrate utilization in trained elite runners was a real breakthrough in exercise physiology, proving that you don’t need to, uh, slam carbs in conjunction with carb burning workouts or carb depleting workouts. Here’s the quote from a study called fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes. Uh, even when carbohydrates are not ingested after exercise, glycogen repletion can occur at slow rates from gluconeogenesis and the conversion of lactate to glucose. So yes, you can do a 5k while being Ketogenic, uh, but it’s pretty much of an advanced strategy, especially if you’re putting in a lot of training hours and you’re not doing it correctly. In other words, you’re crossing over from that MAF heart rate into the glucose burning zones, and you’re trying to restrict carbohydrates. You’re turning into a stress head who is most likely destined for pain and suffering and struggling and breakdown because you’re piling on too many stress factors. So you have to be training sensibly in order to support your Ketogenic diet goals. And even then if you’re carrying optimal body composition, you have good blood values and good performance results, uh, you’re going to benefit less from Keto than someone who is trying to recover from metabolic damage and lose weight. So those are important insights to take with you as you try to decide your particulars of your dietary strategy with your competitive goals.
Brad (17:55):
Oh, here’s an awesome story, a wonderful lengthy note from Kristen, formerly of Davis, now of Albany, Oregon. Big fan of the show, and I like the details that she’s provided for her and her husband, uh, succeeding. So let’s get into it. I’m going to skim through this, but uh, give the the great message from, uh, Kristin, thank you so much for taking the time to write something so thoughtful.
Brad (18:19):
I appreciate all the wonderful podcast she says. I started with the Keto and a episodes, discovered primal endurance. And now listening to get over yourself since its inception. So much great stuff and I want to tell you if you’ve had a positive impact on my life. I have a one hour one way commute. I’ve been doing for the last two plus years. Come on now, Kristen, you moved all the way to Albany, Oregon. You still have a long commute. Geez. People are discovering Oregon, huh? They’re finding out how cool it is. They’re moving there and they’re causing traffic and commuting issues. Oh, mercy. Oh well, it’s a trade off. You still get to live in Oregon. The commute is pretty tough, but listening to podcasts during the drive helps a lot. It gives me the sense that I’m not just wasting two hours of my day.
Brad (19:04):
I’m actually learning valuable information about various topics that make me better, informed, healthier, more well rounded and centered person. Great description there. I love that. And for all of us who are consuming podcasts. Yeah, it’s making our lives better. We’re learning. I love to take verbal notes when I’m out running. So I’m listening to a podcast or an audio book and I’ll push the button for my helpful friend Siri to make a recording of things I want to highlight. And then when I finish I’ll have some things to uh, reconcile and organize and that really helps with the book writing process. And just with my personal interest in things like high jumping, speed golf, strength training, uh, dietary insights from the world’s leading experts to take notes on that and to implement it and organize it and review it. Boy, that’s when you get the most out of your podcast consumption.
Brad (19:56):
Cause a lot of times when we’re listening to stuff, it’s entertaining. The insight goes in one ear, maybe it floats around for a little bit, but it’s really easy to have it exit out the other ear when we’re assaulted with so much content every single day, especially in areas of our core responsibilities. Right. So we have all our passions and our health interests, but most of us are not immersed in that as a career pursuit. Oh, lots to juggle. Huh? Okay. Kristen says, what I most appreciate about your podcast is your positive, upbeat, encouraging attitude. Hail. Yeah, that’s right, and that’s coming from the heart baby. Thank you listeners for noticing that you have a bright spirit and it shines through my car speakers. I’ve had many good laughs listening to your stories, anecdotes and commentary on various aspects of life and society. Most recently I listened to your breather show about insights from Art DeVany that aired back in April of 2019. Look for it, people.
Brad (20:47):
Really good stuff and I loved hearing your story about proposing to Mia Moore, another great show, great highlight on the podcast and yes, Mia Moore is coming back for more shows when she has more time, which will be pretty soon. So Kristen continues. Congratulations to your both. Thank you Kristen, and thank you for sharing this wonderful and very personal story. I appreciate your willingness to be open and vulnerable. Wow. Some people accuse me of the opposite, so that’s cool. Hey, I’m trying. You set a great example for how to be authentic and humble. Sit down, be humble, sit down, be humble. That’s Kendrick Lamar people. Anyway, Kristen’s husband also enjoys listening to the podcast. We often say to each other, enjoy your life, man. Thanks to you. Why did I say that at some point like that? That’s awesome. Hey, everyone listening besides Kristen, turn around today and say to your partner, enjoy your life, man.
Brad (21:45):
Anyway, Kristin’s husband found the Keto Reset Diet book and the book has done more to change our lives for the better than just about anything. We were relatively fit and healthy before we bought the book or so, we thought you and Mark’s book opened our eyes to the benefits of eating a whole foods Keto aligned diet, fasting, eliminating those nasty industrial seed oils. We threw out bags of junk from our fridge and pantry. We learned many new delicious recipes. We now drink bone broth. We buy our meat from a local farm. We do our workouts under maximum aerobic heart rate. We make proper sleep. Our number one priority, we cut back on digital stimulation after dark. I think you get the picture and her husband results. 44 years old, lost 20 pounds in about two to three months. Kristin 43 lost 14 pounds in the same timeframe.
Brad (22:35):
How about that? For Oregon’s power couple of the year, 20 pounds plus 14 is 34 pounds lighter of a couple holding hands with 34 less pounds to carry down the street. And we both kept that weight off for the past year. So that puts them in the longterm success category. Huge difference from the crash diet or effect where you see the people on the internet clicking a quick banner ad to lose weight. Anyone can do it for a month, but keeping it off indicates that you’ve made successful lifestyle changes. What I’m most thrilled about, Kristin says, is that I’ve been able to stop taking Nexium after 16 years of being on that drug. Oh my gosh. Congratulations. Nexium is one of the most prescribed drugs in the world, millions of users, and I believe it’s nicknamed the purple pill. And it has to do with, uh, assisting digestion or supposedly, uh, relieving, uh, acid, uh, discomfort relating to digestion.
Brad (23:39):
Uh, something that can be easily righted with a dietary transformation rather than drugs and years. She has escaped the the grasp of big pharmaceutical industry. Guess what? I come to find out that drug is not as safe as the doctors promise me. 16 years ago and a low carb diet has been known to address the root cause of acid reflux. Right? Next name is most often prescribed for acid reflux. I’ve been off Nexium for now. It’s a year and a half. I feel great. So does my husband. We owe it all to the Keto reset. My husband picked up this book by pure happenstance. Wow. How awesome Kristen and here’s Kristen putting together a killer insight, pulling together content from numerous shows. Listen to this. I think the moment he decided to purchase that book would be one of those quote, explosive random events that Art DeVany refers to.
Brad (24:31):
It’s certainly radically altered the course of our lives. Wow, that’s so cool. I also want to mention two interviews I’ve listened to recently that were particularly meaningful. William Shewfelt, the Carnivore King and Amberly Lago. William has inspired me to take action toward achieving some long-held goals and Amber Lee’s powerful story of healing and recovery touched my heart deeply. It was after listening to the Amberly Lago interview that I decided to finally sit down and write you a message of appreciation and thanks. I told you listeners, this was going to be an awesome letter, huh? So again, Brad, I want to express my gratitude to you. Let you know how much I enjoy and appreciate the wonderful content you’re creating. Thank you for making my commute more bearable. I hope your job’s bearable to cause an hour each way, no matter how great the podcast is. I know that can add up. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the next book, Keto for lLfe. Sincerely, Kristin and Albany, Oregon. Oh my gosh. That was the letter, the letter of the year, and that’ll close this wonderful show.
Brad (25:32):
Thank you everyone for listening. Have a great day. Right in with your own message. You can give me a hard time too. It doesn’t have to be flowing, glowing, praise. Give me some critical feedback on the show. We’re always trying to be better and serve the audience. Get over yourself podcast, getoveryourselfpodcast@gmail.com is the address. Thanks a lot. Have a great day. I’d give you my phone number, but I don’t like phone calls when I’m trying to make a podcast. Get it all right. Send me an email.
Brad (26:26):
thank you for listening to the show. We would love your feedback at getoveryourselfpodcast@gmail.com and we would also love if you could leave a rating and a review on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. I know it’s a hassle. You have to go to iTunes, click on the tab that says ratings and reviews, and then click to rate the show anywhere from five to five stars. And it really helps spread the word so more people can find the show and get over themselves cause they need to. Thanks for doing it.
