I would hesitate to use the word miserable. Once my energy returned I felt pretty good, actually. I found myself sated on fewer than 2000 calories per day and I got to eat as much meat and cheese as I could stomach. However, from the moment the first Michelob Ultra hit my lips, something was amiss. My late uncle's words rang in my head: "If you can't enjoy the things you love, what's the point?"
I faltered last weekend after successfully implementing the low-carb/high-fat diet for ten days. I came close to optimal blood ketone levels (1.5 mM - 3.0 mM), maxing out at 1.2 mM. Lethargy came and went, and then came beer. Lots and lots of hand crafted beer. Good friend Dave Cowie officially opened Three Forks Brewery and Bakery on Friday. I did well staying away from the breads, pizzas and pastries. Dave's spectacular brews did me in. I even chose to sleep in the next morning, skipping the Kellerman 5k/10k. I made another go at it this week, but have decided to abandon the experiment for now. I believe the diet has benefits, but is not sustainable. I have a good idea of what is necessary to achieve ketosis in the future, and plan to use it strategically. I will most assuredly try again; likely in the lead up to a big race.
It wasn't even really the beer aspect that made me change my mind. I started craving orange juice. I have long been a fan of smoothies and fruit juices as training fuel. While coconut and almond milks were refreshing, they did not provide enough quench. Of course, I do hear a double IPA calling my name...
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