Can I Gain Fat Weight in Ketosis?

[six footer]

Re: Can I Gain Fat Weight in Ketosis?

Thanks, Rhonda. I see you're doing really well at Atkins. I'm now 259 (down 7 pounds in six days) and in a loose 22. My lowest weight was 184 about six years ago and wearing a 12-Tall if I could find it. Maintained at 200 for about four-five years. All that exercise screwed up my joints & spine. Currently doing pain management therapy. Inactivity caused depression & weight gain. Working on that too. Goal is to do an Ironman once I get my act together. I actually signed up for Ironman Florida in November 2007 but it doesn't look likely given my current shape. I think Atkins may provide a bit of anti-inflammatory effect. Trying to figure out the whole fat-burning equation to see if Atkins will work for long and low endurance events. I stuck my blog website on my profile if you want to see the whole sad truth. Life is a journey, eh? Take care. Kate

[Rhonda 2]

Re: Can I Gain Fat Weight in Ketosis?

Hi again Six footer. I read you blog and my goodness, with all that exercise- at 259 lbs- you really needed Atkins. Seven pounds in 6 days- wow. You can see with all these other people that the system really works.

I'm down 25 lbs, but still in a size 16- aiming for 14 in 5-10 more lbs. I've been a 5-day/week runner for 35 years now- although mileage has slipped some. As my weight increased to 200 lbs, my daily mileage went from 4 miles to 2 miles. Now as body weight decreases, I'm working back to 4 miles. Years ago I was running 6 or 7 miles/day but I was also a stick figure.

All my life I have been a high carb low fat person, so Atkins represents a big big change. I had very good labs (as you must) before starting, so I'm anxious to see results 8 weeks post-atkins

Rhonda

[six footer]

Re: Can I Gain Fat Weight in Ketosis?

Rhonda, nice to meet another serious runner. I learned in training that fat burns in a carbohydrate flame, that you need some level of carbs to fuel the fat-burning equation. I'm anxious, after I take off some of this extra adipose, to see if the Atkins carb restrictions will still allow the "flame" to permit lengthy fat burning without bonking. On the really long stuff, I could eat fig newtons, gatorade, powerbars, whatever with great abandon and still lose weight. I could burn over 3,000 KCal in one event. I typically burn about 600 KCal/hour at an even 140 bpm pace, and I'm not sure whether the little ketones will reduce to a useable fuel as rapidly as I need over time. I did the Las Vegas marathon about eight years or so ago when I was at around 176 or so, I believe (I have been up down and around so much I forget what and when!), and the ketostix were scary-black at the end. My husband (bless his heart) had bought a six-pack and a delux meat lovers pizza at the Luxor to celebrate, which I promptly scarfed majorly and was deathly ill for the next two days. Never tried Atkins again with the long-distance stuff, and my weight steadily climbed, and climbed, and climbed. Here we are, trying something different again. Hopefully this one will work for me. Take care. Kate

[Rhonda 2]

Re: Can I Gain Fat Weight in Ketosis?

I guess I don't understand "fat burns in a carbohydrate flame". Eskimos and other arctic populations exist (or once exsisted) on a mostly fat/protein diet. Very Very little carbohydrate- and they did well- eventually evolving into type B ABO group. Early europ[ean man living before the dawn of cultivation was purely a carnivor- again very little carbohydrates- except duting berry season- and BTW these developed Type O ABO group. I can appreciate you interest in marathon events- and what fuels sustain marathoners- first of course glucose, then glycogen- then fat. Replenishing carbohydrates along the way only delays your fat metabolism. That is the purpose of induction- to trip you into lyposysis. But I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here.
Good luck Kate- keep in touch. Here's a pix of me at current weight.

Rhonda

[ValidRouge]

Re: Can I Gain Fat Weight in Ketosis?

Check out the exercise forum. We have 3 Atkins marathoners and many many half marathoners as members. I, myself, started running last July after I'd been on Atkins for 7 months. One year later, I ran 7 miles today and am starting training to do a half marathon. I can't really answer any biochemistry stuff, but the marathoners here are strict by the Atkins book goal/maintenance people.