Help me help my dad

[Genesis]

Ok, here is the deal. A while back I went on a keto diet, and I had good results, nothing too extreme, but my dad noticed that I had lost some bodyfat.. so now hes all like god damn, send me your diet etc.. I tried to explain to him that my diet would and should not be the same as his.. as he is a marathon runner and such... Oh yeah did I forget to mention that I've been running dnp for the past 1.5 weeks or so? Yeah, so when he does see me again, hes going to shit a brick.

Anyways, I'm just trying to do a little research for my dad now... Is a keto diet the way for him to go? I mean I guess he'd burn an insane amount of fat using a keto diet.. he runs pretty much everyday... at least 9 miles... sometimes more... and on the weekends he runs in the morning.
HOWEVER, he is on prescription medicine to lower his cholesterol.. his cholesterol on the medicine is very good with good ratios of hdl to ldl as well.


So, should he just plug his weight into Mr.X's keto worksheet or should he try something else? He is 53 years of age right now..... he is about 5ft 7-8in I guess...

[StrappingYoungLad]

There is no reason for him not to run a keto diet.You cannot eat carbs and burn much fat.1+1=?

[Genesis]

Ok, that response is appreciated.. but could you expand a bit please? Plenty of people burn fat better with carbs then without, just as a note.

Will he be able to keep his same running regime without carbs? I mean running is his passion, his escape kind of... he needs to be able to do it full throttle...

Anyways, I forgot to note that while he does run marathons and such.. he is suprisingly a bit chubby.. especially around the midsection.. the first thought that came into my head was just get his regular diet under control first.. I.E. restrict caloric intake.. as I know for sure he well exceeds what he needs.. and he eats alot of fatty foods and sweets...

But, if a keto diet would not hurt his running regime, I'll just recommend that for him?

Thanks again

[rubberduckyo]

If he's THAT active, running 9 plus miles per day, he's gonna need at least SOME carbs or else I think he'll burn out.

My suggestion would be to go to www.fitday.com and plug in a typical daily diet. I would aim for about 40f/40p/30c. Now that's just my opinion. Different people react differently to different approaches. But that's a good starting point and he can tweak it from there.

Hope that helps.

[StrappingYoungLad]

Originally Posted by Genesis

Ok, that response is appreciated.. but could you expand a bit please? Plenty of people burn fat better with carbs then without, just as a note.

You can either burn carbs for fuel or fat.You cannot burn both at the same time.They are two completely different metabolic pathways.When you burn carbs,the pathway is - Carbs - Glucose - Glycogen - Pyruvic Acid - Krebs Cycle.
When you burn fat- Fat - Free Fatty Acids - Ketones - Krebs Cycle.
Your body will do whatever is most energy efficient at all times.It prefers to burn carbs because they're easier to burn,and ketones are less efficient,yielding only 7 calories out of the 9 in the fat.Therefore the presense of insulin inhibits the L-Carnitine Chain,which is necessary for the mobilization of free fatty acids for fuel.You are in essense telling your body,we have carbs available for fuel.Save the fat for later.Of course,nowdays "later" never comes.Not to mention that the excess carbs get stored as fat,"for later." You do need to have a carb refeed periodically to maintain Leptin Expression and the conversion of T-3 to T-4.
I have posted what is the most effective diet in my experience.The Carnivore Diet,which is a sticky at the top of this forum.I didn't bring it up due to the fact that since your father has been convinced by the medical establishment that he has a "Condition" of high cholesterol.he may not be open to the fact that cholesterol is not a villain,and is in fact necessary for hormone production.The problem arises due to the constant consumption of carbohydrates which prevents the body from burning the excess for fuel.Having said that,I would mention that it is possible to do the diet with so-called "Good Fats'.Not that they aren't "good",just that saturated fats,in and of themselves are not necessarily bad.When your body is in a "fat-burning mode" you should have boundless energy.This is due to the fact that you don't have constant insulin spikes and drops as you do when you are burning carbs as fuel.I have run a version of this diet,without the calorie restriction, for 6 months at a time,not to lose weight,but because I felt great and am convinced that it is the healthiest way to eat.I haven't even scratched the surface of things I could say,but this is sufficient,I believe.

Originally Posted by rubberduckyo

If he's THAT active, running 9 plus miles per day, he's gonna need at least SOME carbs

This is unfounded,as each pound of stored fat contains more or less 3500 calories of stored energy.When you are in ketosis,your body will dip into it's stores anytime it is not receiving adequete dietary supplies.I don't know exactly what "keto" diet you have run,Genesis,as you mention,but I would think that you would be familiar both with it's efficiency and the energy level available.Hope this helps.

[rubberduckyo]

I have run a keto diet and it wore me slap out! Yes I lost lots of fat but I had no energy.

Each and every person is different in how they respond to different eating plans and to suggest a "one eating plan suits all" approach is ridiculous.

I don't need studies to "found" my results. I've lived them.

"Cookie cutter" diets aren't for everyone.

[Reverend Satan]

He is chubby and runs 9 miles or more a day? What does his diet look like now? I would think he is eating an insane amount of calories to be chubby.

[Deacon]

I have to agree with Satan - if he is running that far and still chubby he has a terrible diet or at least a killer sweet tooth.

I would have him try the keto diet though and let him see how it works.

[Genesis]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

Yeah... hes a bit chubby and he runs ALOT....... he runs marathons every year as well.. his diet is.... pretty bad..

He used to be slim.. but one divorce later with my mom.... who knows whatever it is.. hes way too fat for a marathon runner its ridiculous... his diet is absolutely horrid.. and he has a very large appetite.

Ok, I'm going to go ahead and put him on a standard Mr.X keto diet.... I'll see how he responds to it... hopefully he will have enough energy.. I'm pretty sure he will have enough as I feel fine on a keto diet... I honestly can't tell a difference in general energy level.. except in the gym.. can't lift as much of course.




StrappingYoungLad- I'm aware of how a keto diet works and the cycles you have mentioned.. I was simply saying many people burn fat while eating a diet plentiful in carbs.. its not impossible.. my best friend loses weight better with carbs than on a standard keto diet....

[BigboyWithfries]

Could you convince him to cut down on the running and fill the void with weight lifting? Marathoning creates an absurd, unnatural appetite. It requires extra antioxidants to compensate for the damage done. You say that his diet is shitty, and yet you want to jump him directly into a keto diet? I think, if he's going to continue running absurd miles, he should simply learn to appreciate steamed vegetables and raw salads. Sweet potatoes. Beans. Fish. Olive oil and nuts in limited quantities. Blueberries. Cranberries.

Sticking him with a keto diet will not solve his problem long term. Learning how to eat like a grown-up will do the trick.