Over the last several decades, low-carbohydrate diets have surged in popularity, yet many people lack a deep understanding of their nuances. Among these diets, the Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD) stands out as a strategic approach, particularly for athletes and individuals seeking to optimize their workouts while maintaining a state of ketosis. This article will explore the TKD, detailing its principles, benefits, and practical applications.
Understanding the Basics of Ketosis
A ketogenic diet is any diet that causes your body to enter a state of ketosis. Ketosis occurs when your body starts relying heavily on oxidative metabolism and produces acetyl-CoA. Eventually the body converts the acetyl-CoA into "ketones", which complete the "ketogenesis" process in the liver. To wrap our minds a little further around this definition, let's reverse engineer the ketogenic diet by take a short trip into Biochemistry Town. Your body has three main ways of producing energy in the form of ATP. The phosphagen system provides energy for a very short duration, very fast activity. Think like ~10 seconds of maximal effort work. The glycolytic system provides energy for short-to-moderate duration exercise and for ~20-50% of your body's resting metabolic needs. The glucose used in glycolysis can have two fates. First, it can get turned into lactate and exported out of your muscle cells and into your blood. Lastly, we have the oxidative system. This system can utilize carbohydrates (as discussed above), fatty acids, or protein to produce energy. Your body makes energy in three ways. One way, the oxidative system, utilizes a molecule called acetyl-CoA to do a lot of the work. When your body starts relying very heavily on oxidative metabolism, you start producing a lot of acetyl-CoA. These ketone bodies then get packaged up by your liver and sent out into the bloodstream, where the rest of your body can use them for fuel. The brain's metabolism is slightly different from the rest of the body in that it relies much more heavily on glucose metabolism than the rest of the body. The ketogenic diet was initially used in medicine as a potential therapeutic approach for people, specifically children, with incurable epilepsy. The adherence to these lacks in the long-term. I used the previous example to contrast with what we see with the ketogenic diet in the real world. These diets are often not similar to the diets used for medical purposes. These diets often put people into a state which is called "nutritional ketosis." In this state, blood levels of ketones are elevated slightly, to around 0.5 mmol/L. Meta-analyses have shown that ketogenic diets can be useful for weight loss. However, compared head-to-head with other diets, the ketogenic diet does not appear to be more beneficial for weight loss or fat loss. For example, there is some evidence that being in a state of ketosis may slightly suppress appetite and allow people better control over their appetite. One of the most prominent features of a ketogenic diet is a rapid drop in water weight with a ketogenic diet. There has been some speculation that higher dietary protein intake may prevent nutritional ketosis, but the literature does not support this. However, when you examine the data across all studies examining protein intake and blood ketone levels, there is no strong correlation. One can also increase blood ketone levels through the use of supplementation. There are two primary approaches to following a ketogenic diet. One of the most common questions surrounding ketogenic diets is, "what foods are ketogenic"?
The Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD) Explained
The Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD) is a variation of the standard ketogenic diet (SKD) that strategically incorporates carbohydrate intake around workout times. The biggest difference is when those carbs are consumed. On the SKD, your carbs are likely spread throughout the day, evenly across your meals. On a TKD, your carbs are consumed almost entirely at one time. Timing your carbs helps your body in a few ways. The goal of the TKD is to enhance exercise performance, particularly for high-intensity activities or extended periods of physical exertion, while maintaining a state of ketosis.
How TKD Works
The TKD involves consuming a small amount of carbohydrates, typically 15-50 grams, about 30-60 minutes before a workout. This pre-workout carb intake provides the muscles with readily available glucose for energy, which can prevent exercise fatigue and low blood sugar. Importantly, the quantity and type of carbohydrates should be carefully selected to fuel the workout effectively without significantly disrupting ketosis.
Benefits of TKD
- Enhanced Athletic Performance: Carb re-feeding - consuming carbs prior to a workout - supplies the muscles with glucose, but due to the intensity of the activity, it is quickly consumed again. As a result, athletes can reduce their risk of low blood sugar and exercise fatigue. A TKD can replenish your glycogen stores, which then prevents exercise fatigue and low blood sugar. The TKD benefits athletes, but how well it works for you depends on what types of activities you participate in. For most people’s purposes, TKD can help us maintain high-intensity exercise performance and aid recovery.
- Improved Energy Levels: The targeted carb intake provides an energy boost specifically when it's needed most, helping to sustain intense workouts.
- Glycogen Replenishment: Timing your carb consumption with your workouts, your glycogen stores are replenished, which serve as energy boosts for your muscles.
- Support for Muscle Growth: Like the SKD, the TKD can help you build lean muscle mass.
Who Should Consider TKD?
- Athletes: Athletes - both professional and amateur - need energy and endurance to achieve their goals in the gym and on the field. The TKD is particularly beneficial for athletes engaged in high-intensity training, such as weightlifting, sprinting, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
- Individuals with Active Lifestyles: Those who engage in regular, intense workouts can benefit from the TKD to optimize their energy levels and performance.
- Individuals Already Fat-Adapted: A TKD works best when you’re already fat adapted because your body has an easier time shifting in and out of ketosis. From the time you start SKD, it could take anywhere from four to six weeks for you to become fat adapted.
Who Might Not Benefit from TKD?
- Individuals Focused Solely on Weight Loss: You are focusing solely on weight loss. Both the SKD and the TKD provide many of the same benefits to dieters. This includes weight loss, improved focus and clarity, and reduced cravings.
- Individuals on Keto for Disease Management: You are on keto for disease management.
- Sedentary Individuals: The TKD is designed to support intense physical activity. Sedentary individuals are unlikely to experience significant benefits and may find that the added carbs hinder their overall ketogenic goals.
- Beginners to Keto: It's generally recommended to establish a solid foundation with a standard ketogenic diet before experimenting with the TKD. This allows the body to become fully fat-adapted, making it easier to transition in and out of ketosis.
Implementing the Targeted Ketogenic Diet
To effectively implement the TKD, consider the following guidelines:
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1. Become Fat Adapted
From the time you start SKD, it could take anywhere from four to six weeks for you to become fat adapted.
2. Determine Your Carb Target
Most people experimenting with TKD find that 25-50g of carbohydrates taken 30 minutes prior to exercise gives them the best performance.
3. Choose the Right Carb Sources
- Fast-Acting Carbs: Prioritize fast-acting carbs that are easily digestible. Good carb sources for TKD are things like gummy bears, hard candies, Gatorade, and Powerade. Consume about 15 grams of carbs 20-30 minutes before your workout. Fast-acting carbs include crackers, white bread, and sports drinks.
- Avoid Fat with Pre-Workout Carbs: Fat consumption should generally be avoided immediately before and after exercise. The only fats that won’t impact carb or protein digestion are medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) because they are digested more quickly than any other fat. As a side bonus, they also help increase ketone levels whether you eat carbs or not.
4. Time Your Carb Intake
Consume carbs about 30-60 minutes before your workout to allow for optimal absorption and energy utilization.
5. Monitor Ketone Levels (Optional)
While not essential, monitoring ketone levels can provide insight into how your body responds to the TKD. Use blood, urine, and breath tests are available, which can help determine whether you’ve entered ketosis by measuring the amount of ketones produced by your body.
6. Post-Workout Strategies
- Get Back into Ketosis: A quick influx of carbs can affect your blood sugar, but if you’re fat-adapted, you can get back into ketosis quickly.
- Try MCT Oil: MCT oil can increase your ketones and give you another energy boost. You can also add a light workout after your intense workout. To boost your ketone levels naturally, you can do some low-intensity cardio to help lower insulin even more and increase the free fatty acids in your blood (more free fatty acids = more ketones). Another strategy that you can use to boost ketone levels is to supplement with MCTs before, during, or after exercise.
7. Adjust as Needed
Pay attention to how your body responds to the TKD and adjust your carb intake, timing, and food choices accordingly.
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Potential Downsides and Considerations
- Individual Variability: The effectiveness of the TKD can vary depending on individual factors such as metabolism, activity level, and keto-adaptation.
- Potential for Disruption of Ketosis: Incorrect implementation of the TKD, such as consuming too many carbs or eating them at the wrong time, can disrupt ketosis.
- Requires Careful Planning: The TKD requires careful planning and attention to detail to ensure that carb intake is properly timed and aligned with workout intensity.
- Not Suitable for Everyone: As mentioned earlier, the TKD is not suitable for everyone, particularly those who are new to keto or have specific health conditions.
Distinguishing TKD from Other Keto Variations
Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD)
This is the traditional version of keto that most people follow. The SKD involves a consistent intake of 70-80% fat, 10-20% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrates.
Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD)
A dietary approach that combines carb loading day(s) with the SKD. On the cyclical keto diet, also called keto cycling, you cycle in and out of keto, usually staying on the diet for five days, followed by one or two days that allow for more carbs.
Keto-Friendly Foods to Include
You should base the majority of your meals around these foods:
- meat: red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, and turkey
- fatty fish: salmon, trout, tuna, and mackereleggs: pastured or omega-3 whole eggs
- butter and cream: grass-fed butter and heavy cream
- cheese: unprocessed cheeses like cheddar, goat, cream, blue, or mozzarellanuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.
- healthy oils: extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil
- avocados: whole avocados or freshly made guacamole
- low carb veggies: green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.
- condiments: salt, pepper, herbs, and spices
Foods to Avoid
Here’s a list of foods that need to be reduced or eliminated on a ketogenic diet:
- sugary foods: soda, fruit juice, smoothies, cake, ice cream, candy, etc.
- grains or starches: wheat-based products, rice, pasta, cereal, etc.
- fruit: all fruit, except small portions of berries or strawberriesbeans or legumes: peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
- root vegetables and tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.
- low fat or diet products: low fat mayonnaise, salad dressings, and condiments
- some condiments or sauces: barbecue sauce, honey mustard, teriyaki sauce, ketchup, etc.
- unhealthy fats: processed vegetable oils, mayonnaise, etc.
- alcohol: beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks
- sugar-free diet foods: sugar-free candies, syrups, puddings, sweeteners, desserts, etc.
Sample TKD Meal Plan
- Pre-Workout (30-60 minutes before): 25-50 grams of fast-acting carbs (e.g., gummy bears, dextrose tablets).
- Post-Workout: High-quality protein shake.
- Other Meals: Focus on keto-friendly foods, maintaining a high-fat, moderate-protein, and very-low-carb intake.
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