Despite a life that was always on the move, I noticed that my body was changing, that water retention appeared, and that my mind was becoming more and more confused. In 2018, after the birth of my baby girl and after seeing how as my body changes again, I felt a responsibility to change for her as well and to commit myself fully and gradually and change my habits.
- Up until then I thought I was eating healthy (I didn’t buy industrial products), but my food consisted mainly of pasta and pizza and meat once a week.
- It was during this period of great confusion and nutritional problems that I met Devi Francesca and her SAUTÓN Approach.
A year after the birth of my daughter and after starting the ketogenic diet, I lost all the extra kilos of childbirth and weighed 6 kg less than before pregnancy. In addition, my physical stamina literally tripled, and muscle cramps and pain are now almost non-existent.”
Ketogenic diet and sports: possible difficulties or side effects for sportsmen and athletes
If you follow a ketogenic diet and do sports, the first problem that athletes and athletes may encounter, and perhaps the main one, is getting through the first weeks of the fuel exchange. It can be a difficult period and you will experience a number of side symptoms that you need to know and deal with.
The first side effect concerns the typical withdrawal symptoms from sugars and flour-based products: the body has to learn to accept more fats at the expense of carbohydrates. more consistently.
How to avoid and overcome side effects
Introduce fats gradually so that you get used to it and you do not have to experience an excessive cleansing of the liver and above all all at once; regularly drink the right amount of water to support detox; if you feel nauseous, add a few drops of lemon to the water you drink and consume as much hot water as possible, which is much more effective (it pays double);
- In these first days of transition, eat more protein and cooked vegetables. Above all, it will support you in solving and defeating fatigue and hunger from a lack of sugar.
- Both symptoms that will subside within days and that will lead you to normalize the consumption of these two nutrients in a short period of time and bring them back to the correct amount;
- takes care of the correct supply of electrolytes by using dietary supplements rich in magnesium and potassium, slightly increasing the amount of salt in food and making meat broth (an excellent source of minerals and collagen);
- in these first weeks eat more naturally rich vegetables rich in sugar (carrots, squash) or low fructose fruits (such as berries, kiwi, green apple and strawberries) and remember that avocados can be very helpful;</li >
- limit the physical load in the first weeks after the food change, but don’t worry, you can gradually increase it as your body will efficiently produce ketones and you will return to the performance you had before and improve it, you just have to be patient.
How long does it take to adapt to a ketogenic diet?
Be patient, it may take a few weeks for your body to return to basal metabolism. In general, the adaptation may be short and may last a few days, but it may take longer to return your baseline performance to previous levels.
Research says that this can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the individual condition. If you as an athlete are bound to make seasonal returns, it is ideal to wait until the off-season or ideally rest to make this change.
According to some nutritionists in the past, the ketogenic approach was insufficient for endurance sports that would require carbohydrates.
