Low Carb but Not Keto?

Training & Coaching Nutrition & Diet
1

I just finished listening to The Training Science Podcast “How Low Can You Drop Your Carbs” (link below). It’s a great listen and I highly recommend it. I do not believe it is realistic for me to go full keto. I could do it for breakfast and lunch, but I don’t want to ask my wife to prepare separate meals for me for dinner. I already workout in the mornings fasted. My current diet is carb heavy, including cereals, oatmeal, breads, etc.

@Prof Is there any benefit in lower my carb intake, but not achieving ketosis (because of dinner with family)? Thanks for the episode and being available to answer questions!

2 Likes
2

Thanks for those kind comment @bfrostieone … there’s certainly still benefits. The cereals and bread typically aren’t as dense from a nutrient standpoint as lower carb options. So dialling back carbs at breakfast and lunch (e.g., trading cereal and toast for eggs, Greek yoghurt, avocado, nuts and plenty of non‑starchy veg) will flatten daytime glucose swings, prolong the low‑glycogen window after your fasted morning workouts to stimulate mitochondrial adaptation, and still let you share a normal family dinner; importantly, those lower‑carb swaps tend to be more micronutrient‑dense than the grain‑based meals they replace—colleague Caryn Zinn’s analysis of <130 g‑carb “low‑carb healthy‑fat” menus found they met or exceeded every reference value for vitamins and minerals—so you gain metabolic flexibility and higher nutrient quality without chasing full‑time ketosis.

2 Likes
3

Thanks for the response! I’ll try to start cut back and see how it goes.

2 Likes
4

Certainly can be a challenge, but there are ways to switch your own processed, less-nutrient dense carb intake from pasta, bread, cereal etc - even with a family. Think zucchini noodles, cauliflower-cheese bakes, sweet potatoes instead of pasta underneath your carbonara. DIY dinner nights: Build-your-own taco bowls (cauliflower rice) or Buddha bowls (quinoa). Choice = compliance. Lettuce or nori wraps for tacos, burgers, sushi rolls. and let’s not forget about Pesto + parmesan. Cheese over everything, lol :smiley: Lots of ideas but the most important: stay away from the middle-isles of the grocery store :smiley: Good luck! Please share your favorite recipe you like.
MJ

3 Likes