Keto and Hockey

[Cousin Eddie]

Anybody here doing Keto who also happens to be a hockey player?

I recently started Keto and I'm kind of regretting it. I've been lifting weights for about 10 years and am noticing muscle deflation from my lack of carbs. Fortunately I'm toning up quick which was my reason for doing Keto but it still kind of hurts to see my muscles looking flat.

My other issue with Keto, which is what I wanted to make this thread about is my hockey performance. Could be a placebo effect, but in recent years I've gotten myself into a little tradition of having a homemade carb snack about 45-60 mins prior to playing hockey and I swear by it giving me an extra gear of energy. That snack is a banana with peanut butter wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Sounds weird right? WRONG. It's delicious. Anyway, now that I'm doing keto this snack obviously isn't an option. So I'm struggling to figure out what to eat pre game. I feel sluggish as hell on the ice since I started and am wondering if anybody has any pre hockey food ideas for a ketogenic diet.

Or should I just man up and quit Keto? lol.

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[Joey Moss]

I never played hockey when I did keto but from my experience of working out on keto, you have less energy forsure at least for the first week or two. I think I did keto for about 3 weeks just to try to slim down as much as possible in a short period and it was awful. I also got sick twice in that 3 week period. Never trying that again.

In my experience I can slim down quickly by eating in a deficit, g of protein/pound, intermittent fasting and drinking tonnes of water.

 

[manictech]

I'm doing Keto and also play hockey. At first I was noticing some energy issues. But I realized I was lacking a lot of electrolytes. Started drinking Powerade zero and pink salt water and all of those issues went away. I know a lot of people's keto take magnesium and potassium supplements to help with the energy level.

 

[TheBluePenguin]

I am doing Keto currently and I have done it once in the past, when I did it years ago I was not playing again yet so I never played hockey but I know the first few weeks I had no energy then I had a ton of energy. This time I am on my 3rd week, we had an off week and last week. I played great but I am/was pretty heavy so any loss of energy was made up by the 15 pounds I lost, I played the best Hockey of the year. I play tonight and can update tomorrow. It is a wired diet, that I would not recommend for anyone slightly over weight, to me this is the people that are 40+ pounds over where they want to be. I always considered myself what I called solid fat, I have always been big but able to play sports, like a lineman in football. From what I gather the bigger you are the more it seems the weight falls off, but this diet is absolutely miserable if you are normal size and you are just trying to tone/slim a little bit. The only thing that keeps me going is stepping on the scale and seeing the number continually going down.

 

[varano]

Keto for athletes does require periodic carb ups to keep performance going and to prevent stalling.

I eat keto usually 6 out of 7 days a week but I'm also very physically active. Three weight training days, 2 nights of yoga a week, 1 game as a goalie, 1 game as a player per week.

 

[varano]

Anybody here doing Keto who also happens to be a hockey player?

I recently started Keto and I'm kind of regretting it. I've been lifting weights for about 10 years and am noticing muscle deflation from my lack of carbs. Fortunately I'm toning up quick which was my reason for doing Keto but it still kind of hurts to see my muscles looking flat.

My other issue with Keto, which is what I wanted to make this thread about is my hockey performance. Could be a placebo effect, but in recent years I've gotten myself into a little tradition of having a homemade carb snack about 45-60 mins prior to playing hockey and I swear by it giving me an extra gear of energy. That snack is a banana with peanut butter wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Sounds weird right? WRONG. It's delicious. Anyway, now that I'm doing keto this snack obviously isn't an option. So I'm struggling to figure out what to eat pre game. I feel sluggish as hell on the ice since I started and am wondering if anybody has any pre hockey food ideas for a ketogenic diet.

Or should I just man up and quit Keto? lol.

I highly suggest high quality pepperoni sticks before your hockey. Theyre high in sodium and pretty good on the fat and protein.

 

[Intangibos]

Anybody here doing Keto who also happens to be a hockey player?

I recently started Keto and I'm kind of regretting it. I've been lifting weights for about 10 years and am noticing muscle deflation from my lack of carbs. Fortunately I'm toning up quick which was my reason for doing Keto but it still kind of hurts to see my muscles looking flat.

My other issue with Keto, which is what I wanted to make this thread about is my hockey performance. Could be a placebo effect, but in recent years I've gotten myself into a little tradition of having a homemade carb snack about 45-60 mins prior to playing hockey and I swear by it giving me an extra gear of energy. That snack is a banana with peanut butter wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Sounds weird right? WRONG. It's delicious. Anyway, now that I'm doing keto this snack obviously isn't an option. So I'm struggling to figure out what to eat pre game. I feel sluggish as hell on the ice since I started and am wondering if anybody has any pre hockey food ideas for a ketogenic diet.

Or should I just man up and quit Keto? lol.

First of all, with keto I've found that you get pretty tired and gross feeling when your body is still starving for carbs, but once your body accepts that there are no more you feel fine. Think of it as quitting an addictive substance and your body going through withdrawal.

Second of all, keto is a meme. The only benefit I've found for keto is that it made me a lot less hungry and satisfied with much less food, which helped me start my weight loss journey. Aside from that I don't think keto provides any benefits that are really significant enough to be worth the huge lifestyle change it takes.

Also, carbs give you more energy before a game because of how quickly they work but I'm not even remotely knowledgeable on how keto affects your energy intake. Also, I'm pretty sure you can increase your carb intake and remain in keto if you eat them before a physical activity and burn through them, but I'm not entirely sure and you'll have to do some research of your own. If that is the case, you can probably eat a small carb snack before the game without getting kicked out of keto and get the energy boost you need.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Anybody here doing Keto who also happens to be a hockey player?

I recently started Keto and I'm kind of regretting it. I've been lifting weights for about 10 years and am noticing muscle deflation from my lack of carbs. Fortunately I'm toning up quick which was my reason for doing Keto but it still kind of hurts to see my muscles looking flat.

My other issue with Keto, which is what I wanted to make this thread about is my hockey performance. Could be a placebo effect, but in recent years I've gotten myself into a little tradition of having a homemade carb snack about 45-60 mins prior to playing hockey and I swear by it giving me an extra gear of energy. That snack is a banana with peanut butter wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Sounds weird right? WRONG. It's delicious. Anyway, now that I'm doing keto this snack obviously isn't an option. So I'm struggling to figure out what to eat pre game. I feel sluggish as hell on the ice since I started and am wondering if anybody has any pre hockey food ideas for a ketogenic diet.

Or should I just man up and quit Keto? lol.

I struggled playing hockey and being on keto for a while. Cardio-wise I was fine but when I was on a keto diet my legs were absolutely toast after the first period. Could be a lack of potassium? Maybe try adding some spinach or avocado to your game day meal? I'm no doctor or nutritionist, just someone who lives a low carb lifestyle so take that for what its worth.

I highly suggest high quality pepperoni sticks before your hockey. Theyre high in sodium and pretty good on the fat and protein.

Yes!!! I was starving before one of my games and I had about an hour to kill. They had slim jims for sale at the snack bar. I had two of those and it helped immensely. Yes, I acknowledge slim jims are NOT high quality pepperoni sticks

First of all, with keto I've found that you get pretty tired and gross feeling when your body is still starving for carbs, but once your body accepts that there are no more you feel fine. Think of it as quitting an addictive substance and your body going through withdrawal.

Second of all, keto is a meme. The only benefit I've found for keto is that it made me a lot less hungry and satisfied with much less food, which helped me start my weight loss journey. Aside from that I don't think keto provides any benefits that are really significant enough to be worth the huge lifestyle change it takes.

Also, carbs give you more energy before a game because of how quickly they work but I'm not even remotely knowledgeable on how keto affects your energy intake. Also, I'm pretty sure you can increase your carb intake and remain in keto if you eat them before a physical activity and burn through them, but I'm not entirely sure and you'll have to do some research of your own. If that is the case, you can probably eat a small carb snack before the game without getting kicked out of keto and get the energy boost you need.

Respectfully, this is wrong. Keto is not a meme and there are many benefits aside from not being hungry. It helps keep your blood sugars and A1C in check (especially helpful for folks with type 2 diabetes). It also helps lower blood pressure as your body isn't storing a ton of excess water weight. If you need to lose weight, the weight loss benefits are extremely important to your health. Weight gain can cause your BP to rise. High BP is linked to a number of problems but the two of the bigger ones are kidney and heart issues.

I also don't know where you're getting a huge lifestyle change from? It isn't difficult. Does it take some research/education to understand what has carbs and what doesn't? Sure. After that it is quite easy... If you enjoy cooking, it actually becomes quite fun and you realize very fast that it doesn't take a lot to make something low carb.


Regarding your last paragraph... Eating carbs will kick you out of ketosis. Now, when you say a small carb snack, 15g or so? Probably fine. All depends on what your daily carb consumption is and it has nothing to do with burning through them, it has to do with how the body metabolizes the carbs and your insulin production. It is similar to how some sugar alcohols are fine to eat on a low carb diet while others are just as bad as regular carbs. Ethryitol and Mannitol are alright to consume. Malitol will cause your body to respond like it is a carb and spike your insulin. That is what you are trying to avoid.

 

[Intangibos]

I struggled playing hockey and being on keto for a while. Cardio-wise I was fine but when I was on a keto diet my legs were absolutely toast after the first period. Could be a lack of potassium? Maybe try adding some spinach or avocado to your game day meal? I'm no doctor or nutritionist, just someone who lives a low carb lifestyle so take that for what its worth.



Yes!!! I was starving before one of my games and I had about an hour to kill. They had slim jims for sale at the snack bar. I had two of those and it helped immensely. Yes, I acknowledge slim jims are NOT high quality pepperoni sticks



Respectfully, this is wrong. Keto is not a meme and there are many benefits aside from not being hungry. It helps keep your blood sugars and A1C in check (especially helpful for folks with type 2 diabetes). It also helps lower blood pressure as your body isn't storing a ton of excess water weight. If you need to lose weight, the weight loss benefits are extremely important to your health. Weight gain can cause your BP to rise. High BP is linked to a number of problems but the two of the bigger ones are kidney and heart issues.

I also don't know where you're getting a huge lifestyle change from? It isn't difficult. Does it take some research/education to understand what has carbs and what doesn't? Sure. After that it is quite easy... If you enjoy cooking, it actually becomes quite fun and you realize very fast that it doesn't take a lot to make something low carb.


Regarding your last paragraph... Eating carbs will kick you out of ketosis. Now, when you say a small carb snack, 15g or so? Probably fine. All depends on what your daily carb consumption is and it has nothing to do with burning through them, it has to do with how the body metabolizes the carbs and your insulin production. It is similar to how some sugar alcohols are fine to eat on a low carb diet while others are just as bad as regular carbs. Ethryitol and Mannitol are alright to consume. Malitol will cause your body to respond like it is a carb and spike your insulin. That is what you are trying to avoid.

When I say Keto is a meme, I don't mean it has no benefits at all. I mean people talk about it accelerating weight loss(aside from the water weight loss) or accelerating gains significantly. Obviously it lowers blood sugar and is extremely helpful for folks with diabetes. Lots of people out there act as if keto is magic, and it's important to tell people it's not because many people look for a magic pill rather than hard work when it comes to fitness.

As for it being a lifestyle change, it absolutely is a lifestyle change. It's not easy to go to a restaurant with your friends and try to find something on the menu that fits your macros, for example. It's not hard to just eat low carb, it's hard to eat low carb in social settings. Obviously it's extremely easy to cook low carb for yourself.

As for my last paragraph that's fine. I haven't done keto for a few years, aside from maybe a week or two now and then after I finish fasting for a few days. I've actually never been kicked out of ketosis while trying to stay in it, so I don't even know what my carb limits are or how physical activity may affect it if at all. So I'll just agree with anything you say on the topic.

 

[varano]

When I say Keto is a meme, I don't mean it has no benefits at all. I mean people talk about it accelerating weight loss(aside from the water weight loss) or accelerating gains significantly. Obviously it lowers blood sugar and is extremely helpful for folks with diabetes. Lots of people out there act as if keto is magic, and it's important to tell people it's not because many people look for a magic pill rather than hard work when it comes to fitness.

As for it being a lifestyle change, it absolutely is a lifestyle change. It's not easy to go to a restaurant with your friends and try to find something on the menu that fits your macros, for example. It's not hard to just eat low carb, it's hard to eat low carb in social settings. Obviously it's extremely easy to cook low carb for yourself.

As for my last paragraph that's fine. I haven't done keto for a few years, aside from maybe a week or two now and then after I finish fasting for a few days. I've actually never been kicked out of ketosis while trying to stay in it, so I don't even know what my carb limits are or how physical activity may affect it if at all. So I'll just agree with anything you say on the topic.

A lot of misconceptions here and a lot of true statements.
True, people should not think kept is magic. People should not think eating bacon all day is proper keto. There is a lot of issues with some peoples posts. Keto is not for everyone. You need to see what you feel better with. I feel better on high fat. I feel less tired and less hungry. It certainly doesn't hamper my game. '

What you're dead wrong about is eating out with friends. Keto is better than any other diet this way.

My food choices with friends would be Sashimi, Ribs with blue cheese sauce, Rib Steak and Vege, Chicken wings.
Want Alcohol? Have Whiskey, Gin, Rum, all keto compliant.

But on a typical diet, id be paying for chicken breast and veggies with a diet coke. Not fun.

If you have more questions please let me know.

 

[snakeye]

Anyone here who did keto experience increased resting heart rate? Mine should be at around 45 but it's now constantly at around 65-70. Otherwise I feel completely fine. I've been consuming more than normal amounts of salt to see if that helps, and don't think potassium is an issue due to all the red meat avocados and greens that i eat. Maybe too muck K?

 

[Midnight Judges]

The latest dumb diet fad. Good luck with that.

Funny how these things never stand up over time.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Anyone here who did keto experience increased resting heart rate? Mine should be at around 45 but it's now constantly at around 65-70.

Oh gee that sounds healthy.

 

[snakeye]

The latest dumb diet fad. Good luck with that.

Funny how these things never stand up over time.

Fad diets never stand up over time because are strict and hard to adhere to. The keto diet is easy as hell for me, because I no longer need to eat 3-5 times a day to remain functional in my work, at the gym and on the soccer field. Now i eat 1-2 times a day, and no longer get these carb cravings and energy spikes/crashes, and it's constant energy throughout the day with better mental clarity. I feel so much more calm and focused it's like night and day compared to before.

I'm basically testing this diet on myself a few months and so far it's easier to stay on it than reverting back to my regular one. Can you say that about most "fad" diets?

Also, yearlong debilitating tendinitis almost completely gone from one day to the next, no more naps, less sleep, better oral health, constant energy enabling me to increase my lifting volume and frequency drastically. I can't explain how satisfying it is to be able to wake up, have a coffee and go to the gym after not eating for 12+ hours and set new PRs, instead constantly doing this cooking, eating, waiting, feeling weak and bailing a third of the time shenanigans.

The heart rate thing is kind of a concern for me, but i read it could be due to lack of electrolytes, and have read numerous accounts of high heart rate dropping back over time. We shall see.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

I just joined the keto club myself. I've been on for a week and a half. Haven't had the keto flu yet kinda worried I'm screwing up but I'm keeping my sodium intake high.

My plan once I cut to where I want to be, so then I can attempt to re add muscle is to work In strictly some complex carbs.

But I'd love to know where to get keto friendly bread or tortillas if I had that I think I'd be satiated. I'm still getting cravings but I'm losing weight so my motivation is staying intact