The ketogenic diet for sport performance - 6 years of experiments & scientific evidence

[@Thrusthamster]

Dave in the climbing season: "Sorry guys too busy!" Short videos once a month Dave in the off-season: 4 hour video on keto diets

[@SerMagicNoFear]

probably had to make a video...

[@howler6490]

A mans gotta do what a mans gotta do... He'd stopped growing his hair...needed something to do...

[@HovhannesKaragozian]

This man doesn’t have “off-season” in his vocabulary….

[@thebeardeddove]

This was better than any university lecture i had

[@TOMCOOZE25]

Registered Dietitian here, I think this is not just a great review of the evidence but also a fantastic critical appraisal. Big fan of the keto diet for myself. Agree that it is a crying shame that it’s been vilified for so long due to the demonisation of fat. A quick overview of the research on statins would make one begin to question the current consensus on blood lipids. Thanks for this Dave

[@ViniMzk]

It's amazing how easily I can listen to Dave talk for 4h straight

[@ralfrussel1950]

4 hours. This will be more than one session.

[@ryanosborne388]

Dave's kindly broken it up by t-shirt colour.

[@kcegr]

I have done 7… am on the last one :P

[@artemdorin]

Yeah, looks like a long term project

[@sebastiansiegrist1786]

Think 8 sessions should do it. 1 down.

[@DuncanAtkinson]

Holy shit! I guess i just treat it like a lord of the rings marathon and sit down with a big bucket of sausages.

[@absowoot]

Thanks for the video Dave! With your years of experimenting, would you be willing to create a video or blog post about the meals you eat and/or the food you always have on hand? I'd be interested to see your take on the right and wrong keto foods, especially as an athlete, as there is an array of varying information. Plus, you asked Neil Gresham the same question so it's only fair haha

[@andrewlocke5194]

Yes please!!

[@r.artilesuriarte599]

Defo interested in such a thing!

[@alpinekiwi]

Yes please

[@christophfuchs820]

Me too!

[@eric_g_meer_gato]

I'd also love to see something like this! A practical example of what this all looks like in application with suggestions, especially for the complicated space of eating out and being social with other climbers.

[@boredbeingbored676]

i was going to just scrub through the video, now im 2 hours in. thankyou for all the wisdom and affirming what i thought was true from my own research and body composition trials. i worked off 80# this year and im approaching the point of changing my diet for longevity instead of fat burn and you answered more questions than i had.

[@archertimecapsule]

My mom was vegetarian for a long time in her adult life, very healthy, exercised multiple times a week, and thin. Later in life she was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. My mom believes there are always solutions if you look for them. After lots of data gathering, she switched to a keto diet and, for a short time, was eating mainly green veggies and grass fed meat. She experimented on herself and appears to have beat diabetes, as regular and repeated blood panels continue to show.

[@davidbolter4109]

Your Mom sounds like a very smart lady! I hope she continues to be fit and well.

[@markthomasson5077]

I haven’t eaten meat for 40 years, I could not envision eating it now. I do eat fish occasionally.

[@isaacowen9740]

As a vegan, I cannot wait for the "Why I'm not vegan" video. Dave is the the most levelheaded presenter on diet and training topics on all of youtube, and though I'm happy with my personal dietary choices for reasons beyond just sports performance, I know whatever he's got to say on the subject will be great food for thought. Amazing vid

[@elmperson]

I never dreamed we'd get 4 hours. Thanks very much for all your time put into this.

[@JezzaParker]

Oh boy, I've been waiting a long time for this video

[@Zach_Routhier]

Dave Macleod, you have single handedly assuaged all my fears about the ketogenic diet and it's viability as an alternative method that may be superior to glycolysis. I used keto with huge success previously in my life, but I did not stick with it because I was afraid there was not enough scientific evidence out there to make me feel comfortable with it long term. Your work has changed all that for me in ways I can hardly convey. Thank you mate. Thank you.

[@LukeRockCimber]

I can’t imagine how long this took to upload never mind how long it took to research, shoot and edit this! Thanks for sharing this Dave!

[@jbbolts]

I think it took me even longer to watch lol

[@cjonesfz]

I'll put the kettle on...

[@climbermacleod]

Make a whole pot.

[@imerz87]

Sugar?

[@EricWHensel]

Milk

[@mattclarinnes158]

I’m 3 hours in and loving it. I’ve done Keto three times, in 2010, 2018 and 2020. Each time was for about 3 months and each time I lost between 10 - 15 kg. I have always fallen off it due to finding it hard to stick to with family/friends/social occasions etc. Each time I’ve stopped, the weight has just piled back in to my previous set point. Having watched this I’m keen to do it again and just accept that it’s for the long term. I always feel better in ketosis anyway. Thanks for the kick up the arse, Dave!

[@josephmcloughlin2008]

Matt you are on to something. A lot of us have tried and retreated back to old habits. I believe that keto/low carb approach is really beneficial for long term health/cardio improvement and life enhancing. Cheers Joe

[@jeangove01]

Or just accept that it's for the short term, and have a better diet when you get out of the keto diet. That's what I take from this video anyhow.

[@CursedKitten1]

My idea is maybe allow for more flexibility. There are no hard and fast rules. Eating a none keto meal a few times a week doesn't have to be a big deal or a failure. If it's still helping you lose weight and your health is good then it's miles better than nothing. Can also come up with rules like first social meal of the week can be non-keto but the rest after just get steak/meat. Know your fallback on the menu. Many places have steak or wings for example. My two cents. Keto with a few non keto meals is still way better than an unhealthy diet. Assuming that keto works well for your weight & health - because it doesn't work for everyone I know of people who got heart disease on keto. But it does seem to be healthy for some individuals.

[@jeangove01]

​@@CursedKitten1 it's not the diet itself that's healthy or unhealthy - it's how you do it. You can be vegan and eat only chips and vegan ice cream. Or you can eat greens and legumes, etc... Same with keto, you can eat loads of bacon, xylitol ice cream, fake dough pizzas, etc... or you can eat greens and meat and eggs...

[@matthewcartlidge5258]

1hr 36 mins in and Dave's just said there is stuff for additional videos 😳! Dave is absolutely not fucking about here, loving it.

[@iainguitar]

Dave thank you so much for this. I've been on keto for a couple of years now and I cannot overstate how beneficial it's been to my overall well-being. Really looking forward to watching this.

[@jamiedarwinkel9817]

Yes Dave. I'm 3 months into a keto diet. 2.5 stone down and starting back climbing after a long break. This is exactly the information that I need. Cheers for the hard work.

[@marcgil9305]

Wow...this is the third time I've seen this video and every time i get something nee, thanks Dave!!! I'm in and out of keto for 4 years now but always low carb and every year I fell better! Need more of these videos🎉

[@smolmaninthepeakdistrict5069]

Dave, I consider you one of the most impressive sports people of all time. I've never known of anyone get so much out of their genetic potential. Your books are marvelous. Keep it up boss.

[@amosluyk]

Wow! Thank you Dave. This is exactly the level of detail and rigor that I have wanted to see about Keto. Great work :)

[@rollsandfloats]

Dave, you've really outdone yourself on this video! I'm still working my way through it in 1/2 hour segments. It's very dense in terms of the information it contains, which in turn gives me plenty of food for thought. I really appreciate all of the hard work that went into researching and producing this. I love the way you've gone directly to the basic research, applied it to your own experiments and drawn your own conclusions, which in turn you've shared with us. I also look forward to the future nutrition topics you plan to delve into. I feel very fortunate to have discovered your channel. The only downside is that I find your voice totally mesmerizing, to the point where I cease to process the words that you're speaking. Gotta love that Scottish accent!

[@SmearcatMoon]

Hi Dave. Really appreciate the astronomical effort that has gone into this. Hopefully you have pumped out a few research papers to synthesize the amount of research you've clearly undertaken. Would greatly appreciate more specific examples of your own dietary patterns in different training phases - food types, meal timing, macronutrient breakdown etc.

[@SlavenVukovic]

So we have an amazing book from Dave about climbing technique, approach to training, tactics.... then a very good book about climbing injuries and how to deal with them. The only thing missing is a book about nutrition for climbers. This is the first real nutrition analysis from climbing perspective, that does not include the standard boilderplate recomendations about protein/carb/fat based on sports like body building or weightl ifting .... nor does it fall into ideological views, but hard evidence based on research. Never watched a youtube video this long. Thanks Dave, this is really a gem.

[@Matt-dx3wo]

Hi Dave, wow! I finished the video over multiple days. I relate to your situation as someone who's body composition has a hard time matching with my athletic pursuits (mainly mountain biking and bouldering), and I've also had consistent depression symptoms since my teenage years. Your methodical approach to studying this stuff is amazing. I first tried low carb in 2018, but did it seriously when I moved to England from the US in 2019. I found my weight did drop quite quickly back to my normal weight when I was 20 or so. After a few weeks of feeling really sluggish I went on a 3 day bikepacking trip and continued to eat low carb on the trip. I felt that my power was somewhat reduced, but my ability to keep going was impressive. Before catching the train home, I gobbled down a pastie (and beer) from a pub and vomited explosively in the train toilet about an hour later! Ever heard of that issue from going from presumably serious ketosis to eating a carb rich meal? Of course it may have been food poisoning or dehydration as well... Not sure if you ever tried SSRIs for your depression, but I found that my satiety went way down on them. I tried eating low carb while taking them and I just couldn't do it consistently. I was gobbling down treats and immediately ready for more, I even ate faster! Definitely gained a fair bit more weight than I've ever had before. Now that I'm not taking them I'm able to switch to low carb relatively easy. I do find that being in ketosis does seem to help with my depression and plan to make that the focus of my eating vs trying to eat for best physical performance.

[@DingbatToast]

The Keto diet is awesome. I have done it more-on-than-off for years. The only reason I drop off it now and then is to have some of the other foods I love, but soon find myself going back to it as my staple diet.

[@jmparkerbishop]

I'm just going to say it - Dave MacLeod is the David Attenborough of keto/climbing. Thanks alot for this Dave, really appreciate all the hard work on this and the academic approach you have taken.

[@elliarts]

Bloody hell, what a video. Thank you so much for making this

[@johngraham1567]

Incredible! This has got to be the most thorough, thoughtful source of balanced information on the Keto diet on KZbin. Thank you Dave!

[@grahambaxter4690]

The 4 hours literally flew by. What an engaging and thought provoking video. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort (no doubt very substantial time and effort) to pull this together and share.

[@jonathangirard2118]

If I could like this video multiple time I would! At first I was just interested in listening to Dave and not trying the diet, but this 4h set me on a rabbit hole of reading and watching for and against material and after doing an experiment with keto, I can say that I experienced a lot of the positive that Dave is talking about in his video. Thank you for your hard work, sharing the knowledge and staying open minded Dave :)

[@RichardAMorris]

Fascinating video. Your anecdotes about joint pain resonated for me. I've been ketogenic for 10 years walking around with a meniscus tear with only mild discomfort. The exception to my diet was at a friends wedding where I went off the diet for one evening and ate a dessert, and was in such sudden knee pain that I could not sleep for 2 days afterwards. That study suggesting 4.4g/kg/d of protein intake is safe has some flaws. The first was by not measuring blood ammonia levels in the high protein (HP) arm they can not claim that level of intake is safe. Humans have a maximal rate limit for how much ammonia produced as a byproduct of using amino acids as a fuel source that can be converted into urea and disposed via urine. There have been studies that have shown that as you gradually increase protein intake, urea disposed via urine appears and increases linearly then saturates around a protein intake of 3.2 g/kg/d. The significant drop out rate from the HP arm of 10 of 30 with an unwillingness to remain on the HP arm (including gastrointestinal distress), with only 20 making it to the full 8 weeks suggests that the treatment was not well tolerated. The study was not blinded. Also the declared conflict of the first author as CEO of the society that publishes the journal, which is sponsored by MusclePharm® the supplier of the protein powder used may be a conflict that another journal may have rejected.

[@marietabuse3584]

SUCH a great content - worth the 4 hr listen! As a health practitioner who works with people who very active but also very sick, it's wonderful to hear such a nuanced perspective on sports nutrition. Interventions that work with elite athletes (who often are quite healthy individuals on the spectrum) frequently do not work with the "average" athlete or people who are unwell. I often prescribe various forms of diets (ketogenic, low carb, high carb, vegetarian, etc.) as an intervention and can say it's very difficult to navigate tailoring a diet to specific health & performance needs. Thank you for the incredible attention to detail.

[@climbergaintrain]

Great video. As a Keto climber now for 12 mths, appreciated you putting out this video.

[@aaronmurray3293]

Very excited for some of the videos you have teased in this - I think I picked up that you might believe it's actually vegatable oils that may be the root cause of a lack of the bodies ability to process carbs (since there are so many examples of populations which eat high carb diets and are lean). Interested to hear your perspective on this and why Keto is a good solution! Another wishful thought would be to do a study of some climbers transitioning to a keto diet. It would be fascinating to do some kind of standardized climbing performance test throughout the journey (maybe lattice esque?) As a way of seeing how the different performance measurements for a climber change as they transition to fat metabolism (does it result in a net power to weight gain and how does endurance hold up over that transition) in order to add at least some more case studies to back up your experience! Just wanted to say thanks Dave, you inspired me to transition to a mostly keto diet years ago and the 25lbs I lost have been incredibly helpful for my climbing, and health!

[@PM-wn8qn]

Thank you for the great work - helped me a lot with my own setup

[@harryjones6242]

What an incredible video! I tried the keto diet back in 2018 with some okay results but struggled when eating out of the house! This video has convinced me to try it again as I experienced some amazing benefits first time around, especially freedom from the food demon lingering in the back of my mind constantly talking to me about food. Very excited for some of the follow up videos around specific training contexts, individuals and periodized training

[@TennesseeHighker]

I'm starting a high protein keto diet starting today. My first meal is chicken and green pepper. Tomorrow I'll have eggs and ham and peppers for breakfast. I suffer from mental illness. I found climbing a year ago and have been hooked since. I want to be happy I want to feel better. It 90 days go by without helping my digestive issues,mental health or body fat%. Oh well. No love loss for 90 days of no sugar

[@taiiiz3969]

Any updates?

[@76rosmat]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together Dave. It must've taken weeks - I admire your drive and attention to detail. Thanks again.

[@tomcanac850]

Would be absolutely pleased to see your next videos "why I'm not vegan" and "why I don't consume oil". Also a general review of what a normal day of keto food is like would be a bit more casual video, but still very usefull to get an idea. Still into processing all that. Very dense video, thanks for your rigorous approach, as usual.

[@Thejohnster1012]

absurdly high quality. thank you

[@robertmurphy2740]

Dave, thanks for all the effort that went into this! Excellent video that deserves multiple viewings to grasp the details and nuances of Dave's experience with incorporating nutritional ketosis into sports performance. I'm purchasing some DM swag to show support for this kind of long form content!

[@professor-pita]

Much respect. Your science communication skills are amazing. Thank you so much for true valuable information in huge a sea of confussing messages. I will have to watch section of your view several times to really get everything. Thank you so much for sharing this information.

[@josephmcloughlin2008]

I went vegan keto about 4 years ago and on long rides, if I was tired ( 40 miles +) and or hungry then 3 to 5 minute stop would allow me to recover enough for another 15 to 20 miles even if I had nothing to eat. But when not on keto , if I booked with no food I could not recover even after a longish rest. Thanks for your video.

[@colinhaley131]

What a video, Dave! I am extremely impressed by the thoroughness of the research that you've done (not to mention the time and effort to put together this video), especially considering that you are simultaneously pursuing your climbing goals. While I have doubts that a ketogenic diet would be an overall wise choice for myself, for a few reasons, this video has been fascinating, and I definitely am more intrigued about ketogenic diets than I was before - perhaps worthy of an experiment during a period when I am focused exclusively on rock climbing (as opposed to alpine climbing). While I know it was not the subject of this video, there was one anecdote that I found particularly intriguing, mostly because it is not something I had heard much before: You said something along the lines of "which is why I don't eat oil." This may have been in a section when you are discussing consumption of Omega-6 fats in general. While I would love to ask you some follow-up questions about this, I figured I should at least re-watch that section first... but am having a hard time finding it again! Thanks in advance if you (or any other viewer) can point me to the right moment in the video!

[@climbermacleod]

Thanks Colin. I'm happy if the video help people move forward with thoughts about what diet strategy they might want to try, even if it means they become more certain a keto diet is not for them. The section which briefly goes over n6 fats/linoleic acid starts at 16:56 for about two minutes.

[@colinhaley131]

@@climbermacleod I am looking forward to the future "Why I don't eat oil" episode!

[@pierceferris]

Thanks David I found all four hours of this very interesting!!! Thank you for your efforts here!

[@climbermacleod]

Well done man. That's endurance!

[@pierceferris]

@@climbermacleod I basically listened to it whilst doing a run in the gym, followed by some weights, a shop, followed by making some homemade burgers and homemade coleslaw! Hahahaha Very interesting! I was thinking it would be great to see what meals you produce throughout a month so one could follow your lead practically… Thanks again! This really is excellent work…

[@climbermacleod]

@@pierceferris Steak, eggs, tea, steak, eggs, tea, steak, eggs, tea, steak, eggs, tea, steak, eggs, tea, steak, eggs, tea, steak, eggs, tea... (a joke but not that much of a joke).

[@pierceferris]

@@climbermacleod LOL it’s a good thing I like steak then! Good man, thanks for responding! You should try making your own Steak Tartar, if you haven’t already, it’s absolutely delicious and so quick to make, anyway that might be a nice treat… Hmmm what’s your thoughts on this push for taxing meat? I would describe myself as a hardcore carnivore myself, by the way! Ha It’s a shame people like you don’t have the ear of politicians… Anyway I’m jabbering! Thank you for everything!

[@alexanderbogander2671]

@@climbermacleod you should watch the funny ‘British fish cake’ viral video. Sounds like him!

[@CJStepanek]

Bravo Dave, this is phenomenally thorough and informative. Spectacular volume and quality of work, thank you.

[@FreefromTyranny]

Thanks Dave! Ive been on keto for about 2 years mixed with intermittent fasting. Ive noticed a huge increase in power, strength and endurance over this period while climbing, often not needing to eat until after I finished a sport climbing session. I sent my hardest route ever a few months ago. This diet + consistent training has been a game changer for me. I went from my hardest send being 12A to sending multiple 12cs and one 12d.

[@calebsnow6901]

Nice job!

[@shokland]

Thank you very much for this thorough video. And for sticking rigorously with the scientific method!

[@PurplePies1]

Wow... just an incredible keto masterclass. Thanks Dave

[@ildikopeter7850]

This is great! I am only 20min in but I have always been very appreciative of Dave's explanations and ways of thinking and presenting things, the depth, the comprehensiveness. All this info will be very useful for me too, who struggles w similar issues. Thank you Dave!!

[@tommym875]

Not my Bucky! That’s what everyone says! Thanks for all your content and dedication, Dave!

[@Hopeful_Wanderer]

PS i just received your new book in the post! Looks great! Can't wait to read it!! ❤❤

[@leechapman8216]

absolutely brilliant Dave, thank you. I've been looking forward to this for years and it's well worth the wait.

[@matteobecchi1210]

This video is monumental 😮 thank you so much!

[@Annalwayslearning]

I’m not an athlete but use a ketogenic diet to manage ulcerative colitis which is an autoimmune disease. This presentation was brilliantly written and presented, I really enjoyed the personal story behind the facts as well as Daves humility and sense of humour so thank you 😊 I love listening to other peoples experiences because otherwise it can feel a bit lonely not knowing anyone else in real life who eats this way! It’s very encouraging to hear about all the new studies being done recently and that the quality of those seem to be increasing.

[@ADHD_Meditation_Club]

I've been able to stop after the tl:dr because I simply trust Dave as a conscientious researcher and communicator. So good to see at least one content creator bucking the 17 second video clip trend in favour of quality and detail! Dave needs to get on the Podcast circuit!

[@devlish668]

Excellent video. One of the best I’ve seen on keto and sports. 👍

[@stuartmartin7259]

Just started a full carnivore zero carb diet having struggled on a crappy carb based diet forever. I'm 2 weeks in and I already dropped 5kg (of fluid probs), blood sugar swings are gone, hunger is gone, mood better, power seems to be OK. I'm eating high fat cuts of beef & lamb, scotch eggs, picked eggs, fish. Supplementing vitamins & minerals & cod liver oil. Working great so far, 🤞🥩

[@benji104]

Many thanks for the input on Glasgow in general. I was about to apply there for a job and now decided against it.

[@climbermacleod]

Someone else was lucky!

[@M-Forz]

Very nice! By far the longest KZbin video I have ever watched, by a long shot. Looking forward to more.Thank you!

[@Lorofol]

This must have taken years to produce this video. Excellent content and depth, thank you very much for this!

[@tristanmayfield4851]

I knew Dave kept saying he was working on this, but I genuinely didn't expect this masterpiece. I'm excited to dive into this. Highly anticipated.

[@Mee0tchy]

What a fabulous video Dave! I haven't seen anything quite like it, especially as it pertains to climbing. I look forward to more of your keto related content!

[@NigelWright-l5h]

Fantastic video, so much effort has gone into this..!!

[@MechanixPL]

I'm half way thru and it's a fascinating video. I take a deep interest in both climbing and nutrition and this video listens as many of my favourite LC/Keto/Carnivore podcasts. I especially appreciate the following: a) the personal and climbing angles [the latter often non-existent in other discussions I've seen, unless critical of keto], b) the fact that it's not straight up "do this for 30 days" challenge/advice, c) the fact Dave didn't rush the video - the first time I'd heard him refer to plans of make one was months if not years ago [very rare quality these days], d) the caveats - not being binary and dogmatic, and finally e) leaving room for discussion, questions and further discussion. Simply put, mind-bending. Thank you. One question, if I may. At some point in the video you say that adhering to strict keto, unless you're diabetic or in need of a medical intervention, may be an overkill for an otherwise healthy athlete. Being a weekend climber I've followed a strict keto diet for about 2 years with about 90% rate of success. The remaining 10% being transgressions or experiments, every time leaving me feeling like I'm going against important rules/commitments. I wonder how you have been able to mentally deal with experiments and becoming more liberal with some foods, something I've been unable to do, especially seeing that keto has been very beneficial for me in many areas.

[@vedrandevcic6741]

Best video about keto and performance i have watched , and i have watched allot! Great job Dave 👍💪

[@DerekNheiley]

Really appreciate the content and the time it took to put this together. However, a playlist is much easier to navigate back to in your history. I've already lost my place in this video twice trying to watch it while working out, relaxing and walking at different times on different devices.

[@laureano6382]

Hello Dave, Thanks for all the work you've done. Its impresive. There isn't much people like you!

[@apoorvpro]

I really want to watch all of it, but for now a massive Like and appreciation for Dave for sharing

[@byaafacehead]

Fascinating look into sport science and diet/performance. I think I will need to rewatch, and then formulate further questions.. Clearly the effort to gain this knowledge and make the video was huge, so much thanks for sharing. Edit: was about 3h:30min when commented. However you specifically mentioned basically all of the questions I still had as potential 'future topics'. Looking forward to those videos as well!

[@nota8386]

Only found out about Dave when looking for AC joint rehabilitation. I've been interested in low carb for about 5 yrs now but learned loads from this. Great to see a UK perspective as it's usually US dominant on KZbin

[@gdm1990]

Great and inspiring video. Thank you as a climber and as an individual concerned about personal health

[@jenhowland2627]

Really enjoy your open minded and scientific approach. This subject has interested me for years. Beginning with wondering why I was hungry all the time often needing to get up early for breakfast or refuel mid run. I’ve had too many variables to pin point which areas of my lifestyle and diet I needed to change. I also have taken a further interest in how/when we release sugars and use insulin. I’ve looked at this from a sport perspective and whilst working with a diabetic friend. So thank you for putting together such a well researched video.

[@moyaclimb]

Great work Dave ! really enjoyed it. I'm on low carb, high fats and protein, not strict keto for long time and feel so much beter than ever. eczema and digestive problems are almost gone so this feels like an absolut victory. In terms of sport I feel well and my weight is high due to muscle mass gain and maybe a little of body fat... to much food lately . But when I eat in a structured way I drop weight easy without restrict calorie intake and send my hardest. Thanks for sharing!

[@driesvanoosten4417]

I'm 1 hour in the video and I am really enjoying it. I have followed unsustainable diets based on severe calory restrictions in the past and it never worked. Since I lowered my dependence on carbs for my energy intake, I find it much easier to maintain a constant body weight at a high performance level (high for a normal guy with a full time job, not for an athelete). I still experience hunger as a feeling in my stomach, but very rarely as a drop in energy level. I can easily train for 2 hours before having breakfast.

[@falcozais6171]

Great Video. The science based approach and the calm manner in wich the information is presented is amazing! Would love any and all information you could give on the topic.

[@Rangetechus]

Thanks for doing this Dave. I’m so grateful this information is finally available as I have struggled my whole life with weight issues which held me back from progressing in my climbing. Im excited to be losing weight on keto and stoked for the possibility of exceeding my younger years as a climber.

[@jakewilder]

Thanks so much Dave. I can't say enough to express gratitude for your thorough research and sharing your knowledge and findings with us. You're a true science man and kind and thoughtful person. I appreciate you 💕

[@troygregory286]

I’ve been waiting for this!! Can’t wait to dig in

[@jimgordon9516]

Thanks for all your work on this Dave, really well put together. Two questions: 1. Timing of CHO - around higher intensity exercise v at dinner. It seems possible that fasted, low intensity exercise, or even low intensity exercise without recent CHO intake, may be beneficial in encouraging fat oxidation, mitochondrial quality and quantity etc. I find this easiest in the morning, like many, with low intensity run/ climb (I like to both climb and run in the mountains). I then tend to 'replenish glycogen' through CHO intake, especially if I'm planning to train later. I also tend to 'fuel training' through cycling my CHO around this. I know other who 'save' CHO for dinner and are therefore in ketosis / v low carb for longer in any given day. My experience with this is that it affects training, especially later in the day, even if I've eaten CHO the night before - my guess has always been that glycogen levels being low explains this. Do you have any thoughts on this? 2. Training for mitochondrial quality and quantity - e.g. uphill athlete suggest a high volume of low intensity training can really affect the ability to oxidise fat, shift the crossover point as fat oxidisation occurs at higher intensity etc. Keto would also seem to affect this positively. Obviously, done in conjunction is likely to give the best benefit but I wasnt sure on your views on the efficacy of this type of training for mitochondria (you seem to suggest this is more genetic but I may be wrong?). Further, given your hypothesis about the intermittent anaerobic nature of climbing, which makes lots of sense to me, and the small muscle groups involved, how important would you guess mitochondrial quality and quantity, and not being 'aerobically deficient' is to climbing performance?

[@lukastanasiuk5722]

He didn’t respond, but I highly suggest checking out Dr. Plews’ work at EndureIQ for these topics

[@anttiantikainen143]

Thank you for the video. Been waiting this for a long time!

[@TimH123]

Been waiting for this for about four years 🙂

[@TheAzure4]

great video as always dave, i have no interest in a keto diet and i watched the whole thing. Your balanced approach and rigour is very appreciated. looking forward to a video on fasting if you get around to it!

[@CoryLogan]

Great work on this video Dave! While I'm not nearly as advanced in climbing, this was definitely some food for though around diet. I've wondered about the overlap between climbing and keto for a long time. I think i might give it a go again. One thing I'd love to see is just a bit of what you actually end up eating most of the time. What are your staples?

[@mtc7598]

lol

[@dovinue9289]

Great video, good information and easily understood. Would love to hear more about "why i dont eat oil"

[@markharris2562]

Thank you very much for all your efforts. I hope this is an audio textbook for future generations. I truly appreciate your care in placing appropriate caveats wherever possible. This is what good science should look like.

[@thomasnolastname2172]

Probably one of the best Videos about keto out that! You mentioned multiple times that you plan on doing more videos about dieting, but i coudn't find any new ones. Are you still planing to do these videos? I would be realy interrested in a couple of those that you mentioned like "Why i'm not Vegan" or "My expierence with the Carnivore diet".

[@johnchipouras1889]

Wow. So impressed with the detail and rigor here. I've been stuck at 8b/+ in sport and 8a in boulders for a few years now. I hope my story pans out similar to Dave's. Now to find this level of discipline!

[@hansachs]

Impressive Dave, thank you for sharing such a comprehensive first hand account of not only your experience on the ketogenic diet but also the scientific literature around this subject. For me, what worked in the teens and 20s certainly changed and did not work after the early 30s(and seemed to change again every 5 years thereafter). It is very beneficial to try different fueling and training strategies to keep enjoying, and still grow, or at least maintain what we have worked so hard to gain...damn entropy it's always on our heels. Fight the Glasgow effect and thanks again cheers!

[@doormat321]

What a mammoth video! Looking forward to watching. Well done Dave.

[@daniele3452]

Monumental !! Pure and simple!! Great to see you with this awesome vids!!

[@duncanmccallum3688]

An impressive amount of work, and a good addition to the debate, with the correct in my opinion, caveats that expressly suggest that this is a tool for elite climbers operating at the top end.

[@peterditchfield6802]

This has certainly given me the confidence and information I need to to try experimenting with low carbs......Although those scones looked really good ! ....Thank you for all the effort you have put in to this.

[@MsRockjock5]

Dave, this is just the confirmation I have been waiting for. I feel great with the Keto/Low Carb diet. Achieving my climbing goals are in large part due to this lifestyle. Thank you for your thorough, entertaining, and humble presentation. Much respect!

[@yushy5816]

fantastic video. i appreciate the effort and nuance, this was incredibly fascinating and helpful.

[@gba.87]

Incredible work Dave, thank you! Interesting how after 4 hours I have more questions than before :D

[@geraintjones6401]

Only 12 minutes in but you've really raised the bar with this one, Dave. Top-drawer content and production. Fantastic, thanks for putting this out. (Feeling a bit guilty about the Ruby Murray I've got lined up for my tea now though. 🙈)

[@heidiginn5911]

Wow, thank-you. I have been somewhat overwhelmed by all the saturated fat data supporting a vegan diet recently to avoid CVD and be heathly. This never made total sense to me, (despite being a lacto vegetarian) as my Father was originally a dairy farmer. They were brought up on fried breakfasts, cooked in lard with full fat milk, yet no CVD in the family history. So I always thought high fat diets were good if they were worked off in the fields, through hard physical exercise. Also I attended a lecture by Mike Stroud, who with Sir Ranulph Fiennes crossed the Antarctic eating mainly blocks of lard melted into hot chocolate. They completed blood analysis and had healthy levels of TG, and LDL/HDL levels throughout their expedition, amazingly! So after enjoying your video I have the confidence to now scrap the vegan diet attempts and try a keto diet as a vegetarian who enjoys completing a few triathlons each year so will play around with the carb levels as you suggested. Thanks again for sharing all this data and your fabulous insights!

[@climbermacleod]

Yes and the history of western polar explorers utilising high SFA diets goes back a lot further - see work of Vilhjalmur Stefansson a century or so ago.

[@spncrptrsn]

'Especially my scones' made me laugh out loud, thank you Dave