Brisk Walking whilst in Ketosis?

[msmi1970]

Hi.

Newbie looking for advice.

I am 44, male, weigh 300lbs and Type 2 diabetic with pronounced peripheral neuropathy in my feet.

Over the last couple of years have tried dieting/exercise off and on.

I did get to the stage where I was walking 5km on the treadmill every morning and my feet never felt better!! BUT in order to do that my fasting blood sugar had to be around 7 (126) or I would get hypoglycemic during exercise.

I am planning to start walking again, NOT for weight loss but to improve my circulation and the neuropathy. Now however, I am in ketosis and my fasting blood sugar is at 6 and I am able to maintain tight glycemic control throughout the day, which is great!!

Question is, what happens when I start walking 30-90 minutes every morning??

Has anyone with a similar background been through this?

Feedback greatly appreciated!! Have a good day.

 

[Spiker]

You will no longer need to raise your BG as you are now in ketosis and preferentially using fat for fuel.

However it depends how "brisk" you mean. Maybe start at a moderate pace and see how you go. Endurance athletes such as ultra distance runners do better in ketosis. For sprint/power events the evidence is less clear. If you do Olympic style silly fast walking you might start burning carbs, depending how ketoadapted you are. Start slowly, build up and you should be fine. Carry carbs just in case.

 

[msmi1970]

Thanks for the feedback. Really appreciate it!!

I am a fat boy so "brisk" is probably not so brisk.. will definitely start slow and gradually build up.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi, and welcome!

I would suggest that you don't exercise on an empty stomach in the morning. You risk your liver dumping (if it has any stores of) glycogen, which might also affect your ketosis.

Do you have a dawn phenomenon?

 

[msmi1970]

Hi Brunneria,

Thanks for responding. i used to have 'dawn phenomenon" although it was not significantly pronounced. (e.g. 5.4 at 3am - 6.2 at 8am)

I had to ensure BG levels around 7 whenever I used to walk for 90mins or it would drop to low 4's..

Difficult to say nowadays.

After going into ketosis this last 7 weeks or so, my FBG hovers around 5.8 - 6.2. This is the case even with my very low carb intake and on occasion having supper at 6pm, meaning around 14 hours before testing in the morning. Thing is, it is already very close to that within 2 hours of the meal. And that 14 hour fast doesn't seem to have any effect.

I take your point about walking on an empty stomach and definitely plan to eat before walking. B'fast is always 4 half boiled eggs with a tbs of butter thrown in.