The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance

Perfect companion to The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable!I can only repeat what I've said about the book listed above.Having been interested in the topic of "how does food intake relate to physical health and optimum body chemistry" for more than a quarter of a century now (Yes! 28 years+ to date, to be precise!) both my husband Gordon Kay and I would without hesitation recommend this book (and its twin!) since following the preachings and lessons therein has led to a total change of our eating habits with amazing results to both of us. We thought we were already in "pretty good nick" (something which was confirmed by a full medical with full blood works during the summer of 2013) but we decided to switch to the "ketogenic Diet" for at least 6 months to see what it would do to our bodies and our wellbeing in general. All we can say from a personal point of view - and I do speak for my husband too - is that we have never felt healthier! Considering that we were already on top of the world before, I suppose that's put us now out there, in the stratosphere-of-good-health!Although perhaps a trifle "scientific" for the ordinary lay-person, the book perfectly complements its companion, and for anybody who is interested in a more technical explanation behind it all, the book will be a didactic eye-opener.With all the material that is nowadays availabe to help us on the way to optimum health, the teachings in these books have most certainly had a tremendous impact on our wellbeing and anyone seriously considering a change of lifestyle toward improved wellbeing can only benefit from them.Smiles, Emm :) :)Illustrator of Provost: The Unfinished Manuscript

I've been eating a ketogenic diet/LCHF (≤ 5 E% carbs, 15-20 E% protein and 75-80 E% fat) for appr. 15 months now and haven't been in a better physical shape in my entire adult life. I'm 45 yo. From the beginning (jan 2012) it was an experiment and I didn't know much about low carb until a friend of mine told me ha was on a LCHF diet/lifestyle and felt so good. The first few days on LCHF my body just calmed down and my cravings for snacks disappeared, after five days my IBS-problems (since appr. 15 years) disappeared and after five months I had lost 10 kg (22 lbs) from my original 68 kg (150 lbs) to 58 kg (128 lbs), without hunger. After six months I coldn't sit still anylonger and took up running for the first time in 13 years. Slowly but surely I got back my fitness and strength and now I run 12-15 km comfortably. At that time I didn't know much about a ketogenic diet but felt great even during longer runnig sessions. I've read a lot of books (by Gary Taubes and others) and blogs on the internet (mostly Peter Attias [... and primalnorth.blogspot.ca) and have been building on my "knowledge database". A month ago I started training CrossFit and was a little worried that my very low carb diet wouldn't be enough (too little carbs) to let my muscles and body recover, but boy was I wrong. I'm doing three to four WODs a week and I feel great. I bought and read "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance" to understand how the body works in a ketogenic state and when doing hard workouts. The book is an easy read but will challange your beliefs if you've been living with the dogma that a lot of carbs are necessary to keep your body going for a long time or to do hard workouts. Volek and Phinney explains why and how low carb performance works, and if you have an open mind and try it out yourself you will never go back to carb loading and filling your body with junk. Read and learn, and have the body and fittness of a healthy 20 yo. It's absolutely possible!

If you're an endurance athlete regularly competing in 2 hours plus events, then this diet may be for you. However, if you usually do shorter distances then it's much less likely to appeal. The diet is very challenging due to the very low allowance of carbos, so you'd need to be highly motivated to succeed with it. I guess it would also be great for people in danger of developing diabetes.The book is well written - I read it in no time. The content is very interesting though quite technical in places.In the end, I didn't adopt the diet, though I have drastically reduced my consumption of simple carbohydrates and upped my fat intake, and feel better for it. However, if I ever become and ultra-runner I may reconsider.

There are quite a few good books on low carb diets and their benefits for the general population, reducing metabolic syndrome etc. I'd been given the Taubes book (also highly recommended) by a friend, but wondered if this would be useful to me, as a keen long-distance/marathon runner. I am lucky enough not to hit the wall as long as I stay well-fuelled, and don't tend to suffer from the digestive side-effects of the gels etc. But I'm interested in lowering body fat, and decreasing the inflammatory response to exercise too.....So, this book is very well written. I'm a doctor, with a personal interest in nutrition, and the science is both well explained for non-medics and well-referenced etc for those with a scientifically critical approach. The science does make sense as a stand alone, but if you want lots of detail then go back to the Taubes or the first Art&Science book in support.If you think that low carb for endurance is rubbish, then read this to challenge your thinking and if you are interested in any aspect of endurance training, then have a read and think about it...... go on...............