The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance

I bought this book thanks to Prof Tim Noakes expressing admiration for the authors and my own passion for running. I was not in any way disappointed! Fascinating stuff that I can't wait to put into practice..

I'm one who hopes Dr. Atkins is buried face down so the world can...you know the rest. These authors take Atkins to a higher level and give a credit where it's due. The diet they propose is more exacting. The intended audience is the medical community, but they easily clarify difficult concepts for the layperson.

I highly recommend this book. I've read a lot about low-carb and ketogenic diets but I could never find anything that specifically talked about athletes on a ketogenic diet. I was searching and hoping to find a journal article or any study that would help me decide if keto was right for. I found this book and was more than impressed. If you are active and wondering if this book is for you, it is. I'm just a recreational athlete that likes to do CrossFit and so far this is working great.

Very simple to understand yet thorough at the same time. The authors do a great job of explaining things in layman's terms yet still cover the scientific basis of the ketogenic diet. Just get the book and then give it to all your Paleo friends that insist the body needs carbs to function. I'll give you a hint....your muscles do NOT need to replenish glycogen stores when they are oxidizing fat for fuel!

Dr. Stephen Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek did a really good job outlining how to utilize a "well formulated ketogenic diet" for athletic performance. I also read the first book The Art And Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, and this is a wonderful addition for those who want to optimize the diet for exercise performance as well as health. I know many people who use the diet are mainly endurance athletes, but I train primarily for power/strength and have found the diet very compatible.
If you are interested in better health and outstanding performance, then please buy this book as well as the original and make low carbohydrate living work for you.

Almost everything I've read about exercise and diet assumes that refined carbs are a key part of any athlete's diet. This book questions that assumption in a detailed (often too detailed) way.
In my personal experience, the guidance in this book works. I've gone low-carb, high-fat in my diet and am happier than ever. I can cycle intensively for hours and require nothing but water.
Give it a shot, it may work for you too.

A practical, more accessible version of The Art of Low Carbohydrate Living by the same authors. Short, concise, to the point explanation of the ketogenic diet - backed by solid science. Don't be put off by the New Ageish design on the cover. It is written for the athlete, but the average person is included in its potential audience. If you cannot afford to buy the 2 books, buy this one.

This was a good book. I saw a reference for on living la vida low carb. And although I did get a lot out of it. It is a book for performance athletes, of which I am not. I wish I'd gotten the one on living by the same guys instead.

This book was okay. I guess I was expecting more info and science, beyond what Jimmy Moore already talked about in his blog. I would have rather my library had the copy so I didn't have to buy it. I would stick with their first book - The Art And Science of Low Carbohydrate Living.

Although I am far from being an athlete I did spend the 1980s bodybuilding and competing on a local level. I used a low-fat, high-carb diet to train. So I have enough empirical experience to be able to report that the 80s sucked for me. I actually didn't care if I lived or died; I felt that horrible. At age 52 I've been eating low-carb for almost 2 years now and I feel great. I want to thank anyone and everyone who has risked "everything" to promote a low-carb lifestyle. You have saved my life, literally. I'm just so sorry it took me this long to give up my high-carb addiction... what a waste of 50 years. This book is perfect for someone like me who needs my "fix" of low-carb literature each day.

This book is very informative and easy to read. I would suggest reading this in conjunction with Carb Nite. I've finally been able to lose weight and I feel amazing. Thank you very much to the authors.

This is the technical book you've been looking for to validate your low carb diet! If you are an athlete, it's written for you. The eating style seems to go against everything we as Americans have believed about our diet. It's a long time coming but now there is enough hard science to really make the change.

This book was really informative in the fact that so much information was put into this book by the authors and if you are on the low carb diet and want to take it up a notch, then this is the book for you.

I bought this book after becoming interested in high fat diets. My main qualm with a diet high in fat was the issue of declining performance in weightlifting/mixed martial arts. Using the suggestions in the book I have noticed a tremendous increase in energy and my performance is actually getting better.

To anybody who is trying to improve their athletic ability while on a low carb diet, I strongly recommend this book.

Great book for athletes and weekend warriors (and to a slightly lesser extent, those trying to lose weight). Some information you'll want to read more than once as there's just a ton a scientific facts to absorb. I've been on this ketogenic diet for a short time, but already exceed my time/distance where I normally needed some carb fuel.

i found the book on this website and ordered it, it arrived in several days and i am totally satisfied with the book, the price was better than the book i found locally, i suggest that if you are overweight and want to loose weight that you buy the book also, it will make a difference in your life.

This follow up to The Art and Science of Low Carb Living is well worth a read for anyone interested in athletic performance on a low-carb diet. The recommendations are all backed up by scientific studies. The only exception being the recommendations for avoiding muscle cramps -- but there is very little science to back up any recommendations in this area. Overall a great read!

Should be titled "The art and science of low carbohydrate performance for endurance athletes" other than a brief mention of strength to weight ratio improvement due to less body fat there is very little information for strength athletes. If you are interested in endurance training or exercise for weight loss there is good info, but if your focus is strength training this book isn't worth reading.

It is a great book that already gives a lot of insights in what keto does to your body when performing sports. Of course the is still a lot of research to be done in this area so you may not get all of your answers but it serves well on what you can expect yourself. You don't need this book to go on keto and do sports. You need it to understand what happens to your body.

This is a great book. It's a companion book to: "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living". The "...Living" books is the science of a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet...why it works, for whom it's suited, the health/medical benefits.

This is the "how to do it" book. While the book is written for endurance athletes; the 'how to do a low carb ketogenic diet' can be used by anyone.

It has some `science', but is very readable. It's also fairly short...to the point with not a lot of fluff.

This is a fantastic explanation of the basics of low carb diets with respect to athletes however after I would've liked more information regarding more advanced supplementation for low carb athletes especially for those doing strength orientated sports.

If anybody want to practice low carbohydrate food with out any doubt, this is the book you supposed to read. great book. I change myself a lot. Quiet from Carbohydrate consuming. Still healthy, energetic.

Great book and verification from info of last 30-40 years. I am reading for the second time. Has science in it but relative to concepts authors are trying to share. I was hoping for a caloric recommendation but couldn't locate one. I know the authors believe in caloric control from their previous books.

After reading their book, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living this book was a real let down and drastically needs to be updated with current research findings. There's also misleading and inaccurate sweetener information, I believe it's chapter 6. I wouldn't recommend this book to athletes or anyone looking to understand or improve their performance with a LCHF lifestyle.

It is so important to measure your blood Ketone level daily.

Phinney and Volek tell you why. Get yourself the free Kindle reader software for your PC or Mac, and for just $6 you get the Kindle version of the book. There is no excuse not to have this critical information at your fingertips.

The latest in a long line of books on low carb, high fat eating that I have read. All helpful, all insightful, but for me, while I enjoy eat this way, it HAS made ME fatter. I say the book depresses me because I read all the success stories here from the people in my age group (late 40s/early 50s) who switched over to LCHF and got their fat down to the single digits with reports of abundant energy. Wish I could say that in both cases. I do not have any more energy than I did when I was eating moderate carbs.

I am a great admirer of the work of the authors Dr. Jeff Volek and Dr. Stephen Phinney who I am privileged to call personal friends of mine. These two men have done some of the most extraordinary research into the health benefits of low-carb diets in the past few decades and deserve an enormous amount of respect for their contribution to the world. They teamed up with Duke researcher Dr. Eric Westman on New Atkins for a New You in 2010 and then released their phenomenal book The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living in 2011.

As a follow-up book to the latter release, Volek/Phinney wanted to share some important information about how a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet is an excellent way to maximize athletic performance by advocating for athletes to get into a keto-adapted state in this book THE ART AND SCIENCE OF LOW CARBOHYDRATE PERFORMANCE. And for the niche audience of trainers and athletes wanting to choose the low-carb path to maximized performance, this book is excellent.

However, there is a section in this book that I believe includes invaluable information for EVERYONE who wants to be as healthy as they can possibly be. Beginning on page 89 in the "Personalization" chapter, Volek/Phinney discuss "finding your ketone zone" and encourage people to begin measuring their blood ketones using a monitor very similar to a blood glucose monitor. While the testing strips for measuring your blood levels of ketosis can be a bit pricey (each strip costs about $2-6 depending on where you find them - See the cost of the Ketone Test Strips here on the store), the information you learn about yourself is incredible! Far too often, people who eat a low-carb diet use Ketostix to measure the ketones in their urine. This can be an insufficient way to measure ketones, so the blood ketones are much more reliable.

Since reading this book a couple of months ago, I have made tweaks to my low-carb diet suggested in the book to raise blood ketone levels to the suggested .5-3.0 millimolar level where "nutritional ketosis" can take place. I went into this level by Day 4 (after starting at .1 on the first day despite eating a pretty good low-carb diet for years) and haven't come out since. Hunger is zapped, energy level has skyrocketed, mental clarity is sharper than it has ever been, I'm eating about 85% fat in my diet with no ill effects--oh yeah, I've lost over 25 pounds and counting! It's amazing how shifting the focus to some rather simple things like cutting carbohydrates and protein, increasing fat and exercise and getting ample amounts of medium chain triglycerides can make such a noticeable difference in how well your body functions and performs.

So if you're considering getting this book and wonder if it is ONLY for athletes, the answer is no. YOU need this book and probably don't even know it. Get it and read all 162 pages--absorb the information, apply it to your own life and watch the magic of livin' la vida low-carb become real right before your very eyes. If you're a long-term low-carber and think you're doing well, start testing your blood ketones to see where you REALLY stand. It might just shock you!

Could go deeper, but then it's a cheap book. Big letters, some space taken up by recipes (OK, useful I guess but not really 'Art and Science' to my mind). Disappointing to see Sucralose (or any sweetener for that matter) being recommended.

Worth its money.

This is an interesting book. However it is very short - more of a booklet. It really needs to be read in conjunction with the Authors previous book http://www.the store.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708 . It is not for beginners for Low carb or starter athletes... it assumes you have a significant level of knowledge of both.

All in all it is a reasonable book, but I think it should be half the price.

As an sprint athlete who is limited to reduced carbohydrate diets by my genetics, I purchased this book with the high hope of learning new ways to incorporate a low-carb (non-ketogenic) diet into my sports training. That being said, the title of this book proved to be somewhat untruthful and could have been better labeled as: "Ketogenic Diet Theory For Low-Intensity Endurance Performance". So after a thorough reading, here's my 2 cents:
Cent #1) The authors only compared ketogenic vs high-carbohydrate diets and completely ignored the broader spectrum of reduced carbohydrate macro-nutrient partitioning options (e.g. low-carb non-keto diets or iso-caloric diets). I believe this lack of comparative rigor is intentional in order to support their limited-scope claims without sufficient argument or analysis. As a mathematician, I would consider this voodoo-science.
Cent #2) The authors claim that ketogenic diets elicit superior athletic performance in virtually all sports. Their data and arguments; however, end up supporting only endurance sports where athletes NEVER have to go beyond 65-75% of VO2 max (i.e. fat-based metabolism). Anyone in a sport where speed/power (i.e. glycogen-based metabolism) are either primary or secondary athletic requirements (most sports) will likely not find anything beneficial to their athletic performance in this book. If you are an ultra marathoner, hiker, non-competitive recreational endurance cyclist, or are injured and just need to keep trim during periods when you can't train, then I think this book may prove useful.

It's informative. I've been on a keto diet for almost 3 months and got E. coli. I was sick for 6 days. I don't know if it was from meat or salads. I got tired of eating bacon and eggs everyday. Now that it's summer I want the fruit that is high sugar. I did loose weight fast but I think it's better to be low carb.

Interesting explanation of how good performance is possible with low carbs if athlete is "keto-adapted".
I would have given it more stars but an important topic was not covered: conventional wisdom is high-carb for high performance, and keto-adaptation was presented as a viable alternative. But isn't there anything in between? Moderate carbs?

For those new to low-carb but with some exercise experience, this book explains both how to follow a good low-carb diet in plain English, and also how to achieve great exercise results while doing so. For long-time low-carbers, it offer tips to fine-tune your keto-adaptation.

I think there's a special audience for this book as well - women. Many women who've tried every other diet eventually try low-carb and are delighted with the results. Yet after a time they may plateau. How to break through? Exercise!

But how to exercise when low-carb? Most exercise books will tell you serious exercise is impossible without carbs. So a lot of women don't expand beyond their usual walking or light yoga. This book should help reassure women that endurance and resistance exercise is possible & helpful. It definitely puts the "carbs are necessary for exercise" myth to rest.

How to use your already existing keto-adaptation to your maximum advantage? Low-carb books will tell you that you need to exercise, but they don't help explain why exercise plus low-carb is uniquely effective. This book does.

Exactly how deep in ketosis are you now and would getting more deeply into it improve both your weight-loss and exercise? Drs. Volek and Phinney tell you how to figure this out for yourself with an inexpensive glucometer, which will remove a lot of frustrating trial-and-error.

Finally women can see how dialing their carbs up and down affects their level of ketosis, allowing them to measure and control their keto-adaptation to support their personal weight and exercise goals. The book closes with some snapshots of intense athletes, including a 60-year-old female low-carb marathon runner!

This book is a great companion to the authors' other two: New Atkins for a New You, as well as the seminal Art & Science of Low-carb Living. I recommend you get all 3.

I also hope they expand the "Art & Science" concept to all aspects of low-carb. I'd love to see and Art & Science for diabetics, for women, for kids & teens, for college students, for those with thyroid issues, for autoimmune conditions, for mothers-to-be and those breastfeeding, etc. Writing in the same plain and clear style, such a series could delve into the concerns of each group to offer hope and practical advice.

I should have (and you should) just read their other book, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living. This one is a short quick read with basically no practical information. If you need to be sold on low carb for performance, then maybe this book is for you, bit if you want to find out HOW, you won't find anything here.

This book did help me understand the author's point of view, the problem being a lack of hard data behind the assertions. I think that low-carb is an effective way to lose weight; I'm down about 35 lbs on a low-carb diet. I am not doing Atkins or any of the other diets, though I did review them to see what the range of recommendations covered. Really, I'm just experimenting on my own. I've found that a lot of raw veggies really messes up my GI tract... nasty gas and runs etc. Apparently this is a common problem, the solution being to cook your veggies... I try to eat no more than 1 salad or mess of uncooked veggies per day. My belief is that the key value of low carb is it reduces your appetite, so you can eat 1500 calories in a day and not feel hungry. Ketosis is another thing altogether, and I'm not yet convinced there is any value in inducing it.

This book is a interesting discusion. As a med dr. myself i find it very interesting.I am perticipating long bice competitions and i am trying to think low carbo- to get better endurance. I do not know yet, but according to the theory it should be good.

If you are into running, biking, rowing, skiing then this book is for you. It is a fast, short, and convincing read. But, if you are into lifting weights and not into endurance athletics then not so much. A strength athlete needs to get stronger and so we need to add lean body mass. In other words, we want to gain weight not lose it. We would prefer to gain muscle and not fat but gain we must.

I was more than a little disappointed. While there is an occasional comment regarding a high fat low carb diet and strength training the book is definitely geared towards aerobic endurance athletes. For example, the book ends with 7 case studies/testimonials, but they are all from aerobic athletes.

At the moment, I have strength goals that I want to accomplish and the book gave me no confidence that I can attain them by eating a ketogenic diet. Once I attain my goals I may try it just to see if it works for me.

Didn't know what a short read this was when I purchased it. Anyway, the author mentions nothing about the way you're going to feel during the 2 weeks before you reach Ketosis. Why? Because you will feel week and sluggish. Would not have tried going into Ketosis while in training for a bike tour if I had known this. 30 pages of this book is filled with useless low-carb recipes, when it could've been filled with useful information like common mistakes people make that prevent them from reaching ketosis

I think that from the perspective of the author, the science and plan laid out is a good one. For endurance athletes. Being fat adapted can get you further than being carb adapted for the reasons laid out in the book.

But.

Even fat adapted endurance athletes can benefit from loading up with carbs right before a race. Not really carb loading in the traditional sense, but by increasing your sensitivity, you can time pre-race day and race day carbs to give you a boost.

And.

If you're an athlete of any other type (I'm a competitive strength athlete) you're going to find making strength and hypertrophy gains incredibly hard if you hit the low carb diet 24/7.

I'm reading a bunch of books on low carb and Ketogenic diets.

While this was well written, not a lot of extraneous tangents, not really meaty either. This book tells at a very high-level the benefits of a keto diet, but now how to nor how it works on the day to day application.

I wish we could sell/trade kindle books. If you're an athlete, eat paleo or keto, you will do way better than the typical refined carb diet.

Too technical. A bit heavy for those not in the field of bio-chemistry. More personal experience will be interesting. For example, I started to learn more about this topic after I read the book FITNESS CONFIDENTIAL by Vinnie Tortorich.

Its a shame this book only gives basic low carb diet advice that can be found on the net with Google. It does not offer strategies and solutions for race day just anecdotal reports of successful athletes. It feels like these stratigies will be in yet another book. Glad I did not by the hard copy and waste money. I will stick with the PHD diet thanks

Maybe I shouldn't throw out the baby with the bath water, but as soon as I saw that the author was recommending the use of Sucralose (aka Splenda), I lost faith. That stuff is sooooooooo toxic, it boggles the mind why anyone would still continue to use it.

For those who say, "Sucralose has never bothered me, or had ill effects on me," I say "Give it time (months to years)." You are playing Russian Roulette with Sucralose. The effects (and, trust me, there are ALWAYS side effects from that stuff) are usually *insidious.* The stomach upset, or joint swellings/pain, or heart palpitations, or backache, or brain fog, or impotence... or ____ (fill in the blank) will most likely be attributed to OTHER things, like aging, or being out-of-shape, or something "running in your family," etc. To make matters worse, doctors will "confirm" that it is inconsequential, that we all get issues as we age... and, there's a pill for that.

Okay, so I am getting off track here, I acknowledge that fact, because the real topic here is the benefit of a ketogenic diet to enhance your performance (and for other people, with serious issues like epilepsy, cancer, etc, it can be a lifesaver), but, for me, it's just a reflex reaction when I see sucralose in anything.

I know that people who love the stuff will vote this review down. Others will hunt for other reviews from me and see that I am not one to write them very often -- I'm lazy that way, I confess. But, certain topics get me in "reactive mode," and this is one of them. I'm not out to vote down the author. I respect his knowledge and research. I am a big believer in the benefits of becoming keto-adaptive. I was just very disappointed to see his recommendation of this product, and I am entitled to express my disappointment here.

I've also read the precursor art and science of low carb living.
This is a more practical guide for athletes. It's useful information.
My only reservation is that I am into resistance training and bodybuilding and there was little attention to that area.
I think I can extrapolate but would like research, such as does long term low insulin adversely affect other endocrine systems like GH or Thyroid.
Are carb up days helpful/ necessary/ harmful....
Nonetheless these guys are the current gold standard regarding ketogenic dieting in my opinion and I and society are greatly in their debt.

I checked this out using Kindle Unlimited and loved it so much that I ended up buying it! For me, the extra science is just what I needed. Been keto for a year and lost 30 lbs but wanted to take it up a notch. Like doing half marathons but have been afraid to. Have also been getting tired but wasn't sure why. I needed to add more sodium! After I saw the hollandaise sauce recipe, I decided to buy the book. I will need to reference it often, I feel. this week I plan to get a DXI test as a baseline for the rest of this year. Awesome book!

This book speaks true to most of my observations of how much both my aerobic and anaerobic endeavors improved upon adopting a low carb / ketogenic diet. I thought, there's no way I've improved my running speed that much so quickly and felt fantastic doing it! But it was true. I ran 10-12 miles with nothing but water (in 80 degree heat btw) and felt like I could've continued on and kept going. Plus my recovery time was so short. I'd never had such quick recovery before with no resultant "carb-lust" like I would get with the same mileage run on carbs. I had to take nearly 6-7 gels for a half marathon before and was suddenly able to reduce that to nothing but water??? Amazing!!! I was faster to boot? Even better! This research is cutting edge yet just what we need to hear and read about. Highly recommend this for any person in need of a better fueling strategy for exercise. This book is a bit technical but very interesting. Give it a read and try it for yourself!

The authors clearly present scientific fact based explanations and address the confusion around Low carb/KetoDiet

Do you want to know:
1. Max threshold of Carb intake?
2. How MCT is metabolized
3. What is the optimal protein intake and why
4. Which sources of fat are better
5. How to design a Low carb regimen for yourself
6. Athletic performance on low carb
7. Leveraging Keto Adapting for endurance
And more

.... Then get this Book

Very well written book. I picked it up for tips on Pre and post workout tips but didn’t find what I was looking for but learned a lot more about the lifestyle then I was expecting. Very good read overall

Very well written and easy to read for the laymen. Practical ideas and recipes also. There is enough science here to satisfy most, with minimal jargon and vocabulary. They explained n it in and easy to understand way. I might well go back and read their other book on low carb living as well. They also have quite a few videos on YouTube, averaging an hour long. There is plenty of information available.

At first, I was almost ready to return this book as it was way over my head. I kept on reading and started to understand what the author was explaining. There are many really good recipes in this book. I have already purchased some of the supplements the author recommended and started to take. Looking forward to feeling better. I highly recommend this book even if there is information that you don't understand, it will come together

This book is very well presented. Factual, seemed to be well thought out and acted studies supporting it. I read this while switching to a low carb diet when a friend recommended low carb, high fat. It's great hearing from doctors who specifically study this subject. Based on reviews, I didn't feel I needed to read their prior book after reading this one as this was pretty sufficient. From a runner's standpoint, I also liked this and took it to heart in my marathon training. While I couldn't mentally give up my gel for a long run- all my other runs up to 10 miles were done without fueling and no straying from my LCHF.

I am no stranger to the restricted carb movement. I had pretty good success with the Zone diet when that came out and basically read every book that came out since then up to 2008.

I always felt better with any level of carb restriction at first. But after a month I would start to get hungry. I would start to constantly think about carbs. It required more and more willpower and then I'd go back to french bread and have make-up sex, uh, er, I mean, sandwiches. :)

I was the guy who rolls his eyes when someone says they can "effortlessly" lose weight. Now I'm losing weight and pretending like its a big struggle.

6 months ago I read this short book and I have been enjoying low carb success since. The perspective that you can eat low carb and be very healthy and very active changed a lot of fixed ideas in my head. The idea that low carb, done right, contributes to your activity goals as well as your body composition goals... It was exactly what I needed to hear.

I think this book has all their best advice. I really understood how to feel satisfied instead of hungry. How to be healthy and energetic instead of dreaming about snickers bars. And they stress how omega-6 oils like vegetable oil make you feel sick (supremely helpful as I eat a lot of salads). That tip isn't even in the earlier Art and Science book.

You should read it.

Terrific book for the athlete. I am not an athlete. Got the most out of the Art and Science of Low Carb living. I keep it as my favourite book. Not intending to give it up. Some books I read and drop off at the library as a donation but this book is a keeper. Don't even want to loan it out as some person never give your books back.

Good easy read with a lot of easy to understand information. Definitely informative, and gives a wide range of potential for all kinds of different athletes to increase efficiency and overall performance. It is also very motivating to read the actual stories of individuals and their success after using some of the methods and strategies in the book.

This is a report on how the Ketogenic diet has proved itself from the previous history it had. It's a more scientific way of understanding this plan. I recommend it for those of us who like more facts, less hype.

I now walked down the street and look at all the people with the "normal" tire around their waists and want to stop them and say "read this book" - follow these ideas and you will never have a weight problem again! You won't be hungry, you will sleep better, you will have endless energy, you too will say "where have these wonderful ideas been all my life!" To your health!

Very helpful for those who are interested in improving their athletic (or simple daily) performance. Backed with studies and personal accounts this book is an excellent guide to a Ketogenic LCHF lifestyle--a must-read!

If you're active, in search of a new way to improve your athletic performance, and considering a ketogenic diet, read this book. It will make It will make you reconsider your entire nutritional protocol.

I've considered LCHF eating for a while. I've come across this book a couple times and made the decision to read it. I appreciate the background explanation of why LCHF gets so much flack, and the encouragement of so much science and testimony behind it, along with practical ways to make immediate change.

Very informative, lots of scientific talk but easy to understand. It gets a little "salesy" at the end talking about VESPA but I can let that go. If you're an athlete looking to increase your performance, I strongly recommend you read this book!

Low-carb isn't new, but it's taken awhile to get out in the mainstream. A quick and easy read for snippets of relative information to supply necessary information to maximize our fat as an energy source.

This is a very easy read. It does a great job covering low carb high fat diet. From the scienced backed data, to what should be considered while on the diet, and finally meal ideas and testimonials from people onn thd diet. Thank you for providing the knowledge oh eating a health

A great short intro. I found this unusually good book. Unusual in that I expected excellence -- the authors are colleagues and are considered among the handful of most important low-carobhydrate researchers -- but, maybe because the emphasis is on performance which I know less about, it really grabbed me. The book gives a real feeling for the principle and while it would be of most benefit to competitive athletes who wanted to go all out in realizing the potential of fat-burning performance, it is a good entree for the general reader. The earlier "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable" is the best comprehensive introduction.

Richard David Feinman
Professor of Cell Biology
SUNY Downstate Medical Center

One day we'll all look back and consider the pioneers of the low carb revolution in sports nutrition. Stephen and Jeff make a compelling argument for low carb as the ultimate in performance and also in health.

This is the first book I read on topic of ketogenic diet and lifestyle. I am not athlete, but just want to lose weight and get into better body and cognitive condition. This book has everything to get you started from zero.

The perfect companion for followers of theeatingacademy.com. An effective and accessible way to get all your day to day questions about low carb performance answered for people whose priority is athletic performance.

I enjoyed the read. The science seems sound and I only found one typo, which might have been because of Kindle formatting.

Definitely worth a read and worth trying for your life, although I'm sure some or most of your friends will think you're nuts.

At least you'll be in great health.

Opinions of the author, and just another gimmick diet fad. I tried it and my performance dropped and brain function suffered. He doesn't mention that the brain needs carbs to function. If you have a job that requires any brain function you'd better include carbs.

i think these two quotes sum it up better than i could....

“Low-carb diets have never gained a foothold in professional sport for one simple reason; professional athletes are expected to perform consistently at a high level. Their very livelihood depends on it. If their performance suffers, all hell breaks loose. Sports columnists start writing savage critiques, fans start calling for their heads, sponsors start wondering whether they should continue with lavish endorsements, and team selectors start sizing up other promising athletes as potential replacements. So, apart from the occasional wayward Joey, low-carbohydrate diets are avoided like an infectious disease in the upper echelons of sport. Given that they’ve been repeatedly shown to kill performance in glycogen-dependent activities, it’s little wonder that top-flight athletes and their coaches avoid them like a bad smell…The bottom line is that both zero-carb and low-carb diets are a disaster for those engaged in regular strenuous exercise. And for anyone with a sound knowledge of the biochemistry of energy production, this is no big surprise…If you want to train, perform and look like a serious athlete, you better damn well eat like one. People who perform vigorous exercise have no business eating a diet best suited to diabetics and sedentary soccer mums.” -Anthony Colpo via [...]

“So what we have from Phinney’s study is sprinting performance that promptly went down the crapper, worsening endurance performance in 2 of the cyclists even at low exercise intensity levels, no significant change in another of the cyclists, and extremely unlikely increases in “endurance” in the remaining 2 that are most likely an artifact of test familiarization. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the pinnacle study from which we are supposed to conclude that low-carbohydrate dieting will not hurt endurance cycling performance.” -Anthony Colpo via [...]

also, if you read the book, they mention a super starch product that may be of interest. when you go to UCAN's website, there are three papers on there written by dr. voles talking about how carbs are needed for performance. [...]

lastly, i decided to return the book once i read the blurb about the ucan and went to the ucan site. then, i came back here to read other's reviews and see what they were saying. i saw that one of the authors, or maybe (i hope), someone pretending to be him leaving rude comments to there folk's reviews. pretty childish and it turned me off for good. i didn't finish the book after that. i dug the envelope out of the trash and sent it back. the only thing that irritates me the most is that i lost most of the money i spent on it in return shipping and a restocking fee. oh well, this isn't for me.

Having a background and interest in exercise physiology of endurance performance, I am intrigued in any methods that could lead to enhanced performance, which led me to this book. That being said, I was somewhat skeptical going in that the authors would address the issue objectively and fully, which they didn't.

The basic premise is that we have many more calories stored as fat than glycogen, therefore obviously it must be better to use fat over glycogen. This is a bad assumption. The authors talk about the difference in the AMOUNT of energy stored in fat / glycogen, but they don't mention the RATE at which those sources can produce ATP. In endurance performance, this second step is also crucial.

Anaerobic glycolysis can produce ATP many times faster than fatty acid metabolism. More importantly, oxidation of glycogen can produce ATP using ~ 10% LESS oxygen than the oxidation of fatty acids.

That means your maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) will require all energy come from carbohydrates. If you rely on only fatty acids, your VO2max will simply be measured 10% lower and occur at a lower power output.

This also means that running at a hard pace at 90% VO2max when carb loaded (which lets say could go on for 30 min), basically can't occur on a low carb diet.

It's only at exercise intensities that are lower that oxygen consumption is not the limiting factor (say over an hour), and in theory then fatty acids could fully provide the energy. But so what? Glycogen can provide enough energy for 2-3 hours of endurance.

The "bonking" point is sort of silly. No one uses only carbs for 2 hours, you are always using a mixture of glycogen and fat oxidation. The faster you are moving, you will use more carbs. So people who "bonk" simply were moving a bit too fast for their fitness level. The solution for them is to slightly slow down.

So, in the end, there is potential for ultradistance events, where fat provides both sufficient energy without rate production limitations. But the research is utterly lacking in this area, other than a study Dr. Phinney did 30 years ago.

For this book to not essentially say low-carb diet is essentially useless for endurance durations < ultramarathons is pretty disingenuous.

UPDATE 12/13/2012

A few more thoughts I forgot to mention earlier:

1) Am I the only one who thinks it's ridiculous for the authors to be touting a carbohydrate energy source (UCAN) in the middle of this book? UCAN essentially doesn't work any different than any other starch - it breaks down into glucose which the body uses for fuel. WTF?

2) All the performance metrics the authors proclaim to be a benefit are performance metrics that you will obtain on a high-carb diet AFTER EXERCISING TO EXHAUSTION. I saw this also on that Peter Attia's blog.

Increased fat oxidation at a given workload
Decreased VO2max

When you deplete yourself of glycogen via exercise, you'll get the same adaptations. Want to use more fatty acids for fuel? Go run yourself into the ground first!