There have been lots of questions lately from readers who are new to a ketogenic diet and are doing their first long ride. My hope is to give some guidance on what has worked for me, and what I’ve learned in the 3 years I’ve been following a ketogenic diet and doing long, short, and everything in between rides.

When you are starting a ketogenic diet and training your body to become fat-adapted, be prepared to have some really crappy training rides. Don’t worry, it gets better. But it takes time for your body to transition from burning carbs as the primary source of fuel, to utilizing ketones as a fuel source. If there are carbs available, your body will utilize those first.

If you feel hungry on a ride, try to determine whether you’re actually just thirsty, rather than hungry. Once you are fat-adapted, you shouldn’t need anything to eat on a ride shorter than 3 hours. But how you hydrate is very important, as many people need more electrolytes when on a ketogenic diet. I’ve tried a number of electrolyte drinks in my bottle – Nuun, Vega, and I’ve settled for the most part on ZipFizz because of its natural ingredients and it includes magnesium, potassium and sodium. It is sweetened with Xylitol, a sweetener derived from birch trees, and one that I find to taste the best and that does not hurt my stomach. You can learn more about ZipFizz here: http://www.zipfizz.com/

For food, I’ve tried a lot of low-carb bars over the years. Again, I try to find ones that use natural sweeteners, with minimal artificial ingredients. My 2 go-to bars are the Atkins Harvest Trail bar (8g protein, 4g net carbs, 1g sugar, 9g fiber) and Stabilyze bars (they have a little sugar from Agave, but still only 6g net carbs total, with lots of organic ingredients). For longer rides (over 2.5 hours) I carry shelled pistachios, almonds or peanuts with me. For really long rides (5+ hours) I will either plan a lunch stop where I can eat something that I know will sit ok in my stomach (eggs, cheese, nuts) or I will carry a peanut butter sandwich using a grain free, vegan bread from a company in Colorado called “Outside the Breadbox.” One reader offered that he uses cauliflower flatbread for his peanut butter sandwich.

In the summer I make sure I take salt tabs before and during my long rides to help prevent cramping and to replace sodium lost while sweating. If I get in a pinch, there are a few Kind bars that only have 5g of sugar now that can normally be found in convenience stores.

I think it’s worth saying again – as you are training your body to become fat-adapted, there will be some rough days. It’s ok if you need to use more carbs for fuel as you’re training your body. Be more strict with your diet off the bike until you get the confidence that you can ride 2+ hours without “fueling up” prior or during the ride. I’ve done a 1.5 hour ride after 4 days of fasting and had no issues at all. Our minds typically get in the way of our performance, not our bodies!

I hope this helps, and I also have several older posts from 2015 where I go into more detail about how I fueled for long rides back then – just know it’s very different than what I do now (I was far more neurotic back then). Happy riding!