Thrive with the Health Anthropologist

Adapting a Ketogenic Diet for Optimum Health and Performance with Coach Matt Cooper

Episode Summary

Matt Cooper is a Strength and Conditioning Coach as well as a Nutritionist and the writer and podcaster for Real Ketones Better Health and Body Radio. If anyone knows how to incorporate exogenous ketones with a healthy lifestyle, Matt does.

Episode Notes

Exogenous Ketones originally developed for the military and special forces.

We start by delving into how Matt met the directors of Real Ketones, Rob Rodgers and Gary Millet, at a health convention in which Matt was first introduced to exogenous ketones as a supplement used only for military and government personnel. 

Exogenous ketones were very much of the elite world and not accessible to the mass market—Rob and Gary were the original trail blazers in bringing exogenous ketone supplements to the mass market with Real Ketones.

Once Matt began to experiment with the supplements and experience the benefits, he dove into the world of keto, metabolic flexibility and ultimate health. 

In this episode we cover: 

• How ketones are the fourth macronutrient
• How ketones protect the brain 
• How and why to incorporate exogenous ketones into your diet.
• Why it can be difficult to sleep on a ketogenic diet and what to do about it. 
• How women can lose weight on a low carb protocol, what to eat, what type of exercise to do and how often
• Whether you should eat more carbs depending on the type of exercise that you are doing.
• What inspires Matt 

Struggling to lose weight? Here is the protocol: 

In this episode we specifically address the case study of a 40-year-old woman, mildly overweight, of moderate health who is struggling to burn fat, despite having a good knowledge of food and being on a relatively healthy diet. Matt takes us through the nutritional, exercise and supplemental protocol he would advise for our lady case study. 

Exercise: 

• Resistance, weightlifting 3 times a week 
• Low intensity exercise, walking every day     

Nutrition:

• Calorie cycling: Eating an excess of calories on resistance training days;
• and having a caloric deficit on low intensity days
• Adapt macronutrient intake depending on the level of intense exercise. On higher training days, incorporate more carbohydrates and protein. On lower intensity days, eat a high fat, higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet.
• Excessive fasting is not advised for women
• Ensure adequate mineral intake and sufficient Vitamin DK 
• To eat a small portion of carbohydrates before bed to aid sleep, particularly on calorie restrictive days. Another reason to eat more chocolate!
• Use exogenous ketones in the morning, as a ‘pick me up’ or as a pre workout.

Hormonal:

• Women have a tendency to put their bodies under undue stress and are more likely to over exercise, particularly with excessive cardio.
• Avoid unnecessary stress 
• Have their thyroid assessed as this is most commonly the explanation for unexplained weight gain

Of course, if Matt were to work with our ‘case study’ many other individual factors would be taken into consideration too. 

Curveball: 

We ended beautifully on a very yin point that we need to listen to our gut amidst the chaos that life can throw at us—that each pain point or difficulty has been a lesson for him to change something in his life. He has learned to listen. 

Where to find Matt:

Website

Instagram

Real Ketones  Better Health and Body Radio