50 Minute Video: Long Sports Protocol for Ketone Ester KE4 and KE1

1:10 Hour Video for Pros: Dr. Dag, Tour De France Doctor - Pro-Non Keto Protocol with Dual Fuel.

Related Youtube Videos (full channel here)
1)Video just on Fasted Workouts
2)Science Protocols vs Our Protocols (More vs less)
3)Message to World Tour Athletes who feel "flat" (take less!)
4)Scientist explains Recovery and Safety to TDF riders
5)Weightlifting sports
6)Why empty stomach works 3x better with ketones

Updated June 2024

Ke4 is a 2oz bottle, or 60ml (30g of ester). As of 2022 "one serving" is 5ml or 1 capful. This is the minimum effective dose for most people. We usually say less is more and more isn't always better, but 5ml may be too little for some. Depends on your goals. World Tour teams take as much as 50ml after a race, while entire Olympic teams find benefit with 10ml post workout.
Too much may lower blood glucose too much, lower top speed, and reduce performance substantially. It is based on weight, so if you weight 2x the average person, you may need more. And if you are lightweight, you will need much less. Numbers below are based on a 70 kilo male.

(Microdosing is a fancy word for taking smaller amounts of KE4. If using KE1 (compare) and adjust. 1 bottle of KE1 is = to about 2 capfuls, 10ml, of KE4)

Pre-Loading: 2 Weeks Before a Race

This is a low risk way to take it. (we don't recommend taking it the first time on gameday). One can take 10-30ml per day for 1 to 2 weeks before a race. This can be post workout, or some before bed. A more detailed protocol is explained with Chris Farley (25 years going sub 3hr marathons), a big skeptic that ONLY took it 2 weeks before his big race and not even on gameday.

• Youtube Video with Chris Farley

Pre-Workout

Start here. (All athletes, regardless of diet). Note MANY pro athletes don't even use it DURING the workout/gameday. They find that it blunts top speed (maybe from taking too much). While I understand most people want to focus on the gameday or the workout itself,RECOVERYis said to be more important for ultimatly improving gameday. Don't get me wrong, some non-pros still swear by preworkout and gameday, especially if they workout fasted.

Regardless of your diet. A) Full Keto & fat adapted B) New to keto or intermittent fasting, or C) Full carb/western diet.

* Step 1: Empty stomach (at least 2-3 hours, if not overnight). This really is key. Without this, you may have to take more or do the dual fuel protocol with carbs and it still may not be better. Why? (see this video) and more details on Fasted Workouts here

*Step 2:* MOST COMMON: 1 to 3 capfuls of KE4 (same as 1/2 to 1.5 bottles of Ketone Shot/ KE1) about 15 min before warmup or workout.
* 1-2 capful for females or much lighter males,
* 2-3 capfuls for NON keto males.
* 1-4 capfuls for keto males, (Keto athletes find benefit at lower amounts, BUT some are able to take more without the blood sugar dropping effect that non keto people get.)

Warning, if you take it too early like 30-60 min and don't use the fuel,you may get sleepy/tired(ie blood sugar crash). Some sprinters have taken it 45 min before without issue. Just test in practice the EXACT protocols you plan to use.

* Note that glucose may not be necessary (and could be worse) with this small amount since blood glucose does not drop too much with microdosing. Glucose also causes inflammation, it is a dirty fuel with lactic acid as a byproduct (ketones create zero lactic acid). And if the ketones is acting as a trigger for endogenous production (in sport, not while sitting on a couch), any carbs will kill that potential benefit.

* The theory here is microdosing (in sport, not while eating cake on a couch) may trigger endogenous ketone production (where your body makes ketones), whereas adding sugar may halt that production. Some may stick with this protocol and not move up in quantity. Play around with different amounts

* Then try 15ml up to 25ml of KE4 (again, until you reach 30ml, you may not need carbs.) If you do notice a difference with 10-15ml, some may drop to 5ml to see how that works. I wouldn't start with 5ml because it may be too subtle, but you can if you feel the energy is still available.

* Tips: Don't go out faster expecting a better final result. Go out as normal as possible and then later in the practice you can increase your speed if you want.

Increase KE4, but add Carbs (Non-Keto Athlete)
As you start going up in Ketone Ester, most people will need start adding carbs, or it will drop your blood sugar too much, and you will feel flat and crash. Calculating the carb amount is tricky. For 3 grams of carbs, 1 gram of ketone ester (note the KE4 drink is HALF Ketone ester, and half water/flavoring).

Example 1:
- If you do 45 grams of Carbs an hour
- Add 10-15 grams of Ketone Ester (ie 20-30 ml of KE4)

Example 2:
- If you take 1 GU gel packet pre workout, with 18 grams of carbs
- Add 6 grams of Ketone Ester (ie 12ml of Ke4)

• Step 1: Empty Stomach. Normal dinner the night before. Start in the morning after an overnight fast, skip breakfast*. For later events, avoid food/calories for 2-4 hours. Limit food. You will not be hungry!
• Step 2: 30 Min before workout: Glucose Load (For Example: Caffeine Free GU gels. I say Caffeine free for now to limit the variables, but you can use caffeine, but know that ketone ester will multiply the caffeine effect, and possibly in a bad jittery way) (Keto athletes may consider some or all the carbs in a slow carb form like Carb Endurange Isomaltulose (as in SnakeWater) or UCAN)
• Step 3: 10 Min before Warm Up, Drink KE4.
• Step 4: Start workout within 15-20 min of warm up Light jog. Some feel worse before it kicks in.

Some athletes will ONLY take it for recovery post workout. Some use it to be able to do 2 workouts a day. As little as 5ml may be noticeable. 10-20ml would do more. As for the maximum, if you go over 20-30ml, you may consider breaking it up over 2 hours. Too much at once may lead to a ketone peak and energy crash. So try 30ml just after the workout and 30ml an hour later. It is unclear how taking it alongside a recovery drink will effect the esters efficacy. We suggest keeping the recovery drink off by 45 minutes to up to 2hr (see video from Dr. Dag).

There is a separate non-sport Sleep Protocol below.

For athletes, it can be as little as 2.5ml of KE4 (half a capful) immediately before bed. Some may like up to 10ml. Only go over 10ml after an extreme event. Such as a 6 hour bike ride. The science papers took 50ml before bed! This seems crazy. But it will help massively for next day recovery. Too much however can create a second wind (staying awake) or make for a more shallow sleep. So more is not always better.

ADD SALT!! Some people find that they cramp more. So make sure to take some general salt pills and/or Potassium Citrate.
During Workout: Add sugar free electrolytes (like Ultima) Adding a non racemic ketone salt is fine.

Game Day Adjustment. Make sure you have a 10-15 minute warm up (warm ups over 1 hour may be an issue as you are burning the fuel). Do not take KE4 10 minutes before an all out race, unless you are ok with the first 15 min being worse.

Mental Performance Protocol with Ketone Ester

• Each serving size is technically 60ml of KE4 (30 grams of Ketone Ester). Some people notice as little as 5ml (1 capful of the small bottle). So sensitive people can start at 5ml. Others can start at 10ml.
• Best on an empty stomach after an overnight fast, a couple hours after waking or when you start using your brain.
• For some, it may drop blood sugar too much. In that case if you eat breakfast, try the ester a couple hours later. You may need to go up to 15ml for males (the meal will keep blood sugar up but may require more since it is not after an overnight fast).
• More is not always better, if you take too much your blood sugar may drop too much and make you light headed, hungry and sleepy. Some will take 5ml everyevery few hours for a slow release.

Each technical serving size of KetoneAid's KE4 is 60ml (which containts 30 grams of the active ingredient, Ketone Ester). If comparing this to racemic ketone salts, this is about 6 packets/servings of salts! (Cite)

Some athletes will take as many as 2 servings (120ml of KE4) at once for a sharp rise in ketones (5-7Mm), along with carbs, for high intensity efforts (see sport protocol)..

Others, like CEOs, will skip the carbs, but take less (1 serving), looking for a sharp rise in ketones (1.5-4Mm) to maximize a 3-5 hour mental challenge (See Mental Protocol).

Others may be looking for a more "day long" sustained level of exogenous ketosis sustained 1-3Mm of Ketone Levels for "longevity" purposes.

Longevity

This takes far less per consumption. Some may find benefit with as little as 15ml of KE4, 2x a day, for 7 days (175 pound person).

Many may slowly increase up to, and prefer, 45ml of KE4, 2 or 3 times a day.

Add 50mg-99mg of Potassium Citrate per day (example)

This is not meant to be medical advice as only your doctor can give you that.

It is best to EASE INTO it. While being Keto is better, it may not be 100% required. At least avoid refined sugars, like a diabetic, low glycemic index diet will help you notice benefits.
Non-Keto/high carb people may need more than the minimums described here. Day 1-3. Only 10ml of KE4, 1x a day.

AM Drink 10ml KE4:
For a 175 pound person (adjust according to muscle weight) try as little as 10ml of KE4, (10ml of KE4, is 5g of Ketone Ester) in the morning. Either immediately upon waking or within a couple hours. Must be on an empty stomach (no breakfast, but black coffee or tea is fine. Do not mix with MCT oil).
We suggest diluting the 10ml with 20-30ml of cold water.

Test ketone blood levels. Expect "only" a rise of 0.4mM-0.8mM. Many will feel nothing at this low amount. It could take a few days to feel a slight boost in mood, energy, mental clarity, appetite suppression, and waking up more fresh.

SOME MAY PREFER TO STICK WITH THE 10ml forever.Day 4-7. 10ml of KE4, 2x a day.

AM Drink 10ml KE4:
For a 175 pound person (adjust according to weight) try as little as 15ml of KE4, (15ml of KE4, is 7.5g of Ketone Ester) in the morning on an empty stomach (no breakfast, but black coffee or tea is fine. Do not mix with MCT oil).

PM Drink 10ml KE4:
3 or 4 hours after lunch and 3 hours before dinner. Somewhere between 3-5pm. On an empty stomach.

Week #2. OPTIONAL Keep with above or increase slowly. 2x a day

AM Drink Up to 20ml KE4:
For a 175 pound person (adjust according to weight) increase up to 20ml of KE4, (20ml of KE4, is 10g of Ketone Ester) in the morning on an empty stomach (no breakfast, but black coffee or tea is fine. Do not mix with MCT oil).

PM Drink Up to 20ml KE4:
3 or 4 hours after lunch and 3 hours before dinner. Somewhere between 3-5pm. On an empty stomach.

Week #3. OPTIONAL Keep with above or increase slowly. 3x a dayThis may be completely unnecessary for most people. This is only if your goal is to sustain levels of 3-5mm throughout the day.
Take 3 servings, Up to 45ml each time (3 tablespoons).
For a 175 pound person, increase to 45ml of KE4 (22.5g of Ketone Ester) 3 times a day.

AM Drink Up to 45ml KE4:
For a 175 pound person (adjust according to weight) increase up to 45ml of KE4, (this is 22.5ml of Ketone Ester) in the morning on an empty stomach (no breakfast, but black coffee or tea is fine).
This is 3 Tablespoons.

Lunchtime Drink Up to 45mls KE4:
With lunch, drink the second consumption.

Afternoon Drink Up to 45mls KE4:
4 hours after lunch and 2 hours before dinner. Somewhere between 3-5pm. On an empty stomach. Checking Ketone levels to keep them under 5Mm. If you exceed 5Mm, reduce the intake the next day.

After 2 or 3 weeks you can increase your KE4, but do not exceed 150ml of KE4 a day (75g of Ketone Ester daily) without guidance from a doctor.

Side Effects?Some people that taketoo much can get a headache, have too low blood sugar, get hungry, sleepy. This is usually when somebody hits 6-7Mm. Keto people may need less KE4 than non-keto people. It is recommended that you add 99mg of Potassium Citrate to your diet as well if you are consuming larger quantities of KE4.

Longer video explaining why we don't recommend ANY supplements for weight loss:
Don't Buy Ketones To Lose Weight! (In the Long Run) Diets Don't Work!

Shorter video on ways you could try: Weight Loss Protocol

SERVING SIZE

Each serving size is technically 60ml of KE4 (30 grams of Ketone Ester).
For weight loss we found LESS is more. For a person 250-350 pounds take only 10ml of KE4.
For a person 125 to 200, take 5ml of KE4.

More is not better, if you take too much your blood sugar may drop too much and make you light headed, hungry and sleepy.

BETA!
Beta means we don't know how to have repeatable results with Ketone Ester for weight loss. If you join our Facebook group message board, you can see what has worked (and didn't work) for different people.

This drink will not put you "into ketosis" like other exogenous companies mislead you to believe. It will not erase a cheat day or bounce you back faster (unless you start a 1-3 day fast).

What we do know is you can't drink this and then justify going to McDonalds and think you are burning fat. Also some may grab that extra hotdog because they think this will negate that. You still have to work hard. Some prefer to be keto, while others find it too hard.

For starters, cut out the 5 deadly sins

1. Fruit! Yes, no more fruit. Yes it has antioxidants, so does Cocaine*, that doesn't make it good for you. (*I don't know that for a fact, but you get the point)
2. Sugar, obviously, sodas (including diet!!), juices (even veggie or fruit juices)
3. Rice (all grains)
4. Bread
5. Pasta
6. Fruit. Yes I said Fruit twice because this is the biggest hurdle for many people. If you REALLY want fruit buy Acai unsweetened and make a veggie smoothie from it

And if you workout like crazy, consider cutting back. Working out too hard leads to 1) justification for eating that extra whatever and 2) increased hunger that can exceed what you burned off.

Weight loss protocol 1

• Step 1: Empty Stomach. Normal dinner the night before. Drink 5-10ml of KetoneAid KE4. Ome will do it first thing in the morning (easier to remember), some will wait a few hours until they are hungry.
• Step 2: Wait at least 60 minutes, but preferably 2 hours, before eating again, or even better, skip breakfast completely

* Black Coffee is OK. No BPC.NO MCT.No bread, sugar, honey etc. No carb drinks before starting routine above.

Don't Take Ketone Ester Before Sleep without Watching this 1st

I know it sounds crazy. "Won't it keep me up". Yes... if you take too much.

Men start with just 1 capful of KE4 (or half of KE1). Women half that.

Take it immediately before bed (as in 0-10 minutes). This isn't to help you GO to bed, but to record a longer deep sleep once you are asleep.

Too much can make for a shallow sleep. But on a very short night sleep, double this amount may work.

Don't use this protocol if your baseline ketones are already super high, or you are multi day fasting.

If you go to sleep MANY hours later and plan to get HALF your normal sleep, I like to increase the amount. Even up to 25ml. This helps restore you back to your 100%, so the further you are from 100%, the more you may be able to take. It will catch up with you though, in a couple days (but the day will seem normal!)

Screen shots of Oura Ring data and deep sleep (here on Instagram)

Men take a capful of KE4 (5ml) before the flight and a capful every 2 or 3 hours.

Best if you can skip eating the entire flight.

Capful upon arrival.

Women take half that.

Here is Dr. Mercola (unpaid) ranting and raving about our ketone ester for jet lag