Have you heard of the keto diet? It’s been getting a lot of attention recently, and with good reason—it’s an effective way to lose weight and keep it off, as well as provide long-term benefits in terms of health, energy, and weight maintenance than other diets simply can’t match. This article will explain what the keto diet is and how to get started on it, plus give you an in-depth look at some of its many potential benefits (and side effects).
Know About Carbohydrates
The keto diet involves drastically lowering your carbohydrate intake, replacing it instead
with high amounts of fat (75% of calories or more), moderate amounts of protein (20%),
and very few carbs (5%). Low-carb diets like keto can help you shed body fat
quickly but in order for them to work, you must remove all grains, legumes, sugar, and
processed foods from your diet. The only way to do that is by adopting a whole-foods
approach to eating. That means no packaged food, no fast food, and no sugary drinks.
But don’t worry: if you have a sweet tooth, there are plenty of low-carb options on keto
that won’t leave you feeling deprived! It takes time to adjust to such drastic changes, but
stick with it, and soon enough you’ll be burning fat as efficiently as ever.
Know About Fats
When it comes to low-carb diets, fats are where it's at. You need plenty of fat so that
you can feel satiated and make sure your body has enough energy for every single day.
Healthy fats like olive oil and avocados give you energy; saturated fats like butter and
lard will help keep you full; monounsaturated fats found in macadamia nuts, almonds,
pecans, peanuts, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds will improve your cholesterol levels;
and Omega 3 fatty acids found in salmon or tuna contain anti-inflammatory properties
that reduce pain and inflammation.
Know about Proteins
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carb diet that in medicine is used
primarily to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet forces the
body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, a person’s body would use
carbohydrates for fuel but on a keto diet, most of the calories are coming from fat and
protein instead. By forcing your body into these metabolic changes, you can experience
improvements in blood glucose and insulin levels and even quick weight loss results.
That being said, not everyone who wants to lose weight should start with keto as it has
many side effects and there are also more effective diets out there that are suitable for
people looking at sustainable results long term!
Eat Protein at Every Meal
Make sure you’re getting enough protein at each meal. When following a ketogenic diet,
protein intake should be roughly 30 percent of your total caloric intake. If you don’t eat
meat, eggs, seafood or dairy products, then you can use protein supplements. Be
mindful of supplements containing maltodextrin and polydextrose as they may have
some carbs in them still. Always check labels! I recommend Pro JYM by Maximum
Human Performance or Peanut Butter Powder by Progressive Nutrition.
Drink Enough Water
Hydration is crucial for weight loss, especially when it comes to shedding fat. Research
shows that being even slightly dehydrated can cause your body’s production of ghrelin
(the hunger hormone) to increase, which could lead you to eat more throughout the day.
In one study from Emory University, participants who drank eight ounces of water 30
minutes before a meal felt fuller and consumed nearly 20% fewer calories than those
who did not drink before eating. Another study from Wayne State University found that
athletes who drank two cups of water 30 minutes before their workout were able to burn
nearly twice as many calories in exercise than their non-hydrated counterparts—to say
nothing of living our more alert and energetic lives every day!
Consume Healthy Fats
One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a keto diet is that they don't
consume enough healthy fats. If you don't have enough fat in your diet, then it becomes
nearly impossible for your body to enter ketosis and get into an effective fat-burning
zone. For healthy weight loss, aim to consume around 70-80 percent of your calories
from healthy fats. You can start by making small swaps like cutting back on your refined
carbs (including sugar) and replacing them with high-quality fats. As part of a ketogenic
diet, we strongly recommend fat intake be one of 10-30 percent of daily calories in order
to provide caloric restriction and proper nutrition.
Avoid Refined Foods and Sugars
Sugar makes our hunger cravings fluctuate quickly, meaning we end up consuming
even more calories over the course of the day. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s a good
idea to monitor your intake of sugar and refined carbs; you might be surprised to learn
just how easy it is for calories to sneak into treats. For example, a glass of juice or
sweetened coffee could bump your overall calorie intake by as much as 800 calories. To
lose weight safely but quickly, switch to a sugar-free diet.
Move Around as Much as Possible
You might find you’re moving around more when you start eating keto but don’t
discount that as a way to help lose weight. When people first move onto keto they often
feel they have hit a plateau and don’t understand what is going on. There are several
reasons why you might find your weight loss has stalled if you have just started out,
or if it has been more than a week since you started. Ketosis usually takes between one
to three days to become fully adjusted in your body, meaning your weight loss will stall
during that time frame because your body is still digesting itself.
0 Comments