Why has the keto diet exploded? I believe it is for the same reasons why the South Beach, Atkins, Whole 30, Paleo, and many others swept through our scope of interest. If you want to lose weight, specifically body fat, the allure of a diet is hard to resist. How can we ignore the promise of weight loss, specifically body fat loss?
Earlier this year I gave Keto a shot. Due to their higher carb count, I wasn’t a big fan of cutting out fruits and some vegetables. This is the reason I eventually stopped. I found myself eating too much eggs, cheese, and red meats.
The Keto diet did bring with it an educational experience. I learned that I have no need for bread, pasta, rice, and other high carb foods. I now follow a ‘keto-ish’ diet. My macronutrient levels (total calorie consumption percentage distribution) look more like this:
- Carbs: 20-30%
- Fat: 35-45%
- Protein: 25-35%
I personally love the modifications I have made. This means I allow myself to eat all the fruit and veggies I want. I also do not consume much animal protein. It has resulted in better sleep, sharp cognitive response (my brain functions at a higher level), and I can push myself as hard as I possibly can in the gym six days a week. I love my new dietary pattern!!
Let’s answer the following three questions:
- What is the keto diet?
- How does it work?
- Does it work?
There are various ketogenic diets. For simplicity purposes we are going to focus on the ‘standard keto’ which calls for an intake of 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs.
Keto 101
The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that lays claim to many health benefits. Studies found that it can help with weight loss, and fight diabetes, brain cancer, alzheimer’s, and epilepsy. The end goal of the keto diet is to get the body into a state known as ‘ketosis’. Ketosis means your body is in ‘survival mode’. What does your body do when it is in ‘survival mode’? It utilizes fat as it’s main fuel source. Your body basically turn on its fat burning switch.
How can you reach a state of ketosis?
Here are seven tips, courtesy of Healthline.com to get your body into a state of ketosis:
- Minimize Your Carb Consumption.
- Include Coconut Oil in Your Diet.
- Increase your weekly *intentional physical activity.
- *I define “intentional physical activity” as: a premeditated commitment to devote yourself completely to exercising for predetermined period of time.
- This could be walking for 20 minutes, lifting weights for 45 minutes, or or playing tennis for 90 minutes. Regardless of what the activity is, you are pushing yourself physically for an period of time free of disruptions.
- Increase Your Healthy Fat Intake.
- avocados, fatty fish (salmon, trout, sardines, herring), almonds, walnuts, olive/coconut oils, ect.
- Try a Short Fast.
- Intermittent fasting (ie: fasting for 16 hours daily (8pm-12pm the next day or 24 hours twice a week).
- Maintain Adequate Protein Intake.
- multiply your ideal body weight in pounds by 0.55 to 0.77 .
- Test Ketone Levels.
- you can test your ketonic level using fairly inexpensive ketone urine strips.
The keto diet seems great for anyone trying to improve their health. If you follow it, odds are you will experience body fat loss. I wouldn’t recommend trying it without consulting your doctor first, just to be on the safe side. There is an alarming reason. Many people who try the keto diet experience a massive increase in their cholesterol levels.
General rule of thumb. Before you go all-in on a new lifestyle, whether it’s drastically changing your physical activity levels or dietary patterns, consult with a doctor or someone who has experience helping people make successful lifestyle adjustments.
If you have thoughts or questions, shoot me a private message.