How to lose weight with the Ketogenic Diet and its benefits: The ketogenic diet, or keto diet (or Keto for short), is a low-carb, high-fat, adequate-protein, and high-fiber weight loss diet that was initially intended to mimic the effects of fasting. It is known by the scientific name – ketosis. As an example of how ketosis takes place, there are two important points in this case: fat burning and energy balance
The focus of this dietary approach is on eating foods that have been stripped of carbohydrates (usually through the use of a vegetarian or vegan keto diet) in order to reach a state of ketosis.
The ketogenic diet involves reducing your carbohydrate intake to no more than 50 grams per day. This balances the glucose levels, improves insulin sensitivity, and reduces your risk of cardiovascular and many other diseases.
Ketogenic diets have been shown to have a wide range of health benefits, including weight loss and lowering blood sugar. The diet usually requires strict carbohydrate restriction, with the aim of entering into nutritional ketosis.
How to lose weight with Ketogenic Diet
Yes, Ketogenic diets can help you to lose weight, it will help you to lose fat, preserve mass, and improve many markers of disease. Even some studies say that a ketogenic diet is more effective than a low-fat diet for weight loss, after matching the total calorie intake. It helps to improve Triglyceride and HDL ( good) cholesterol levels.
Unlike other diets, you will not feel hungry while following keto, after eating a pre-set number of calories for the day. However, it is an enjoyable and filling method of dieting. You can lose weight even without tracking calories— adhering to the keto diet is where many people fail sometimes.
Type of Ketogenic Diet
Classic Keto: This is the strictest form of keto, it requires a 4:1 ratio of fats to carbs or protein. This is a structured, personalized plan in which your diet will consist of 90% fat. Foods are usually weighed when following this plan.
Modified Keto: This is the modified version of the keto diet that is intended to be less restrictive. It is good to start if you’re new to keto, or after following classic keto for a long time and you’re trying to taper down to a more sustainable, long-term eating regimen.
Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT): This version allows for a higher protein and carb intake than classic keto or highly ketogenic man-made fats.
Modified Atkins: This dietary plan has limited carbs, while fat is encouraged and having full of Protein. Even if you consume carbs on this diet, fats should accompany them.
Intermittent Fasting: This dietary intervention launches the body into ketosis by shortening the window of time that you eat during the day. For example, you only eat during an 8-hour window of the day and fast for the other 16 hours. This makes the body burn energy from fat.
Calorie-restricted ketogenic diet
A calorie-restricted ketogenic diet is somewhat similar to a standard ketogenic diet, the only difference is calories are restricted to a set amount.
Though, research shows that ketogenic diets tend to be successful irrespective the calorie intake is restricted or not. This is because the satiating effect of eating fat and being in ketosis tends to help prevent over-eating in itself.
Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD)
The Targeted Ketogenic Diet is similar to a standard ketogenic diet the difference is here the carbohydrates are consumed around workout times.
It is a compromise between a standard ketogenic diet and a cyclical ketogenic diet because it allows you to eat carbohydrates when you exercise.
In this diet plan, the carbohydrates consumed before or after a physical effort will be processed much more efficiently, as the muscles’ demand for energy increases when we’re being active.
Health Benefits of Keto
The ketogenic diet has been used for hundreds of years to treat intractable epilepsy, aka “persistent (and often myoclonic) epileptic encephalopathies” as well as other disorders like hyperlipidemia and obesity. Several studies have been done to examine the other health benefits of ketogenic diets. Keto has been shown to offer benefits for multiple diseases.:
Heart disease: The ketogenic diet can improve cholesterol levels and reduce body fat and blood sugar levels—it helps to prevent all risk factors for heart disease.
Cancer: Keto diet is currently being used to treat cancers and slow the growth of tumors.
Alzheimer’s disease: Keto diet reduces the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or slows its advancement. Currently, research is ongoing.
Epilepsy: Researchers found that the ketogenic diet can cause a reduction in the number of seizures experienced by epileptic children.
Parkinson’s disease: A study has shown that the keto diet has cured Parkinson’s disease symptoms, though more research is needed.
Polycystic ovary syndrome: Keto can reduce insulin levels, which may play a role in treating polycystic ovary syndrome.
Brain injuries: A study conducted on animals found that keto can aid in concussion recovery and post-brain injury recovery.
Acne: It helps improve acne and reduce its frequency of breakouts.
Diabetes: Keto diet can increase insulin sensitivity and fat loss, which can benefit people suffering from type 2 diabetes or prediabetes
Ketosis Symptoms and Side Effects
In the first week or 10 days of a keto diet, you might start to feel bad about the change of diet. You can call this the “keto flu,” but it isn’t an official medical condition. Some people say this is because of sugar and carbohydrate withdrawal from your regular diet. Or it could be due to the changes in your good bacteria or an immune system reaction. You may also notice some temporary side effects such as:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Irritability
- Constipation
- Trouble sleeping
- Nausea
- Stomachache
- Dizziness
- Sugar cravings
- Cramps
- Sore muscles
- Bad breath, also known as ketosis breath
Conclusions:
The ketogenic diet can have health benefits mainly for those with obesity, those who are trying to control blood sugar levels, and for those people suffering from epilepsy. However, you should always discuss this with doctors or healthcare professionals before starting the keto diet plan as it may come with health risks also. If you don’t carefully manage what you eat, you may miss out on some important nutrients. Always remember before starting any diet, you should consider whether you actually need that kind of diet, so consult with dieticians or health professionals.
You may also like to read- The Benefits of Honey | Know how to consume for a great result