Keto diet. What is the keto diet? In simple terms, it is when you trick your body into using your BODYFAT because it is the main source of energy rather than carbohydrates. The keto diet is a very popular way to lose fat quickly and efficiently.
The science behind it
To get your body into a ketogenic state, you should eat a diet high in fat, low in protein and devoid of carbs or barely. The ratio should be about 80% fat and 20% protein. This will be the guideline for the first two days. Once you reach a ketogenic state, you will have to increase your protein intake and decrease your fat, and the ratio will be about 65% fat, 30% protein and 5% carbs. Protein is increased to spare muscle tissue. When your body eats carbs, it causes an insulin spike, which means your pancreas releases insulin (helps store glycogen, amino acids, and extra calories as fat) so common sense tells us that if we eliminate carbs, insulin won't store excess calories as fat. excellent.
Now that your body does not have carbohydrates as an energy source, your body must find a new source. fat. This works perfectly if you want to lose body fat. The body breaks down body fat and uses it as energy instead of carbohydrates. This state is called ketosis. This is the state you want your body to be in, it makes perfect sense if you want to lose body fat while maintaining muscle.
Now we move on to the diet part and how to plan it. You will need to eat at least a gram of protein per pound of LEAN MASS. This will help in recovery and repair of muscle tissue after workouts etc. Remember the ratio? 65% fat and 30% protein. Well, if you weigh 150 pounds of lean mass, that means 150 grams of protein per day. X4 (the amount of calories per gram of protein) i.e. 600 calories. The rest of the calories should come from fat. If your calorie maintenance is 3000 you should eat about 500 calories less which means if you need 2500 calories per day then about 1900 calories should come from fat! You must eat fats to provide your body with energy which in turn will also burn body fat! This is the rule of this diet, you must eat fat! The advantage of eating dietary fat and the keto diet is that you won't feel hungry. Fat digestion is slow, which is good for you and helps you feel full.
You'll do this on Monday-Friday and then "carb" on the weekend. After your last workout on Friday that's when the carbs kick in. You should take liquid carbohydrates with your whey after your workout. This helps create a spike in insulin and helps get the nutrients your body desperately needs for muscle repair and growth and replenish glycogen stores. During this phase (carbs) eat whatever you want - pizza, pasta, chips, ice cream. Any thing. This will be beneficial for you as it will refuel your body for the next week as well as restore your body's nutrient needs. As soon as Sunday kicks off, switch back to a moderate high-fat carb-free, moderate protein diet. Keeping your body in ketosis and burning fat for energy is the perfect solution.
Another advantage of ketosis is that once you get into a state of ketosis and burn fat, your body will be depleted of carbohydrates. Once you eat the carbs, you'll look as full as ever (with less body fat!) which is perfect for those weekend getaways when you go to the beach or party!
Now let's summarize the diet.
You must enter ketosis by eliminating carbohydrates from the diet with a moderate high fat/low protein intake.
You should be eating fiber of some sort to keep your tubes as clear as ever if you know what I mean.
Protein intake at least once in ketosis should be as much as a gram of protein per pound of lean mass.
-That's pretty much it! It takes a dedication to not eat carbs all week because a lot of foods contain carbs, but remember that you will be greatly rewarded for your dedication. You shouldn't stay in ketosis for weeks on end because it's dangerous and your body will end up using protein as a fuel source which is not acceptable. Hope it helped and good luck dieting!
The science behind it
To get your body into a ketogenic state, you should eat a diet high in fat, low in protein and devoid of carbs or barely. The ratio should be about 80% fat and 20% protein. This will be the guideline for the first two days. Once you reach a ketogenic state, you will have to increase your protein intake and decrease your fat, and the ratio will be about 65% fat, 30% protein and 5% carbs. Protein is increased to spare muscle tissue. When your body eats carbs, it causes an insulin spike, which means your pancreas releases insulin (helps store glycogen, amino acids, and extra calories as fat) so common sense tells us that if we eliminate carbs, insulin won't store excess calories as fat. excellent.
Now that your body does not have carbohydrates as an energy source, your body must find a new source. fat. This works perfectly if you want to lose body fat. The body breaks down body fat and uses it as energy instead of carbohydrates. This state is called ketosis. This is the state you want your body to be in, it makes perfect sense if you want to lose body fat while maintaining muscle.
Now we move on to the diet part and how to plan it. You will need to eat at least a gram of protein per pound of LEAN MASS. This will help in recovery and repair of muscle tissue after workouts etc. Remember the ratio? 65% fat and 30% protein. Well, if you weigh 150 pounds of lean mass, that means 150 grams of protein per day. X4 (the amount of calories per gram of protein) i.e. 600 calories. The rest of the calories should come from fat. If your calorie maintenance is 3000 you should eat about 500 calories less which means if you need 2500 calories per day then about 1900 calories should come from fat! You must eat fats to provide your body with energy which in turn will also burn body fat! This is the rule of this diet, you must eat fat! The advantage of eating dietary fat and the keto diet is that you won't feel hungry. Fat digestion is slow, which is good for you and helps you feel full.
You'll do this on Monday-Friday and then "carb" on the weekend. After your last workout on Friday that's when the carbs kick in. You should take liquid carbohydrates with your whey after your workout. This helps create a spike in insulin and helps get the nutrients your body desperately needs for muscle repair and growth and replenish glycogen stores. During this phase (carbs) eat whatever you want - pizza, pasta, chips, ice cream. Any thing. This will be beneficial for you as it will refuel your body for the next week as well as restore your body's nutrient needs. As soon as Sunday kicks off, switch back to a moderate high-fat carb-free, moderate protein diet. Keeping your body in ketosis and burning fat for energy is the perfect solution.
Another advantage of ketosis is that once you get into a state of ketosis and burn fat, your body will be depleted of carbohydrates. Once you eat the carbs, you'll look as full as ever (with less body fat!) which is perfect for those weekend getaways when you go to the beach or party!
Now let's summarize the diet.
You must enter ketosis by eliminating carbohydrates from the diet with a moderate high fat/low protein intake.
You should be eating fiber of some sort to keep your tubes as clear as ever if you know what I mean.
Protein intake at least once in ketosis should be as much as a gram of protein per pound of lean mass.
-That's pretty much it! It takes a dedication to not eat carbs all week because a lot of foods contain carbs, but remember that you will be greatly rewarded for your dedication. You shouldn't stay in ketosis for weeks on end because it's dangerous and your body will end up using protein as a fuel source which is not acceptable. Hope it helped and good luck dieting!
