When I first heard the term “keto”, I thought it was a new updated version of the Atkins diet. Actually, it is not. The Keto diet is a low-carb and high fat eating plan and it seems to be all the rage right now.
The keto diet has been designed to help you lose weight while eating a lot of the foods you enjoy. It does have restrictions on the amount of carbohydrates you eat, but not so much for the protein or the fat you consume. You can eat lots of meat, eggs, cheese, and a host of other treats, without worrying about counting your calories. You also don’t have to worry about counting the fat.
If you’ve been trying to lose weight for any amount of time, you’ve certainly heard of a few low carb diets on the market today. The low carb diets that are most popular today are diets like: the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Paleo Diet, etc. The goal of being on the keto diet is something called ketosis.
Ketosis is the state in which your body uses glucose as fuel. If you are losing weight, then ketosis is helping you to burn off more calories than your body is using. Ketosis is a process that happens when your body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to burn for energy. Instead, it burns fat and makes things called ketones, which it can use for fuel.
As you may already know, many low carb diets are quite restrictive. This is because they have to be. You simply cannot go on a diet and keep eating large amounts of food that your body can’t effectively use to burn fat. So, depending on which diet you are following, restricting and watching your intake of carbs and/or fats is needed.
One reason that low carb diets are so popular is because they are fairly easy to follow. All you have to do is commit to follow the plan and watch what you eat, and you can lose weight. Many people claim that you are able to get rid of those cravings for carbohydrates and you’ll be able to burn off your fat easier.
Achieving some success while on a diet makes you feel good because you lose weight without feeling hungry which motivates you to continue. You won’t be constantly reaching for chips, candy, or cookies when you want something sweet because you know you can get the weight off if you resist.
Another advantage to a low carb diet is that that less you eat, the less you crave and you eventually don’t feel the need to indulge. There are also some very obvious physical benefits for many people – they don’t get bloated or suffer inflammation.
Being on a ketogenic diet that is restrictive might force you to reach for something sweet in order to give you a boost of energy, especially in the beginning as you go through something called the “keto flu”. If you find you must eat carbs, you can choose wisely and just have a piece of fruit or more vegetables and stick to your diet plan.
Since the ketogenic diet restricts your carb intake, initially you may have a strong desire to eat carbs and sugar because if you’ve been on a high carb (and sugar) diet, your body will crave it. The only way that you’re going to experience the carbohydrates is when you’re eating vegetables on this plan.
Truthfully, I don’t think you will find many people who are really excited to cut carbs from their diet but they are willing to do what ever it takes for the results.
Many do lose weight this weight but can you sustain this lifestyle long term?
Truth is, even if you’ve lost weight, there is no need to completely cut them out of your diet. You may want to start small, watch your serving size, slowly cut bread, then move on to the next then, then move into a low carb diet slowly as you get a little stronger.
When you’ve reached your goal and you want to incorporate carbs again, just start slow and add one item at a time to see how your weight manages with the new food items.
Now when it comes to the Keto diet, for the most part, ketosis should be a positive thing. Since it lowers your hunger, you will feel fuller faster and you’ll lose more weight when you’re at a keto state.
Which diet plan you pick depends on you and what you can live with . Give each a try and see what diet brings you results without a lot of suffering.
