There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the keto diet may or may not work for you depending on your individual body composition and metabolism. However, many people have found success with this diet by following its principles closely.
The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that triggers your body to burn stored fat instead of glucose for energy. By reducing your intake of carbohydrates, the keto diet forces your body into a state of ketosis, where it begins to break down fat cells for energy.
Although the keto diet can be challenging to follow at first, it may be worth giving it a try if you’re looking for a healthy, sustainable way to lose weight. Just be sure to speak with your doctor before making any changes to your diet.
So what exactly is a keto diet and how does it work? Let us get into these details right away!
What Is Keto Diet?
Keto Diet refers to a way of eating that focuses on manipulating the body’s metabolism by limiting carbohydrate intake. The keto diet forces your body to burn fat for energy instead of glucose when sugar isn’t present in abundance in the blood.
The goal of the keto diet is to start producing ketone bodies to be used as energy inside the body’s cells. This state is called ketosis and it happens when the body doesn’t have enough glucose for energy so it starts breaking down fat stores to convert them into ketones.
The keto diet typically contains 70-75% of calories from fat, 20-25% of calories from protein, and 5-10% of calories from carbs. This breakdown promotes ketosis in your body, causing you to burn fat instead of glucose for fuel.
There are many different kinds of low-carbohydrate diets, but the most popular is called “ketogenic.” On this diet, you eat very little carbohydrates and no more than 20 grams (g) of net carbs (including fiber) a day.
How Does Keto Diet Work?
The keto diet works by depleting the body of glucose, which is its main energy source. When you consume foods that are high in carbohydrates, your body breaks these sugars down into glucose so it can be used for energy.
However, on the keto diet, you severely limit the amount of carbs you eat, so there’s no excess glucose to be stored as fat. This forces your body to burn its stored fat cells for energy instead of glucose. As an added bonus, this will help reduce inflammation and promote weight loss.
According to various keto trim reviews, people lose a lot of water weight when they first start the keto diet due to glycogen depletion. This is because your body stores glycogen in the liver and muscles, and when you reduce your carbohydrate intake, your body starts to break down these glycogen stores. Glycogen holds onto water, so when it’s depleted, the water weight goes with it.
Although you may initially lose a lot of weight on the keto diet, this is mainly due to lost water weight and muscle mass. This doesn’t mean that the keto diet isn’t effective at all, as you’re still taking in fewer calories than you would on a regular diet.
The keto diet has been shown to help with weight loss, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improve insulin sensitivity, which helps control blood sugar levels.
How to Follow Keto Diet?
It’s important for you to know that the keto diet does not allow you to eat whatever types of foods you desire, as carbohydrate intake is severely limited. You want to ensure that your body gets enough protein and fat on this diet, but these nutrients should only make up about 20-25% of your total daily calories.
You want to eat low-carbohydrate vegetables, high-fat meats, fish, eggs, cheese and healthy fats like avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil. A big no-no on the keto diet is any processed food or junk food, including bread, cheese puffs, crackers and muffins.
The biggest tip to remember when following the keto diet is to make sure you drink enough water and monitor your electrolytes. You should eat foods that are high in potassium like leafy greens and avocado, and eat foods rich in sodium like celery and cucumber to make up for the lack of salt on this diet.
Is Keto Diet Effective?
The keto diet is effective for weight loss, as it forces your body to burn stored fat cells for energy. However, it’s not a “magic bullet” and you will still need to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly to see results.
People also report lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improved insulin sensitivity on the keto diet. However, long-term studies on the keto diet are lacking, so it’s hard to say for sure whether or not this diet is safe and effective in the long run.
If you’re interested in trying the keto diet, speak with your doctor to make sure it’s right for you. Then, consult a registered dietitian to help you create a meal plan that fits your needs.