From fad diets to workout programs, we’ve all tried at least a few different ways to lose that weight quick. If you’re like me, most things work less effectively than we wished they would… and so here we are, onto the next big attempt. Now that we’re entering the warm summer months, our swimsuits are reminding us of our weight loss goals.
What better way to dive right in than to try the trendy but widely successful Keto diet? Even The Kardashians and other celebrities have found success with the diet, which uses science and biology to “hack” our metabolism.
What Is Keto Exactly?
The Keto diet isn’t exactly what you normally would think of when doing a diet. It’s not about restriction or even calorie counting, those though methods are often paired along with the concept of the keto diet for the best results.
Simply put, the keto diet is where you limit your carb intake and up the number of healthy fats you eat in order to send your body into a state of ketosis, which burns off fat as fuel. Without lots of carbs to break down, the body creates ketones to feed your brain and body, and ketones are made out of your fat cells. You will be constantly burning fat, losing weight, and staying healthy while doing so.
Yeah, it’s pretty simple! The way I like to think about it is you’re tricking your body into doing all the hard work for you. This metabolic state is the quickest, most effective way to burn off those extra pounds and you don’t even have to exercise as much as you would on a different diet.
The best part? You can eat as much as you want, as long as you avoid all carbs!
How Does The Keto Diet Work?
Most diets fail because you feel hungry or sluggish, or because you’re required to work out a ton. Yoga is a good way to ease into working out as it has many physical and psychological benefits. For me, I hate being hungry. I love snacking, I just can’t help it. Keto does restrict some things, but it doesn’t do a lot of it. By keeping your carb intake between 20-50 grams a day, you’ll stay in a state of ketosis, and your metabolism will keep running on high-speed helping you lose weight.
I may have lost you at this point! Carbs are life, trust me, I know. We love our potatoes and our bread, and pasta was admittedly a hard thing to give up on the keto diet. In all honesty, once you get into the groove, it’s not difficult and I found myself less hungry, so I didn’t miss those high-carb foods I once craved.
Keto diet works because it doesn’t starve you, and it doesn’t cut out hundreds of food favorites. You know you can even eat bacon on the keto diet! Find me one other diet that allows that and I’ll sign up.
On a high-fat diet like keto, you are giving your body everything it needs to stay strong and healthy while keeping those pesky fat stores wide open for burning off. 75% of the energy your body will use should be fats, and this sort of dietary flexibility is what makes keto such a successful diet for anyone.
The Benefits Of Keto
Obviously, weight loss is the most celebrated benefit of the keto diet, but it’s not the only one. In addition to quick weight loss, many on keto mentioned that their energy levels are improved, they focus better, and see a lot more productivity in their lives.
I believe this has something to do with our blood sugar. Carbs break down easily into our blood sugar, and it’s harder to think and be alert when you have high insulin levels. Too many carbs make you groggy and lethargic, and since carbs ultimately don’t exist in a keto diet, you’re removing the problem entirely.
Plus, keto diets force you to be mindful of what you’re eating. You’re cutting out a lot of processed and sugary foods, so your genuine health will improve also. This can include heart problems, digestive issues, and other miracles pains that seem to be cured when on keto.
Are The Results Of Keto Worth it?
If you think you can part with spaghetti and french fries, then yes, absolutely. Keto is worth the trouble because the results are guaranteed if you follow the diet correctly. It’s literally just science and proven methods about how the body works and how we use fuel and burn fat. The only way to not lose weight and reap the benefits of keto is to cheat a lot with the carb intake and boot your body out of ketosis.
Can Keto Be Dangerous?
Not everyone can make use of the keto diet, unfortunately. Some pre-existing health conditions make keto dangerous, such as diabetes. Insulin medication and the concept of keto don’t mix, so you won’t get the small, or even good, results if you try to do the keto diet as a diabetic.
Another potentially harmful group of people is those who breastfeed. Your body needs lots of extra fuel, and sometimes you can’t eat as much of the fat you need to stay healthy enough to produce the milk for your child. If you’re breastfeeding, carbs are very important for you and the baby, so wait until they’re off of the boob and onto some solids before starting keto.
Getting Started With The Keto Diet
As long as you’re not a diabetic or breastfeeding mother, keto is a great diet to start when you want to transform your eating habits and get into shape! Following a low-carb, high-fat diet is fairly easy, and with all the resources available online including meal plans and recipes, you’ll have no trouble diving right in.
The important thing to remember is that you need to stay under 50 grams daily when it comes to eating carbs because you can get your body out of ketosis quick. Then, all your hard work was for nothing! Good luck and happy dieting.