What Is It?
Keto is short for ketogenic which means a strict low-carb dietary intake to minimize the sugars in the body. Eating a high carb diet means that your body produces high amounts of glucose and therefore insulin. Your body takes this sugar to transform it into energy that it needs to function. When the body takes sugars to produce energy, it doesn’t consume the fat and therefore stores it.
Who likes to store fat, right?
By eating a low carb diet, you will be putting your body through the process of ketosis. This is when the body feels deprived of certain elements and subsequently produces ketones from the breakdown of the fats in the liver. It will consume the fats because there are no sugars to use, eliminating excesses that can cause weight fluctuations.
Following a Keto Diet does not mean starving your body of essential nutrients and calories. By cutting high carb foods, your body will go into the metabolic state to burn fats instead of sugars. This offers your body the chance to lose weight by removing excess fats.
Pros
Obviously, the biggest pro to the keto diet is weight loss, but it also has other benefits.
Weight Loss
Being on a keto diet, your body will use your body fat first to produce energy. It will automatically decrease your insulin levels which helps in the fat burning process.
Clearer Skin
The keto diet is used by acne sufferers and is proven to help clear the skin of problematic breakouts.
Cures and Prevents Some Illnesses
Some studies have shown that following a Keto Diet can help prevent some cancers and it has been proven to help decrease epileptic symptoms.
Cons
Not for Long-term
A Keto Diet should not exceed the recommended 12-week course. Depriving your body of carbs for a long period of time will send signals to the body to go into starvation mode. This can actually have opposite effects and make you gain weight.
Adaptation Period
Starting a Keto Diet is difficult and the body sometimes has adverse reactions. In the beginning. you may experience flu-like symptoms that diminish over time as your body adapts to your new way of eating.
Food Limitation
A Keto Diet is very restrictive in food variety. Many foods categories are completely forbidden while on the diet.
Exercise and the Keto Diet
Following a strict Keto Diet may decrease your performance level and therefore your exercise regimen should be revised for the time you are on the Keto Diet. Your energy levels will fluctuate throughout the course of the diet and your body will provide you clues as to how much strenuous exercise you can or cannot do.
Come in and talk to a professional at Pinnacle Fitness to get more information about the Keto Diet and how you can successfully apply it to your lifestyle and fitness program.