If you’re struggling to shed those extra pounds, you’ve probably tried a number of fad diets over the years. Most involve cutting out entire food groups or demanding that you follow a restrictive eating plan. While it is always tempting to lose weight quickly, most fad diets are unsustainable and don’t offer long-term weight loss solutions.
Recognizing the need for a healthier approach, several nutritionists have recommended the keto diet. Short for ketosis-inducing diet, this eating plan encourages the body to enter a state of ketosis, where it becomes fuel-efficient and thus easier to lose weight. As a result, many people have reported successful weight loss on a keto diet. If you’re curious about trying this trendy eating plan for yourself, here’s what you need to know.
An Introduction To The Ketogenic Diet
First things first: What is the ketogenic diet? As its name suggests, the ketogenic diet is based on ketones, which are molecules produced in the liver and in small amounts in the brain — typically when the body is in a state of ketosis. When the body isn’t in a state of ketosis, it won’t be able to use ketones as an energy source and will have to rely on carbohydrates for fuel. Most people who try the ketogenic diet experience improvements in their quality of life, as well as some physical benefits — like a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes — due to the diet’s moderate-to-severe restriction of carbohydrates and the high amount of fats consumed (generally, it’s best to avoid processed sugars).
To be in a state of ketosis, you need to maintain a keto diet and follow a few simple guidelines. First, you must keep your carbohydrate intake low, below 50 grams per day. Second, you must ensure that your protein intake is enough to maintain healthy functioning of your organs (generally, around 1 gram per kg of bodyweight). And finally, you must keep your daily fat intake above 20 grams (again, per kg of bodyweight).
With these three nutritional pillars at the center of your diet, you can be certain that you’re providing your body with all the nutrients it needs. And because your diet is tailored around your body’s needs, you’re likely to experience a more sustained weight loss than you would on a standard low-fat diet.
How Is The Keto Diet Different From Other Diets?
Although the ketogenic diet is similar to several other popular diets (like the Paleo diet, for example), it has several significant differences. For one, the ketogenic diet eliminates many foods that are considered “clean” or “healthy” — like pasta and rice, bread and white potatoes — and instead encourages you to eat lots of vegetables, fat-rich food and natural sugars. Also, the ketogenic diet restricts the amount of protein you intake, and it requires you to adopt a more plant-based approach to consuming fats (instead of just fats, you’ll also need to include nuts and seeds in your diet).
How Quickly Can You Lose Weight On The Ketogenic Diet?
It’s important to note here that the ketogenic diet is not a dieting fad — although it might initially seem that way. When you’re following the diet to its extreme, you’ll experience what’s known as keto-adaptation, during which your body changes and starts benefiting from following the ketogenic way of eating. This can cause you to lose weight quickly, even dramatically (one study noted that some participants lost more than 20 pounds in just 2 weeks). Once you’ve reached this point, you’ll be able to maintain your new, slimmer physique without having to constantly follow the extreme diet restrictions.
While this might sound like an extreme measure, the keto diet isn’t actually that far-removed from what many people consider to be a conventional diet — at least, not in terms of what it prohibits. For example, while the ketogenic diet doesn’t allow you to eat any sort of grain, it does permit you to have wine and some coffee, items that are often considered to be “healthy” in a conventional sense. And what’s more, some of the foods that the diet encourages you to eat are actually quite good for you. So, in some ways, the ketogenic diet is less restrictive than many other diets (which is one of the reasons it’s gained such popularity in recent years).
Can You Lose Weight Without Feeling Like You’re On A Fast To Starve?
One of the primary differences between the ketogenic diet and other diets is how the former encourages you to view food. Instead of focusing on calories and restricting yourself — as you would on a conventional diet — the ketogenic diet encourages you to eat until you’re satisfied and doesn’t forbid you from enjoying the foods you eat (just that you should stay within the necessary nutritional parameters). This, in turn, leads to you actually feeling fuller at any given point during the day. So, while you might lose weight quickly on the ketogenic diet, you’re also less likely to feel hungry — something that can help you maintain the weight loss.
So, in summary, the ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that restricts the amount of protein you intake and forces you to adopt a more plant-based approach to consuming fats. Once you’ve reached this point, you’ll be able to maintain your new, slimmer physique without having to constantly follow the extreme diet restrictions.