In the goal to loose weight and get in shape, two components are necessary – diet and exercise. On the diet side, there are quite a few diet plans out there, and one of the most recent popular diets today is the Keto Diet. But, what is a Keto Diet, and should you consider it over other diet plans?
First, to make things easy, let’s define what a keto diet is. Keto is short for “ketogenic”, a term that describes a low-carb diet. The idea behind the keto diet, is to cut back on carbs, and to get the majority of your daily calories from protein and fats. Considering how prevalent carbs are in today’s Western diet (think sugar, soda, breads, etc.), and carbohydrates are easy to overdo in your meal plan, cutting back on the one type of fuel that your body likes to store, rather than use, is the idea behind the keto diet.
When you eat carbs, your body converts them easily to sugar, which hits your blood stream. That sugar then gets carried to your muscles as an easy-to-use fuel. When you eat less than 50 grams of carbs per day, your body runs out of blood sugar that it can use quickly. This takes about 3-4 days, after which, your body will turn to other sources for fuel for your body. And, what are those other fuel stores? Fat and protein. This process is called ketosis. In order to keep your body from taking protein from your muscles, this is why the keto diet is high on protein.
A keto diet may help endurance athletes, like runners and cyclists. Over time, a keto diet may your muscle-to-fat ratio while also raising the amount of oxygen your body is able to use when it’s working hard. But even though it might help in training, it may not work as well as other diets for peak performance.
In terms of what foods you should consider for your diet plan, as well as some good recipe resources, try the following:
- Find out how much weight you can lose with Keto diet
- Keto 28 Day Meal Plan
- A Ketogenic Diet for Beginners:
There are some potential side effects of this type of diet. For example, you might have constipation, some low blood sugar, or indigestion. Much less often, low-carb diets can lead to kidney stones or high levels of acid in your body (acidosis). Other side effects can include the “keto flu,” which may include headache, weakness, and irritability; bad breath; and fatigue.
Additionally, when your body burns its fat stores, it can be hard on your kidneys. If you’re obese because of other health issues you’re likely to have, like diabetes, a heart condition, or high blood pressure, make diet changes slowly and only with the guidance of your doctor.
Keep in mind that a keto diet is a short term diet. So, it’s best that you talk to your doctor before starting on a keto diet, just to make sure you’re aware of not only any potential health risks based on your own medical history. But, with a keto diet, you’ll most likely loose weight faster than other diet plans, as it takes more energy for your body to convert fats and proteins to fuel, then it does carbohydrates.
A keto diet may be the perfect diet component for your weight loss plan, and when combined with exercise, you’ll find yourself with the body you’ve always dreamed of. And, when it comes to home exercise equipment, Fitness 4 Home Superstore can help you find the perfect type of home fitness equipment for your workouts. Stop into any of our three Phoenix-area stores today to find cardio equipment, strength training equipment, and fitness accessories today!
