You may have recently heard about a ketogenic diet, but aren't exactly sure what it's all about. Over the past several years it has gained widespread popularity among people the fitness industry and is now becoming even more common with people trying to get healthier, lose weight, or a combination of both. The number of success stories from people on a ketogenic diet has climbed, but some remain skeptical. It has become especially controversial over the past year and many have speculated it's nothing more than an Atkins diet. Is it like the Atkins diet? Not exactly.
What is a Ketogenic Diet?
Before I dive into the details of why I started a ketogenic diet, allow me to explain a basic understanding of a ketogenic diet. The diet consists of modifying your macronutrients which are fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Ideally, the focus is to consume a high amount of fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrates. The amount of percentages for each macronutrient may vary for each person depending on the type of lifestyle they live, but generally it will consist of approximately 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbohydrates from calories.
Maintaining a high consumption of fat can prove to be difficult as many people have what I refer to as a "fat phobia." Mentally understanding the concept of why anyone would want to consume incredibly large amounts of fat can be quite difficult to comprehend after living a low-fat lifestyle. Why would you want to consume extra fat? The simple answer is that fat is used as energy as opposed to carbohydrates. If you follow a standard American diet which includes consuming carbohydrates, your body will utilize carbohydrates for glucose to provide the necessary amounts of energy needed throughout the day. On a ketogenic diet, fat sources are utilized for energy and the need for carbohydrates isn't the same. Throughout the process of utilizing fat for fuel, the body will produce ketones. Ketones are created when glucose is low and fat stores are utilized for energy. If you consume too many carbohydrates, your body won't be able to effectively create ketones and the likelihood of being in a state of ketosis or becoming fat adapted is slim to none. Essentially, everyone on a ketogenic diet would like to become fat adapted and that will only occur after the body has been in a state of ketosis for quite some time.
What Can I Eat?
Although a ketogenic diet may seem very restrictive, the variety of foods available can be more satisfying than other types of diets. Some of the typical types of foods permitted on a ketogenic diet are:
Avocados
Bacon
Beef
Cheese
Coconut oil
Eggs
Nuts
The key to determining what you can eat on a ketogenic diet is to be aware of how your body reacts to food. For example, if you suffer from lactose intolerance, it may not be beneficial for you to consume cheese. Additionally, being mindful of the amount of carbohydrates in your food choices is essential to the success of a ketogenic diet. One example of a popular food on a ketogenic diet with a large amount of carbohydrates is nuts. Nuts are notorious for providing an ideal amount of fat, but also generally have a high amount of carbohydrates.
What Will I Have to Give Up?
Unfortunately, many of the things people consume aren't allowed on a typical ketogenic diet. It is recommended to avoid:
Fruit
Grains
Honey
Processed foods
Soda
Starch
Sugar
Each of the items listed will hinder results of a ketogenic diet as they will promote the body to continue to rely on glucose for energy. It is important to remove anything from your diet which may cause your body to refuel with glucose as it will prevent a state of ketosis from occurring and becoming truly fat adapted.
What Are the Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet?
I think it goes without saying there has to be a good reason to give up a standard American diet. The thought of avoiding certain foods doesn't seem appealing to most people and trying to break old habits can be very difficult. Some of the potential benefits of a ketogenic diet are:
Clearer skin
Decreased inflammation
Healthier hair
Increased energy
Lack of hunger
Mental clarity
Weight loss
I've only listed some of the benefits of a ketogenic diet that I have personally experienced, but there are many more.
What Are the Potential Downsides?
Like anything else in life, there are pros and cons to a ketogenic diet. It's only fair to list the potential unfavorable outcomes of a ketogenic diet which are:
Constipation
Fainting
Hair loss
Headaches
Heart Palpitations
Muscle cramps
Strength loss
I have been fortunate enough not to experience many of the items listed, but people have reached out to me with their own concerns while on a ketogenic diet. It's very important to know your body. Please keep in mind the ketogenic diet may not work for everyone.
Living a Ketogenic Lifestyle
In 2016, I discovered two of my friends had been on ketogenic diets and one lost an incredible 200 pounds. I became fascinated, especially after finding out it was possible to lose weight by eating bacon. While losing weight sounded great, I was more interested in the aspect that a ketogenic lifestyle could potentially reduce inflammation throughout my entire body. After I competed in my figure competition in June 2015, I struggled relentlessly with consuming any type of carbohydrates or sugar. If I consumed anything with carbohydrates or sugar, I would experience a myriad of effects from bloating, edema, pain throughout my entire body, and severe amounts of brain fog. In an attempt to find a resolution to my problem, I would try to cycle the types of carbohydrates and sugar I ate including brown rice, fruit, oatmeal, pasta, sweet potatoes, wheat bread, white bread, white potatoes, white rice, and many others, but it all resulted the same way. I became my own expert scientist and would test my body by consuming different amounts of carbohydrates and sugar. Unfortunately, it appeared I wouldn't be able to consume the foods I had once loved without experiencing some form of reaction. I feared I had developed insulin resistance and decided to start my ketogenic lifestyle in January 2017.
What I Learned on My Journey
From the beginning of my ketogenic diet which turned into a ketogenic lifestyle, I planned on documenting my journey on YouTube. Regardless of the outcome, I wanted to share my results with everyone in attempt to help others. Throughout the entire journey, I learned many different things that proved to be quite valuable to me and I shared them in my YouTube videos. For example, I never realized how crucial electrolytes were to the body until during my first week of transitioning to a ketogenic lifestyle I almost fainted on the train after work. Experiences like that helped me realize how important it is to listen to our bodies.
As I have explained several times in my YouTube videos and previously in this blog, it's essential to listen to your body. Every person is different and dietary needs will vary. What may work for me, may not work for you. If you're currently on a ketogenic diet and feel as though the cons are outweighing the pros, it may be time to modify what you're doing. Ketogenic diets are highly individual and it would be difficult to create one plan for a large amount of people. If you're interested in learning more about a ketogenic diet, feel free to check out my YouTube channel and don't forget to subscribe to see future YouTube videos.