The Truth Ketogenic Diets (more specifically Cyclic Ketogenic Diets) are the most effective diets for achieving rapid, ultra low bodyfat levels with maximum muscle retention! Now, as with all such general statements there are circumstantial exceptions. But done right - which they rarely are - the fat loss achievable on a ketogenic diet is nothing short of staggering! And, despite what people might tell you, you will also enjoy incredible high energy and overall sense of well being. ™ The Perception Despite these promises, more bodybuilders/shapers have had negative experiences than have seen positive results. The main criticisms are: All of these criticisms result from a failure to heed the caveat above: Ketogenic Diets must be done right! It must be realised that they are an entirely unique metabolic modality that adheres to none of the previously accepted 'rules' of dieting. And there is no going half-way; 50 grams of carbs per day plus high protein intake is NOT ketogenic! So how are ketogenic diets 'done right'? Lets quickly look at how they work. Overview of Ketosis Simply, our body, organs, muscles and brain can use either glucose or ketones for fuel. It is the function of the liver and pancreas (primarily) to regulate that fuel supply and they show a strong bias toward sticking with glucose. Glucose is the 'preferred' fuel because it is derived in abundance from the diet and readily available readily from liver and muscle stores. Ketones have to be deliberately synthesised by the liver; but the liver can easily synthesise glucose (a process known as 'gluconeogenesis' that uses amino acids (protein) or other metabolic intermediaries) too. We don't get beta hydroxybutyrate, acetone, or acetoacetate (ketones) from the diet. The liver synthesises them only under duress; as a last measure in conditions of severe glucose deprivation like starvation. For the liver to be convinced that ketones are the order of the day, several conditions must be met: At this point it is important to mention that it is not actually a question of being 'in' or 'out' of ketosis; we don't either totally run on ketones, or not. It is a gradual and careful transition so that the brain is constantly and evenly fuelled... ideally. Ketones SHOULD be produced in small amounts from blood glucose levels of about 60mg/dl. We consider ourselves in ketosis when there are greater concentrations of ketones than glucose in the blood. The reality is that most people - especially weight trainers - have had a regular intake of glucose for a good couple of decades, at least. The liver is perfectly capable of producing ketones but the highly efficient gluconeogenic pathways are able to maintain low-normal blood glucose above the ketogenic threshold. Couple this with the fact that many people are at least partially insulin resistant and have elevated fasting insulin (upper end of the normal range, anyway). The small amount of blood glucose from gluconeogenesis induces sufficient insulin release to blunt glucagon output and the production of ketones. Sudden glucose deprivation will have the consequence, initially, of lethargy, hunger, weakness etc in most people - until ketosis is achieved. And Ketosis will not be reached until the liver is forced to quit with gluconeogenesis and start producing ketones. As long as dietary protein is sufficient then the liver will continue to produce glucose and not ketones. That's why no carb, high protein diets are NOT ketogenic. Whats So Great About Ketosis Anyway? When the body switches over to running primarily on ketones a number of very cool things happen: Basically, when we are in ketosis our body is using fat (ketones) to fuel everything. As such, we aren't breaking down muscle to provide glucose. That is, muscle is being spared because it has nothing to offer; fat is all the body needs (well, to a large extent). For the dieter this means substantially less muscle loss than what is achievable on any other diet. Make sense? As a bonus, ketones yield only 7 calories per gram. This is higher than the equal mass of glucose but substantially less (22%, in fact) than the 9 calorie gram of fat from whence it came. We like metabolic inefficiencies like this. They mean we can eat more but the body doesn't get the calories. Even cooler is that ketones cannot be turned back into fatty acids; the body excretes any excess in the urine! Speaking of which, there will be quite a bit of urine; the drop in muscle glycogen, low Insulin and low aldosterone all equate to massive excretion of 50 grams of carbs a day intra and extracellular fluid. For us that means hard, defined muscularity and quick, visible results. Regarding energy, our brain actually REALLY likes ketones so we tend to feel fantastic in ketosis - clear headed, alert and positive. And because there is never a shortage of fat to supply ketones, energy is high all the time. Usually you even sleep less and wake feeling more refreshed when in ketosis. Doing it Right From whats said above you will realise that to get into ketosis: With low insulin (due to zero carbs) and calories at, or below maintenance, the dietary fat cannot be deposited in adipose tissues. The low-ish protein means that gluconeogenesis will quickly prove inadequate to maintain blood glucose and, whether the body likes it or not, there is still all the damned fat to burn. And burn it does. The high dietary fat is oxidised for cellular energy in the normal fashion but winds up generating quantities of Acetyl-CoA that exceed the capacity of the TCA cycle. The significant result is ketogenesis - synthesis of ketones from the excess Acetyl-CoA. In more lay terms: the high fat intake ''forces'' ketosis upon the body. This is how its 'done right'. Now you just have to throw out what you thought was true about fats. Firstly, fat does not ''make you fat''. Most of the information about the evils of saturated fats, in particular, is so disproportionate or plain wrong anyway; on a ketogenic diet it is doubly inapplicable. Saturated fats make ketosis fly. And don''t worry; your heart will be better than fine and your insulin sensitivity will NOT be reduced (there is no insulin around in the first place)! Once in ketosis it is not necessary, technically speaking, to maintain absolute zero carbs or low protein. But it is still better if you want to reap the greatest rewards. Besides, assuming you are training hard, you will still want to follow a cyclic ketogenic diet where you get to eat all your carbs, fruit and whatever else, every 1-2 weeks, anyway (more on this in another article). Don't be mistaken; 'done right' does not make ketogenic dieting easy or fun for the culinary acrobats among you. They are probably the most restrictive diets you can use and not an option if you don't love animal products. Get out your nutritional almanac and work out an 20:0:80 diet. Yeah, its boring. As an example, your writers daily ketogenic diet is 3100 Calories at 25:0.5:74.5 from only: 10 xxl Whole Eggs 160ml Pure Cream (40% fat) 400g Mince (15% fat) 60ml Flaxseed Oil 30g Whey Protein Isolate Supplementation? There are a number of supplements that assist in making Ketogenic diets more effective. However, many popular supplements would be wasted. Here is an overview of the main ones: Conclusion Ketogenic diets offer a host of unique benefits that cannot be ignored if you are chasing the ultimate, low bodyfat figure or physique. However, they are not the most user friendly of diets and any 'middle ground' compromise you might prefer will be just the worst of all worlds. Your choice is to do them right or not at all. There is no exact reply to "how many carbs per day to lose weight." There are a whole host of variables affecting each individual's ideal intake of carbs. The list of factors is too extensive to give here but the main ones to consider are genes, age, sex, height and weight and your daily level of activity. The last factor is particularly significant because the greater our level of activity is the more we need carbs and the more flexibility we can have in our diet. As more and more of us become overweight, more and more of us need to know how many carbs per day to lose weight. Increasingly research is being undertaken to find out how much we need carbs, or not, in our diet and what effect different levels of carbs have on our bodies. I think, however, that it would be beneficial to have some basic guidelines to help determine how many carbs you need per day to lose weight. Recent research suggests that there are five levels of carb intake, each having different impacts on the body. Level 1: 300+ grams per day. This is known as the danger zone and it is the zone into which more and more of the so-called developed world is falling.Most of us who struggle with our weight have no trouble reaching this level of carbohydrate intake. A modern western diet which is made up of processed foods, grains, cereals, pasta, sodas, sweets, cookies etc easily reaches this level and it poses huge health risks and leads to excess weight gain, dangerous body fat levels, diabetes, cancers and other diseases and ailments which are too numerous to mention. Therefore, in order to lead a healthy life and lose weight, carb intake must be reduced to sensible levels. Level 2: 150 - 300 grams per day. At this level there will still be relentless weight gains over a long period of time. These high levels of carb intake cause increased production of insulin which has the effect of preventing the body from burning fat which can lead to all manner of medical conditions as mentioned above. Remarkably, this is the level of carb intake recommended by the US Department Of Agriculture. Research shows that people who are at this level will expect to gain around 1.5lbs of fat every year for 40 years Level 3: 100-150 grams per day. This range is believed to be the optimal level for weight maintenance i.e. it allows you to stay at your optimal, healthy weight. A diet high in fruit and vegetables should be easily maintained at this level provided foods high in sugars and bad carbs are avoided. Level 4: 50-100 grams per day. In order to lose weight safely and healthily, this level is recommended. Carb intake at this level will lessen the production of insulin, thus facilitating higher levels of fat burning in the body. Weight loss of between 1 and 2 lbs per week can be expected at this level, provided fat and protein requirements are met. (usually through the consumption of fruits and vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, seeds and nuts.) Because the weight loss will be at a sensible pace, there is a much greater chance that the weight loss will be permanent with less chance of the yo-yo effect occurring. When weight loss targets have been attained, you can transfer into the maintenance zone as explained above. Level 5: 0-50 grams per day. These levels of carb intake should only be attempted for rapid, short-term weight loss. It should only be used for very short periods of time and only if there is adequate intake of fat and protein. This may necessitate taking supplements. Prolonged use of these levels of carb intake can lead to severe health issues because of the deficiency of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, protein and fat. These are only general guidelines which can be adapted to your own individual needs but I hope they will help you understand how many carbs per day to lose weight.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |