(CYCLICAL KETO DIET)
Starting any new diet, comes with a lot of aprehensions!
Same is the case with ‘Keto diet’. Going extremely low carb and high on fat, moderate on protein scares away many in the inception only!
But you don’t need to be scared, since there’s ample of evidence which claims the keto diet to be nutritionally complete and that our body is designed to adapt to fat burning and using ketones as a source of energy, apart from glucose.
Still it has been modified a bit, to provide you the same fabulous benefits of weight loss and much more than that, but helping you to cope the stress nd regain energy.
That brings into th epicture, a completely new facet of a CYCLICAL Keto diet.
What’s that?
A cyclical ketogenic diet is where you stick to a conventional ketogenic diet from Monday to Friday, integrating two/three workouts into your week, and on weekends you load up on carbohydrates and do not exercise.
This helps because carb intake permits you to store up some carbohydrate energy for the week ahead, assisting you to keep a reasonable amount of strength up for your workouts and preventing your body from going into “starvation mode” on those days.
NOTE: It isn’t suggested for beginners. It’s for people who want to follow the ‘Keto lifestyle’ and incorporate it in the long run.
Let’s analyse the pros and cons of keto dieting so that we know, why this concept came into the picture?
On a Keto diet, we know that carbs are strictly restricted.
Since carbohydrates are your body’s primary source of fuel, limiting the intake of carbs will force your body to use other stored energy for fuel to run bodily functions. This energy will largely come from your stores of body fat!
There is one small bump in the road to the perfect fat loss diet though.
The human brain cannot run off of fat, it needs carbohydrates in the form of glycogen or some other suitable substitute in order to function properly and at full capacity. This substitute will come in the form of Ketones.
- Ketones are the byproduct of fat being mobilized and burned for fuel by the body. These Ketones can also be used to run some important bodily needs such as brain function.
- One other perk of using ketones for energy is that instead of excess ketones being stored as body fat like carbohydrates, Excess ketones are excreted through Urine.
- “Ketostix” are actually one of the best all-around ways to check if your body is in ketosis.
- Ketogenic Diets also control insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas that is used to carry carbohydrates in the form of sugar through to blood stream to the muscles and liver to be stored as glycogen. When these stores are full this hormone also aids in the storage of excess carbohydrates as body fat. Knowing this it is not difficult to understand why controlling your insulin levels through low carbohydrate intake keeps your body in fat burning mode due to the fact that there are no carbs entering the system which keeps insulin production to a minimum.
- This diet will cause decreased hunger due to fat having a satiating effect.
Of course there’s a flip side too. There are some side effects which include:
- Brain fog during the transition period from carb metabolism to fat metabolism also known as the “Metabolic Shift”. This is when your brain is learning to use ketones as fuel.
- Poor gym performance since your body can not store or use ketones in the same was as glycogen essentially depleting your body’s stores of “Quick Energy”.
- Fatigue and dizziness.
- Constipation due to a lower fiber intake although the majority of these diets make green vegetables an “Unlimited” food choice.
All the symptoms can be well managed and evaded.
Taking in th eright amount of fats, protein and supplements that give you a perfect balance of electrolytes, needed vitamins and minerals are of great help.
But, the problem still remains for many serious strength trainers and athletes is the poor gym performance. Your weights in the gym WILL drop while on this diet and you will not be able to sustain the same intensity as when you were taking in higher amounts of carbohydrates.
This introduces the concept of CKD!
Important:
Even though fitness competitors aren’t measured on strength it does not mean that a diet can ruin and deteriorate muscle tissue that has taken years of hard work and sweat to gain. This is where the “Carb Up” day comes into play.
Once or twice a week there is a scheduled day that you can ingest carbohydrates in order to replenish your muscle glycogen allowing you to train harder in the following couple days as well as give your mind and will power a rest from the strictness that comes along with this diet.
For boosted energy and good work out and athletic performance you can use some trusted and ready made drinks too.
Now that we have discussed the pros and cons of a ketogenic diet and how we can turn it into a cyclical ketogenic diet.There are many variations and strategies to get your body into ketosis but they all have a generally common set of guidelines:
– Intake as few carbs as possible (Between 0-50 Net Carbs)
– Follow a 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbohydrate macro ratio
– Eat your fiber! “Net carbs” is made up of total Carbs – Fiber. Fiber is crucial to keeping your plumbing in order!
– Schedule a carb up day on the weekend. It can be used as to have your cheat meals too!
Final word:
If you can tolerate the metabolic shift and the somewhat lacking food choices (including eggs, meat nuts etc are very enjoyable for some) this diet may be the best way to loose fat fast. Although many have successfully followed this diet and for extended periods of time and had great results.
If you’re still reluctant or cannot bear the initial phase then Cyclical Keto diet is for your rescue!
Moreover, it helps people who are involved in high intensity work outs.
Editor’s note: – To assist you and more over make your keto journey enjoyable we recommend two very useful resources – Perfect Keto, a natural supplement to get you into the state of Ketosis as quickly and effectively as possible, and The Essential Keto Cookbook, a great way to kickstart your Keto journey.
REFERENCES:;
https://www.ruled.me/cyclical-ketogenic-diet-indepth-look/
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