There is no such thing as “the keto diet.” In fact, most people who believe they are doing some type of keto diet really aren’t. This is dangerous because statistics show that people who lose weight using “low carb” or “keto” methods usually REGAIN MUCH MORE WEIGHT than other dieters because they don’t fully understand the concept.
Yet, done properly, a diet using the metabolic process of ketosis can be the most powerful, effective and safe way to lose and maintain weight that exists. Let me explain…
Your body has 3 fuel tanks to draw from, and it uses them in this order: carbohydrates, protein and fat. If you want your body to reduce its fat stores, you have to burn and eliminate most carbs, protect the protein (muscle), and force your body to begin turning fat into ketones (which it can burn instead of carbohydrates). This process is called KETOSIS. Not only does it put your body into deep fat-burn mode, but it can help re-balance your system so it defaults to fat-burning rather than carbohydrate usage. This metabolic re-balancing is very important for those of us with genetics which lead to Type 2 Diabetes.
However, Ketosis is easy to get wrong!
- If even slightly too many carbs are available, your body will resist burning fat.
- Artificial sweeteners and ‘franken-carbs.’ Even foods which are supposedly zero-carb can stall Ketosis. These lab-created manufactured low-carb foods are usually filled with sugar alcohols, artificial fibers and other artificial sweeteners. These can cause the body to react just as if you’d consumed carbs.
- If you don’t protect your muscle with proper supplementation, your body will try to burn muscle for fuel using a process called gluconeogenesis (which means turning muscle to sugar/carbs). If you lose muscle, your metabolism lowers and your body can burn LESS CALORIES than it could before you started the diet! This is one reason people regain more weight after an improper attempt at a “keto diet.”
- Eat too much fat and your body wont’ burn it’s own. Most people overeat fat on a “keto diet” because they have heard fat is unlimited. This is not true. Not only that, but when people stop doing their keto diet, they often keep the high levels of fat they were eating – because it tastes good! If you add carbs back to a high-fat diet, you will gain more weight than you lost – because carbs and fat together are a recipe for weight gain. Especially for those with sluggish metabolisms.
- Your body can also turn any excess protein you eat into carbs in your system! Most people overeat protein on DIY “keto diets.” Protein must be carefully calibrated – too little and you lose muscle. Too much and you won’t reach deep ketosis. Protein needs are individual and should be based on muscle mass and basal metabolic rate.
But when you get it right… ! SUCCESS!!
- Proper intake of the RIGHT carbohydrates pushes the body to burn almost exclusively fat!
- Proper supplementation protects muscles, meaning your metabolism is just as high if not higher by the time you reach your goal.
- Balancing your fat intake keeps you feeling energized and healthy (hair, skin, nails, liver, gallbladder) but ensures that most of your energy comes from your fat stores! Men can burn 3-6 lbs and women 3-5 lbs of their own fat per week! That’s 10,500 – 21,000 calories of fat coming off your body each week!
- After 6-12 weeks, your metabolism can become fast and efficient – giving you an edge at keeping it off long-term.
- It’s critical to learn exactly how to properly balance carbs, fat and protein for *your body* once you have hit your goal, so you understand how to prevent your weight from returning. They key is to keep your metabolism in fat-adaptation, rather than returning to carb-overload.
The moral of the story is this:
DIY Keto is dangerous if you don’t fully understand the powerful metabolic processes you are engaging. Ketosis is a delicate process which can lead to either muscle loss, a lower metabolism and weight re-gain, OR it can lead to a fast and efficient metabolism which is geared toward fat-burning, rather than fat-storage for the rest of your life! Evolve180 offers expert guidance and complimentary ongoing maintenance support to help lose the weight and keep it off – for life!
By Sherene Kershner, one of America’s top Keto diet experts at Evolve 180 Weight Loss
