And, His Add-On Recommendations.
We must eat. Many of us love to eat. Eating is part of life. We think about eating many waking hours of our life. These are all true statements about eating. How much you eat and what you eat are topics of discussion that can be found in every home, office, and social setting today. One of the popular topics of discussion today is – keto. This diet trend – along with many others – fuels a billion-dollar health and wellness industry. Sadly, a portion of that income is generated by people paying to learn how to eat less, while in other countries they are trying to find a way to eat. Instead, we are trying to stop eating because we have an abundance, and put limitations on what we “can eat.” Let’s dive into this topic of going keto and see what the hype is all about.
First, let’s ask a few questions about food and what is considered “healthy.” What foods are best for you? What foods should I avoid? What is healthy eating? All these questions have answers that contradict each other. People experience changes in their bodies when they change how they eat and all a sudden they have found the answer to losing weight or being healthy! The excitement that comes with change excites us and we want you to know about it. Instead of talking about the 1000’s of options that can or can’t work for you, let’s talk about one method that has been gaining popularity: the ketogenic diet. (I try to never use the word diet but rather meal planning and eating.)
What Going Keto Looks Like.
Ketogenic meal planning and eating teach your body to use fat for fuel. By changing your eating habits, you can begin to burn the fat stored in your body by eating a low carb, low protein, and high-fat diet. This type of meal plan produces great results. I’ve tested it firsthand and can tell you it works. Let me walk you through the dos and don’ts of going keto.
Here are the things you can’t consume:
- No refined and white sugar
- No wine or beer
- No bread or pasta
- No grains
- No potatoes
- Most dairy is off-limits
- No fruit
- No chips
- No popcorn
- No soda
- No snacking
- No breakfast
- No juice
Here are the things you can consume:
- Fatty meats like bacon
- Cheeses
- Hotdogs
- Heavy cream
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Black coffee or cowboy coffee(with butter)
- Sugar alcohols
- Stevia
- Ribeye steaks
- Salmon
- Coconut products
- Dark chocolate (with no sugar)
- Nuts and nut butters
- Avocados
Add-On Recommendations
Now you know the things you can and can’t consume when you go keto. Here are a few additional recommendations to follow. Add intermittent fasting for 16 hours and eating in an 8-hour window for greater gains in weight loss. Do fasted workouts as often as possible adding high-intensity work for greater gains. Satiate hunger with green teas or strong black coffee. Eat one huge meal or 2 moderate meals a day only during your fasting window to receive the benefits of autophagy.
Fat Benefits the Body
Let’s go a step further and break down the truths of keto, healthy keto, ketogenesis, and unhealthy keto. There are so many forms of keto being delivered to the public. The target audience is people trying to lose weight. The attraction is you can change how you eat without having to work out too much and lose weight after three weeks of perfect eating on the ketogenic meal plan. You become fat-adapted, so your body uses fat for fuel. Fat is a very efficient fuel, and your brain prefers it over carbohydrate-based fuel. When you consume this much fat it is recommended to move your body daily to build muscle and use the fat.
Additional Results of Going Keto
Other benefits of the keto diet are the lack or loss of hunger. This is great for weight loss, but it’s just not that fun if you love eating. You will have to eliminate the taste of sweet from your life! You no longer experience blood sugar changes from high carbohydrate-based diets means you can sustain clean, consistent energy the whole day as your body taps into its limitless fat stores. I have also experienced elevated mental clarity which is why I retain many ketogenic principles in my eating habits today. One more benefit of eating less carbohydrate is that you feel leaner- as you retain less water almost immediately.
As an athlete, coach, and health & wellness specialist, I’ve tried it all. The ketogenic meal plan has its advantages over all the other options. I will confess that I miss sugar, beer, and eating pizza, but when I consume these foods I have an immediate negative response: I feel poorly, have an upset digestive system, and feel bloated. Do I look and feel better not eating these foods? Yes!!! I am confident that I can maintain a balanced diet indefinitely, and going keto is balanced for me. The benefits of eating fewer carbohydrates have been one of the most impactful takeaways from the ketogenic meal plan. My bodyweight and fitness form are very consistent without the addition of fruit, alcohol, and grains. I feel remarkably better than my pre-keto days.
Keto Has Inspired Me to Go Low Carb Indefinitely
As an athlete, I have become a dual fuel organism that uses any form of fuel during a workout. When carbs are added it boosts my energy quickly and powerfully, which is what my body expected. I have limited my carb intake down to no more than 50 grams a day and will remain low carb indefinitely. This has resulted in eating less food overall. The food I do eat is of the highest quality and purest form, which is now very expensive: therefore, I’m eating less.
The results from my keto diet are: I feel great, my focus is off food, my energy is better, my thoughts are clearer, and I don’t fear extended periods of not eating. As an aging athlete who needs to get most of his gains through efficiency, the ketogenic meal plan is the solution to that need. I would suggest trying everything once and then concluding what works best for your body.
Book an appointment with us so we can discuss your health and wellness or if going Keto is right for you.
