6 Weeks Of Keto
The Ketogenic diet has surged in popularity on mainstream media in the last few years. The reason for such popularity is simple, forms of extremities of any kind gain steam quickly. Soon, Keto gained scientific backing from a variety of leading sources such as Harvard. As a result of such widespread acclaim, keto became difficult to ignore. Therefore, I decided to experiment with keto. This article aims to explain what happens during keto, with an emphasis on tailoring exercise according to keto. However, before we dive into what happened during my 6-week experiment, I’d like to start with understanding what keto is.
What Is Keto?
“Keto” short for Ketogenic, is a way of eating that deems carbohydrates surplus to requirements and, instead, focuses on fats and proteins. In short, you stop the consumption of carbs. As highlighted by Harvard, your body begins to release ketones into your bloodstream. This is the result of your body switching its main source of energy from carbohydrates to fats. If you would like to further understand the ketogenic diet, I’ll link Dr Marcelo Campos’s article below:
Now that we’ve glossed over the fundamentals of the ketogenic diet, it’s time to dive into what happens during keto.
You Will Shed Water Weight
One of the first things you will notice is the loss of water weight. Our bodies hold water and carbohydrates tend to hold extra water. As this article by medical news today outlines:
Carbohydrates, or carbs, also cause the body to store extra water. When we eat carbs, the energy that we do not use right away is stored as glycogen molecules. Each gram (g) of glycogen comes with 3 g of water attached.
Initially, you’ll feel keto is an incredible method for losing weight rapidly. You should, however, realise that most of the weight that you shed in the beginning, is water weight. That said, keto will get your body to switch to burning fat. Over time you’ll start to look leaner, you’ll start seeing results.
Stay Satiated
Fats and Proteins are satiating. In simple terms, they leave you feeling full. This property, unfortunately, is not shared with carbohydrates. You’ll start to notice fewer hunger spikes and cravings. Since Keto is rich in fats, it leaves you feeling satisfied after every meal, reducing the urge to have a snack most of the time.
No More Food Coma
One of the highlights of the keto lifestyle was the lack of post-food crashes, also known as food coma. Food coma is that tired-sleepy feeling right after the consumption of a carb-heavy meal, and since, keto does not include any carbohydrates, food comas’ will never come crawling at you again. Rather, eating becomes so simple it’s just a matter of being hungry or not, no strings attached. Tiredness and laziness post-food won’t occur very often unless of course, you overeat. I’ve particularly found a carb-free breakfast instrumental in starting my day the right way.
Forget About Strength
If you exercise regularly and have strength goals you wish to achieve. I would recommend deterring away from keto and including carbohydrates in your diet. As the weeks wore on I found it harder to hit my strength PR’s, and working out, in general, required a lot more effort than before. As your body is cleansed of carbohydrates, your glycogen stores are empty and so the energy to exercise is harder to come by. You still use fats as your primary source of energy but, fats, are slow burners.
If you want to maximise your results, I, personally, found volume training a lot more beneficial. Train for higher reps, lower weight, and continue to be a fat-burning machine.
Disclaimer: I would like to point out that I am not claiming that strength gains are impossible during your ketogenic journey. Strength gains may occur, but the process is slow and arduous.
Lessons Learnt
Maybe keto doesn’t suit your needs and you aren’t willing to devote yourself to the ketogenic lifestyle, still, there are things to learn. For instance, I would highly recommend consuming carbohydrates later in the day. Have your carb-loaded meals later on and you’ll notice a considerable difference in your energy levels throughout the day. As such, a food coma after lunchtime is detrimental to productivity. Therefore, delaying your carbohydrate intake for dinner would be wise.
In conclusion, the ketogenic way of eating is largely going to be successful for those with the aim of losing body fat. For those who want to progress further in the gym, however, doing keto sporadically would be smarter.
