So, the magic keto diet. There are so many rumors and speculations around her, how many hopes are pinned on her, how many hours were spent in the bathroom because of her. Keto apologists preach about rapid melting of fat glaciers, incredible performance, crystal clear mental clarity, etc. and so on. with a similar spirit. We don't know where this data comes from, because scientists are just beginning to study this diet under the microscope.
Let's discuss all the pros and cons of a fatty diet.
The essence for beginners: what is it in simple words
Let's immediately clarify one important point: a high-fat diet (ketogenic diet) is still not a low-carb diet, it is primarily a high-fat diet.
The keto diet is a low-carb diet for weight loss, with a moderate amount of dietary protein and active fat consumption.
If you are counting calories, the calorie % distribution would be:
- 80% of calories come from fat,
- 15% kcal protein. ,
- the remaining 5% are carbohydrates.
In other words, at least 75% of the calories in your diet must come from fat; the sources of which can be eggs, bacon, sausages, avocados, vegetable oils, coconut oil, butter.
We also want to emphasize that this is not a diet based on so-called animal fats. purely meat diet, no way! Vegetables are consumed, but moderately or completely avoiding starchy vegetables such as potatoes.
What is important to know for beginners? What is a "fat diet" in simple words?
Therefore, the essence of the ketogenic diet is simple in words. With this nutritional system, the body enters a state called "ketosis" and begins to synthesize ketones for subsequent energy generation (hence the name "ketogenic" diet), and such a transition is only possible if carbohydrate intake is strictly limited.
Our body is able to fully meet its needs from fat reserves. But the absence of carbohydrates is terrible for our brain and nervous system, which need glucose: the brain cannot use fatty acids for its energy supply.
When we ignore carbohydrates, the body, in order not to stretch its legs, begins to pervert and create substitute carbohydrates - ketone bodies.
Ketone bodies are organic biomolecules, soluble in aqueous media, which are synthesized in the liver from fatty acids when food intake (especially carbohydrates) decreases. Once transported to extrahepatic tissues, these biomolecules can be used as an energy source.
Ketone bodies are constantly synthesized in small quantities in the human body, but normally the concentration of ketones is so low that they are not detected in a urine test.
However, when the level of ketone bodies in the blood increases (a condition known as ketonemia), they begin to be excreted in the urine (known as ketonuria); Ketonemia and ketonuria together indicate the body's transition into a state of ketosis.
The ultimate goal of the ketogenic diet is to place the body in a state of nutritional ketosis (not to be confused with pathological ketosis), which ultimately directs the metabolism to use fatty acids and ketone bodies as the main source of energy.
In the initial stages, the main thing is not to overdo the amount of proteins.
If you eat too much protein (more than 20%), the body starts the process of gluconeogenesis and eventually all the excess protein is converted into glucose, which prevents you from entering a state of ketosis.
That's why it's important to choose fatty foods with some protein. There is no need to rely on chicken, but rather buy fatty cuts of beef. Instead of diet turkey bacon, buy regular bacon. Only 20% of your calories should come from protein.
Also remember that you need to drink a lot, a lot. Because the main sign of ketosis is the smell of acetone on your body and breath. Cool right?
The fact is that excess fat derivatives are excreted by the body, giving this specific smell. Previously, we discussed that fat energy factories are the most "polluting".
It is not always possible to completely remove the smell. But most of the smell can be removed with plenty of clean water.
Those ones. When you drink a lot of water (from 3 liters per day), excess ketones are excreted in urine and sweat. This removes most of the odor after you shower. In addition, it improves well-being (eliminates lethargy).
Interesting fact: The keto diet was originally invented for epileptics.
Why we don't recommend it: the dangers of eating fat
For one simple reason: this is not a balanced diet. And such diets, which openly demonize any food, are absolutely not included in our concept: "Beauty does not require sacrifice, beauty requires health. "What kind of freedom from the Pope's pressure can we talk about when you exclude a huge amount of food from your diet? . .
We do not deny that the body can exist more or less adequately in conditions of minimal or complete absence of carbohydrates, subject to adequate protein intake and the physiologically necessary amount of fat, but the ideal is still to ensure the presence of all three nutrients on the diet, i. e. Use a balanced diet to lose weight!
Is it possible to lose weight
Often people, in pursuit of slimness, begin to believe in all sorts of fairy tales like "exclude this food group and the weight will disappear by itself. "This is where these monsters like the paleo diet are born.
Let's look at this interesting question with you: "Is it possible to lose weight by eliminating proteins, carbohydrates or fats from the diet? " The brilliant Line McDonald will help us with this (below are excerpts from his work).
Let's imagine that you ingest a certain amount of calories, but you obtain them from different sources: in the first case, you will obtain them mainly from carbohydrates; in the second - from proteins, and in the third - from fats.
In carbohydrates
Let's imagine that we get most of our calories from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are rarely converted to fat (a process called de novo lipogenesis) under normal dietary conditions.
There are exceptional situations, for example, chronic excessive consumption of carbohydrates. That's 700-900 grams of net carbs per day for several days.
In this situation, carbohydrates overwhelm glycogen stores, exceeding the required amount of calories for the day, and you end up converting carbohydrates into body fat.
But when you eat more carbs, you burn more carbs and less fat. And that's why, even though carbohydrates aren't converted directly into fat, too many carbohydrates make you fat.
In general, by inhibiting the breakdown of fats, excess carbohydrates force you to store all the fats you ingest in the form of subcutaneous reserves, preventing you from burning existing fats.
Yes, carbs don't directly make you fat through fat storage, but excess carbs still affect your fat stores, preventing you from burning the fat you eat during the day.
This is why exceeding your daily caloric intake by 500 calories from fat or 500 calories from carbohydrates makes you gain weight, but they do it for different reasons and in different ways.
An additional 500 calories of fat are simply stored under the skin, and 500 calories of carbohydrates causes all the fat eaten during the day to go into reserves, because the carbohydrates will be oxidized, not the fats.
Bottom line: when you eat more carbs, you burn more carbs and less fat; When you eat fewer carbs, you burn fewer carbs and more fat. Unexpected, right?
In a squirrel
Protein Buddy is never converted to fat or stored in this way. But if you eat too much protein, the body will use it for energy (instead of carbohydrates and fats), which means other nutrients will be stored.
As a result, eating too much protein will make you gain weight, but not directly, but due to the fact that all the fat you eat goes under the skin.
Of course, protein has the greatest thermic effect, so more calories received will be used to digest food. Either way, excess protein is less likely to make you fat, but if the calorie balance is exceeded, you will still gain weight.
But not through the direct conversion of proteins into fat, but through reducing the amount of other nutrients burned.
Bottom line: if you eat more protein, you burn more protein (and therefore less fat and carbs); eat less protein and you'll burn less protein (and therefore more carbs and fat). Presenting your face, you now clearly look like this:
In fat
Fats supplied with food are mainly stored, if you eat more of them, it does not significantly affect the oxidation of subcutaneous fat.
When you eat fats, their destiny is to be deposited in fat reserves, because. . . its consumption has very little effect on fat oxidation. It also does not have a significant effect on the oxidation of proteins or carbohydrates.
General conclusion: all three options make you fat, but the mechanisms are different.
The only difference is that fat is stored directly and proteins and carbohydrates force you to store the fat you eat.
Of course, there will be those who misunderstand that low-carb and/or low-protein diets have no advantage over others in terms of burning subcutaneous fat.
But with these diets, even though you burn more fat, you also eat more fatty foods. Thus, the overall fat balance remains the same despite changes in other components. No matter how you look at it, it all comes down to energy balance and calorie deficit.
Surely you have a logical question: why not stop eating fat?
This is because carbohydrates are converted to fat by de novo lipogenesis. This is what happens when the amount of fat consumed in the diet falls below 10% of the total calories consumed. In this case, your body starts the lipogenesis process again, so you will still gain weight.
The body is smarter than us. In a situation of adequate fat intake (i. e. , above 10% of total calories), the fate of the fat we ingest is to be stored in fat reserves, and proteins and carbohydrates are used for other processes.
And when the amount of fat consumed is too small, the body begins to convert carbohydrates (and probably proteins, although much less frequently) to store them as fat.
Lie or truth
Of course, under certain conditions, the keto diet will work and you will lose weight. But it's not about her, nor about fats nor about a special menu. The fact is, you will simply eat less!
Diets have been defamed for so long, but people don't believe it: and rightly so, because diets work!
Here, for example, is a meta-analysis of about 50 studies that compared 11 popular diets that can be grouped together: low-carb (Atkins, South Beach, Zone), low-fat (Ornish, Rosemary Conley), balanced (Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers).
It turned out that (surprise) any weight loss diet is better than no diet at all.
After six months, people on low-carb diets lost more weight. But the overall difference in weight loss (differences in indicators) between all diets is insignificant: a few hundred grams.
For example, on low-carb diets for 6 months, the average weight loss was 8. 73 kg and 7. 25 kg at 12 months, and on low-fat diets 7. 99 kg at 6 months and 7. 27 kg in 12 months.
Research has shown that, compared to a severely calorie-restricted diet, a low-carb diet may be slightly more effective for short-term weight loss.
This is partly due to the body's diminished glycogen stores (in the liver and muscles) and associated fluid loss (which totals about 2 kg for a typical adult). But as we can see, in the long run there is very little difference between them.
A study that compared low-carb and low-fat diets over the past 2 years found that there was no significant difference in weight loss between the two.
By the way, note that the diet was most effective in the first six months. And after a year, the weight generally began to increase. A remarkable example of metabolic adaptation.
Benefit and effect
The ketogenic diet does not leave people hungry and does not take away calories. Generally speaking, we simply compensate for the decrease in carbohydrates with proteins and fats.
Of course, this does not mean that by drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake, you can overeat fatty and protein foods. Calorie intake should be kept within normal limits. Another indisputable advantage of the keto diet is appetite control.
Many people who have been on one diet or another know that the strongest appetite occurs only during the diet. The keto diet eliminates the feeling of hunger. Fatty and protein foods, which the keto diet is rich in, allow a person not to feel a brutal appetite and at the same time lose weight.
Hurt
Considering that the ketogenic diet emphasizes fatty and protein foods, digestive disorders are possible - heaviness in the stomach, bloating, constipation.
This is because the diet contains virtually no fiber, found in bread, potatoes, fruits and vegetables. To avoid digestive problems, you should consume some vegetables and fruits in minimal quantities. For example, cabbage and green grapes are suitable.
Another disadvantage of the keto diet is the unpredictability of glucose deficiency. It is not known how your body will behave if you deprive it of such an important energy resource.
It will take some time for the body to convert to ketone bodies. As a rule, in the first week a person feels unwell, dizzy and generally weak. It is important to wait at least 21 days to see the results of the diet.
A decrease in the amount of micronutrients (vitamins/minerals, etc. ) is a common occurrence in any low-carb diet because most micronutrients come from carbohydrate-rich foods. Therefore, you need to use vitamin-mineral complexes.
A decrease in blood acidity occurs as a response due to an increase in the amount of ketones contained in it.
If you have problems with carbohydrate metabolism (e. g. diabetes), vomiting and "ketoacidosis" are possible. In a healthy body, ketones are used without consequences. In fact, the smell of acetone confirms this (a sign of ketone use).
We're already seeing people in ketosis running to the comments shouting "I've been in ketosis for 116 days and I'm more active than ever! " Let's tell you our personal opinion: people in ketosis are worse than vegans in online battles. Not all, but for some reason many.
Go to any article on this topic and you will see how they dump buckets of dirt on the author, simply because he does not write laudatory odes to fat. We always advise them to eat buckwheat and calm down.
This probably comes from the fact that a person projects their personal and internal dispute onto others. This happens especially often in matters of nutrition/sport/religion. For example, a person's mind is forced to constantly argue with many factors, and such a person seeks to express arguments against them out loud, in a dispute with an external opponent, in order to feel like a winner.
Another example is that a neophyte of some food system suppresses his own doubts in such disputes. In short, these people are not arguing with you, but with themselves, it is better not to bother them, they will bite you to death, you are made of protein and fat.
Also, if you personally "everything is a lie, I don't eat coal and I feel good", that doesn't mean it happens to other people too! An individual's personal experience cannot prove or disprove anything.
Why? Yes, because these "personal opinions" and criticisms of yours are a carriage and a small cart and each person is different. Who will you trust, who has a prettier nickname?
Contraindications for use
For any health deviations, any diet or exercise should be used only after consulting a doctor. People with kidney, digestive system, or intestinal disease should not use the keto diet.
Initially, glucose deficiency greatly affects brain activity, therefore this diet is undesirable for mental workers.
And by the way, the American Dietetic Association does not recommend the keto diet due to ketoacidosis, but does recommend other diets that contain more carbohydrates.
Reference: diabetic ketoacidosis (ketoacidosis) is a variant of metabolic acidosis associated with impaired carbohydrate metabolism resulting from insulin deficiency: high concentrations of glucose and ketone bodies in the blood.
On the one hand, the keto diet is simple, on the other hand, it is very difficult. Of course, it all depends on the chosen form. Some people act so fanatically that the diet ends badly. You cannot neglect the rules of your diet, you need to listen to your body and give it time. Ultimately, the main thing is health, you should not forget about it. Think for yourself, decide for yourself.