5 Important Facts You Should Know about the Keto Diet as Part of a Weight Loss Program

Considering a Ketogenic Diet?

Are you considering a ketogenic diet to help you lose weight? Before you start a ketogenic diet as part of a weight loss program, or any diet for that matter, you should learn all you can about it so that you can maximize your weight loss efforts.
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The ketogenic diet started out as a treatment for epilepsy in the 1920s, according to the National Institutes of Health. Doctors now use advanced antiepileptic drug therapies to treat epilepsy. Now medical professionals recommend the diet for several other applications, including weight loss.
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How Does The Keto Diet Work?

The ketogenic diet, also known as the keto diet, is very low in carbohydrates and high in fat. This special balance of nutrients forces your body into a fat-burning metabolic state that can help you lose weight fast.

The keto diet keeps your glucose and insulin levels low to help you lose even more weight. Carbohydrates are easily transformed into energy, so your body will burn carbs for fuel before it burns other sources of energy. Worse still, eating carbs can actually cause your body to store fat.

When you eat food high in carbohydrates, your body responds by producing glucose and insulin. Glucose, or blood sugar, is easily converted into energy so your body will use it over fat and other energy sources.

Insulin helps “unlock” your body cells so that they can absorb the glucose from your bloodstream. The hormone also slows down the breakdown of fat and actually triggers the creation of body fat. That’s right – insulin tells the body to stop burning the fat it has stored and turn sugar into new fat instead.

The ketogenic diet keeps glucose and insulin levels low, so that your body burns fat instead of creating it.

Here are a few more interesting things you should know about the keto diet as a weight loss program.

5 Essential Facts About The Keto Diet

1. The ketogenic diet converts your system into a fat-burning powerhouse

Your body normally burns carbohydrates, also known as carbs, for energy. When your body does not have enough carbs, it burns fat instead. This metabolic process of burning fat instead of carbs creates ketones, so doctors refer to it as ketosis.

Keto diets force your body into ketosis so that it burns fat and you lose weight fast. The human body is very responsive to food. Keto diets overload the body with fats and withhold carbohydrates, which causes the body to burn ketones as the primary source of energy. This means your body burns fat instead of carbs.

2. Not all fat is good fat, so choose your fats wisely.

While the keto diet involves the consumption of mostly high-fat foods, it does not mean that you get to eat a steady diet of fast food and desserts. Avocados, nuts and eggs are healthy sources of fat, while butter, cream, and high fat dairy and meats are not a healthy part of a keto diet.

 3. High fat does not mean high protein

In fact, a successful keto diet is low in protein. This is because the body can convert protein into blood sugar. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is only 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of your body weight, according to Harvard Medical School.

4. The end goal of a keto diet is to change your body’s metabolic state

The purpose of a keto diet is to induce a state of ketosis, a natural state that helps us survive when food is scarce. During ketosis, the body breaks down fat in the liver for energy.

5. The keto diet really works as a weight loss program – and more

A Spanish study recently followed 20 obese volunteers who followed a low-calorie keto diet and exercise program. The participants lost an average of 40 pounds over the course of four months. Results from another study showed that adults on a low-calorie ketogenic diet lost more weight than did those on a conventional low-calorie diet. The keto diet participants in this study also had better changes in blood pressure, triglycerides, and “good” HDL cholesterol.

Keto Results

Your results may vary, of course, depending on the foods you eat, your exercise habits and other factors. The keto diet is right for many people, but not everyone. Consult with a weight loss professional to determine if the ketogenic diet is right for you. The more you know, the more weight you can lose safely and quickly.
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No matter what diet you choose, dieting is easier and more effective with the right nutrition and support. Quality weight loss programs provided by trained medical professionals at weight loss centers address the specific nutritional needs of the body. These programs and support teams help you develop the perfect diet to help you lose weight and keep it off.