The ketogenic diet and how to treat it
I suggest that you thoroughly study the low-carb ketogenic diet and its three variants: the standard, cyclic and targeted ketogenic diet. This guide includes detailed instructions for creating a nutrition plan and formulas for calculating nutrient requirements.
The history of the ketogenic diet dates back several decades, and during this period it was able to gather many ardent supporters in the subculture of bodybuilding. In General, the ketogenic diet and its variants are diets rich in fat and protein with extremely low carbohydrate content (usually less than 10% of the total amount of macronutrients); with such a diet, the body is forced to use fat as fuel, because glucose reserves are quickly depleted.
ATTENTION!!! If you have any type of diabetes or suspect it, do not use this diet in any case.
For many, a ketogenic diet can be an effective and very correct way to achieve your goals, whether it's building muscle, burning fat, developing strength indicators, etc.
You might ask ," how does a ketogenic diet differ from any other low-carb diet?" In truth, there aren't many differences. Many believe that the most effective such a food system becomes at the moment when the body goes into a state called "ketosis", and begins to synthesize ketones for subsequent energy generation (hence the name of the diet – "ketogenic"), and this transition is possible only if the consumption of carbohydrates is strictly limited. However, this view of the problem is short-sighted, and later you will find out why.
In this guide, you will learn in detail the physiological processes that underlie the ketogenic diet, learn the existing types/options of ketogenic diets, learn how to make your own diet, and get some simple tips on how to awaken your appetite for low-carb foods. And, of course, you will find answers to the most common questions.
What is ketosis?
As mentioned earlier, the ketogenic diet got its name from the fact that the restriction of carbohydrate consumption inherent in this food system can translate the body into a state of ketosis – a special physiological state in which the concentration of ketone bodies increases.
Ketone bodies are organic biomolecules that are soluble in water, which are synthesized in the liver from fatty acids when food intake is reduced (especially carbohydrate). After being transported to extrahepatic tissues, these biomolecules can be used as an energy source.
In small quantities, ketone bodies are synthesized in the human body constantly, but normally the concentration of ketones is so small that they are not detected in the urine analysis. However, when the level of ketone bodies in the blood increases (a condition known as ketonemia), they begin to be excreted in the urine (so-called ketonuria); ketonemia and ketonuria together indicate the transition of the body to a state of ketosis.
Therefore, the goal of the ketogenic diet is to convert the body to 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.
The main options for a ketogenic diet
There are three main options for a ketogenic diet:
- standard ketogenic diet (SKD)
- cyclic ketogenic diet (CKD)
- targeted ketogenic diet (TCD)
The type of diet you need is selected exclusively by trial and error and is largely determined by priority goals (more details below).
The standard ketogenic diet is the simplest, basic version of the ketogenic diet. SKD does not involve periods of replenishment of carbohydrate reserves, as required by the CDD and TCD. This is a linear diet that is characterized by a stable influx of ketogenic nutrients (moderate or high protein intake, a large amount of fat, and an extremely low influx of carbohydrates).
A cyclic ketogenic diet is a variant of the nutrition system that involves short carbohydrate periods in order to replenish muscle glycogen reserves after the body's reserves are completely depleted. The duration of the intervals between carbohydrate loads will vary depending on the person's preferences, the intensity of training and the tasks set.
Targeted ketogenic diet-TCD is characterized by short-term intake of carbohydrates during the training window. The task of TCD is to fill the body with glucose to increase physical performance, which will not lead to the suppression of ketosis in the long term.
Which option should I adopt?
Many factors will influence your choice of diet type. It is recommended to start with a "rolling period" using a standard ketogenic diet. In a few weeks of this run-in, you will be able to assess how the body reacts to changes in diet, how your physical performance changes, and how energetic you are. After that, it will be easier for you to decide which diet should be used over a long distance.
You may also have doubts about which option is best for weight loss, and which is ideal for gaining muscle mass. I must say that if the total energy value of your diet will meet the goals, the option of a ketogenic diet will not be a key factor on the way to achieving the goal. You may find that CD or TCD are better suited for people who want to gain muscle mass, because carbohydrates save protein and stimulate insulin secretion, and standard CD will be an ideal choice for those who want to lose weight, since the synthesis of insulin will be relatively low. However, these short-term fluctuations in insulin secretion over a long distance will not be a decisive factor, unlike the total caloric content of the diet.
Here is an overview of the factors to consider when choosing a ketogenic diet option:
SKD. Ideal for people who lead a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, and whose physical performance does not suffer from a sharp restriction of carbohydrate consumption. SKD is also an excellent choice for people who do not train too hard and are highly insulin resistant.
TELECINE. If you work out to the seventh sweat several times a week and notice that your performance deteriorates with prolonged restriction of carbohydrate food, it is advisable to consider using short periods of carbohydrate loading before and possibly after training sessions. In addition, TCD will be a good choice for people with a lot of training experience, who can benefit from a small influx of carbohydrates, but will not benefit from a heavy carbohydrate load.
Cyclic CD is often called the "most advanced" of all the variants of ketogenic diets. The CDC requires a person to patiently overcome the trial-and-error stage, during which the optimal period between carbohydrate loads is searched for, and the amount of carbohydrates needed on loading days is determined. If you consider yourself an experienced athlete, actively train all week long, and even against the background of SCD or TCD, you notice a drop in performance, then think about the CDC. Perhaps this option will help you get back to work at maximum speed.
Making your own ketogenic diet
In this section, you will learn how to determine the body's energy and macronutrient needs, and these figures will become your basic guidelines when compiling a diet of SKD. People who make a choice in favor of the CD or TCD will also have to use the basic calculations for the CD, but with small adjustments, which I will talk about later.
In General, we can say that everyone who wants to lose weight should adhere to the Golden rule of a daily deficit of 500 * calories (!!!tadam!!!), and who seeks to gain muscle mass, should achieve an excess of the same 500 * calories (!!!same place!!!). However, this is too crude a generalization without taking into account physiological characteristics and other factors. In addition, if you choose a CD, you will most likely have to adjust the caloric content of your diet within one week.
Here is an example of how to calculate macronutrient intake for SCD (for example, a person weighs 75-kg)
Determine energy requirements using the daily calorie allowance calculator;
Daily protein requirement 2 g / kg dry weight: 150 g per day
Carbohydrate requirement 0.2-0.4 g / kg of dry weight: 15-30 g per day (further calculations are based on 30 g)
Since 1 g of protein and carbohydrates contains 4 calories, we have (150 + 30) x 4: 720 calories due to protein and carbohydrates
We get that this person should get 1280 calories with fat (2000 – 720), and since one gram of fat has 9 calories, he should eat about 142 (1280 divided by 9) grams of fat daily.
Thus, in total, the daily diet of this person will be 150 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbohydrates and 142 grams of fat. Distribute this amount between meals.
Example of a meal plan with 3 meals:
Proteins Carbohydrates And Fats
1st meal 50 g 10 g 48 g
2nd meal 50 g 10 g 47 g
3rd meal 50 g 10 g 47 g
Example of a meal plan with 5 meals:
Proteins Carbohydrates And Fats
1st meal 30 g 5 g 29 g
2nd meal 30 g 5 g 29 g
3rd meal 30 g 5 g 28 g
4th meal 30 g 5 g 28 g
5th meal 30 g 5 g 28 g
Choosing foods for a ketogenic diet
In the ketogenic diet, there are no strict rules, as there are no permitted and prohibited products. Many believe that it is impossible to include the main sources of starch and sugar in the diet at all, since this will prevent the transition of metabolism to the state of ketosis, but in insignificant quantities such products are unlikely to become a hindrance, especially for large people.
