Ketosis Diet

Also called the ketogenic diet, the ketosis diet focuses on eating high-fat foods. Proteins are eaten moderately while carbohydrates are minimized.

Origination of the Ketosis Diet

The Ketosis Diet was developed in the 1920s to prevent seizures in epileptic children. Normally, carbohydrates within food are converted into glucose, the fuel for body and brain functions. In ketogenics, the liver converts fat into ketone bodies which becomes the fuel source. This causes the level of ketones in the blood to be elevated, a state called ketosis.

Outline

Modern anticonvulsant drugs have greatly replaced the ketosis diet for treating epileptic seizures. Today, many use the ketosis diet to lose weight and gain muscle. This diet focuses on ketosis. When carbohydrates are burned for fuel, insulin is created. This allows fat to be stored in the cells. When fat is burned, it simply cannot be stored.

The Ketosis diet occurs in three phases. For the first phase, carbohydrates are limited to approximately 20 grams a day and must be non-starchy, such as leafy greens. Vegetable fats, animal fats, and dairy products are a primary source of nutrition. Lean proteins like egg whites and fish are eaten moderately.

In phase two, the amount of carbohydrates are increased weekly by 5 grams. You should continue to lose weight during this phase. If weight loss stops, the amount of carbohydrates should be reduced.

Phase three is the maintenance phase. Once you have lose the desired amount of weight, you should increase the amount of carbohydrates to the point where you stop losing weight. So long as you stay at this level of carbohydrates, you should not gain any weight.

What to expect if you follow the Ketosis Diet

The greatest weight loss will occur in the first few weeks of the ketogenics diet. While many will see dramatic results quickly, weight loss may plateau. Although effective, this diet is not a substitute for exercise. Regular cardiovascular exercise and strength training should be coupled with this diet for weight loss to be maintained.

Potential Side Effects/Issues

The change from carbohydrate energy to fat energy is drastic and some complain of headaches, pain, fatigue, and even depression. The depletion of glucose results in the depletion of glycogen, the form of glucose that is stored within the liver and muscles. This results in dehydration, which may be why people see so much weight loss in the beginning stages of this diet. Muscles are more painful to move and may deteriorate. This is why exercise and strength training are so important.

Many opponents of this diet argue that this diet is highly unnatural. Even healthy carbohydrates like whole grains are avoided in this diet. Risks of high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, kidney stones and even heart disease are thought to be increased when on this diet.

The Ketosis Diet could not be considered a long term diet solution, for a sustainable diet program we recommend The Diet Solution Program