For all journeys that we take in life, to get the best results we must prepare adequately and take all the help that we can get. The weight loss journey is no different. Losing weight, in particular, requires a lot of discipline and consistency to get the best results. It also requires you to go over and beyond so that you may constantly push yourself to further limits. This may mean, for instance, incorporating a diet in addition to your exercise regime. Dieting has proven to be effective for most people, with diets such as the South Beach Diet, Paleo Diet, and the Keto Diet becoming increasingly popular over the years.
What is the Keto Diet?
The Ketogenic Diet, or in short, Keto, is a type of weight loss plan that involves significantly reducing the number of carbs in your meals and instead of replacing them with more fats and protein. The aim of doing this is to push your body into a ketosis metabolic state, whereby the body will burn fat to produce energy due to the lack of carbohydrate intake. This will consequently help your body to use up the fat reserves hence leading to weight loss.
The diet requires that one drastically reduce the amount of carb intake to about 50 grams per day. This would therefore mean that you would need to cut out bread, pasta, juices, sugary drinks, potatoes, corn, and other high carb and starchy foods. You would thus need to incorporate more meat and healthy fats such as avocado, oily fish, and nuts.
Advantages of the Keto Diet
Due to the low amounts of carbohydrates, the diet pushes the body to produce an alternative source of fuel called ketones. This is derived from the fat in the body after the glucose has been fully depleted. As such, the Keto Diet helps reduce the amount of blood sugar in the body which further lowers insulin levels. This type of diet has therefore proven helpful for people with diabetes as it does help in increasing insulin sensitivity, allowing them to reduce their insulin intake. Furthermore, due to the intake of good fats, the keto diet does help to increase levels of good cholesterol, which helps to reduce the risk of heart disease. The diet has also proven to be effective for weight loss, as it does help to suppress your appetite. Due to the large amounts of protein and healthy fats, one will also remain satiated for longer.
What are Keto pills, then?
It takes the body about four days of following a low-carb diet to produce more ketones in the blood. For some, this period may be difficult due to some of the side effects experienced such as headaches, fatigue, or constipation. It may also be challenging for others to reach a state of ketosis needed for the body to produce ketone for energy production. To aid the process, one may consider turning to pills that can help with ketosis instead of spending days on a low-carb diet. These pills may have the same effects as sticking to the low-carb diet. They may, for instance, help to curb your appetite and therefore aid in weight loss. For better results, however, it may be more advantageous to use the pills to supplement the low-carb diet, as this will help reduce the time it would take to reach a state of ketosis. It may also help to reduce the unpleasant side effects experienced when following a low-carb diet. In addition to the supplements, some of the other tips you can try may include:
- Stay hydrated with plenty of fluids
- Stay active with exercise, for instance, taking a walk
- Seek medical assistance if negative symptoms persist
You must remember that most supplements are made for commercial use, and hence some products may not put into consideration the needs that your body may have. To ensure that you select safe pills, please do a lot of research and even consult experts to make sure that you make a safe choice.
Visit your doctor
Before adopting a keto diet or trying the supplements, it may be important for you to visit your doctor first and have a conversation. This is extremely important especially if you have an underlying condition such as high blood pressure, or if you are breastfeeding. Just like all diets, there isn’t one size fits all, and it might take a while before you find one that works conveniently for you. Speaking to a health practitioner will therefore help you in making the best decision for you.
