There have been many diets over the years that have promised weight loss and general improvements in body composition, but how many of them actually work, and at what cost?
The idea behind most diets is to maintain what’s called a caloric deficit. A caloric deficit is eating fewer total calories per day than your body requires in order to function normally.
Most people require around 2,000 calories daily in order to maintain weight. A traditional diet asks you to calorically restrict your intake to about 20%, which works out to about 1,600 calories daily. This type of diet only focuses on calories, rather than the macronutrients each food provides.
Of course, this method will work for many people, but you’ll be challenged when you run into a plateau in your weight loss. Not to mention, if your protein intake isn’t adequate you can be sacrificing muscle. For men over 40, it’s even more difficult because every year our testosterone has the potential to dip lower if we are not doing everything to help prevent this from occurring health-wise. Low testosterone is linked to lethargy, fat accumulation (especially around the gut), low libido, erectile dysfunction, and overall poor health.
People have been experimenting with the use of high-fat diets and the potential benefits they can provide to weight loss and fat loss. Higher fat diets also have the potential to support increased hormone production which may aid in higher testosterone and growth hormone levels. Both of these hormones not only make you feel and look better, but they also help with increasing muscle mass while lowering overall body fat.
How could a high-fat diet help me lose weight and more fat?
It seems counter-intuitive, yet, a high-fat diet can stimulate your body into a state of ketosis – which is very effective at promoting fat loss and weight loss.
What is Ketosis?
On a fundamental level, ketosis is a metabolic state. Your body can draw from various sources of energy when needed. Your body’s primary source of fuel is glucose (from carbohydrates), but when it isn’t present the body will source other nutrients – namely, ketones.
Ketosis is a metabolic state that utilizes ketones as fuel when glucose levels are very low.
Eating a low-carb diet may enable you to enter ketosis, effectively burning more fat through your metabolic state.
How Do I Achieve Ketosis?
Your body will enter ketosis any time you fast for a long duration. Many experts believe that runners actually enter a state of ketosis during a long run, especially if they’ve been carb-cycling.
In addition to fasting and exercise, ketosis can also be entered when you’re eating very few carbohydrates – less than 15% of your daily calories, as your body will source its fuel from the fat you intake rather than the restricted form of carbohydrates.
Does Ketosis Really Help With Fat Loss?
With any diet, there is always speculation and instances where it may not work. With that said, the ketogenic diet, or a low-carb diet, has been shown to be very effective in promoting weight loss and fat loss.
Recent research has even shown that, along with the ability to promote fat loss and weight loss, a keto diet also decreases the level of triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose. It increases the level of HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol). All of these effects are essential to your overall health.
Are There Any Downsides?
There’s always a downside to any diet that doesn’t favor balance. We know that a high-fat diet can be very effective in promoting weight loss and total fat loss, but it may actually be dangerous for those who are diabetic or have pre-existing heart or cardiovascular conditions.
You may also lag behind when it comes to certain types of performance. Fat is not a quick source of fuel, so some people, like powerlifters and cross-fitters, will want to keep fast-metabolizing carbohydrates in their diet to perform at their best. However, I personally found that if I take in a minor amount of carbohydrates before a workout I am able to keep much of my strength without “ruining” the ketogenic state my body is in. (Contact me for a specialized plan that allows men to gain muscle, increase performance, and increase testosterone naturally!)
Balance Your Keto Lifestyle
Long-term research on the keto diet hasn’t found any major negative health side effects to healthy populations. In contrast, research has even indicated that this diet does promote weight loss and benefits your internal health. In fact, the ketogenic diet is recommended for people that have seizures/epilepsy because studies have shown it can prevent the number and frequency of seizures, or even eradicate them from happening for 10-20% of those suffering from seizures. It’s also shown promise in helping people with autism spectrum disorders as stated in Frontiers in Pediatrics Journal: “A KD (ketogenic diet) may improve social behavior in ASD via normalizing GABA, improving mitochondrial function, ameliorating inflammatory activity and oxidative stress in the brain, inhibiting the mTOR signaling pathway, and modulating the gut microbiota.”
As a person that suffers from IBS, I have found the keto diet to be extremely helpful in preventing IBS flareups, getting leaner, and improving my general health.
Remember, however, that balance in your life is essential. It’s important to avoid thinking that just because you can eat high-fat foods that you should go around having greasy burgers all day. When I follow the keto diet I always include a ton of vegetables and nuts to keep my gut healthy and I still choose moderate fat in the meats that I eat. The purpose of the keto diet is to achieve a state of ketosis with whole foods, healthy oils, lean meats, nuts, and an abundant number of vegetables (I usually eat two servings of vegetables per meal within my 5-6 meals per day).
There’s no doubt about it – healthy eating leads to healthy aging resulting in a healthy weight, greater vitality, and increased satisfaction in life. The keto diet may be the lifestyle change you’ve been seeking. It’s by no means easy but the results and the healthiness I feel make it well worth the effort!
Contact me for a specialized ketogenic plan that allows men over 40 to gain muscle, increase performance, and increase testosterone naturally!
