Does the keto diet help to lose weight? Over the past years, the keto diet has gained popularity in fitness circles. The evidence of its positive effect on weight loss is growing along with several other impressive health benefits such as balancing blood sugar and insulin, so many people turn to it. In this article, David Reagan, Atlanta certified personal trainer, discusses the effectiveness of the keto diet to help in weight loss.
What is the keto diet?
The keto diet is a dieting method done by avoiding excessive consumption of carbohydrates and sugars and consuming foods rich in healthy fats, proteins, and vitamins. Many younger people practice this method because it is robust in cutting body weight. Those who undergo this diet program to lose weight don’t find it challenging to achieve. You can follow this diet without lacking the energy to carry out your daily activities. Additionally, the diet has multiple other benefits, such as preventing diseases such as epilepsy, diabetes, and cancer.
Keto diet for weight loss
If you follow a keto diet, your intake of carb is limited to less than 10% of your total caloric intake. This state allows your body to enter ketosis, where the body starts using fats instead of glucose as its primary source of fuel, so ketones are produced in the liver. Because the intake of carbs is reduced, fat consumption increases to around 70% of total calories. Protein intake is moderate, taking up about 20% of calories.
Here are a few weight loss mechanisms linked with the ketogenic diet:
• It reduces hunger
One of the effective weight loss methods associated with the diet is its ability to diminish hunger. The keto diet decreases levels of ghrelin, which is your body’s primary hunger hormone. Reducing these hormone levels causes you to eat fewer calories, which may result in loss of weight. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), researchers in one study found that 20 people with obesity following the keto diet had reduced cravings for food and alcohol. The keto diet effectively controls hunger, although you should consult with your medical doctor before taking up this strategy.
• It balances calories
The traditional weight loss methods work when you consume fewer calories than you burn, resulting in a calorie deficit. This is also how the keto diet aids in weight loss. NIH confirms that scientists conducted a study of 17 men with excess weight and found that the keto diet helped cause a small increase in calories burned. The ketogenic diet also reduces calorie intake because of changes in satiety signals linked to high-fat consumption and deficient carb intake. However, this does not suggest that the keto diet is necessarily superior to a more traditional diet.
• Ketogenic diet promotes loss of water weight
Another possible weight loss mechanism of the diet is water weight loss, which comes with reducing carbohydrate consumption. This is because when carbs are stored in the body, they hold water. So, when you reduce your intake of carbs, as in the keto diet program’s initiation stage, stored carbs are released together with fluid, causing weight loss.
Bottom line
The keto diet has been under intense investigation for its various benefits, such as weight loss. It appears that it causes slimming or loss of fat due to a calorie deficit, loss of water weight, and reduced hunger levels. Keto supplements are also gaining popularity because they help you get into ketosis faster. Thus, the keto diet seems promising, although it is essential to determine its downsides and potential side effects through research.
About David Reagan
David Reagan is a NASM Certified personal trainer from Atlanta, GA, specializing in weight loss, personalized workout plans, bodybuilding, and nutrition. He caters to high-end clients and executives in Atlanta, helping them achieve their fitness goals by accommodating their busy schedules. The client’s needs come first, and David’s fitness plan will set you up on the path to success.