Many girls look for the keto diet, not just those committed to it, so we'll give you answers to questions that might come up when you look into this diet. These answers will be short, quick, and as accurate as possible. Also, if you want to stick to the keto diet to reach your goal, you can join with one of Fitness Garage trainers to help you on this journey and reach your goal faster.
First question: Is the keto diet healthy?
Keto was originally a diet used to treat epilepsy attacks and some Alzheimer’s cases, but doctors found it had a strong effect on weight loss. It quickly became popular worldwide and got a lot of attention in fitness and nutrition because of its benefits, mainly that you can eat a lot of foods not allowed in other diets. Also, the high fat makes you feel full for a long time and gives you the energy you need. It also avoids side effects of other diets like feeling tired and lazy. But you need to watch the type of fat you eat. It's better to avoid saturated fats because they have bad side effects both short and long term and increase the risk of heart and artery diseases. So, you should get fats from healthy fat sources and eat a lot of fiber.
Second question: Is the keto diet safe?
Keto is generally safe if followed for a short time (6 months). Many studies say it has no side effects during this period. But long-term use is still being studied because not many people stick to it for long., since after a while weight tends to plateau, and you need to make some changes to your diet. Always try to choose the best options like salmon over pastrami or processed meats in general. Also, extra virgin olive oil is better than margarine. Definitely, if you have a health issue or chronic illness, talk to your doctor before starting any diet to see if it fits your condition. Also, if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, consult your doctor.
Third question: Can keto be harmful?
Normally, your body uses carbs for energy. Keto happens when your body switches from burning fat to burning ketones. Some people feel tired and weak at first because their body isn't used to burning fat instead of carbs. That's why some dislike keto right from the start.
Fourth question: How many carbs can we eat daily on keto?
Keto consists of 70% to 75% fat calories, 20% to 25% protein, and 5% to 10% carbs. Carb grams vary per person based on health and goals. Carbs range from 20 to 50 grams a day max. Some women don’t count fiber in their carb allowance. This works for those with chronic digestion issues or constipation. But it requires care because some veggies and whole grains can kick you out of keto.
Question 5: How many kilos can I lose if I stick to the keto diet?
If you check stories about weight loss with keto, you'll see impressive numbers. But these people were suffering from severe obesity, so they had a big fat reserve to lose. Keto just helps increase fat burning from stored fat and keeps them full longer since they usually don’t feel full that much. They used to eat large amounts because food was often a comfort to them. So the high fat plus fiber makes them feel full longer than before, which is why they lose a lot of weight.
Question 6: What fruits are allowed on the keto diet?
Fruit in general isn’t part of the keto diet because it has natural sugar and is a source of carbs. But some fruits low in carbs can be eaten in very limited amounts, like berries and avocado. The allowed amounts are for example:
- Berries have 3 grams of carbs per 6 small cups of berries.
- Strawberries have 2 grams of carbs per one cup of sliced strawberries.
You can check out the allowed foods on keto from here
Question seven: Can you eat some light snacks like yogurt, popcorn, and oats on keto?
Unfortunately, popcorn and oats have a very high carb content, for example, one cup of popcorn has 5 grams of carbs, which is your daily portion, and a small cup of popcorn isn't a filling or large meal, and the same goes for oats. But yogurt can be different. You can pick Greek yogurt because it has fewer carbs and more fat, andjust choose a type without added sugar, you can get a light snack from some nuts, sunflower seeds, or slices of vegetables like broccoli and cucumber. You can also look for keto snack recipes. you'll find plenty.
Question eight: Should we worry about the keto flu?
As mentioned before, some bodies don’t easily switch to burning ketones, so some girls feel very tired and exhausted at the start of keto and feel like they need carbs. But this usually lasts less than two weeks, then your energy goes back to normal.
Question 9: Can keto cause kidney stones?
Kidney stones worry most people, but many factors other than keto affect their occurrence. These include not drinking enough water, eating too much protein like red meat, or having very high sodium and salt intake. Genetics can also play a role here.
Question 10: How can keto affect your menstrual cycle?
If you notice irregularity or disruption in your cycle, you should increase the carbs in your diet. Women often need more carbs than men do.This is because of common ovarian cysts and testosterone hormone, which needs a certain amount of carbs to be secreted. So you can check with a nutritionist if this problem happens.
Question 11: How long does it take to lose weight?
Weight loss on keto is very fast, and many studies found it can reach Losing up to 40 kilos on keto in 4 months But it varies from person to person and from one weight to another. The more weight and fat you have, the faster you lose it.
Question twelve: How does keto affect your cholesterol levels?
One of keto's benefits is improving bad cholesterol levels because the food doesn't raise insulin levels in the body. It improves cholesterol levels, but if you have serious illnesses, you should avoid saturated fats and fried foods to prevent harm. We should read up on unhealthy keto risks and avoid them.
Question thirteen: How much protein should I eat?
Like we said before, keto protein is 20 to 25% of daily calories. If you want to keep your muscle mass and lose fat, you should take for every 1.5 grams of protein per kilo of your weight, and one good source of protein is chicken breasts.
Question 14: Does the keto diet affect diabetes?
Cutting carbs in your food helps improve insulin resistance in the body, but of course keto is not the first tool to help diabetes patients. Keto isn't the right plan for all diabetes patients so you should keep following your doctor., and some studies confirmed it helps type 2 diabetes if the cause is severe obesity.
