what's keto?

A ketogenic diet is a (Low Carb High Fat) way of eating that promotes a state of ketosis in the body. Generally speaking, a ketogenic diet will have the following macronutrient ratios:

High Fat – 60%-80% of total calories come from fat.

Moderate Protein – 15%-35% of total calories come from protein.

Low Carbohydrate – 5% or less of total calories come from carbohydrates.

Eating in accordance with these macronutrient ratio’s will deplete your body of glucose and force it to start producing ketones. Your body will then use these ketones for energy.

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which some of the body’s energy supply comes from ketone bodies in the blood, in contrast to a state of glycolysis in which blood glucose (sugar) provides most of the energy.

With the abundance of high carbohydrate foods available in modern times, virtually all human beings that don’t make a concerted effort to restrict carbs are always in a state of glycolysis. There are a number of reasons why ketosis is beneficial when compared to glycolysis, which we will get into later.

What are Ketones?

Ketones are the fuel source your body is running on when it’s in a state of ketosis. They are produced in the liver when glycogen is depleted and are characterized as a slower burning fuel source when compared to glucose.

Insulin and Keto

Eating a high carb diet means you’re always producing insulin to transport the glucose around your body. The fat can just sit around and watch because insulin is doing all the work. The fat is eventually stored, which leads to weight gain.

In a state of ketosis your body will begin breaking down fat in the liver and converting it to ketones, which it will then use for energy. A byproduct of this is that insulin levels will remain stable, making it much harder to store excess fat. Not only will this allow you to maintain your weight, but it will greatly encourage weight loss.