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Transcript
Part One Here's a partial list of just some of the foods that can be consumed on a ketogenic diet. I'll start with the '100% safe foods', the ones that shouldn't throw you out of ketosis due to having either no carbs, or trace amounts of carbs. Next I'll go to 'questionable' foods, such as hotdogs, where you must check the carb content on the package, because some hotdogs have only 1 gram of carbs per hotdog, some have seven. I'm also including a list of higher carb content foods, that can be eaten in VERY limited quantities. Finally I give a list of foods that shouldn't be eaten on a keto diet at all. (Note: I've tried to list every food I know, in any form, so there will be some redundancy. Foods marked with an '*' are considered healthy, we highly recommend eating them as much as possible while staying under your carb limit and staying in ketosis!) Safe Foods (No Carbs/Trace Carbs) Beef, Steak, Hamburger, Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, Roast Beef, Chicken*, Duck, Any Fish*, Tuna*, Salmon*, Trout*, Halibut*, Lamb, Pork, Bacon, Ham, Eggs, Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Butter, Oils (Olive Oil*, Flaxseed oil*, etc.), Mustard, Salt, Pepper, Soy Sauce, Tea, Coffee, Heavy Cream and Nutrasweet/Equal. Minimal Carb Foods (Limited Quantities Only, Check Carb Content!) Broccoli*, Spinach*, Lettuce*, Cabbage*, Bok Choy*, Kale*, Asparagus*, Mustard Greens*, Mushrooms*, Cucumbers*, Pickles*, Olives*, Celery*, Green Beans*, Brussel Sprouts*, Cauliflower*, Artichokes*, Peppers* (Red, Green, Jalapeno, Habanero), Onions*, Nuts, Flaxseeds*, Cheeses, Salami, Pastrami, Hot Dogs, Sausages, Ribs (watch out for the sauce it contains sugar which becomes carbs!), Buffalo Wings without breading, Liverwurst, Oysters, Abalone, Protein Powders, Sugar Free Jello, Salad Dressings (some), some Wines. Higher Carb Foods (Very Limited Quantities!) Grapefruit*, Lemons*, Limes*, Strawberries*, Olives*, Rasberries*, Blackberries*, Kiwis*, and Half-N-Half. Foods that are NOT appropriate. (only eat on carb up days..try to limit the cake and candy) Beer, Mixed drinks, Bread, Milk, Pasta, Grains, Cereal, Rice, Potatoes, Corn, Carrots, Peas, Candy, Cake, Cheesecake, Donuts, Fruit Juices, High Carb Fruits (Apricots, Banannas, Peaches, Nectarines, etc.), Pastries, Non-Diet Soft Drinks, Rolls, Bagels, Popcorn, Battered Foods (Fried Chicken, etc.), Gravy, Honey, Sugar, and Corn Syrup. Notes: Diet Soft Drinks, such as Diet Coke, Diet 7-Up, and Diet Pepsi can usually be consumed in large quantities, but the citric acid content in these drinks can throw some people out of ketosis. Be sure to check in your individual case if this happens. Hard liquor, such as scotch, vodka, etc can be consumed because they have virtually no carbs. Wine actually makes a nice ketogenic alcoholic drink, as most wines have only 1-6 grams of carbs per glass, the sweeter the wine, the more carbs. Beer is usually very high in carbs, having 10-15 grams per glass. Watch out though, when you're in ketosis your blood sugar will be very low, and the alcohol will have a more pronounced effect. __________________ Against The Grain Should Be a Way Of Life What's worth the prize is always worth the fight The Cyclical Ketogenic Diet: True Fat Loss In recent media, low carbohydrate diets have been THE fad for almost everybody in America wanting to lose weight. From your secretaries, elementary school teachers, and desk clerks, to bodybuilders, models, actresses, and athletes. However, there is a huge difference between those who follow an Atkins plan and those who follow a cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD). Atkins is a low carb plan for those who are quite sedentary, walk maybe 3 times a week at the most, and just follow normal everyday activities. So forget Atkins here. The CKD is for those who’s main concern is true fat loss and muscle preservation—muscle for sports and high intensity activities. My opinion for those who practice Atkins is that while they do lose fat, there is much water loss and most importantly muscle loss. Something we athletes do not want. A CKD is a true fat loss diet that works undeniably, if followed properly and strictly. Yes, low carb diets can be hell at first, but after two to three weeks, there have been anecdotal reports from many dieters that the cravings for carbohydrates decrease. This route to fat burning is unlike any traditional diet all the low-fat diet authors and FDA people have been advocating in history. I got turned onto this diet a few years back when I got tired of cutting fat and still not being able to lose those last percentage points of bodyfat without losing hard earned muscle. I would start a low-fat diet, and be a either a social misfit (not going out with my friends to party or not going out to eat). Or in the worse case, feel so deprived of delicious junk foods I missed and bail out on the diet all together. One advantage to this diet is that there is no true restrictions on food. One may eat anything labeled a "food"! Well, almost. I’ll explain later. How the diet works. The science behind the CKD is simple. Carbohydrates in the diet cause an insulin (a "storage" hormone) output in the pancreas. It is used to store glycogen, amino acids into muscles, while causing excess calories to be stored as fat. So common sense asks me, "How can one try to break down fat, when your body is in a storage-type mode?" Difficult to do, indeed. That is why it makes perfect sense for step one to be cutting carbs. The next thing that happens in your body is the rise in catecholamines (a "fat mobilizing" hormone), cortisol (a "breakdown" hormone), and growth hormone. Now your body realizes there’s no more carbs to burn for energy, so it must find another energy source: fat. This usually happens during a metabolic condition called "ketosis." This is when your liver is out of glycogen and starts to produce ketones (by-products of fatty acids). You can check your status of whether or not you are in ketosis with urinalysis strips you can pick up at any local drug store called "Ketostix." Just urinate and see if it turns color. If so, you have ketones in the urine. When the body is fed fat and protein, it will use dietary fat along with bodyfat for energy with protein going towards repair. As a side note, there is another reason why this diet makes the most sense to use while keeping muscle. When one follows a high carbohydrate, low-fat, reduced-calorie diet, there’s a point when some bodyfat is burned, but when the body is still in a carbohydrate burning metabolism while trying to lose "weight," it will strip down precious body protein to convert to glucose for energy. On the other hand, during fat metabolism, protein cannot be converted into free-fatty acids for energy. Although there is no scientific research done on this, there have been reports from followers that there truly is a "protein-sparing" effect. It makes sense doesn’t it? Where else would the body look for fat energy when all dietary fat is burned? Bodyfat. Diet Requirements Mon. to Fri. The phrase "working smarter, not harder" applies here more than any diet one has tried. One must fully understand what they must do in order to optimize their goal. To set a CKD up, one cannot just expect to cut all carbs in the diet, train hard, and lose fat! Although some have come up with variations to this plan, the one stated in this article, I have found, has worked for myself (it got me to 6% BF), and other clients I’ve trained to the leanest, hardest they’ve ever been. First, to set up the diet, write down your lean mass weight. Not your total weight, dough boy. If you weigh 200, but have 20% bodyfat, your lean mass weight would be around 160 pounds. Multiply this by one, getting your grams of protein requirements for a day. Make sure you eat at least one gram of protein/pound of lean mass! This is important in recovery from workouts and enough nitrogen retention to keep muscle. Next, multiply by four, to get your protein calories. Here, it is 640. The rest of your caloric requirements for the day should be fat. Here is the catch: you must eat fat to burn fat. There’s no way around it. There are many advantages to dietary fat on this diet: Feeling of fullness since fat digestion is slow (less hunger), tastes great, and lowers blood glucose levels (lowering insulin and allow all the fat burning hormones to do their job). So how much fat? I always recommend starting out with a 500 calorie deficit from your maintenance calories. If you don’t know, it is usually 15 times body weight (full body weight here) depending on an individuals metabolic rate. So here, the example would need 3000 calories a day to maintain weight, and 2500 calories to begin fat loss. 2500 minus 640 (protein calories) is 1860 which works out to be around 206 fat grams a day. Now as you go deeper into the diet, and find the need to restrict calories more, you must cut fat calories, not protein. The Weekend Carb Load Since muscle glycogen is the main source of energy for anaerobic exercise such as weight training, we cannot simply deplete all stores while working out and not fill them back up. If that does happen, be rest-assured that the body WILL use protein for fuel then. But this won’t happen on the CKD. Your one and a half days of "freedom" allow you to do two things: First, reward your carb cravings from the previous days, allowing you to enjoy pleasures like pizza, pasta, breads, etc. Second, eating these things are physiologically rewarding as insulin levels run high, storing amino acids and carbs, as glycogen, into the depleted muscle allowing you to be able to workout again the following week. Your "carb-up" should begin Friday night and last until around midnight Saturday. Now the next important issue to address is how many carbs. Some lucky individuals find that they eat whatever they want for the 24-30 hour time interval and receive perfect glycogen compensation, while others rely on a better statistical number. What has been recommended by other authors of the CKD is 10-12 grams of carbs per kilogram of lean mass. Again, time to do math. Our example had 160 pounds of lean mass, so divide that by the conversion factor of 2.2, and we get roughly 73 kg. 100 Grams of easily digested liquid carbs along with around half as many grams of carbs in protein (here 50) as a whey shake or something of that nature should be taken right after the last workout (which I will address in the workout section of the article) when insulin sensitivity will be at its greatest. A few hours later this individual will start to spread the remaining 630 grams of carbs, along with the important number of 160 grams of protein (remember, keep this constant) during the remainder of the compensation period. So what about dietary fat? I know you’re reminding yourself, "Didn’t this guy mention pizza?" Yes, I did. And here’s why. During the first 24-30 hours of carbing up, the body will use all dietary carbohydrates to refill glycogen, protein for rebuilding, and get this: fat for energy. Still? Just like the previous five and a half days. Makes sense. When all the carbohydrates are being used for more important functions (muscle), what else is there to be used? However, you can’t just eat all the fat you want. Keep grams of fat intake below your body weight in kilograms. Again, here our example will keep is fat below 73 during the carb-fest. By anecdotal reports, this should keep fat regain minimal to nil. Keeping fat intake extremely low has even caused some extra fat burning during the carb up! As stated before, some dietary fat should be eaten to slow digestion and keep sugar levels stable. Whether it be saturated, unsaturated, or essential fats, is the dieter’s decision. All have nine calories per gram. (Note: there is a claim that essential fatty acids such as flax seed oil increase insulin sensitivity within the muscle cells, in turn, increasing glycogen intake.) In Case You Missed It So here’s how it breaks down during the week: Sunday through Friday afternoon , you will follow the low carb diet outlined above. Eat fat and protein all day everyday except on workout days because after workouts, you will need to consume strictly just protein—no fat or carbs. Some have found to enjoy a protein shake afterwards because they are easily digested. Do whatever works for you. But fat is not logical since you want the protein to fuel the healing process as quickly as possible and fat will only slow it down. Friday afternoon, around two hours before your last workout of the week, eat two to three pieces of fruit. This will get your body/liver ready to start the carb loading and give you some energy for that final, dreadful workout (trust me, during the first few weeks, you will not want to do that final workout, but you must). Then from Friday night until Saturday at midnight or until bed, eat those carbs! CKD Workout Now, the question is, how do we workout to optimize muscle preservation and keep our metabolism up while dieting? Before we get into that, one must realize that during any dieting scheme there is one thing that must be done, and one thing that must not be done. First, you must keep training volume lower than your usual routine. Overtraining is probably the number one killer in motivation, it deprives sleep, and hinders fat loss. Second, you must not fall into the myth of lighter weights with higher reps. You got your muscle by benching 240, and you have to bench 240 to keep that same muscle! Or at least around that area! Okay, now that we have that established, here’s what we do: On Monday and Tuesday we will work our weaker body parts, rest or cardio on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, Thursday do our strongest body parts, and Friday a combination of the Monday/Tuesday workouts in a loop format. The workout I have found to work optimally for myself and my clients is this: (Note: You may feel free to tweak, shake, and turn this example upside down. Everybody is different, so find what works for you.) MONDAY: Chest, Back, Abs High intensity workouts with 60 sec rest between sets, 90 sec rest between each exercise (this excludes all warm up sets) Bench 3 sets, 6-10 reps T-bar Row 3 sets, 6-10 reps Incline bench 3 sets, 6-10 reps Latpulldown to front 3 sets, 6-10 reps Dips or Decline bench 3 sets, 6-10 reps Shrugs 3 sets, 6-10 reps Flys (any type) 2 sets, 10-12 reps Reverse flys 2 sets, 10-12 reps Stiff-leg deadlift 3 sets, 10-12 reps Rope ab crunch 3 sets, 10-15 reps Reverse crunch 3 sets, 10-20 reps TUESDAY: Shoulders, Arms Same intensity mentioned before Behind the neck shoulder press 3 sets, 8-10 reps Military press 3 sets, 8-10 reps Preacher curls 3 sets, 8-10 reps French press or "skull-crushers" 3 sets, 8-10 reps Shoulder raises (any type) 2 sets, 8-10 reps Hammers 3 sets, 8-10 reps V-bar tricep press 3 sets, 8-10 reps Forearm curls 2 sets, 8-10 reps Reverse forearm curls 2 sets, 8-10 reps Wednesday: Rest or Cardio Thursday morning: Rest or Cardio Later on Thursday: Legs Same intensity mentioned before Squat or Leg press 4 sets, 6-10 reps Lying leg curl 4 sets, 6-10 reps Standing calf raise 4 sets 6-10 reps Leg extensions 4 sets, 10-12 reps Seated leg curl 4 sets, 10-12 reps Seated calf raise 4 sets, 10-12 reps Friday night: Final Workout Same intensity mentioned before Bench 2 sets, 6-10 reps T-bar Row 2 sets, 6-10 reps Incline bench 2 sets, 6-10 reps Latpulldown to front 2 sets, 6-10 reps Behind the neck shoulder press 1 set, 8-10 reps Military press 1 set, 8-10 reps Either curl exercise 2 sets, 8-10 reps Either tricep exercise 2 sets, 8-10 reps Stiffleg deadift 1 set, 8-10 reps Normal floor ab crunch 2 sets, 10-20 reps Reverse crunches 2 sets, 10-20 reps Start the carb up for 24-30 hours! Aerobics Before we go on, I want to address the cardio/aerobics issue. Some people find that for the first month on a CKD, cardio/aerobics is not needed. However when fat loss does start to slow down a bit, that is when most start adding 30 min. sessions on their off days. Be careful though, you do not want to hinder your Thursday leg workout. So experiment and try to only add aerobic sessions if you feel you have to. Supplements So we have the basic diet outline stated, the workout, now what about supplements? Things that can extremely optimize this diet regime. Well, I have to admit no allegiance to any supplement company on this one: Water. Water is important on any diet, especially low carb since there is a diuretic effect, and more importantly during the carbing period. Glycogen is stored with water! You need as much water as possible to hydrate the depleted muscle. Trust me, you will feel a huge "pump" on Sunday morning from all the stored carbs and water INSIDE your muscle. Speaking of muscle, the god of all sports supplement right now: Creatine. It can still be used on a low carb diet. Usually 10 grams a day during the low carb days, and around 2030 grams during the carbing period should work for most everybody. I highly recommend it for everybody who doesn’t get an upset stomach using it. Finally, one that everyone that’s dieted before knows about: The ECA stack. Most have not used pure ECA, but mainly herbal extracts in thermogenic products sold by sports supplement companies. For a pre-work out boost and increased fat burning through thermogenics (heat), this is my favorite supplement. It does its job, you feel it happening, and it can help you psychologically when you don’t feel like working out that day. Conclusion With all this said, I will throw my personal opinion, thanks and motivation on or for the cyclical ketogenic diet. First of all, to me, it is the greatest diet every developed. It makes sense, works and isn’t as hard to follow as one might think. Just stay motivated and concentrate on your goal. When you have a craving during the week for that cupcake or pasta, just go eat a delicious serving of some pepperoni and melted mozzarella cheese. Or how about a hamburger patty covered in cheddar cheese and some strips of bacon? Foods that are delicious and that can satiate hunger. I followed this exact plan this past summer for eight weeks and loss 18 pounds of fat without any loss in muscle. It was the leanest and most vascular I had ever seen myself. And I must give thanks where thanks are due since I did not come up with this diet. Dan Duchaine, who recently passed away, brought my attention to a CKD with his book BodyOpus and Lyle McDonald has done deep research and wrote his book The Ketogenic Diet: A Complete Guide for the Dieter and Practitioner. This diet can be for you. Oh you’re only a mass builder? Well, lower bodyfat percentages even make you look bigger! Give it some thought and decide. Then achieve your goal. It’s worth it: A diet with true fat loss. From Bodybuilding.com More info on: CDK Forum Part 2 http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark91.htm Along with the Atkins diet and the South Beach diet, individuals who are interested in low carbohydrate approaches to dieting will likely want to look into the Keto Diet. Popular among many who are trying to maintain blood sugar levels and lose body fat, the main premise of this diet is, 'eat fat to lose fat'. So How Does It Work? The idea of the ketone diet is to get your body into a process called Ketosis where you stop burning carbohydrates as fuel and instead turn to the burning of what are known as ketones. This will occur when you bring your carbohydrate levels to around 50 grams per day or lower. Many keto activists advise that number to be 30 grams of carbohydrates but most individuals can still maintain ketosis while consuming the 50 grams and this allows for a little more leeway in the diet since you can increase the consumption of vegetables and a variety of flavoring's that contain a few grams of carbohydrates. Click Image To Enlarge. You Can Increase The Consumption Of Vegetables. TKD Or CKD Usually people who are involved with exercise will follow either a TKD (targeted keto diet) or a CKD (cyclical keto diet). A TKD is one where you will eat carbohydrates right before and right after your workouts. This is the best bet for those who are involved in more intense activities and require some carbohydrates to fuel them and who are not as interested in doing carb loads and depletion workouts. CKD: A CKD on the other hand is a diet where you will eat a minimum amount of carbohydrates per day (that 30-50 gram number) and then on the weekend (or at a time that is appropriate for you) do a large 'carb-up' phase where you will eat a large amount of carbohydrates in an effort to refill your muscle glycogen stores so you can continue to workout the coming week. Normally right before the carb-up phase you will do a depletion workout where you try and get your muscles to completely eliminate their glycogen supply. Then when you do the 'carb-up' phase, you cut almost all the fat out of the diet so you are now just consuming protein and carbohydrates. Forum Threads: GuitarWeights Keto Log! - Started By GuitarWeights Breath stink since doing CKD/keto? - Started By Benji Snap Who's having great success on KETO?!! - Started By DPP450 Step By Step Keto Diet Plan! - Started By Blindfaith Setting Up The Diet: To set the diet up, first you take your lean body weight and multiply it by one. This will be the total number of grams of protein you are required to eat per day. After you get this number, multiple it by 4 (how many calories are in one gram of protein) to get your total calories coming from protein. Now the rest of your daily requirement will come from fat calories. You don't really need to calculate carbohydrate grams specifically because by default you will likely reach your 30-50 grams per day simply by including green vegetables and the incidental carbs that come from your fat and protein sources. To figure out how many fat grams specifically you want, you would take the total number of calories it takes to maintain your body weight (normally around 14-16 calories per pound of body weight). Subtract your protein calories from that number and then divide by 9 (number of calories per gram of fat). This should give you how many total fat grams you need to eat per day. Divide these numbers by however many meals you wish to eat per day to get the basic layout for your diet. Be sure to consume plenty of green leafy vegetables for antioxidant and vitamin protection and you are good to go. KETO DIET CALCULATOR Weight 176 BF % 10 Meals 5 Pounds Results Protein Per Day 158 grams or 634 calories. Fat Per Day 203-242 grams or 1830-2182 calories. Protein Per Meal 32 grams or 127 calories. Fat Per Meal 41-48 grams or 366-436 calories. Weekend Carb Load: Now this brings us to the weekend carb load period and usually the 'fun' part for most individuals. You are now able to eat large quantities of carbohydrate containing foods, cereal, bagels, rice chips, candy, pasta and so on are all good options here. Since you won't be eating very much fat at all, there is less likely of a chance that these carbohydrates will get turned into body fat as they will be going towards filling up your muscle glycogen stores once again. Most people will choose to begin their carb-up on Friday night and end it before bed on Saturday. This is usually most convenient as it's when you are off of work and can relax and enjoy the process. If you aren't overly concerned with fat loss and are just using this diet as a way to maintain blood sugar levels, you can likely eat whatever carbohydrate foods you like during this period. If you are worried about fat gain though, then you need the math. Try and aim to keep your protein the same at one gram per pound of body weight and then take in 10-12 grams of carbohydrates for every kilogram of body weight. Start taking these carbohydrates (usually the first bit in liquid form) right after your last workout on Friday night. This is when your body is primed and ready to uptake the carbohydrates and it will be most beneficial for you. Note that you can have some fat here, since it will be hard to consume many of the foods you really want to eat without being allowed any (pizza for instance) but do your best to keep your fat grams around your body weight in kilograms (so if you weigh 80 kg's, eat no more than 80 grams of fat). CARB LOADING CALCULATOR Weight 176 Pounds Results Protein 176 grams. Carbs 1760-2112 grams. Fat No more than 80 grams. On a second note, some individuals find they like to eat a little fruit along with protein before their final workout on Friday night as this will help restore their liver glycogen levels and give them the energy they need to push through that workout. Plus, by refilling the liver glycogen you will help put your body into a slightly more anabolic state so you don't see as much energy breakdown. Pros & Cons: Overall this seems to be a very good diet for most people as far as fat loss is concerned. Some do deal with negative side effects while in ketosis but most people will find that although it's really hard the first two weeks, after that period their body begins to adapt and it gets much easier. Furthermore, one of the biggest benefits of being in ketosis is appetite blunting therefore it can actually be an ideal program for someone on a diet. Keto: Don't Call Him The 'Keto Guy' - Lyle McDonald. - By David Whitley Bulking With The Cyclic Ketogenic Diet! - By Jonathan Deprospo In Depth Look At Ketogenic Diets And Ketosis. - By Jonathan Deprospo Other Keto Articles... The only draw back you will see is for those who do have high activities or are involved in lots of sprinting type exercise. Although a few will find they feel fine, even have more energy on a high fat/moderate protein diet, most of the time carbohydrates are the best source of fuel for these activities. That isn't that big of a problem though, it just means that that person should instead look into doing a TKD instead of a CKD. Part 3 This is LOOOOOOOONG, but it completes the overview of a CKD. It is good reading, and should answer most questions. If you have any others, post them in the CKD forum. Here we go: There are a great number of myths associated with the low carb diet. Many authoritative sources have indicated the public must consume a diet, which is 60% carbohydrate, 15% protein and 25% fat for optimal health and performance. Carbohydrates are considered the primary fuel source by the body and those who have achieved degrees in institutions of higher learning would like us to believe that dietary carbohydrates are of such importance that without them, we won't survive, or if we do, we'll be so unhealthy we'll wish we were dead. I'm here to tell you these ideas are only partially true. NORMAL CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM Let's look at what happens when carbohydrates, the typical primary energy source, are nearly removed or greatly reduced This is where dietitians start to panic and ill informed medical professionals start to cry because they've forgotten their biochemistry from way back when First, let me paint a very clear picture of what type of low carbohydrate diet I'm about to describe. This diet is considered extreme and compared to the typical U S D A Food Guide Pyramid, is extreme. Typical dietary intake on this low carbohydrate diet will contain carbohydrates at no greater than 5% of dietary intake, fats at approximately 55% of dietary intake and protein at 40% of dietary intake. This diet will herein be called the ketogenic (producing ketones) diet and you'll see why later. I am going to briefly describe the basic metabolism of food that it will upset some, cause a great sigh of relief from others but in the end will hopefully provide just enough information to help you understand how food is processed and why we can live on a ketogenic diet for intermittent periods, with energy, vitality and weight loss. When we eat a meal, typically consisting of some carbohydrates (sugars), lipids (fats) and proteins (amino acids), digestion begins in the mouth. Enzymes begin ripping apart the carbohydrates in the mouth and when the food hits the stomach more acids and enzymes begin ripping apart the proteins and fats. The food then passes into the small intestine where it is further digested and absorbed into the blood stream for transport to body tissues That which is not absorbed and remains unused is passed further to the large intestine and finally is defecated Let's briefly cover what happens specifically with carbohydrates during digestion. Remember that carbohydrates start to digest in the mouth and are further digested in the stomach and small intestine. When they are finally absorbed via the small intestine all carbohydrates circulate in the blood as glucose. This means that whether you consume carbohydrates from bread, fruit vegetables, pasta or candy the various usable sugars eventually are dismantled into plain old glucose. When glucose is plentiful, such as when a person is eating the typical high carbohydrate diet described in the beginning, the body will use glucose preferentially as a fuel to produce energy (ATP). This means that fats (stored or dietary) are not a major fuel source when following the typical high carbohydrate diet. Major organs use glucose and so do our muscles when carbohydrates are the major source of energy. Pretty convenient how the body does that isn't it? You should also know that carbohydrates yield about 4 calories per gram GLUCOSE AND INSULIN INTERACTION When glucose enters the blood the pancreas is signaled to release a hormone called insulin. Insulin's primary function is to keep glucose levels from soaring too high. If glucose was left unchecked, the body would enter a very unhealthy metabolic state of hyperglycemia after eating a high carbohydrate meal. Therefore insulin prevents this condition from occurring, among many other functions. One other action which insulin exerts is fatty acid synthesis (making fats) and storage. Simply stated, when insulin levels are high, such as a 2-4 hours after a high carbohydrate meal, you stand a greater chance of storing fat and a lessor chance of lipolysis (breaking down fat). TYPE II DIABETES - A PERFECT METABOLIC CONDITION FOR OBESITY Untreated type II diabetics are walking examples of what continual high blood glucose and subsequent high insulin levels can do to the body. This disease literally makes you fat. Untreated type II diabetics almost always have high glucose/insulin levels because their body is not functioning optimally and insulin is doing a very poor job of removing glucose from the blood. Glucose levels remain high. The body is signaled to release more insulin. It doesn't do its job very well so glucose and/or insulin levels remain high. The body is signaled to secrete more insulin and the vicious cycle continues on and on. Many overweight individuals (literally millions of Americans) are type II diabetics and don't know it. What they do know is they can't seem to reduce bodyfat no matter how hard they try. A very important point to understand at this point, is that it is very well established that when insulin levels are high, the body stores fat quite easily and may convert carbohydrates or proteins into adipose (stored fat). Also, lipolysis (dissolving fat) is nearly blocked in the presence of insulin. STARVATION VERSUS THE KETOGENIC DIET-CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM Now that some very basic carbohydrate metabolism has been covered I'll address the issue of starvation/fasting versus the Ketogenic diet. The two conditions are relentlessly compared because there are some similarities between the two. There are some striking differences, however, that can't be ignored. During normal periods of fasting (2-6 hours, in between meals) the body will secrete glucagon, another hormone, but considered the opposite of insulin. Glucagon will break down stored glycogen at the liver, increasing blood glucose so we have glucose to fuel major organs, such as the brain, kidneys, small intestine and muscles. This process occurs everyday and is a part of normal physiology for most Americans who aren't eating constantly. After 12-36 hours of fasting, however, we will run out of stored glycogen at the liver. When this occurs during a fast some deleterious effects occur such as severe muscle wasting because the body will begin mobilizing body proteins to make glucose until adjustment has occurred to the fast. Once adjustment has occurred, (usually within a two-week period or less) the body will reduce the use of precious body proteins and rely on high levels of fat burning and ketone bodies as fuel sources. Ketone body production occurs as a direct result of mobilizing and burning large amounts of fatty acids for fuel. When stored body fat and body proteins have run out, or become so low the body can't function properly, (about a week for a normally lean person) they die. A very fat person may be able to live for months, however, with only water and a vitamin/mineral supplement (Don't even think about it This is very unhealthy!) It might not be obvious at this point, but one major difference between a ketogenic diet and starvation is FOOD. With a ketogenic diet you're not starving and are eating a plentiful diet. One reason the body begins mobilizing body proteins to make glucose, during starvation, is because there are NO dietary proteins to use. There's no food! The body still uses non-carbohydrate sources, like amino acids from proteins; to make glucose (called gluconeogenesis) during a ketogenic diet but a greater proportion of the protein used to make glucose can be provided by the diet, instead of muscle and other cellular proteins. Thus, muscle wasting, a real concern for someone starving, is much less of an issue for someone following the ketogenic diet A period of adjustment may still follow initial startup of a ketogenic diet and some muscle proteins may be sacrificed for a few days to a week but dietary proteins will be plentiful and will be used for gluconeogenesis. STARVATION VERSUS KETOGENIC DIETING-FAT AND PROTEIN METABOLISM I've made the distinction between starvation and the ketogenic diet with respect to protein for gluconeogenesis but what about fats? During starvation the body uses adipose (stored body fat) as its major fuel source after the adjustment period. It also uses ketone bodies, which are acidic byproducts of very high levels of fatty acid oxidation (burning fats for fuels). Both fatty acids and ketone bodies are used preferentially over glucose as energy sources during starvation. During a ketogenic diet the body doesn't solely rely on stored body fat and ketone bodies as the primary fuel sources. It will also rely on dietary fats as well. Once again, a major difference between starvation and the ketogenic diet. It is also for this reason that one cannot eat unlimited calories with a ketogenic diet and expect to lose weight. The body will use dietary fats as a primary fuel source along with the subsequent ketone bodies from oxidation of dietary fats and then will use adipose only if calories are below those needed to maintain current body weight If calories are kept at just below maintenance, and you are following a ketogenic diet, the body is forced to begin a fat dissolving state called lipolysis. Simply stated, we are breaking down adipose and using the fatty acids as an energy source. Not only is lipolysis activated, it is now the primary energy source with other physiological mechanisms stepping up to allow normal and efficient operation of our everyday lives while following a ketogenic diet. Most reading this and wanting to lose weight have a tremendous store of energy in the form of fat just waiting to be used. The typical fuel reserves in a young, adult male amount to about 90,000 to 110,000 calories of energy In contrast, the carbohydrate energy reserve is about 2% of this total, or approximately 2000 calories. THE BODY'S INHERENT NEED FOR GLUCOSE But what about the body's inherent need for glucose? Doesn't the brain need glucose to function? Yes, the body does have a need for glucose and as I briefly stated earlier, glucose can be made within the body from non-carbohydrate sources such as amino acids. This is called gluconeogenesis. Additionally, the Cori cycle and the Glucose-Alanine cycle are pathways that ensure critical glucose will be available for the organs that absolutely require it. We will not cover those cycles in this article. Suffice it to say that they are very efficient cycles for the body to preserve glucose levels so they don't fall too low when dietary carbohydrates are nonexistent (such as during starvation) or very low with the ketogenic diet. Let's not forget that we're eating with a ketogenic diet, and at least a small part of our diet (5%) is derived from carbohydrates, which ultimately ends up as circulating glucose FATS BECOME THE PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE Probably the most feared but greatest asset a ketogenic diet has on its side is the fact that when the diet is not rich in carbohydrates, the body relies on them less as an energy source. This is called the glucose-fatty acid cycle it basically says that when glucose is low and fatty acids are high glucose needs will be less. Isn't the body a wonderful machine? When carbohydrates were plentiful it used them as the primary energy source. Now that fats are the primary energy source the body uses them preferentially over carbohydrates. Simply amazing! One question you're all thinking relates to how we can possibly lose weight eating 55% of our calories as fat. The greatest answer is that carbohydrates are no longer the primary energy source-fats are. Doesn't fat make you fat? Let me give you a law you can use forever: **Dietary fat doesn't make people fat. Excessive calories, a lack of activity, metabolic disease or combination of any two or more of these factors make people fat** If you stopped reading right there and based any diet you use on this law you would know everything you need to know to lose weight and stay lean. Since dietary fat doesn't make us fat, we need not fear a relatively high fat diet, as long as calories are controlled for age, lean mass and activity. KETOACIDOSIS- IS THERE NEED FOR CONCERN? At this point the naysayers are hoping I'll forget about the metabolic condition called ketoacidosis so they can show their friends and whine about how the ketogenic diet is really a killer and how anyone who even remotely suggests it's an alternative diet is also a killer and a lunatic. Sorry, you don't get your wish. Ketoacidosis is a condition in which ketone bodies are created in such large quantities that they literally make the blood more acidic. When this happens a series of events occur which may cause impairment of organ function and eventual death. It is a very real concern for diabetics who are insulin dependent because they are missing a natural feedback mechanism to prevent excessive ketone body formation. For them, or any other person with any condition being treated by a physician, this diet should only be implemented with physician assistance and guidance. For normally healthy, non-diabetic individuals, there is always some insulin present in the blood. Always! As you mobilize more fat for energy, ketone production rises. When ketone production reaches a particular threshold, however, insulin is released by the pancreas (even in the absence of dietary carbohydrate) which slows the mobilization of fats and subsequently reduces the number of ketone bodies produced. Insulin is believed to keep ketone body production in check. Because this is so, those individuals who possess the natural ability to secrete insulin from the pancreas, will not allow ketones to be produced in such excess that the blood becomes acidic. The body also has several buffering systems in place which react quickly to changes in the pH of the blood. These systems are highly effective and minimize potential changes in blood pH. Therefore ketoacidosis is not a condition experienced by adults with normal pancreatic function and who are otherwise healthy, even on a ketogenic diet. If this were the case we'd have a lot of dead bodybuilders and dieters on our hands right now that have used the ketogenic diet with positive results. HIGH CHOLESTEROL-IS THERE NEED FOR CONCERN? The same naysayers who hoped I'd shut up a page ago before the ketoacidosis section, are now pointing a finger and saying that with all that fat in the diet we're going to have cholesterol levels shooting through the roof. Wrong! First of all, if foods are chosen wisely, the source of dietary fat is given due consideration, and the person using the ketogenic diet is also reducing calories and losing weight, I can almost 100% guarantee that cholesterol will drop or at the worst, remain the same. Triglycerides (another factor being given weight with respect to cardiovascular disease) will fall substantially. Good cholesterol may also go up, which is a positive factor for reducing cardiovascular disease risk. I hope I've kept this article somewhat readable so far and I'm not going to change course and go into the dozen or so studies which prove my point but they are readily available for anyone wanting to do some digging. KETOGENIC DIETING AND ATHLETES If, by using the ketogenic diet, we've created a fat burning machine that will: Still function perfectly fine, Will make and preserve necessary glucose, Will not store fat easily, Won't raise cholesterol, What else could there possibly be to say about the diet and why isn't everyone using it? The first point to address is using the ketogenic diet along with weightlifting or other exercise. While we've created a fat furnace of sorts and the body functions optimally during daily activities, muscles need glucose and/or stored glycogen to be at their very best. This is why we must incorporate a period of carbohydrate loading to refill or even overfill muscle glycogen stores so they have the energy needed to function optimally. If you're not exercising this carbohydrate loading period is not necessary. But if you're not exercising, you're also not following my recommendations for proper weight loss. Earlier I stated that liver glycogen stores are gone in 12-36 hours after beginning the ketogenic diet. Muscle, however, retains its stored glycogen, even after liver glycogen is gone. This is great! With liver glycogen gone we use fatty acids and ketone bodies as fuels and muscle retains glycogen for physical activity. One problem… When we hammer our muscles in the gym on a daily basis, the glycogen in them also gets used up and because our dietary carbohydrates are so low the glycogen isn't replaced to proper, maximally optimal levels. This is where the carbohydrate loading comes in. THE CARB LOAD Very simply, we follow a ketogenic diet for 5 1/2 days per week and for the remaining 1 1/2 days we eat a typical high carbohydrate diet. During the 1 1/2 days of high carbohydrate eating our muscles will supercompensate with glycogen and while we're also causing liver glycogen to refill and insulin to be secreted like crazy, this 36 hour period is not long enough for the body to store any appreciable fat. What did I just say? I said you can go nuts for 36 hours a week after 5 1/2 days of watching calories and eating a ketogenic diet, without any fear of getting fat because of it. And as an actual survivor and thrive on this diet I can tell you that those 36 hours are absolutely great! Eat carbs like there's no tomorrow and don't worry about calories but don't exceed 36 hours or you'll start laying down fat like crazy. Here's what I do when I'm on the ketogenic diet Sunday through Friday at lunch I keep my calories at 2000 (10 times my body weight) per day. At supper on Friday I start my carb up, right after my workout (if your workout doesn't fall on Friday don't sweat it). I then eat a grand total of approximately 2000 additional calories above my daily goal of 2000 calories for a total of 4000 calories on Friday. On Saturday I consume approximately 5500 calories with carbohydrates making up approximately 60-70% of my dietary intake. When I wake up Sunday I go right back to the ketogenic diet. It takes time for the body to refill the muscle with glycogen but by Sunday night or Monday morning my muscles feel pumped and full. My best performance in the gym is between Sunday and Thursday of every week. As I go through workout after workout between Sunday and Thursday I use up muscle glycogen. By Friday my workouts are suffering, just in time to refill again come Friday night. WHY DID I USE THE KETOGENIC DIET AND WHAT HAPPENED? I started the ketogenic diet because I was bored with low fat foods. I was sick to death of them actually. I had been eating low fat for about a year and missed the higher fat foods that I believed were totally. I had reduced my bodyfat to 15% from 32% but I wanted to see 9%. I didn't feel I could reduce my calories any further and stay with low fat foods so I decided to give the diet a try after speaking with a true ketogenic diet guru, Jeffrey Krabbe, who has more knowledge of the diet than anyone I know, including Atkins, Dipasquale, Duchaine or any other alleged low carb diet guru. By simply reducing calories and eating more low fat foods I did reduce my bodyfat from 32% to 15% I then used the ketogenic diet to reduce my bodyfat from 15% to the 9% you see in the photos of me. Was it a miracle? No. Was I able to eat as many calories as I wanted and still reduce the bodyfat? No. Was I able to break the monotony and eat some foods I consider delicious and missed very badly? Yes. Did I lose weight eating high fat, low carbohydrate foods? You decide. It works ladies and gentlemen I believe it's an alternative that can be used to break up boring cycles of low fat chicken and tuna with generous helpings of fat free this and fat free that as the mainstays. At the time I started the ketogenic diet low fat foods were enough to make me puke. With all of this said I will briefly state that I believe some supplements are warranted on this diet I will then conclude with my general recommendations and guidelines for anyone wanting to follow the ketogenic diet. SUPPLEMENTS A basic multivitamin and mineral supplement is warranted due to the lack of breads. cereals, grains, fruits and some vegetables for 5 1/2 days per week. I also recommend Fibersol by Twinlab because of the lack of dietary fiber that low carbohydrate foods possess. Fibersol is a carbohydrate-free soluble fiber Even if you want to forget all the healthy benefits of a high fiber diet, at least know that it may be very unhealthy and unpleasant to not have at least one bowel movement per day. If you don't supplement with fiber you may not have a movement for 3-4 days. That's way too long. During the week I used Designer Protein as a midmorning, midafternoon or bedtime snack I never took more than two protein shakes per day. They were only a sweet snack I craved and as you can see from the dietary list I used, protein intake was not a problem. That's also a benefit for weightlifters using this die. Protein intake is naturally, very high. I used a product like Xenadrine for a preworkout energy boost. I supplemented each of my protein shakes with 1.3 grams of evening primrose oil, and 500 mg of fish oil. What a great source of essential fatty acids! They're polyunsaturated too. Although not a supplement, I cannot suggest or recommend highly enough, that you consume at least 1 gallon of water every day. That's plain old water. Not pop or coffee. With a higher protein intake and because ketone bodies act as a natural diuretic, you'll urinate more. This can cause mild states of dehydration that could cause some not-so-mild performance problems in the gym if you don't replace the water lost. Ketostix were purchased to monitor urinary Ketone levels and to determine when ketosis was established each week (must be purchased at a drug store, usually at the pharmacy counter). Ketostix measure some Ketone bodies in the urine. Presence of ketone bodies in the urine indicates fat is being utilized as the major fuel source while following the ketogenic diet. Check it at different times of the day. You may not show ketones at all times. All you want to see is a trace, very light purple. It's not a matter of the darker the better. Read the directions with the package. SUGGESTIONS Don't whine and complain about the restrictiveness of the diet. It's only temporary and like anything worth having, will only work with fortitude and dedication. Eat about 8-10 times your body weight in total calories per day. Exercise vigorously for at least 3 times per week WHO MIGHT USE THIS DIET? Dieting bodybuilders in precontest dieting phases. up to 12 weeks in duration. Strength phase athletes who want to incorporate more meat and potentially more testosterone production without a weight gain for maintenance of lean mass and strength while dieting. Type II diabetics (non-insulin dependent) with medical supervision. Anyone who is otherwise healthy, but overweight, and not happy with the mirror may try this diet for 12 weeks but after giving the diet a 12-week run should eventually bring at least 100-200 grams of carbohydrates back into the daily diet. WHAT TO EXPECT Initially expect a feeling of mental unclarity for a few days. Not serious, but noticeable. This is normally only experienced during the first few days of the first week only. Expect a feeling of less energy for the first week (during adaptation) but some may experience no less energy or an increase in energy. Expect carbohydrate cravings like crazy for the first three weeks. You will raid the cupboards come Friday night and all day Saturday during carb up. After three weeks, however, my cravings were very much reduced and I could have taken them or left them. I took them for my muscles' sake. Expect great workouts after a week or two of adjustment, for the days of Sunday through Thursday Expect not so great workouts on Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon Glycogen is depleted in the muscle by then and hasn't had time to replenish yet Expect to urinate more frequently Expect a weight fluctuation of between 3 and 10 pounds per week due to water loss. Every molecule of glycogen has 4 molecules of water attached to it. As you lose glycogen from the liver and muscle during the week you will see a weight loss but it's not primarily fat. Expect a weight gain by Sunday or Monday. During your first week or two you may even be heavier on these days than when you started. This is due to glycogen supercompensation occurring within the muscle. You will literally store up to 50% more glycogen than normal. Remember the glycogen-water issue Expect your friends and family to whine and snivel about your new diet and tell you how you're an idiot and are going to die from it. Most have never heard the word "ketone", much less spell it Expect any one you know, in the medical field, to shun it. Condemn it and repeat what your friends said. They've forgotten biochemistry and think that everyone will end up like a type I diabetic. Ask them for studies, which showed a ketogenic diet raised cholesterol or was shown to be unhealthy in humans. They'll talk plenty about typical unhealthy diets where carbohydrates AND fats are high but not about diets where carbohydrates are kept at 5% of dietary intake. Don't miss this distinction. Expect it will take no less effort then any other diet where weight loss is the goal. It's not easy. It's simply an alternative that works. Expect that you will have to monitor calories for success, as all successful weight loss plans require. There are over one million questions left unanswered in this article but you now have the basic tools to decide if the diet is for you or not. In the meantime please write me if you have any questions specific to your individual needs I've done 4 cycles of the ketogenic diet at between 8 and 12 weeks each time. It's always a nice break from the SOS TYPICAL WEIGHT LOSS RECORD FOR 8 WEEKS (A FEMALE SHOULD EXPECT LESS OF A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MONDAY AND FRIDAY A FEMALE GENERALLY HAS LESS MUSCLE AND THEREFORE, LESS MUSCLE GLYCOGEN AND WATER TO LOSE) Week 1 Monday 200 pounds - Friday 194 pounds Week 2 Monday 202 pounds - Friday 193 pounds Week 3 Monday 199 pounds - Friday 192 pounds Week 4 Monday 197 pounds - Friday 190 pounds Week 5 Monday 195 pounds - Friday 188 pounds Week 6 Monday 193 pounds - Friday 186 pounds Week 7 Monday 192 pounds - Friday 185 pounds Week 8 Monday 191 pounds - Friday 184 pounds 58 of the Most Common Foods I ate on the Diet Dairy Products Whole eggs Egg Whites Egg Beaters Chicken Breast Turkey Smoked Sausage Ground Turkey Burgers Velveeta Cheese Cheese (Cheddar & Salami) Cheese (Premium processed slices) Cottage Cheese Pork products Bacon (Thick) Spam Pork Sausage Brat Wurst Pork Chops (pan fried) Ham Fish products Tuna Salmon (Pink. Canned) Condiments Real Mayonnaise Miracle Whip Mustard Beef products Braunschweiger Beef (Hamburger) Salisbury Steak Roast Steak (any kind) Vegetables Broccoli Sauerkraut Other mixed vegetables (check frozen section at grocery) Cut Green Beans Snacks Sugar Free Jello Protein drinks Protos Ostrich Meat Half of a Worldwide Pure Protein Bar Cooking and Essential Fatty Acids Canola Oil Olive Oil Barlean's Organic Flax/Bor (Don't cook with Barlean's oils) Butter Fast Foods KFC Tender Roast (2 breasts with skin) McDonalds Double Quarter (No bread) Burger King Double Whopper (No bread) Subway Grilled Chicken & Tuna Salad (2 scoops of tuna plus 1 chicken breast topping a lettuce salad with a few pickles, a few black olives and vinegar & oil dressing) Any Fast Food Egg & Bacon or Sausage Breakfast (No bread) Hot Dogs (no bread) Beef bologna Other garnishes Olives Pickles Dressings Italian Dressing Blue Cheese Dressing Thousand Island Dressing Kraft Bacon & Tomato Part 4 http://books.google.com/books?id=JtCZBe2XVIC&pg=PA142&lpg=PA142&dq=ketogenic+diet+carb+load&source=bl&ots=dMMJ98zUCD&si g=vgzpRfHdek6YfilRylzZSh1N4Vc#PPA143,M1 http://books.google.com/books?id=JtCZBe2XVIC&pg=PA142&lpg=PA142&dq=ketogenic+diet+carb+load&source=bl&ots=dMMJ98zUCD&si g=vgzpRfHdek6YfilRylzZSh1N4Vc#PPA11,M1