“I have been dieting since forever but I have barely lost any weight! Whatever I lose, comes back within no time.”
“I have been spending so much time at the gym, doing cardio and high intensity workout, but nothing seems to work.”
“After more than 1 year of strict dieting, my weighing scale refuses to budge. It now seems I can never lose weight!”
Do any of the above statements resonate with you? If yes, then you are at the right place. Keep reading, as I unfold the benefits of keto diet and why it is the best solution to all your problems.
I was at the same juncture a few years ago. Over the years, I consulted several dieticians, did rigorous training at the gym, drank every possible detox water I could get ahold of.
But every time my diet wouldn’t work, I would go on a bender and eat my heart out. As a result, I would put on some more.
The stress from constantly failing to lose weight also raised my cortisol levels through the years. Due to which, besides weight gain, I also suffered from nagging headaches and a weak immune system.
When I had almost given up hope to achieve my healthy body weight, I came across the Keto Diet. As I started researching, I figured that the biggest culprit in my situation was insulin.
While my Hb1Ac levels were not high enough to tag me as diabetic, they certainly revealed themselves as the greatest villain in my weight-loss journey.
This is when I decided to give the ketogenic diet a fair chance to fight my case.
Within the first 6 weeks I had lost more weight than I ever did all these past years.
In the following months, this diet kept on revealing its gifts to me. The health problems that I had no idea could be fixed also started disappearing.
Four years on, now I can say, weight-loss is just a by-product of being on a ketogenic diet. There are so many health benefits you can reap while following one, which, for me, supersedes the rapid weight loss.
Benefits of Keto Diet
So here are some of the key benefits of keto diet –
Keto Diet Suppresses Appetite –
The greatest challenge on any diet is managing hunger pangs, irrespective of which diet you are following.
One feels hungry all the time, and this becomes one of the main reasons why people end up cheating on their diets.
Several studies have proven that when you follow the keto diet, i.e., you increase your fat and protein intake and reduce the amount of carbs in a day, you feel fuller for longer periods.
As a result, you end up taking far less calories than on a normal diet.
Once you are keto adapted, the urge to eat often drops considerably.
This is why a lot of people following a ketogenic lifestyle find it easier to combine keto with intermittent fasting and follow a 16:8 diet plan or even One-Meal-a-Day (OMAD).
Keto Diet Insulin Resistance –
Low-carb and keto diets have proven to be particularly helpful for people with type-2 diabetes and insulin resistance.
Several studies over the years have established how a low-carb lifestyle is highly beneficial in lowering insulin levels and improving insulin resistance.
Those who are pre-diabetic or dealing with type-2 diabetes may even reverse the condition and save themselves from graduating to Diabetes.
Studies have also shown those relying on insulin injections for their supply of the hormone, might even reduce their dosage considerably within a few weeks of following a low carb diet.
Though a word of caution – people with diabetes should always consult their doctor before making the shift to ketogenic diet.
Rapid Decrease in Belly Fat –
If you think the fat deposit around the body is the same, then you are wrong! For example, the fat around your arms is very different from the one around your belly. While both pose a health risk, one is far more dangerous than the other.
There are two main types of fat deposits around our body – subcutaneous fat, that is deposited under your skin, and visceral fat, which most often sits on your belly.
Visceral fat poses far greater health risks than its counterpart. This kind of fat deposits around your internal organs and is associated with insulin resistance.
Low-carb diet is an extremely effective way in reducing visceral fat in your body. This is why people on keto diet can start noticing a shrinking waistline quite early into the diet.
As the percentage of visceral fat drops in one’s body, the risk of type-2 diabetes and heart diseases also drop drastically.
Lowers Triglycerides
Triglycerides are fat molecules that circulate in your bloodstream.
It is a well-known fact that high levels of triglycerides are associated with increased risk of stroke, heart attack and other heart conditions.
One of the main reasons for elevated levels of triglycerides in people with sedentary lifestyle is high levels of carb and sugar consumption.
Just by cutting carbs in your diet can lower your triglyceride levels dramatically.
Also, contrary to a common disbelief, it has now been proven eating low-fat diets can increase your triglyceride levels.
Improves Good Cholesterol (HDL)
Higher levels of HDL, also known as good cholesterol, are directly connected with lowering risks of heart conditions.
The best way to increase your HDL is by consuming good fats. So, it is a no-brainer why the keto diet helps promote healthy levels of HDL in our body.
Lowers Bad Cholesterol (LDL)
Those with higher levels of LDL are at a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases.
However, the size of these particles also plays a crucial role in the damage it can cause to the heart. Smaller the size of a particle, greater the risk it poses to the heart health.
Research has proven that ketogenic diet not only reduces the LDL levels in our bloodstream, but also increases the size of LDL particles, thus reducing the damage it can possibly cause to the heart.
Improves Brain Function
Our brain needs glucose to function normally. Though some recent studies have suggested the brain responds far better to ketones as its primary fuel.
Ketones are produced in our body during starvation or when we deprive it of carbs.
For decades now, ketogenic diets have been effectively used to control seizures in children suffering from epilepsy.
In many cases, this diet can cure children of epilepsy. In one study, over half of the children on a ketogenic diet experienced a greater than 50% reduction in their number of seizures, while 16% became seizure-free.
Ketogenic diets are now being studied for other brain conditions as well, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
The Conclusion
Like any other diet, ketogenic diet also comes with its risks and those with chronic health conditions should consult with their doctors before starting one.
Though for most of us, the kind of health benefits one can gain from following the ketogenic diet are far greater than most other diet plans can provide.
I know I have greatly benefited from this diet in the last few years. Leading a ketogenic lifestyle didn’t only help me achieve my ideal weight, but also improved the quality of my life drastically.
To find out more on how to start a keto diet, click here.
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