Those looking for a healthy way to lose weight have probably heard of the famous keto diet. This diet includes consumption of high-fat low-carb and moderate-protein products, such as eggs, meat, nuts and seeds, as well as some desserts, such as a keto shake. In …
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The ketogenic diet or the keto diet is a cool new diet plan that many people are following nowadays. Low carb and high fat, this diet might seem odd but it is a very healthy way to lose weight.
You might have heard how people on the keto diet tend to lose weight quickly. Well, this is true. While you can definitely lose weight with the keto diet, that is just one of the many benefits of this cool new diet. In fact, several studies have shown the history and results of the keto diet. Let’s take a look at this beginner’s guide on the keto diet.
What is a Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is a diet, which, for those who are unaware, generally consists of high fat and low carbohydrate intake on a daily basis. There is a drastic reduction in the amount of carbs that you will put in your body, thereby creating a difference in your metabolic state. Your metabolic system goes into ketosis, which causes your body to become more efficient at burning fat to provide you energy.
The fat also turns into ketones due to different processes in the liver, which is beneficial for the human brain. Studies have shown that increased levels of ketones can result in lower insulin and blood sugar levels.
Different Kinds of Keto Diets
Keto diets would be boring if everybody were eating the same thing all the time for each meal. Luckily, there are four different types of ketogenic diets:
The effects of the standard and high protein keto diets have been comprehensively observed and analyzed by researchers. However, scientists have yet to study the cyclical and targeted keto diets properly, which are much more complex than the other ones.
Keto Helps Lose Weight
Among the many benefits of keto diets is that they help reduce weight. Once that happens, a lot of the other risk factors involving other diseases automatically go away as well. Research has shown that keto is much better than low-fat diets for losing weight.
Increased protein intake, ketosis, and several other factors make keto diet more beneficial than low-fat diets. In addition to increased burning of fat, keto also encourages the body to maintain healthier levels of insulin and blood sugar rather than allowing them to shoot up.
Other Benefits of the Keto Diet
You might be surprised to learn how the keto diet actually came into being. You might have assumed that the keto diet came out as a method to lose weight, but you are wrong. The keto diet has an effect when it comes to reducing weight, but it was developed for treating neurological diseases like epilepsy.
Of course, with the success of ketogenic diets for neurological conditions, there were other health benefits that researchers started to witness among patients using the keto diet.
The risk of heart disease is known to decrease because of the reduction in risk factors through the ketogenic diet. Not only do the cholesterol levels go down, but scientists have also observed lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels among people due to the ketogenic diet.
The diet is also being used to help outpatients with cancerous growth. A study has found that a restricted ketogenic diet can work as an effective treatment for slowing down the growth of malignant brain tumors.
When it comes to the conditions affecting the brain, the keto diet is also considered to have significant neuroprotective properties. This essentially means that conditions like Alzheimer’s can be fought rigorously by being particular about the intake of carbs, fats, and proteins. A study published in 2008 observed the disease-modifying effects of the keto diet. The study found that there is a possibility that the keto diet can provide symptomatic benefits to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Eating Out While on Keto
Now, a major part of the ketogenic diet is maintaining a lifestyle that can help you maintain ketosis in your metabolic system. Now, you might start getting concerned about being able to eat at your favorite restaurants if you are on the ketogenic diet and lifestyle. But you might be surprised to learn that you can make things work out.
You see, when you head out to a restaurant, you are paying the restaurant a good amount of money to dine in and enjoy a good meal. In other words, you are in charge of what you eat there.
While ordering a complicated no-carb, high fat and high protein meal may seem like a hassle, that is a right you need to exercise and you can. A large number of restaurants that you go to will be able to accommodate a good old fashioned ketogenic diet for you from their existing menu. It is up to you to decide how that will happen.
Many restaurants, nowadays, are also making a conscious effort to serve their customers with healthier food options. Take a look at this website so that you can also learn about the strategies to make even the most carb-dominant restaurant serve you some delicious and fresh ketogenic food.
You see, when you are eating a keto diet, the food items are not exactly specially made for it. The ketogenic diet is not like going vegan and eating tofu; it is a much simpler matter. You can actually learn about different strategies, which you can apply to make sure that the food you eat at your favorite restaurant can become a working part of your keto diet.
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Are you the type of person who winces and jolts when someone tells you that they are having fun while working out? Do you have trouble maintaining a healthy lifestyle, due to tight schedules? Well, you’re definitely not alone in this. The majority of people face these problems or loathe the idea of exercising regularly and/or eating healthy. But what if we told you that these habits can be both fun and easy? Even if you consider yourself to be ’lazy’ in that regard, or maybe you’re pulling out the good old excuses such as ’I don’t have time for exercising/eating healthy,’ – there really are many different ways for you to change that and get moving.
Set realistic goals in the beginning
The first mistake that you can make when committing to a healthier lifestyle is going all-in. Take small steps, and take pride in what you achieved. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting out of the chair. But don’t try to do too much at once. For starters, it would be more than enough to take a brisk 10-minute walk in the neighborhood, or get down on the floor and do some yoga or stretching.
Try to do that every day. Let that be your first goal. 10-20 minutes of light exercises won’t work wonders for you overnight, but what really matters is building up that routine. The progress is bound to happen, just stick to your plan long enough and the results will gradually show. Even if you skip a workout or two, the important thing is not to give up and continue with your old nasty habits. Focus on long-term plans and look at the bigger picture. Don’t let minor setbacks distract you from your goals.
Have fun while working out
Does doing push-ups and sit-ups regularly sound like a tedious nightmare? What about playing games? We people are homo ludens, beings who like to play, as Johan Huizinga famously wrote. You can do just about anything while playing games – including getting fit. Just think about all those team sports out there, that people are enjoying every day.
You don’t have to be at a high or professional level to have fun playing a sport with your friends or a random group of people. The core element of everything is some kind of game, you just have to find the one that suits you the most. If you are not a fan of going to the gym, try running/jogging, swimming, riding a bike, roller skating, or hiking in the woods. Getting your body to move is what’s really important. And by all means, it doesn’t have to be conventional. You can try dancing regularly, throwing a frisbee with friends or flying a kite. It all counts as a form of exercising, and you will quickly see the benefits also.
Fast food doesn’t have to mean ’junk’ food
The notion that quickly prepared foods are by default unhealthy is a myth busted a long time ago. So is the one which tells a story that all healthy foods taste bad. For example, for breakfast, you can make a delicious omelet by adding some spinach or lettuce to the mix, and some cheese on top. If you’re in a hurry, just put sliced avocado on top of the toasted whole-grain bread, add salt, pepper and olive oil. You won’t be hungry until lunch with so many healthy, unsaturated fats.
For lunch, opt for grilled turkey or chicken breasts over hamburgers. Higher protein intake also makes you fuller for longer periods of time. Great alternative for quick meal preparation is making a tasty smoothie as well. You can make them in no time. Blend your favorite fruits and veggies with a couple of spoons of oats and supplement it with True Protein, and you have virtually everything your body needs. Higher protein intake is especially recommended if you’re working out. Protein supplements are an awesome way to heal those torn muscle fibers after exercising.
Conclusion
So, to conclude, there really shouldn’t be any excuses in terms of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If you find tedious or annoying some of the more traditional methods of working out, choose something adventurous and daring instead. Even if you’re too busy with daily tasks and can’t find enough time to eat right and exercise on a regular basis, there are still more than a few ways to get around this. Life is not always fun and games, but why not make working out and eating good, nutritious foods entertaining and amusing? Remember, it’s never too late to pick up those healthy habits. Now you know that it’s really not that hard to make these changes. Basically, all it takes is good will and right approach towards something which is often times labeled as tiresome.
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