CARBS: WHY DO PEOPLE CUT THEM OUT?
In todayâs day & age, many different fitness ârulesâ are thrown around far too lightly as gospel. One such rule is that carbohydrates are the enemy. We regularly hear that carbohydrates are the single biggest obstacle that we have in our quest to losing weight. Now, the fact of the matter is that this simply isnât true, but at the same time, this fitness myth may well have stemmed from a solid origin â the Keto Diet!
The Keto Diet is an almost zero-carb diet, which when utilised correctly, turns the body into a fat-burning furnace. Multiple famous fitness models use this as their staple for shedding fat, and based on certain reports, itâs far more effective than the usual IIFYM method. The reason we call it the âKeto Dietâ is because of the fact that when on it, your body produces ketones. Ketones are an alternative fuel source for the body that are used when the regular fuel source, carbohydrates, are in short supply.
Ketones are produced if you eat very few carbs (that are quickly broken down into blood sugar) and only moderate amounts of protein (excess protein can also be converted to blood sugar). This is where the main mistake is made for most people trying out the Keto Diet. High amounts of fat are needed to successfully perform the Keto Diet â far higher than your protein intake.
Guacamole & Eggs are great food sources on the Keto Diet
Usually those on the diet will replace the carbs with protein sources. However, youâre actually recommended to intake between 60-75% of your total calories from fat sources in order to get into ketosis (the metabolic state in which the bodyâs energy supply comes from ketone bodies in the blood).
So, if youâre looking to get into this extreme fat-burning stage, what should your diet look like?
Typically, keto diets actually look like cheat diets. We spoke with a bodybuilder who used the keto method a couple of times during prep & his typical day went along the lines of this:
- Coffee with cream, avocado, bacon & eggs fried in butter.
- Grilled salmon fillet, served with greens and parmesan cream sauce.
- Lamb cutlets served with a green salad & olive oil.
- Steak, mushrooms, butter, cream & broccoli.
- Portion of Brazil NutsMacros: 120g of Protein, 25g of Carbs & 171g of Fat.
So moral of the story â if youâre cutting out carbs completely, youâre far better off to be doing so by entering the Keto Diet, and thus massively increasing your fats, and also decreasing your protein. Otherwise, we highly recommend you take a second look at your diet & why youâre eliminating the carbs, as when used correctly, theyâre your best friend!