We invite you to thoroughly study the low-carb ketogenic diet and its three options: standard, cyclic and targeted ketogenic diet. This guide includes detailed instructions for creating a meal plan and formulas for calculating nutrient requirements.
The history of the ketogenic diet goes back several decades, and during this period it has been able to gather many ardent supporters in the bodybuilding subculture. In general terms, the ketogenic diet and its variants are diets that are high in fat and protein, while extremely low in carbohydrates (usually less than 10% of total macronutrients); With such a diet, the body is forced to use fats as fuel, as glucose reserves are quickly depleted.
For many people, the ketogenic diet can be an effective and very correct way to achieve their goals, be it building muscle mass, burning fat, developing strength, etc. Although the ketogenic diet is primarily used for fitness and wellness purposes, it is also used in complex treatment algorithms for epilepsy.
You may be asking, "How is the ketogenic diet different from any other low-carb diet? " To be honest, there aren't many differences. Many believe that such a nutritional system becomes more effective when the body enters a state called "ketosis" and begins to synthesize ketones for subsequent energy generation (hence the name "ketogenic" diet), and such a transition ispossible only if severe restriction of carbohydrate intake. However, such a view of the problem is short-sighted and we will definitely touch on this issue later.
In this guide, we'll take a closer look at the physiological processes underlying the ketogenic diet, take a look at the existing types/variations of ketogenic diets, learn how to create your own, andgive some simple tips on how to freeze. your appetite for low-carb foods. And, of course, we will answer the most common questions.
What is ketosis?
As mentioned earlier, the ketogenic diet got its name due to the fact that the restriction of carbohydrate consumption inherent in this nutritional system can put the body in a state of ketosis - a special physiological state in which the concentration of ketone bodies increases.
Ketone bodies are organic, water-soluble biomolecules that are synthesized in the liver from fatty acids when food intake (especially carbohydrates) is reduced. Once transported to extrahepatic tissues, these biomolecules can be used as an energy source.
Ketone bodies are constantly synthesized in small amounts in the human body, but normally the concentration of ketones is so low that they are not detected in a urine test. However, when the level of ketone bodies in the blood increases (a condition known as ketonemia), they begin to be excreted in the urine (known as ketonuria); ketonemia and ketonuria taken together indicate the transition of the body into a state of ketosis.
Therefore, the goal of the ketogenic diet is to put the body in a state of nutritional ketosis (not to be confused with pathological ketosis), which ultimately directs the metabolism to use fatty acids and ketone bodies as the main source of energy.
Basic Ketogenic Diet Options
In this guide, we'll explore three main variations of the ketogenic diet: the standard ketogenic diet (SKD), the cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD), and the targeted ketogenic diet (TCD). The type of diet you need is determined solely by trial and error and is largely determined by your priority goals (more details below).
- Standard ketogenic diet– This is the simplest, most basic version of the ketogenic diet. SCD does not imply periods of carbohydrate replenishment, as required by CCD and TKD. This is a linear diet characterized by a steady supply of ketogenic nutrients (moderate to high protein intake, high fat intake and extremely low carbohydrate consumption).
- Cyclic Ketogenic Dietis a variant of the nutritional system that includes short periods of carbohydrates in order to replenish muscle glycogen stores after the body's stores have been completely depleted. The length of time between carbohydrate loads will vary depending on individual preferences, training intensity and goals.
- Targeted Ketogenic Diet- This is the final version of the energy system we are interested in. TKD contains a short-term supply of carbohydrates during the training window. The goal of TKD is to flood the body with glucose to improve physical performance without suppressing ketosis in the long term.
Which option should I take?
Many factors will influence your choice of diet type. It is recommended to start with a "rest period" using a standard ketogenic diet. After a few weeks of such an intervention, you will be able to assess how your body reacts to changes in diet, how your physical performance changes and how energetic you are. This will make it easier for you to decide which diet to use in the long run.
You may also have doubts about which option is best for losing weight and which is ideal for gaining muscle mass. It should be said that if the total energy value of your diet meets your goals, the ketogenic diet option will not become a key factor in achieving your goal. You may come across the opinion that CD or TCD is better for people who want to gain muscle mass, since carbohydrates spare proteins and stimulate insulin secretion, and standard CD will be an ideal choice for those who want to lose weight, sinceinsulin synthesis will be relatively low. However, these short-term fluctuations in insulin secretion over a long distance will not become a decisive factor, unlike the total intake of calories in the diet.
Below is a brief summary of factors to consider when choosing a ketogenic diet option:
- SKD. Ideal for people who lead a mostly sedentary lifestyle and whose physical performance does not suffer when they strictly limit their carbohydrate intake. SKD will also be an excellent choice for people who do not train very intensely and have high insulin resistance.
- TKD. If you train your butt several times a week and notice that your performance deteriorates with prolonged carb restriction, it may be worth considering short periods of carb loading before and possibly after your training sessions. Additionally, TKD would be a good choice for people with more training experience who may benefit from a small increase in carbohydrates but would not benefit from a large carb load.
- TsKD. Cyclic KD is often called the "most advanced" of all the ketogenic diet options. CCD requires a person to patiently go through a trial and error phase, during which the optimal period between carbohydrate loads is sought and the amount of carbohydrates needed on loading days is determined. If you consider yourself an experienced athlete, you train actively throughout the week, and even against the background of SCD or TKD you notice a decrease in performance, then think about CCD. Perhaps this option will help you get back to work as quickly as possible.
Create your own ketogenic diet
In this section, we will talk about how to determine the body's energy and macronutrient needs; these numbers will become your basic guidelines when creating an SCD diet. People choosing either CCD or TCD will also need to use the basic calculations for CCD, but with minor adjustments, which I'll talk about later.
In general, we can say that anyone who wants to lose weight should adhere to the golden rule of a daily deficit of 500 calories, and anyone who wants to gain muscle mass should achieve a surplus of the same 500 calories. However, this is a very rough generalization without taking into account physiological characteristics and other factors. Additionally, if you choose CDD, you will likely need to adjust your calorie intake for a week.
Here is an example of how to calculate your macronutrient intake for the ADS:
- Determine your energy needs using the daily calorie calculator;
- Daily protein requirement 2 g/kg dry weight: 150 g per day
- Carbohydrate requirement 0. 2-0. 4 g/kg dry weight: 15-30 g per day (in further calculations we continue from 30 g)
- Since 1 g of protein and carbohydrates contains 4 calories, we have (150 + 30) x 4: 720 calories from protein and carbohydrates.
- We get that this person needs to get 1280 calories from fat (2000 - 720), and since there are 9 calories in a gram of fat, he needs to eat approximately 142 (1280 divided by 9) grams of fat per day.
Thus, in total, this person's daily diet would include 150 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbohydrates and 142 grams of fat. Let's spread this amount between meals.
Example of a 3-meal meal plan:
| squirrels | Carbohydrates | fats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| the first meal | 50 g | 10 g | 48 g |
| the 2nd meal | 50 g | 10 g | 47 g |
| the 3rd meal | 50 g | 10 g | 47 g |
Example of a 5-meal meal plan:
| squirrels | Carbohydrates | fats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| the first meal | 30 g | 5 g | 29 g |
| the 2nd meal | 30 g | 5 g | 29 g |
| the 3rd meal | 30 g | 5 g | 28 g |
| the 4th meal | 30 g | 5 g | 28 g |
| the 5th meal | 30 g | 5 g | 28 g |
Food selection for a ketogenic diet
There are no strict rules on the ketogenic diet, just as there are no allowed or forbidden foods. Many believe that the main sources of starch and sugar should not be included in the diet at all, as this will interfere with the transition of the metabolism to a state of ketosis, but in small quantities such products are unlikely to become an obstacle, especially for people ofbig ones.
Good choices for a ketogenic diet include the following:
- Animal protein (especially red meat)
- Eggs (white or whole only)
- Fatty dairy products such as cheese, cream, butter, etc.
- Oils, preferably vegetable oils, peanuts, flaxseeds, macadamia nuts, olives and some types of coconut
- Nuts and nut butters
- Fibrous vegetables, especially green vegetables, lettuce, broccoli, celery, etc.
During the loading phase of the ketogenic diet, don't limit yourself and include more sources of starches and sugars in your diet, such as fruits.
Central Control Center Planning
Now let's look at how you should integrate carbohydrates in a cycling version of the ketogenic diet.
Those choosing CC should start by carb loading once a week and then adjust the time interval between loading days as needed to suit their individual needs. Be prepared to do a lot of experiments, during which you will evaluate how many carbohydrates you ate on the day of loading and how you feel in the following days.
The main thing to remember when carb loading is to reduce your fat intake; don't keep eating fat in large portions on loading days. But leave the protein intake at the same level (or even increase it to maintain the total calorie content).
Using the macronutrient needs of the 75 kg person mentioned earlier, here are some basic recommendations for setting up the CKD with a loading day depending on individual insulin sensitivity/carbohydrate tolerance:
- Protein requirement 2 g/kg dry weight: 150 g/day
- For low insulin sensitivity, we calculate carbohydrate intake based on 2-3 g per kg of dry weight
- With normal insulin sensitivity, we calculate carbohydrate intake based on the calculation of 4-5 g per kg of dry weight
- For high insulin sensitivity, we calculate carbohydrate intake based on the calculation of 6-7 g per kg of dry weight
- Now, as before, we simply count the remaining calories, divide by 9 and get the grams of fat that should be taken in on the days of carb loading
An example of a CDF for people with normal insulin sensitivity and a lean body mass of 75 kg eating a restrictive 2000 calorie diet:
- Monday - Saturday: nutrient intake should correspond to previously calculated requirements for SKD
- Sunday (carb loading day, 2500 calories) – 150g protein / 300g carbs / 78g fat
TCD planning
Now let's look at how to integrate carbohydrates into a targeted version of the ketogenic diet (pre- and post-workout in our example).
As with CCD, when starting TCD, first assess how your body reacts to certain amounts of carbohydrates and determine for yourself the optimal time to take them. Remember, when following the TKD, you need to get enough carbs for optimal performance, but not too much. CKD assumes the presence of periods of replenishment of glycogen stores, while TKD aims only at a short-term increase in energy and performance.
Therefore, if an athlete trains intensely 5 days a week, they should consume carbohydrates before and/or after training on those training days. On the remaining days, the intake of nutrients should correspond to the calculations for SCD.
The calculation of nutritional needs during TKD does not actually differ from SKD; we only add carbs to the "pre-workout" meal on training days. To illustrate how carbohydrate training should be planned during TKD, here are the recommendations for the same 75 kg athlete who is in a cutting phase, consuming 2000 calories per day and has a certain amount of insulin sensitivity/carbohydrate tolerance:
- Protein requirement 2 g/kg dry weight: 150 g/day
- If insulin sensitivity is low, add 0. 5 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg of dry mass to the "next to training" meal.
- For normal insulin sensitivity, add 0. 75 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg of dry mass to the "next to training" meal.
- If you have high insulin sensitivity, add 1g of carbohydrate per 1kg of dry mass to your "pre-workout" meal.
- Now we subtract the "extra" calories from carbohydrates and protein from the daily energy requirement and add the missing calories from fat (everything is the same as before).
A "close-to-workout" meal precedes or follows a training session. This means you can randomize the "extra" carbs, as long as they are all eaten within the training window. In general, it is recommended to simply divide the total amount in half and eat them before and after training.
An example of a five-meal TCD diet (on a training day) for a 75 kg lean person with high insulin sensitivity who is on a 3000 calorie per body weight diet:
| squirrels | Carbohydrates | fats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First meal (before training) | 30 g | 40 g | 20 g |
| Second meal (after training) | 30 g | 35 g | 20 g |
| the 3rd meal | 30 g | 10 g | 30 g |
| the 4th meal | 30 g | 10 g | 30 g |
| the 5th meal | 30 g | 10 g | 30 g |
Thin tincture of TsKD and TKD
Keep in mind that the above recommendations for carbohydrate intake on cyclic and targeted ketogenic diets are only a starting point. It is impossible to develop a comprehensive and optimal diet that will meet the needs of everyone reading this article because there are so many factors to consider.
For this reason, as mentioned earlier, when mastering such advanced versions of ketogenic diets as TKD and CCD, you must be careful, thorough and open to experimentation. You will learn what works best for your body as you go. Always listen to your body and be willing to make the adjustments it requires.
If you eat 30g of carbs a day and feel good at the gym, follow this strategy; If you feel more comfortable with two days of carb loading per week, go for it. The carb needs recommended in this guide are based on experience rather than rigorous scientific research, and you can feel free to adjust them to suit your individual needs.
And the last tip, especially important regarding TKD. You should reduce the percentage of fat in foods that contain a lot of carbohydrates. This doesn't mean you shouldn't get fat at all in your pre-workout meal, you just need to eat a balanced diet and spread the lion's share of fat between the remaining meals.
Opinion on the role of saturated fat in the ketogenic diet
Starting a ketogenic diet will inevitably increase the percentage of saturated fat in your diet, but that doesn't mean you have to rely entirely on saturated fat and ignore your intake of unsaturated fat.
There is considerable debate about how much saturated fat is considered excessive on a ketogenic diet. Many people who have tried the ketogenic diet insist on large portions of foods such as butter, fatty red meat, full-fat dairy, etc.
Saturated fats are associated with the production of sex hormones (androgens) in the male body, and therefore a sharp reduction in their consumption can hardly be called a good idea. However, chronic excessive use of saturated fats can lead to increased insulin resistance and other metabolic disorders, so loading the body with these nutrients is also not our plan.
In my opinion, against the background of a ketogenic diet, you can safely increase the percentage of saturated fat in the diet to 20-30% of total fat. That is, if a person gets 150 grams of fat from food every day, he should try to limit the amount of saturated fat to 30-45 grams per day.
FAQ
Question:Is it possible to include the main sources of carbohydrates in the ketogenic diet menu?
Answer:Some fans of the ketogenic diet categorically argue that basic carbohydrate foods should be completely excluded. However, in the case of larger people, who can eat more carbohydrates and still remain in a state of ketosis, it is possible to allow "mistakes" in the diet in the form of grains, cereals, fruits and starchy vegetables.
Question:Can you eat more protein and less fat on a ketogenic diet?
Answer:Yes, but keep in mind that consuming too much protein will simply lead to increased gluconeogenesis in the liver, which in turn will make glucose the primary fuel source again.
Question:Should I use ketone test strips to make sure my body has entered a state of ketosis? Should I be worried if I have reached this state or not?
Answer:You should not pay too much attention to the presence of ketone bodies in the urine and the formal state of "ketosis". As long as you consume very few carbohydrates in your diet, you will use fats and ketones for most of your body's energy needs.
Question:Can I use artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes while on a ketogenic diet?
Answer:In most cases, yes. But remember that some sugar substitutes contain small amounts of fillers like maltodextrin and dextrose, and if you overdo it with sweeteners, the amount of these fillers in your diet can rise to alarming levels.
Question:Is the ketogenic diet safe for people with high cholesterol?
Answer:Generally safe, especially if most of the fat comes from unsaturated sources. However, if you have chronic diseases, it is advisable to ask your doctor this question and only after his blessing go on a ketogenic diet.
Question:Should plant fiber be included in the total amount of calories in the diet?
Answer:Plant fibers are not listed as "net carbohydrates" on food labels. However, plant fiber, like any nutrient, contains calories.
Question:After high carb meals (during carb loading), my stomach bloats and falls into a lethargic state. What should I do?
Answer:You can try increasing the frequency of meals and distributing carbohydrate foods more evenly. Or try eating most of your carbs in the evening, when after eating you can finally relax and adjust to passive rest.
Question:When I first tried the ketogenic diet, I felt out of place. This is good?
Answer:Many people feel exhausted within a few weeks, especially if their diet was previously built around high-carbohydrate foods. However, if your performance does not recover over time, try TCD or CDT and see if that helps.
CONCLUSION
I hope this in-depth look at the ketogenic diet has taught you a lot and provided you with useful information to help you get started. Remember, you need to be open to experimentation and listen carefully to the signals your body is sending.
Many people use low-carb, high-fat diets with success, while others feel terrible on a ketogenic diet and are unable to function or function normally. If you realize that you belong to the second group, do not try to force your body and adhere to a ketogenic diet for the sake of the diet itself.
Ultimately, your diet should do two things – help you achieve your fitness and health goals without interfering with your daily life. You don't have to sacrifice one for the other, although many people do when setting new goals. It doesn't matter how good a diet looks on paper and in theory if you can't stick to your plan. Do what works best for you and stay the course for the long haul. Herein lies the secret of success.