Amanda Lee - Keto Diet for Beginners: TOP 85 Amazing and Simple Recipes in One Ketogenic Cookbook, Any Recipes on Your Choice for Any Meal Time

A ketogenic diet, also colloquially known as keto, is one where you decrease your daily intake of carbohydrates in order to burn body fat. This is far different from a crash diet because you don't skip meals or make them smaller.

Keto mainly involves minimizing the consumption of carbohydrates by regulating the kind of food you eat. Doing this forces your body to enter the state of ketosis. This state is where the ketogenic diet derives its name, and leads us to explain what ketosis actually is.

Ketosis The Term Explained

Ketosis is mainly a state in which your body is forced to break fat molecules down into smaller molecules, known as ketones. These ketones are then used by the body to generate energy for carrying out different activities. Ketosis is achieved by decreasing carbohydrate intake.

The usual state your body is in is known as glycolysis.While in glycolysis, carbohydrates (carbs) are broken down into smaller and simpler substances to produce energy. As long as carbs are available, the body makes little use of stored fat molecules. However, if you reduce carb intake significantly, the body turns to stored fat as an energy source, thereby entering ketosis.

Hence, the ketogenic diet's principle element consists of pursuing a diet strictly low in carbohydrates. Apart from helping you achieve weight loss, you can also experience various other health benefits.

Keto Flu

This said, it is important to note that, like all forms of dieting, you will likely experience some form of initial discomfort. At the outset, your body may take some time to adjust to altered eating patterns. You may experience some or all of the below symptoms.

Headaches

Lethargy

Sluggishness

Gastrointestinal issues

This phase is known as the keto flu. There is no reason to panic, because it tends to subside in a couple of weeks after your body adapts to your new eating habits. If you initiate a balanced electrolyte intake program, this problem often subsides even more quickly.

One of the key reasons people tend to opt for keto is the diminished loss of muscle common with other dieting methods. So, if you are looking for a healthy way to shed extra pounds without forcing your body into a state of extreme weakness, a ketogenic diet might be for you.