5 Diet Hacks to boost metabolism for men & women over 40.

Fat loss or fat gain is primarily attributed to a caloric deficit or surplus. In simple terms, consuming more calories than your body expends = fat gain, consuming less calories than you need for daily energy demands = fat loss.

In the real world however, and in my own experience with my own fat loss efforts, as well as the many clients I have worked with online , it never seems to work this way and it’s also not a long term and sustainable way to Lose fat.

 You WILL hit a plateau sooner or later, even though mathematically, it seems you should be dropping fat. Some of the causes and why this occurs (hormonal issues, metabolic adaptation, thyroid suppression etc) are beyond the scope of this short article.

Although simply counting & dropping calories works for some people (rarely, if ever, long term), the vast majority will give up due to insane cravings & hunger.

Because of this, we recommend to our clients that are looking to make permanent changes to their body composition, that hunger must be kept at bay or minimized substantially. Remember this: “Hunger goes against nature, and nature always wins”.

Here are 5 simple “diet hacks” you can implement to lose fat & increase your level of fitness, while avoiding or minimizing metabolic slowdown.

1)  Eliminate refined Carbohydrates and Sugars.

Eating more protein can substantially reduce appetite, as well as increase the metabolism

If your goal is shedding body fat, increasing protein intake will be the most effective way, while minimizing hunger. Numerous studies suggest that diets high in protein increases your metabolic rate and reduces appetite.

Protein increases metabolism through T.E.F (thermic effect of food). This means that protein burns energy simply by the process of digesting & metabolizing the high protein meal consumed.

 This can result in an additional 50 to 100 calories burned per day. Protein is also the most satiating macronutrient as well. This means you feel fuller, longer! 

 
Bottom Line: increasing protein intake will rev up metabolism, curb hunger and reduce body fat.

2. Stop consuming soda & other calorie containing beverages

Another simple way to reduce calories is to eliminate liquid calories from the diet. These sugar laden drinks spike your blood sugar through the roof, causing your pancreas to release enormous amounts of insulin, causing fat storage, as well as a host of other potential health problems, this will also leave you feeling lethargic, bloated & craving even more sugar after the subsequent blood sugar crash.

An example of these beverages would be: soda pop, orange juice and all other beverages that contain sugar.

These beverages are a major problem for individuals trying to lose fat.
Sugar is a poison that is hazardous to your health as well as fat gain. It can lead to many health & metabolic conditions, raising the risk of many different diseases.

 Bottom Line: avoid sugar containing drinks and juices for health & weight loss.

 3. Resistance training should be a priority

Long-term caloric restriction WILL reduce metabolism. This will inevitably lead to frustration when the individual, who may need or want to lose a lot more fat hits an extended plateau, even after lowering calories to near starvation levels.

This will also lead to loss of muscle mass reducing metabolism even further.

An effective strategy to guard against excessive muscle loss is to give the body a reason to hold onto the muscle by performing relatively heavy resistance training.

Heavy resistance training has been proven to prevent muscle loss during long-term calorie restriction. If you can’t get to a gym, then consider doing some body weight exercises that use large muscle groups like push ups, squats, sit ups, etc.

Of course, exercise also has a plethora of other benefits that go way beyond just weight loss… such as a longer life, lower risk of disease, more energy and feeling better every day

Bottom Line: Lifting weights is important, because it inhibits muscle loss and prevents the metabolism from slowing down.

4. Increase water intake for maximal fat loss

Certain studies have shown, (although I’m not necessarily convinced) consuming 16 ounces or more of water, 30-45 minutes before a meal, resulted in over 30% more fat over a 3 month period.

When combined with a low carb, high protein lifestyle, drinking more water appears to be beneficial for those needing to lose weight.

Bottom Line: Studies have shown that drinking water can boost metabolism. Drinking it a half hour before meals can help you eat fewer calories.

5. Reduce carbs for faster fat loss.

,

Certain studies have shown that eating a low-carb diet can lead to 2-3 times as much weight loss as a calorie restricted low-fat diet. Other health benefits have been noted, especially for people with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

If you’re not comfortable going on a very low carb diet plan, at least make an effort to eliminate or substantially reduce starches such as oatmeal, rice, potatoes, pasta and replace them with vegetables such as: broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach. Consuming these high fiber, extremely low calorie vegetables will not only greatly enhance your fat loss efforts, but do wonders for your health and greatly reduce hunger as well.

Bottom Line: Choosing a diet void of processed food will be a massive improvement.

What I do, most of the time, to get very lean.

Fat Loss is not complicated
 

When I’m dieting to get lean, my goal is to keep it as simple as possible. Being in a caloric deficit for weeks or months at a time is stressful enough, I don’t need to be concerned about coming up with different meals that fit my “macros” perfectly all the time.

Once you’ve accurately calculated how many calories you need to drop fat at an acceptable rate (for you), you should design a basic meal plan that fits that profile, eating basically the same thing every day.

This is the easiest and most accurate way to make sure your fat loss goal is a success in my opinion. This is how I have always done it, and will continue to do so... so what if it’s boring, in my experience those complaining of variety always seem to be the ones that never get impressive results.

Here is what I do “most of the time” to be in very lean condition

•     I do not eat breakfast (intermittent fasting)

•     I eat 2-3 times a day

•     I consume a large carb meal, usually Saturday evening to restock muscle glycogen, give an anabolic boost, increase thyroid output and reduce mental stress.

•     When I am in very lean condition, I will add a mid week carb up (albeit smaller than saturday) and switch to higher fat protein.

•     I perform little “traditional cardio” (treadmill, stair climber, elliptical etc)

•     I eat the same meals pretty much everyday.

•     I train very intense, 3 - 4 times per week for 25-35 minutes.

If you’d like a free week of my online training program, click on the pic below to join my newsletter. 

Cardio & fasting for fat loss

Cardio

 If you insist on doing “CARDIO”, perform it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. If you can handle stimulants without issue, 100-200 mg’s of caffeine taken about 15 minutes before you start is what we recommend.

Another option that I prefer, if doing it first thing in the morning is not feasible, is to perform 5-10 minutes low- medium intensity as a warm up before resistance training. Immediately after completion of resistance training, perform another 15-20 minutes of medium – high intensity, or h.i.i.t

Cheat Meal Damage Control

 An effective strategy to guard against fat accumulation on days you will be consuming extra calories & carbs, is to simply switch to leaner choices of protein used in the meals leading up to the “cheat meals” or “G.R.P” (glycogen replenishment phase). This will reduce the total calories consumed, and will avoid the fat storing effects of high insulin levels + high fat intake ( a bad combo for those looking to be lean).  Try keeping the high carb meal to the last meal of the day. Our reasoning behind this, is in part that, if you consume a high carb meal earlier in the day, it will make you extremely tired as well as making it more likely that you’ll end up lengthening the carb up window far longer than the recommended 2 hour limit that we suggest.

Another extremely effective tool in guarding against fat accumulation, would be to fast for 14-18 hours after the last meal (usually on Saturday evening). So, for example, you finished eating at 9:00 Saturday evening…you would fast until at least 1:00 Sunday afternoon. Just keep yourself busy Saturday morning and it’s actually very easy to do. Make sure Sunday is right back on schedule with the strict ketogenic diet.

Have any questions concerning your exercise & fat loss program?
Feel free to email : jeffgraffius67@gmail.com

Affordable online workout programs available on my sight
www.ketonationcoach.com

Keep it simple - don't complicate muscle gain

KNC tip of the day:
by Jeffrey R Graffius

 
Gaining muscle is not a complicated process. Unfortunately, the mainstream supplement & fitness industry will try to convince you it is. As a drug free, natural training enthusiast, you must understand how the body’s response to stress results in more muscle tissue. The intense training session is merely a “stimulus” for muscle growth. The body, if sufficient rest & nutrition is applied, will adapt by increasing cross sectional muscle hypertrophy to be able to better handle this stress the next time it is encountered. There is no magical “supplement” that will expedite this process or give you “magical” results. Your best bet, is to always focus on real, whole food. At KetoNation Coach, we believe in a diet that is high in fat & protein, while using carbs strategically depending on your individual insulin sensitivity.

Consuming Red Wine on a Ketogenic Diet

Red Wine and Ketosis:

Once you’ve entered ketosis, consuming alcohol will not necessarily reverse the process or prevent weight loss. After the first two weeks, you can enjoy red wine in moderation on the Atkins Diet, but you must count the energy in it towards your daily intake. A 3.5-ounce glass of red wine contains alcohol equivalent to about 4.3 grams of carbohydrates.

View fullsize

                                         I  prefer my wine "on the rocks" 

Red Wine and Carbohydrates:

Alcohol has little to no effect on the glycemic index. This means it does not cause a spike in blood sugar. If you must drink alcohol while on the Atkins Diet, red wine is the best choice for a variety of reasons. Unlike beer, wine and liquor naturally have very low carbodyrate content in addition to the alcohol. But unlike liquor, which is usually consumed in cocktails made with sugary mixers, red wine has very few carbohydrates and no added sugar.

View fullsize

Drinking beer can raise your estrogen level, which can cause the dreaded  "beer gut"

Resveratrol: 

One of the criticisms often leveled at the Atkins Diet is that it encourages people to consume elevated levels of saturated fats and that, over time, the Atkins Diet could lead to heart disease. In fact, the Atkins Diet encourages consumption of whole foods including vegetables and fruits and other nutritionally dense foods. Red wine can be a helpful adjunct to this diet because it is proven to improve cardiovascular health. The color of red wine comes from the skin of the grapes, which contain an antioxidant called reservatrol. According to the Mayo Clinic, reservatrol is known to reduce the risk of blood clots and improve flexibility of blood vessels. Though grape juice might also contain equivalent levels of resveratrol, the sugar content of juice makes it less consistent with the Atkins Diet than red wine.

My opinion? I believe red wine, consumed in moderation (1-2 glasses) is fine, and may even be very beneficial to health, as well as fat loss.

Cyclical Ketogenic Diet for Fat Loss

You’ve begun your journey towards becoming a leaner, healthier individual. You’ve been on every diet imaginable (usually of the low fat variety) & lost weight, only to regain it all & then some. At this point, someone suggests you try the “ketogenic” diet. You visit ketonationcoach.com subscribe to the newsletter and receive a free baseline diet & sample meal plan.
You also receive a free week of the online training program. You start reading the meal plan and think “this is the opposite of every diet I’ve been on”. Bacon & eggs for breakfast, fast food hamburgers (minus the bun) for lunch & even chicken wings for dinner. You decide “what the heck” I’ll give it a shot, nothing else has worked”.

You start your new eating lifestyle with a meal plan that is 2300 calories and you’re thinking     “no way I can lose weight eating that much, the other diets had me start at 1700”.  Then you look at the amount of fat, 65%...WHAT? I’ll have high cholesterol, heart disease, hardening of the arteries, or a stroke. This is what being brainwashed into believing fat is BAD does to you. So, you start on monday & drop 5.5 lbs on the scale on Saturday mornings weigh in ( a lot of it will be water the first week), you can’t believe it, you’re  actually having a hard time eating all that food, no hunger at all like the previous “low fat” diets. Week 2, you’re down another 4 lbs, an unbelievable rate of weight loss, a little less than the first week but still fantastic, especially considering you’re only doing 3 strength training sessions per week & ZERO CARDIO. Week 3, a loss of 1.5 lbs, much less this week, but still pretty good considering you’ve experienced zero hunger & not much exercise. Week 4, “only” 1 lb. but still, you’re very happy, you’ve lost 12 lbs in 1 month, again, no hunger, little exercise & you’d only lost 10 lbs on the previous “diets” while performing 3 times as much exercise as well as being hungry all the time. A few more weeks pass, and fat loss stalls completely. 

You’re now getting a little frustrated, you have about 17 more lbs to lose to be at your goal weight, you haven’t had more than 30 grams of carbs in a day in what’s now been 7 weeks. You almost give up, thinking you are destined to always be on the “heavier side”, but instead you decide to schedule a 1 month consultation & seek some “professional help”. After a brief, yet informative email consultation, you explain how frustrated you’ve become, and you’re asked to please be patient , trust the process & the plan that you will be receiving, which will be detailing the modifications to your diet & exercise program. You’re expecting to have your carbs cut to zero & calories lowered to starvation levels like the other “diets” would have you do, but when you receive the  recommendations the very next day, you’re like, “HUH”? They suggest I cut my calories 1 day per week ( Monday) to 1500. 

 ketonationcoach sends you a detailed strength training workout as well as a video of each workout for you to follow along with, so there’s no confusion about proper exercise technique or intensity (very motivating). Another change KNC made was to have you add what they call a 2 hour G.R.P, short for “Glycogen Replenishment Phase”. This is a term KNC coined for strategic carb loading. You are VERY skeptical about this,  how was eating all these carbs going to help you lose weight, when the whole point of the diet was to eliminate carbs and now you’re being told to eat a lot of them for 2 hours? So, you start on Monday at 1500 calories, a bit hungry but not too bad, this way of eating has almost completely taken hunger away, you never really think about eating anymore, another massive advantage of this “lifestyle”. You have your first training session on tuesday, a full body training workout that is only 30 minutes, very fast paced. You train again on thursday & saturday, again full body sessions but different exercises, 30 minutes & you’re drenched! You weigh yourself sat morning, and even though you “felt” leaner, you weren’t expecting much, if any weight/fat loss. Step on the scale, step off, then have to do a double take, 3.5 lbs, WHAT? HOW?   

KNC sends you a detailed strength training workout, a video of each exercise for you to follow along with, as well as an individualized meal plan, everything is laid out intelligently!

WHAT HAPPENED?

 Going by the “math” you were only consuming about 500 calories less per week than before & burning off “maybe” an additional 400 calories. Going by the numbers you should have lost at most ¼ lb. After an email check in with ketonationcoach.com that afternoon you asked “how was this possible?” You were told that yes, most of that weight would have been water weight that you were holding before which could have been caused by a variety of factors including: thyroid suppression,  prolonged elevated cortisol levels, and a host of other variables contributing to water retention. So, what was actually happening before was, although you were still losing fat, you were holding an equal amount of water bloat, which disguised the true weight/fat loss. What seems to happen after the GRP (carb up window), is the cortisol levels drop & thyroid level is raised… as well as G.H & testosterone as well. (women, do NOT be afraid of testosterone)

"A METABOLIC SLOWDOWN MAKES IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO LOSE ANY FAT, (FORGET SEEING THOSE ABS) IT ALSO MAKES YOU HOLD ON TO VICERAL FAT AND ABDOMINAL BLOAT."

So, this gets fat loss moving again—not as quickly as when you first started, but that’s to be expected. After another few weeks, fat loss slows to a crawl again. You still have about 10-12lbs to lose to be at your goal weight.  
Fat loss is “usually” harder for women than men, so, often, many of them resort to drastic measures in an effort to become lean. Unmotivated people will give up way before they ever reach this level. Motivated individuals will do whatever it takes to get there. This type of person will often starve themselves or perform several hours of cardio & weight training per day. At ketonationcoach.com we want to help people, especially women avoid this frustration. We are here to help educate you before you become frustrated and end up quitting altogether.

IT'S ALL ABOUT SURVIVAL

 It’s normal for the metabolism to slow down on any diet or calorie restriction. This is all due to metabolic adaptation. It’s much less dramatic on a ketogenic diet in our experience, but it will still occur after months of being in a hypo-caloric state.
As soon as an individual cuts calories, for example, from 2,000 to 1,500, their metabolism begins to slow down. Most people do not realize that the body uses calories simply through digesting and processing food. This is what we describe as the thermic effect of food, or T.E.F for short. The act of eating less food causes lower metabolic output.

Losing bodyfat, especially a significant amount, will send a signal to the body to lower thyroid levels and diminish nervous system output in an effort to stop the weight loss. Once further calorie cuts are made and cardio is increased, ‘weightloss” will resume again,( but this time with more muscle being burned) with the body further lowering thyroid levels and nervous system output (this metabolic damage will make it increasingly more difficult to lose fat). Testosterone levels will also drop, while cortisol levels will increase. Since muscle is  what we call “metabolically active tissue” (it uses calories simply to live) the metabolism will drop even further.

So why would the body behave this way? survival. If our body did not have this adaptive ability we would lose weight without stopping until we eventually died. These metabolic adaptations are  necessary for survival.
Remember this: The human body’s number one priority is homeostasis. Whatever condition the body is put in, it will strive to survive within that new norm. You need to understand how to work with your body as much as possible, and understand that your body will automatically take measures in response to calorie intake or expenditure.
In our experience, metabolism slows down for a variety of reasons.. People run their metabolisms into the ground trying to get “ripped” for a show, a wedding, reunion or any other important event the individual wants to look good in. Leaving them seriously slowed.

Someone with a seriously damaged metabolism cannot consume many calories at all. Yet after becoming extremely frustrated over the lack of weight loss progress, most will tend to binge eat as they decide the diet is not working.
Their metabolism, running on such small amounts of food for months, or more…are not able
 to handle a high level of calorie intake, and the fat gain is fast and furious. This usually leads to gaining extreme amounts of adipose tissue, leaving the dieter heavier & fatter than when they started, as well as depressed.

The vicious cycle begins all over again.

How we advise clients to avoid this problem

Luckily, there are several ways to prevent serious metabolic issues from occurring. The metabolism will slow to some degree on any diet, but this should not lead to extreme calorie deprivation combined with hours of low intensity long duration cardio.
This is very unhealthy for your metabolism, and won’t get you lean enough. Some advice for achieving optimal results:

Take your time

 Fat loss will occur much faster on the ketogenic diet  plan than on any other plan in our opinion. But it still takes time, and with some individuals, a lot of time. A goal of 1.5% – 2.0% of  your current bodyweight, per week would be a realistic rate of fat loss for most individuals. 1.0%-1.5%  is  more realistic for individuals who are already lean. This will help to minimize any potential muscle loss. Muscle tissue consumes calories all the time. YOU DO NOT WANT TO LOSE THIS METABOLICALLY EXPENSIVE TISSUE.

Use carbs strategically

WE ADVISE OUR CLIENTS TO USE A STRATEGY CALLED G.R.P, SHORT
FOR “GLYCOGEN REPLENISHMENT PHASE”

Carbs increase cellular hydration, and therefore cell volume. When muscle cells are hydrated and have greater volume, this signals the body that it is in a satiated state. The body, sensing it is fed, will increase the metabolic rate. Obviously if carbs are too high, fat loss cannot occur, but for continued fat loss, carbs should be cycled in the diet. KNC believes that for “most” individuals, cycling carbohydrates the way we prescribe is an essential tool in keeping the metabolism elevated. Leptin is a primary reason for this. Leptin is a fat-burning hormone; its release is directly related to carbohydrate intake and body fat levels. Leptin serves many functions, including the control of energy expenditure.

As carbs get low and body fat levels dwindle, the body inevitably lowers leptin levels. You can combat this to an extent by adding in high-carb days. A high-carb day once every 4-8 days can boost leptin levels; leptin is highly responsive to glucose metabolism.
Add high carb days to boost leptin, and it will lead to a more positive hormonal profile in general. High carb days can lead to higher levels of the thyroid hormone t3, as well as help to keep testosterone levels elevated, both of which can further your fat-loss efforts.

Keep fat intake to 50% or more of your total calories

Fat, especially saturated fat must be available for the body to create cholesterol, which is needed to produce testosterone. If fat intake is too low, there won't be enough fatty acids available for optimal testosterone production. This leads to muscle loss as well as a myriad of other problems including, but not limited to depression. This loss of “lean tissue” will assuredly lower your metabolic rate.

A chronically low fat intake will actually program your body to hold on to fat stores. Proper amounts of fat in the diet will ensure that there is a caloric deficit for fat loss, but that the body does not perceive starvation. We hope this article has answered some of your questions on why we feel our dieting methods are extremely effective,  and what “weapons” you have at your disposal when you do hit that plateau. 

Cheat Meal Damage Control

 An effective strategy to guard against fat accumulation on days you will be consuming extra calories & carbs, is simply switching to leaner choices of protein in the meals leading up to the “cheat meals” . This will reduce the total calories consumed and will avoid the fat storing effects of high insulin levels + high fat intake ( a bad combo for those looking to be lean).  Try keeping the high carb meal to the last meal of the day. Our reasoning behind this, is in part that, if you consume a high carb meal earlier in the day, it will make you extremely tired & lethargic, as well as making it more likely that you’ll end up lengthening the carb up window far longer than the recommended 2 hour limit that we suggest.

Another extremely effective tool in guarding against fat accumulation, would be to fast for 14-18 hours after the last meal (usually on Saturday evening). So, for example, you finished eating at 9:00 Saturday evening…you would fast until at least 1:00 Sunday afternoon. Just keep yourself busy Saturday morning and it’s actually very easy to do. Make sure Sunday is right back on schedule with the strict low carb/ketogenic diet.

Looking for a comprehensive nutrition & workout program that is top notch quality, affordable, time efficient and includes support from extremely experienced fitness pro's? Try our most popular online training package below and join our fast growing list of successful  body transformations. 

https://www.trainerize.me/profile/pinnaclefitnessconsultants1/?planID=70690

My simple program to get ripped!

My personal training & nutrition. Cyclical Keto for Muscle Gain

by Jeffrey R Graffius

The way I set up my training & nutrition isn't very exciting, in fact you may even think it's downright boring... especially when I am following a very strict carb cycling diet (C.K.D for short). My nutrition strategy has evolved over the years to be most effective for my current age & physique goals. You can use this plan for Cyclical Keto for Muscle Gain

At my age (49) I follow a cyclical ketogenic diet plan for rapid weight loss and muscle gain/retention. I’ve been training for decades, I'm simply  not going to be adding much, if any muscle mass. This said, I prefer to keep my body fat in single digits year round. This gives me an illusion of looking bigger than I am, especially when  “pumped up” and in the right lighting. Also, being only 5'6 "@ 167 lbs looks bigger on me than someone 6'2".

The diet I follow is my version of a cyclical ketogenic diet. Lately, I've been combining this with intermittent fasting and feel it's working very well. I've been consuming all of my calories in a 6 - 7 hour window during the day. For my schedule this is usually 12:00 - 7:00 pm or sometimes 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm. I also incorporate what I call " extreme calorie cycling". This means I vary my calories considerably during the week in accordance to my training. For me, this means monday, wed & fri may only be 1500 calories, tues & thurs could be  2500 - 3000.

Currently on the weekends, I implement a 2 hour carb up , where I will eat all the carbs I want in a 2 hour window on saturday evening, (usually from about 6:00 - 8:00).

This is what a typical saturday, late afternoon, early evening feast may look like.

 I usually train 3 main sessions on non consecutive days per week (tues, thurs & sat @ 8:00 am). Tuesday is chest & back, Thursday is quads & hams, Saturday is shoulders, triceps & biceps. On occasion, I will increase the sessions to 4 and sometimes even 5 per week, keeping with the same split routine.

 Below is a sample of what I've currently been eating on Monday, Wednesday & Friday ( low calorie days)

12:00: 1 dozen wing dings ( Thanks Meglio’s)
3:00: 1 ounce of almonds
7:00: 8 ounces of 80% ground beef , 2 cups of broccoli , 6 - 8 ounces of merlot

Tuesday , Thursday & Sunday would usually be a bit higher in calories. This is an example of what that may would look like:

9:00 am (after training session) Met RX Meal Replacement Shake or similar
12:00  (2) “quad stackers” from burger king, or (2) "baconators" from Wendy's (sans bun of course)
3:00 pm 1 ounce of almonds
7:00 pm  12 whole eggs
 

Exciting huh?

 Feel free to contact me for keto dieting programs or training programs: jeffgraffius67@gmail.com

Why cardio is ineffective for fat loss

by: Jeffrey R Graffius

Sometimes it's best to "just say no" to this extremely catabolic activity

it can be extremely frustrating and confusing to be performing hours of "fat burning cardio", with little to no results.

Performing low intensity, long duration activity requires very little muscular strength & muscular size.
Having larger amounts of muscle mass is counter-productive to the body’s ability to perform such activity. The heart & lungs have to work harder to pump the necessary blood & oxygen to this extra “mass”.  The body gets rid of what is not needed, as well as what is most “metabolically expensive”  (muscle mass).

  The common misconception people have who are  performing large amounts of this activity, is thinking the body is burning significant amounts of fat since it would seem that fat is “unneeded mass” as well. This is incorrect. The body’s primary concern is survival, not looking like a Greek God (or Goddess).  Stored Body fat is very important for survival,  if it wasn’t for this calorically dense form of stored energy, humans would have never survived if they were forced to go a few days without food.

Muscle mass is not needed during lowing intensity activity, and in-fact is a hinderence... therefore the body will preferentially break down the muscle (protein) into amino acids to be used for energy, thereby preserving the “fuel in the fuel tanks” (fat, adipose tissue). To build & preserve muscle, especially while following a hypo-caloric diet, you must convince the body that the muscle is necessary for survival. This is accomplished through high intensity, relatively short duration activity, including, but not limited to: Strenuous resistance training, sprinting, jumping etc..

Why are ketogenic diets so effective for fat loss?

A ketogenic based diet will, in my opinion, help MOST individuals lose more weight & bodyfat  than any other type of “diet”. Although changing a bit, a lot of people’s perception is that a high fat diet is “bad for them”. Most responsible for this belief  is mainstream nutritional dogma. Several decades ago, the entire population was advised to eat a low-fat, high-carb diet. During that time, no studies had shownthat a LFHC diet could prevent disease.  From an article written by Kris Gunnars

The Low-Fat Guidelines & The Obesity Epidemic

The low-fat guidelines were first published in the year 1977. Since then, the major health organizations and the government have not changed their position. Has this advice been effective against the obesity epidemic? A picture speaks more than a thousand words…

View fullsize

Of course, many things were changing in society at the time and this graph does not prove that the guidelines caused the obesity epidemic, just that it started at the same time the guidelines were published.  However, I personally find it plausible that demonizing fat and giving refined carbs and sugar the green light may have had something to do with it.

Because everyone thought that fat was the root of all evil, all kinds of low-fat junk foods flooded the market. These foods were loaded with refined carbs, sugar and HFCS, which actually are associated with heart disease, diabetes, obesity and all those diseases that the low-fat diet was meant to treat.

Bottom Line

The low-fat guidelines were first published in the year 1977, around the exact same time the obesity epidemic started.

Since then, many high quality studies have been done, including the Women’s Health Initiative, which is the largest nutrition study in history.  The results were clear… this diet does not cause weight loss, prevent cancer OR reduce the risk of heart disease.

After a carbohydrate rich meal, your pancreas secretes  insulin to your blood stream. It pulls the sugar out of the blood and into your fat cells. While insulin is present in the bloodstream, your fat cells will not to release any fat to burn.  One of insulin's jobs is to remove sugar from  the blood, sugar in the blood is very damaging to the body. When you consume a high carb meal, especially one with a lot of sugar in it, the pancreas usually over reacts & releases too much insulin, removing all of the sugar out of your blood,  causing your blood sugar level to fall  too low, making you crave carbs, especially sugar. So, how many carbs should you be consuming per day? Well, there is no definite number that is best for everyone. 30 grams has always been the recognized amount, but some seem to do better with less, say 10 – 15 grams, while others ( especially intense strength trainers)  may be better served at the 40 -50 gram count. In either case, your body is relying heavily on fat for energy, all day long!
Can you lose “WEIGHT”, by eating a high carb diet? Of course, if you are counting calories and exercising more to make sure that you are in a caloric deficit... the main stream weight loss groups espouse this approach, continuously  lowering calories until the goal weight is achieved . But, how realistic is that? It only delivers fat loss as long
as you can maintain the willpower & the discipline.

 A huge advantage of a high fat, low carb dietis the ability to satiate & suppress the appetite. After the body becomes fat adapted ( usually about a months time frame), your bodies natural appetite control mechanism kicks in, and you would not continue to eat after your body consumed enough calories. You wouldn't want to eat any more. This is how a normal metabolism should work, but we’ve screwed our system up so bad with processed foods, especially refined carbohydrate, that this natural regulatory system is completely out of whack.

Another advantage of a low carb/high fat  diet is muscle retention, provided you're consuming enough protein,( approximately 1 gram per pound of lean body mass) you will not lose muscle, you’ll actually be gaining lean muscle. When you diet to lose weight
on a high carb, low fat diet, you will lose muscle along with fat…in extreme cases of low
calories on a high carb, low fat diet, you can actually lose the majority of weight from lean muscle mass, slowing the metabolism even further in the process.

What are the best foods to eat on a ketogenic diet?

Almost any vegetable is low in carbs except  starchy ones, such as corn and potatoes. Here is  a list of veggies that are unlimited in the amount you’re allowed to eat: literally

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach
Celery
Asparagus
Lettuce
Mushrooms

Broccoli with cheddar cheese melted over it taste so good & it’s healthy.

Here is a basic list of “allowable” foods on a ketogenic based diet:

Eggs – whole, bacon, pepperoni, sausage
Ham, Chicken Wings ( no batter or breading)
Colby, Mozzarella & cheddar cheese
Macadamia, almonds & walnuts
Ground Beef, tuna, cod, salmon, chicken breast, steak, turkey
Diet coke, diet tea ( use sparingly)
Mustard, hot sauce, full fat mayo