Written By: Tania Tarafdar | Published : October 3, 2017 2:58 PM IST
The ketogenic diet is a popular diet trend among gym goers and average people alike. The keto diet is a low-carb and high-fat diet that is most effective for losing weight and reducing the acidity level in the body. But did you wonder what happens to your body when you start a ketogenic diet? You must understand ketosis to understand how the ketogenic diet works. In a ketogenic diet, your body is starved of glucose for fuel and fueled with fat sources instead. Typically when carbohydrate is available, your body converts it into energy. However, when carbs are not available in your body, your body begins to break down fat and convert to a fuel source in the form of ketones. You switch gears into a ketogenic state when there is a build-up of ketones in the blood. Here s what happens when you switch to a ketogenic diet according to Dr Nirmala Jha endocrinologist at Fortis Healthcare.
1. You experience a headache and nausea: When you transition from carbohydrates to fat, you can experience a few unfortunate side effects. A headache, nausea, muscle and cramping are some of the possible side effects.
2. You get constipated: If you are not getting enough fibre and nutrients from your diet, you might experience some digestive discomfort. Constipation is common among keto dieters because of the low fibre intake. If you eliminate carbohydrates, especially fibre-packed ones, like potatoes, quinoa, and fruit, you re going to experience constipation. You should also be aware of these 6 other side effects of ketogenic diet.
3. Your body slows down: While you are adapting to the diet, you might feel a bit tired and fatigued during the transition stage. However, once your body has adapted, you will have no problem making it through your strength training session.
4. You experience foul breath: Acetone is one of the ketone bodies produced in the liver which carries a bad smell. So if you are on a keto diet, you might experience bad breath.
5. You experience electrolyte disturbances: Low-carb diets are known to cause electrolyte losses which in turn causes muscle cramps and fatigue. If you plan on going on a low-carb diet make sure that you drink a lot of water and do it under the guidance of an experienced dietitian or nutritionist to avoid this side-effect.
6. You suffer from vitamin and nutritional deficiencies: Individuals on a low-carb diet are known to have low calcium, magnesium and amino acids levels. Other than that, you could also suffer from vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiency. Around 2-5% of her patients are diagnosed with vitamin deficiencies while being on a ketogenic diet.
7. You feel less hungry: Since you increase your protein consumption you are bound to feel full and satiated during the day. Ketogenic diet suppresses your appetite and you feel less hungry during the day. The elevated production of ketones is said to suppress your appetite. You need to give up these 8 foods when you are on a ketogenic diet.
If you have health concerns
If you are a diabetic or hypoglycemic, low-carb could be useful in blood sugar control, but you should consult a registered dietitian before making any changes. If you have gastrointestinal problems, the lack of fibre might be an issue.
For weight loss
Nutritionists agree that a low-carb, ketogenic diet can be helpful for weight loss if used as a short-term solution or jumping off point. The problem with diets like these is that it forces you to make extreme and sudden lifestyle changes. That drastic change often leads to weight loss, much of which is due to loss of water weight. And when you start to return to a 'balanced' diet, maintaining that weight loss becomes difficult. That being said, a study published in the journal Metabolism found that ultra-marathoners (people who run 50 to 100 miles at once) experienced higher rates of fat burning when they reduced carbohydrate consumption to 10 percent of their diet (for someone who eats 2,000 calories a day, that's 200 calories from carbohydrates or about two slices of bread) [1].
Bottomline You might just want to give keto a shot and see how your body adapts to it. However, if it does not suit you do not jump back to dal chawal right away. Increase your carbohydrate intake slowly while going back to a normal diet to back sure that you do not gain weight.
Reference:
[1] Jeff S. Volek a, b, Daniel J. Heidenreich, b, Catherine Saenz a, b, Laura J. Kunces Metabolic characteristics of keto-adapted ultra-endurance runners, Metabolism, 100-110, 2016
Image source: Shutterstock Images
