About Steroids

So today, let’s talk ketogenic diets (KD). Are they superior for fat loss? No, studies show that when on an ISOCALORIC diet/kcal deficit both high carb & KD yield the same amount of fat loss. Thus, if fat loss is your goal, there’s no need to go to the extreme & cut out an entire macro & that as long as you create a kcal deficit , you can still successfully lose fat by eating a balanced macro split. HOWEVER there are individuals who like the idea of KD (which is fine) but fail to GRASP the concept of what it really entails.
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Protein & carb requirements: Many are under the impression that KD involve substituting all carbs for protein. WRONG. Yes, as active individuals, research shows we require higher protein intakes than sedentary (1.2-2g/kg). However anything far beyond this (as done if replacing all your carbs for protein & eating 300-400g/day) and the carbon skeletons of the excess aminos get turned into GLUCOSE . The latter can then “shift” you out of ketosis as maintenance of ketosis requires very little circulating glucose, usually ~50g carbs max or ~10% total kcal .
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Food sources: As it’s thus clear that you need to replace most of your carbs with fat (75% fat, 5% carbs, 20% protein)(Osler & McCrae 1923), another misconception often arises, “poor food choices”. KD is NOT a pass to indulge on KFC & blocks of butter. The fats that you replace your carbs for shouldn’t be coming from processed “junk” dripping in trans fats as by doing so you’ll compromise micronutrient intake which is vital for both performance & overall health . Instead, fats should still come from saturated, poly &mono unsaturated fats from WHOLE food sources eg. avocadoes, eggs, fish, nuts, oils etc.
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Conclusion: I have nothing against KD but I if you’re going to follow it, do it right.

03.04.2020