Get the Most Out of Cyclical Ketogenic Diet
The Cyclic ketogenic diet, or for short, CKD, is different from other popular bodybuilding diets because of its episodes of consuming food rich in carbohydrates. The success of ketogenic diet lies in the strategies used to compel the body into burning fat, an innate process called ketosis. Because the body prioritizes the burning of carbs to provide energy to the body, restricting the ingestion of carbohydrates will induce the body to burn the fat. That is the principle of Cyclic Ketogenic Diet.
Once the body realizes that there is a calorie deficit, it will begin to turn to the stored fat as well as the regular dietary fat that is taken in daily for energy fuel. There are two major phases of the cyclic ketogenic diet: the carb-up and the ketogenic phase.
During the ketogenic phase which usually lasts for almost a complete week, you limit your carbohydrates consumption to less than 30 grams each day. With CKD, you need to monitor your calories while eating low-carb food. The factors that should directly affect your deficit include the amount of weight you intend to lose on a weekly basis and whether or not you are complementing your diet with cardio workouts. Your deficit should not go over a thousand calories every day.
On the other hand, the carb-up phase lasts for a day or two. On the first day (full 24 hours), you are required to consume at least 8 grams of carbs for each kilogram of lean body mass. Your carbohydrate intake should also be minimized to 5 grams for each kilogram after the first day. On the first day, you may need to consume simple carbohydrates to replace glycogen. However, you need to consume complex carbohydrates like sweet potato and whole grains on the second day to balance your body’s insulin level.
Consuming complex carbohydrates will also help you avoid regaining lost fat. Your diet should consist of 15% fat, 15% protein, and 70% carbohydrates.
Cyclical Ketogenic Diet or CKD can be doubly effective if you perform weight lifting training. This depletes your muscles of glycogen. There is a specific program to follow if you want CKD to take effect fast. Just like any other exercise and diet program, Cyclical Ketogenic Diet is quite effective if you do it properly. Based on an article published at Annals of Internal Medicine, there are more distinct weight loss results in ketogenic diets compared to the traditional ones.
Aside from speeding up your weight loss efforts without endangering your health, Cyclical Ketogenic Diet has shown effectiveness in improving one’s cholesterol levels.