We invite you to explore the low-carb ketogenic diet in depth and its three variations: standard, cyclic, and targeted ketogenic. This guide includes detailed instructions for creating a meal plan and formulas for calculating nutrient requirements.
The history of the ketogenic diet dates back several decades, and during this period it managed to gather many ardent supporters in the bodybuilding subculture. Broadly speaking, the ketogenic diet and its variants are diets that are high in fat and protein while being extremely low in carbohydrates (usually less than 10% of total macronutrients); With such a diet, the body is forced to use fat as fuel, as glucose reserves are quickly depleted.
For many, the ketogenic diet can be an effective and very proper way to achieve their goals, be it building muscle mass, burning fat, developing strength, etc. Although the ketogenic diet is primarily used for fitness and wellness purposes, it is also used in complex algorithms for the treatment of epilepsy.
You might ask, "How is the ketogenic diet different from any other low-carb diet? "Honestly, there are not that many differences. Many believe that such a nutritional system becomes most effective at the moment when the body enters a state called "ketosis" and begins to synthesize ketones for subsequent energy generation (hence the name "ketogenic"diet), and such a transition is possible only if there is a strong restriction of carbohydrate intake. However, such a view of the problem is short-sighted, and we will definitely touch on this issue later.
In this guide, we'll take a closer look at the physiological processes that underlie the ketogenic diet, look at the types/variations of the ketogenic diet that exist, learn how to create your own diet, and give some easy tips on how to sharpen your appetite for foodslow carb. And, of course, we'll answer the most frequently asked questions.
What is ketosis?
As we mentioned earlier, the ketogenic diet got its name due to the fact that limiting the consumption of carbohydrates inherent in this food system can put the body in a state of ketosis - a special physiological state in which the concentration of ketone bodies increases.
Ketone bodies are water-soluble organic biomolecules that are synthesized in the liver from fatty acids when food intake (especially carbohydrates) decreases. Once transported to extrahepatic tissues, these biomolecules can be used as an energy source.
Ketone bodies are constantly synthesized in small amounts in the human body, but usually the concentration of ketones is so low that they are not detected in a urine test. However, when the level of ketone bodies in the blood increases (a condition known as ketonemia), they begin to be excreted in the urine (known as ketonuria); Ketonomy and ketonuria taken together indicate the transition of the body into a state of ketosis.
Therefore, the goal of the ketogenic diet is to put the body in a state of nutritional ketosis (not to be confused with pathological ketosis), which ultimately directs the metabolism to use fatty acids and ketone bodies as the main source of energy.
Basic Ketogenic Diet Options
In this guide, we'll look at three main variations of the ketogenic diet: the standard ketogenic diet (SKD), the cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD), and the targeted ketogenic diet (TCD). The type of diet you need is determined solely by trial and error and is largely determined by your priority goals (more details below).
- A standard ketogenic diet– This is the simplest, most basic version of the ketogenic diet. SCD does not imply periods of carbohydrate replenishment as required by CCD and TKD. It is a linear diet characterized by a constant supply of ketogenic nutrients (moderate to high protein intake, high fat intake and extremely low carbohydrate intake).
- Cyclic Ketogenic Dietis a variant of the nutritional system that includes short periods of carbohydrates to replenish muscle glycogen stores after the body's reserves are completely depleted. The length of time between carbohydrate loadings will vary based on individual preference, training intensity and goals.
- Targeted Ketogenic Diet- This is the final version of the energy system that interests us. TKD involves a short-term supply of carbohydrates during the training window. The goal of TKD is to flood the body with glucose to improve physical performance without suppressing ketosis in the long term.
Which option should I take?
Many factors will influence your choice of diet. It is recommended that you start with a "breakthrough period" using a standard ketogenic diet. After a few weeks of such a breakthrough, you will be able to assess how your body responds to dietary changes, how your physical performance changes, and how energetic you are. make it easier to decide which diet to use long term.
You may also have doubts about which option is better for losing weight and which is ideal for gaining muscle mass. It must be said that if the total energy value of your diet meets your goals, the ketogenic diet option will not become a key factor in achieving your goal. You may come across the opinion that CD or TCD is better for people who want to gain muscle mass, because carbohydrates spare protein and stimulate insulin secretion, and the standard CD will be an ideal choice for those who want to lose weight, becauseas insulin synthesis will be relatively low. However, these short-term fluctuations in insulin secretion over a long distance will not become the deciding factor, unlike the total caloric intake of the diet.
Below is a brief overview of factors to consider when choosing a ketogenic diet option:
- SKD. Ideal for people who lead a mostly sedentary lifestyle and whose physical performance does not suffer from severe restriction of carbohydrate intake. SKD will also be an excellent choice for people who do not exercise too intensely and have high insulin resistance.
- TKD. If you train your butt several times a week and notice that your performance deteriorates with prolonged carb restriction, it may be worth considering short periods of carb loading before and possibly after your training sessions. Additionally, TKD would be a good choice for people with more training experience who could benefit from a small carb increase but would not benefit from a heavy carb load.
- Central Committee. Cyclic KD is often referred to as the "most advanced" of all ketogenic diet options. CCD requires one to patiently go through a trial and error phase during which the optimal period between carbohydrate loadings is sought and the required amount of carbohydrates per days is determinedper charge. If you consider yourself an experienced athlete, you train actively throughout the week, and even against the background of SCD or TKD, you notice a drop in performance, then consider CCD. Perhaps this option will help you return to work at maximum speed.
Creating your own ketogenic diet
In this section we will talk about how to determine the body's energy needs and macronutrients; these numbers will become your main guidelines in putting together an SCD diet. People who choose CCD or TCD will also need to use the basic CCD calculations, but with small adjustments that I will talk about later.
In general, we can say that anyone who wants to lose weight should adhere to the golden rule of a daily deficit of 500 calories, and anyone who wants to gain muscle mass should achieve a surplus of the same 500 calories. However, this is too rough a generalization without taking into account physiological characteristics and other factors. Also, if you choose CDD, you will probably need to adjust your caloric intake for a week.
Here's an example of how to calculate macronutrient intake for ADS:
- Determine your energy needs using the daily calorie calculator;
- Daily protein requirement 2 g/kg dry weight: 150 g per day
- Carbohydrate requirement 0. 2-0. 4 g/kg dry weight: 15-30 g per day (in further calculations we start from 30 g)
- Since 1 g of protein and carbohydrates contains 4 calories, we have (150 + 30) x 4: 720 calories from protein and carbohydrates
- We get that this person should get 1280 calories from fat (2000 - 720) and since there are 9 calories in one gram of fat, he should eat approximately 142 (1280 divided by 9) grams of fat per day.
Thus, the total daily diet of this person will include 150 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbohydrates and 142 grams of fat. Let's spread this amount between meals.
Example of a 3-meal meal plan:
| squirrels | Carbohydrates | fats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st meal | 50 gr | 10 gr | 48 gr |
| 2nd meal | 50 gr | 10 gr | 47 gr |
| 3rd meal | 50 gr | 10 gr | 47 gr |
An example of a 5-meal meal plan:
| squirrels | Carbohydrates | fats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st meal | 30 gr | 5 gr | 29 gr |
| 2nd meal | 30 gr | 5 gr | 29 gr |
| 3rd meal | 30 gr | 5 gr | 28 gr |
| 4th meal | 30 gr | 5 gr | 28 gr |
| 5th meal | 30 gr | 5 gr | 28 gr |
Choosing foods for a ketogenic diet
There are no strict rules in the ketogenic diet, just like there are no allowed and forbidden foods. Many believe that the main sources of starch and sugar should not be included in the diet at all, since this will prevent the transition of the metabolism to a state of ketosis, but in small quantities such products are unlikely to become an obstacle, especially for large people.
Good choices for a ketogenic diet include the following:
- Animal protein (especially red meat)
- Eggs (whole or egg whites only)
- Fatty dairy products such as cheese, cream, butter, etc.
- Oils, preferably vegetable oils, peanuts, flaxseeds, macadamia nuts, olives, and some types of coconut
- Nuts and nut oils
- Fibrous vegetables, especially green vegetables, lettuce, broccoli, celery, etc.
During the loading phase of the ketogenic diet, don't limit yourself and include more sources of starches and sugars in your diet, such as fruit.
Central Control Center planning
Now let's look at how you should integrate carbohydrates into a cyclical version of the ketogenic diet.
Those who choose CC should start by carb-loading once a week and then adjust the time interval between loading days as needed to meet their individual needs. Be prepared to do many experiments during which you will evaluate how many carbohydrates you ate on the loading day and how you feel in the following days.
The main thing to remember when carb loading is to reduce your fat intake; do not continue to eat fat in large portions on loading days. But keep your protein intake the same (or even increase it to maintain your overall calorie intake).
Using the macronutrient needs of the 75 kg person mentioned earlier, here are some basic recommendations for setting up a CKD with a loading day depending on individual insulin sensitivity/carbohydrate tolerance:
- Protein requirement 2 g/kg dry weight: 150 g/day
- For low insulin sensitivity, we calculate carbohydrate intake based on 2-3 g per kg of dry weight
- With normal insulin sensitivity, we calculate carbohydrate intake based on the calculation of 4-5 g per kg of dry weight
- For high insulin sensitivity, we calculate carbohydrate intake based on the calculation of 6-7 g per kg of dry weight
- Now, as before, we simply count the remaining calories, divide by 9, and get the grams of fat to be consumed on the carb-loading days
An example of a CDF for a person with normal insulin sensitivity and a lean body mass of 75 kg eating a 2000 calorie restriction diet:
- Monday - Saturday: nutrient intake should correspond to the pre-calculated SKD requirements
- Sunday (carb loading day, 2500 calories) – 150g protein/300g carbs/78g fat
TCD planning
Now let's look at how to integrate carbohydrates into a targeted version of the ketogenic diet (pre- and post-workout in our example).
As with CCD, when starting TCD, first assess how your body reacts to certain amounts of carbohydrates and determine for yourself the optimal time to take them. Remember that when following TKD, you need to consume enough carbohydrates for optimal performance, but don't overdo it. CKD implies the presence of periods of replenishment of glycogen reserves, while TKD aims only at a short-term increase in energy and performance.
Therefore, if an athlete trains intensely 5 days a week, they should consume carbohydrates before and/or after training on those training days. On other days, nutrient intake should be consistent with SCD calculations.
Calculating nutrient requirements during the TKD is not really different from the SKD; we simply add carbohydrates to the "peri-training" meal on training days. To illustrate how carb training should be planned during TKD, here are the recommendations for the same 75 kg athlete who is in the tapering phase, consuming 2000 calories per day andhas some insulin sensitivity/carbohydrate tolerance:
- Protein requirement 2 g/kg dry weight: 150 g/day
- If insulin sensitivity is low, add 0. 5 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg of dry mass to the "almost training" meal
- For normal insulin sensitivity, add 0. 75 g of carbohydrate per 1 kg of dry mass to the "near-training" meal
- If you have high insulin sensitivity, add 1g of carbohydrate per 1kg of dry mass to your 'near-exercise' meal
- Now we subtract the "extra" calories obtained from carbohydrates and protein from the daily energy requirements and add the missing calories from fat (everything is as before).
A "close-to-workout" meal precedes or follows a workout. This means that you can arbitrarily distribute the "extra" carbs as long as they are all eaten within the training window. In general, it is recommended to simply divide the total amount in half and eat them before and after training.
An example of a five meal TCD diet (on a training day) for a 75 kg lean person with high insulin sensitivity who is on a 3000 calorie per meal diet:
| squirrels | Carbohydrates | fats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st meal (before training) | 30 gr | 40 gr | 20 gr |
| 2nd meal (after training) | 30 gr | 35 gr | 20 gr |
| 3rd meal | 30 gr | 10 gr | 30 gr |
| 4th meal | 30 gr | 10 gr | 30 gr |
| 5th meal | 30 gr | 10 gr | 30 gr |
Thin tincture of TCD and TKD
Note that the above recommendations for carbohydrate intake on cyclic and targeted ketogenic diets are only a starting point. It is impossible to develop a complete and optimal diet that will meet the needs of everyone reading this article because there are so many factors to consider.
For this reason, as mentioned earlier, when mastering such advanced versions of ketogenic diets as TKD and CCD, you must be careful, thorough, and open to experimentation. You'll learn what works best for your body as you go. Always listen to your body and be ready to make the necessary adjustments.
If you're eating 30g of carbs a day and still feel great at the gym, stick with this strategy; If you feel more comfortable with two days of carb loading per week, go for it. The carbohydrate needs recommended in this guide are based on experience rather than rigorous scientific research, and you can feel free to adjust them to suit your individual needs.
And the last tip, especially relevant in relation to TKD. You should reduce the proportion of fat in meals that contain a lot of carbohydrates. This doesn't mean you shouldn't bulk up at all in your pre-workout meal, you just need to eat a balanced diet and distribute the lion's share of fat between the rest of your meals.
Opinion on the role of saturated fat in the ketogenic diet
Starting a ketogenic diet will inevitably increase the proportion of saturated fat in your diet, but that doesn't mean you have to rely entirely on saturated fat and neglect your polyunsaturated fat intake.
There is considerable debate about how much saturated fat is considered too much on the ketogenic diet. Many people who have tried the ketogenic diet insist on large portions of foods such as butter, fatty red meats, full-fat dairy products, etc.
Saturated fats are associated with the production of sex hormones (androgens) in the body of men, and therefore a sharp reduction in their consumption can hardly be called a good idea. However, chronic excessive use of saturated fat can lead to increased insulin resistance and other metabolic disorders, so loading the body with these nutrients is not our plan either.
In my opinion, on the background of a ketogenic diet, you can safely increase the proportion of saturated fat in the diet to 20-30% of total fat. That is, if a person gets 150 grams of fat from food daily, he should try to limit the amount of saturated fat to 30-45 grams per day.
FAQ
Question:Is it possible to include major sources of carbohydrates in the ketogenic diet menu?
Answer:Some proponents of the ketogenic diet strongly argue that basic carbohydrate foods should be completely excluded. However, in the case of larger people who can eat more carbohydrates and still remain in a state of ketosis, it is possible to make "mistakes" in the diet in the form of grains, cereals, fruits and starchy vegetables.
Question:Can you eat more protein and less fat while on a ketogenic diet?
Answer:Yes, but keep in mind that consuming too much protein will simply lead to increased gluconeogenesis in the liver, which will in turn make glucose the primary fuel source again.
Question:Should I use ketone test strips to make sure my body is in ketosis? Should I even be concerned if I have reached this state or not?
Answer:You should not place too much importance on the presence of ketone bodies in the urine and the formal state of "ketosis. " While you are consuming very few carbohydrates in your diet, you will be using fat and ketones for the lion's share of your body's energy needs.
Question:Can I use artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes while on a ketogenic diet?
Answer:In most cases, yes. But remember that some sugar substitutes contain small amounts of fillers like maltodextrin and dextrose, and if you overdo it with sweeteners, the amount of these fillers in your diet can increase to alarming levels.
Question:Is the ketogenic diet safe for people with high cholesterol?
Answer:Generally safe, especially if most of the fat comes from unsaturated sources. However, if you have chronic diseases, it is advisable to ask your doctor this question and only after his blessing to switch to a ketogenic diet.
Question:Should vegetable fiber be included in the total caloric intake of the diet?
Answer:Plant fiber is not listed as "net carbs" on food labels. However, like any nutrient, plant fiber contains calories.
Question:After high carb foods (during carb loading) my stomach gets bloated and I get sleepy. What should I do?
Answer:You can try to increase the frequency of meals and distribute carbohydrate foods more evenly. Or try eating the lion's share of carbohydrates in the evening, when after a meal you can finally relax and adjust to passive rest.
Question:When I first tried the ketogenic diet, I felt out of place. This is good?
Answer:Many people feel exhausted within a few weeks, especially if their diet was previously built around high-carbohydrate foods. However, if your performance does not recover over time, try TCD or CDT and see if that helps resolve the issue.
Conclusion
I hope this in-depth look at the ketogenic diet has taught you a lot and provided you with useful information to help you take your first steps. Remember to be open to experimentation and listen carefully to the signals your body is sending.
Many people use low-carb, high-fat diets with great success, while others feel terrible on a ketogenic diet and can't function or function normally. If you realize that you belong to the second group, do not try to force your body and stick to a ketogenic diet for the sake of the diet itself.
Ultimately, your diet should do two things – help you achieve your fitness and health goals without interfering with your daily life. You don't have to sacrifice one for the other, although many people do just that when setting new goals. It doesn't matter how good a diet looks on paper and in theory if you can't stick to your plan. Do what works best for you and stay the course for the long term. This is where the secret of success lies.