Ketogenic or high protein diets cause a lot of weight loss very quickly. But this effect is somewhat deceiving since the majority of the weight loss is in the form of water.
In addition, there are many hidden dangers that accompany ketogenic diets.
So here is why ketogenic diets may not be for you:
1. Accelerated muscle breakdown: Eating more protein doesn't translate into spared muscle. In reality, eating more carbs translates into spared muscle. And recall that muscle controls a big portion of your metabolic rate. You see, in the absence of carbs, your body burns muscle for energy.
2. High levels of catabolic hormones: Primarily, cortisol levels sky rocket with high protein diets. So make sure you are well aware of this before jumping on the high protein band wagon. And remember that cortisol breaks down muscle in addition to depressing immunity.
3. Less mental performance: You see, although your body can convert muscle protein to sugar for your brain, it's not a very efficient process. Subsequently, your mental performance decreases. So if you need to maintain mental performance, high protein diets are probably not for you.
4. Less serotonin: Your levels of serotonin go up as your carbohydrate intake goes up. Taking out carbs from the equation will cause your serotonin levels to plummet. So make sure you are prepared for this worsened mental state before going into ketosis.
5. Less calories burned: By far, the best way to burn extreme amounts of calories is by lifting weights with intensity. Without carbs in your diet, this will not happen. You see, intense weight lifting keeps your metabolism in overdrive for long periods of time after the exercise.
6. Loss of definition: You need carbohydrates to have the toned look. You see, carbs pull water into your muscles. If you stop eating them, your muscles dehydrate and end up looking like deflated balloons. So be conscious of this before avoiding carbs.
Ketogenic diets are very hard on the body. And they will prevent you from reaching peak performance. So make sure you take into account the pointers in this article before ditching your carbs!
In addition, there are many hidden dangers that accompany ketogenic diets.
So here is why ketogenic diets may not be for you:
1. Accelerated muscle breakdown: Eating more protein doesn't translate into spared muscle. In reality, eating more carbs translates into spared muscle. And recall that muscle controls a big portion of your metabolic rate. You see, in the absence of carbs, your body burns muscle for energy.
2. High levels of catabolic hormones: Primarily, cortisol levels sky rocket with high protein diets. So make sure you are well aware of this before jumping on the high protein band wagon. And remember that cortisol breaks down muscle in addition to depressing immunity.
3. Less mental performance: You see, although your body can convert muscle protein to sugar for your brain, it's not a very efficient process. Subsequently, your mental performance decreases. So if you need to maintain mental performance, high protein diets are probably not for you.
4. Less serotonin: Your levels of serotonin go up as your carbohydrate intake goes up. Taking out carbs from the equation will cause your serotonin levels to plummet. So make sure you are prepared for this worsened mental state before going into ketosis.
5. Less calories burned: By far, the best way to burn extreme amounts of calories is by lifting weights with intensity. Without carbs in your diet, this will not happen. You see, intense weight lifting keeps your metabolism in overdrive for long periods of time after the exercise.
6. Loss of definition: You need carbohydrates to have the toned look. You see, carbs pull water into your muscles. If you stop eating them, your muscles dehydrate and end up looking like deflated balloons. So be conscious of this before avoiding carbs.
Ketogenic diets are very hard on the body. And they will prevent you from reaching peak performance. So make sure you take into account the pointers in this article before ditching your carbs!
About the Author:
Author Katherine Crawford, a fitness physiologist and recent arm fat sufferer, teaches how to tone arms. Figure out how to get sexy and toned arms by exploring her blog with advice on how to lose arm fat right
