We get it. A new diet seems like a great idea, but soon after starting it, it gets more and more challenging to follow. Eventually, a dieter gives up because of the difficulties of the diet or unrealistic rules to follow. The diet may also be more focused on quick weight loss, which isn’t necessarily the healthiest route to take. What if we told you there’s a way to lose weight quickly and do it in a healthy way? It may seem too good to be true, but the keto diet, which is a low carb, high-fat diet, has helped many people achieve their goals. Weight loss typically happens quickly, and it's not because you’re starving yourself. Losing the weight happens from cutting back on your carbs and focusing on eating healthy fats. The keto diet just isn’t a “diet,” it’s a lifestyle change that has many benefits. You can learn more about this exciting new way of eating and living a healthy lifestyle in the Body Reboot book. Now that we’ve given you a brief glimpse of the keto diet, keep reading to find out why this diet, in particular, wins every health medal there is. Trust us; this is a “diet” you shouldn’t pass up!

It Kicks Your Cravings for Carbs to the Curb

A Thrifty Mom gives us the scoop and how carb cravings lessen when you go on a low carb diet. That doesn’t mean you will always be able to say no to carbs, because you may crave them from time to time, but because you’re eliminating something highly addictive you’ll be less likely to eat a lot of carbs. Over time your body will get used to not eating them and also, a high-fat diet makes you feel fuller, longer and therefore decreases your appetite (more on this later).

When you eat at a very expensive restaurant you will notice they use more healthy fats like animal fats and butters. This is one reason why your taste buds go crazy and you come away thinking that all tasted so good! Why is it that bacon taste better then ham? Bacon has a higher fat content! And think about your meals that you have. Do you feel full after eating a plate of veggies or after you have eaten a couple eggs and sausage? How soon after eating those meals did you go back to the fridge to get your next snack? Higher fat intake stimulates the production of leptin a chemical in our bodies that tells the brain that we are full and to stop eating. Where as sugar causes cravings and low blood sugar which stimulates the body to eat more.

It Helps You Lose Weight Quickly

Healthline discusses a study that reveals that a body in ketosis is more likely to shed the weight more quickly than a body on a low-fat diet. Not only is losing weight on the ketogenic diet exciting, but it turns out there are other benefits as well (mentioned below).

There is strong evidence that ketogenic diets are very effective for weight loss.

They can help you lose fat, preserve muscle mass and improve many markers of disease.

In fact, many studies have compared the recommended low-fat diet to a ketogenic diet for weight loss.

Findings often show the ketogenic diet to be superior, even when total calorie intake is matched.

In one study, people on a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more weight than those on a low-calorie, low-fat diet. Triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels also improved.

New England Journal Medicine did a study in 2009 that found that people who go on a low carb diet are more likely to lose weight than people who have a low-fat diet. Here are the results:

RESULTS:

The rate of adherence to a study diet was 95.4% at 1 year and 84.6% at 2 years. The Mediterranean-diet group consumed the largest amounts of dietary fiber and had the highest ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat (P<0.05 for all comparisons among treatment groups). The low-carbohydrate group consumed the smallest amount of carbohydrates and the largest amounts of fat, protein, and cholesterol and had the highest percentage of participants with detectable urinary ketones (P<0.05 for all comparisons among treatment groups). The mean weight loss was 2.9 kg for the low-fat group, 4.4 kg for the Mediterranean-diet group, and 4.7 kg for the low-carbohydrate group (P<0.001 for the interaction between diet group and time); among the 272 participants who completed the intervention, the mean weight losses were 3.3 kg, 4.6 kg, and 5.5 kg, respectively. The relative reduction in the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 20% in the low-carbohydrate group and 12% in the low-fat group (P=0.01). Among the 36 subjects with diabetes, changes in fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels were more favorable among those assigned to the Mediterranean diet than among those assigned to the low-fat diet (P<0.001 for the interaction among diabetes and Mediterranean diet and time with respect to fasting glucose levels).

CONCLUSIONS:
Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets may be effective alternatives to low-fat diets. The more favorable effects on lipids (with the low-carbohydrate diet) and on glycemic control (with the Mediterranean diet) suggest that personal preferences and metabolic considerations might inform individualized tailoring of dietary interventions.

It Teaches You Better Eating Habits

It’s true that going on a low carb diet has countless benefits, and forming better eating habits is one of them. Cutting out carbs naturally eliminates sweets, chips, and other refined carbs that otherwise make you feel awful and bloated. India Times reminds us how switching to a low carb; high-fat diet results in healthy decisions that hopefully will last a lifetime.

The fact that almost every meal of yours is loaded with fibrous vegetables—because hey in the absence of carbs you have to keep yourself full with something—like broccoli, kale and spinach, will help add volume to your meal without adding calories to it. These vegetables also, of course, provide you with essential nutrients, vitamins, fibre it needs for better digestion and absorption.

The three key macronutrients that all foods consist of include, protein, carbs and fats. Since following a keto diet involves upping your protein and fat intake, while reducing your carb intake, it’s imperative to learn about the makeup of the food you’re having. Learning about the macronutrients in your food will help you build good habits about nutrition that will last into the future.

You would often hear religious ketogenic diet follower say, they feel lighter, more energized, and calmer (as their blood sugar also stabilizes). You also learn how to reduce your overall carb intake dramatically, which teaches you effective portion control when you’re eating carbs. Reduced carb also means reduced energy spikes and drops, lesser calories, low levels of lethargy (more energy) and a lower overall bodyweight.

It Gives You the Motivation to Lose More Weight

Once you get the hang of the keto diet and the pounds start dripping off, you’ll get motivated to continue to lose weight. It’s nice not having to eat all of the time and still feel satisfied. Kiss My Keto gives us other reasons why being on a ketogenic diet should motivate you to lose more weight.

The reason keto is easier than you think has to do with the type of food you'll be eating. Lots of satisfying and filling butter, cheese, bacon, avocados, and full-fat goodies are quite easy to enjoy.

You'll also see that you don't have to eat all the time to keep your energy levels optimal. You see, when you're in ketosis, your body is running on a much more efficient fuel than when you're burning carbs. No more blood sugar drops and mid-day slumps; with keto, your energy supply is almost endless.

It Gives You More Energy

Many people on the keto diet report feeling more energized and less sluggish. Having extra energy is possible because when a body burns fat instead of carbs, it relies on fats for energy. Fat happens to energize a body more efficiently. Let’s see what else Perfect Keto has to say about that:

With the normal SAD, your body is taught to run on carbs.

It becomes the primary fuel source and you feel tired and sluggish until you get your next refueling of carbs (aka sugar).

This way of eating creates a vicious cycle that can lead to overeating, low energy and fat storage.

You’ll face zero of these issues on a ketogenic diet.

Instead of fueling with carbs, you’ll be draining your body of its excess stores and fueling it with healthy fats.

The average person on the SAD eats around 225 grams of carbs every day. A keto diet limits this to less than 50 grams.

This forces your body to switch to a “fat adapted” state where it relies on fat stores instead of carbs for energy.

Your body won’t scream at you for more energy; it can tap into its stores (your fat) at any time.

Hopefully, the keto diet has won you over, but if it hasn't and you'd like to learn more, check out our book. Right now we're currently giving away free copies of the Body Reboot book. We want to bring awareness about unhealthy habits and teach people new ways on how they can lose weight and get healthy! Cover the cost of shipping, and we’ll send a copy to your door FREE. Go over to this page to see if there are any copies left.

Sources: A Thrifty Mom, NCBI: New England Journal Medicine 2009, Healthline, India Times, Kiss My Keto, Perfect Keto