Sculpt the body on a keto diet
We keep reading about people and even sportsmen embracing the ketogenic diet. Many of these have come out openly in support of this low carb and high protein diet. On the other hand, we also read about people who fail to manage the diet’s strictness midway and give up.
You must have a clear solid plan that can help you achieve your body-building goals and be sustainable in the long term. It would be best to adopt a carefully crafted plan suitable for your body, weight, and future goals. This approach will help you reach the goal easily and sustain the outcome for the rest of your life instead of failing.
What is the keto diet?
As many of you might already know keto diet came about a few decades ago. Scientists identified that the children suffering from epilepsy and seizures benefited a lot from the diet with fewer carbohydrates on their plate. People, though, do need the energy to function, and that is derived using proteins and fats. This helps to release ketones that provide energy to the body and brain, replacing the traditional glucose from the carbs.
A keto diet needs to be planned carefully to include healthy fats and proteins. A person may be allergic to certain ingredients or may not like the taste of certain others. In this case it won’t be easy to sustain on the diet plan for long. But once you work on a good plan, then the results are outstanding, and it works wonders. People with diabetes also can benefit from this diet as it reduces the sugar intake and helps more efficient use of insulin.
Protein versus carbohydrate
A body-builder is like an athlete. He needs enough energy and some extra to build the muscles and yet not overdose on sugars. After some weight loss, the person may be kicked out of ketosis. You do need some amount of glucose to feed the body’s cells- the brain and other parts that can function with glucose only. The body may convert fats and protein into glucose if it becomes desperate.
The point is that we eat more carbohydrates than our body needs. This leads to insulin resistance and storage of fat hypertension and other obesity-related diseases. With a keto diet, we can restrict the amount of glucose. You can get an efficient system using the fat and proteins’ ketones and minimize the glucose synthesis.
Protein intake depends on the activity level. A person into heavy exercise needs approximately 1.6 grams of protein per kg body weight. He will tend to eat less when on a keto diet as it keeps one satiated for longer. Some bodybuilders do feel that carbs are essential for building muscles. But protein and vigorous exercise can also help to reach the same goal.
How to gain muscle growth on a keto diet.
Track your calories while gaining or losing weight. It would be best if you consumed more calories than your usual maintenance calories to gain some muscle. Get more calories from healthy fats. If you are working towards a muscular physique, you must consume some extra calories apart from adequate protein and fats.
The aim is to consume this carb-rich source immediately before or after the training session. This includes the entire carbohydrate for the day. The rest of the day, you have to stick to the pure keto diet. The body uses this glucose immediately to get the benefit, and your body goes back to ketosis. The amount of carbs depends on the intensity of the workout. A high-intensity workout means more carbs, and an athlete may even consume 100 grams of carbs.
An average person should stick to fewer crabs while following a keto diet.
Electrolyte Consumption is very important
The body loses sodium, potassium, and magnesium when it works out. You must refuel the body with electrolytes so that it functions at the optimum level.
A keto diet means you must replenish the body using keto-friendly foods that contain these rich electrolytes. Sodium is critical for the brain and other organs to function. When your body is working hard on a carbohydrate-deficient diet, it will lead to more tiredness due to electrolyte depletion. Add some sodium or salt to the drinking water while working out.
You can make your special blend to fuel the workout session to avoid feeling exhausted and tired. A ketone-boosting shake may include sodium, whey isolate, creatine, caffeine, and collagen in the right amounts as needed for your body or advised by experts. The protein helps in muscle building. Sodium will help you stay energetic. The fats and protein will raise insulin, and the body will stay in the muscle-building stage.
You can sip on an electrolyte drink containing sodium, magnesium, and potassium even during the day but only the sugar-free variety.
The Keto diet works wonders for bodybuilding as it increases human growth hormone levels. This helps in growth, cell regeneration, and fat and muscle regulation in the body. The cells can synthesize protein as it stimulates insulin and IGF-1 and helps in building muscles.
Be careful while following a keto diet
While working out and following a keto diet it is equally important to allow the body to relax and sleep. A sleep-deprived body will be under tremendous stress. So, it is important to follow a schedule regularly. Ensure to follow the right meal plan, the body and mind should be in relaxed state and know when to exercise or relax.
Hydration is very important as the body loses water with exercise. Water loss leads to impaired physical performance and even cognitive function. Therefore, ensure that you take in adequate intake of water while bodybuilding based upon on a keto diet. Add some extra water to make up for the water lost during exercise and due to less carb consumption. You can add a little salt to the water to replenish the sodium and electrolytes lost due to perspiration during exercise.
Body-building is not difficult on a ketogenic diet
The main pillars of bodybuilding on a keto diet are –
- Work out with focus
- Consume proteins and fats along with required carbs
- Ensure that the body endocrine system of hormones works alright
- Hydrate well and replenish with electrolytes
Now you know a lot about the keto diet while bodybuilding, here is a list of food items that will help you on this journey. Remember to omit all high sugar and high glycemic food items from your grocery list. Some or all the following items will be great to add to your diet.
- Eggs
- Avocados
- Full fat cheese
- Beef
- Pork rinds
- Cold-pressed oils like coconut and olive oil
- Dry fruits and nuts like macadamia and brazil nuts.
- Chicken
- Butter
- Cream /sour cream/cream cheese
- Fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel
- Vegetables with low carb value- spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and mushrooms, etc.
A secret tip is to have chicken soup often, as this will help make up for the sodium loss due to extreme workouts and less carb consumption.
Parting words:
Now you know that bodybuilding is possible on a ketogenic diet. Many people have managed to achieve this goal with the right plan and focus. There are always two sides to everything. There will be people who may advise you against it as their experience may have been negative or failed due to some reason. You must take inspiration, follow the right plan, and exercise regularly without fail. Then, nothing can stop you from achieving your dream body.
