Low carb diets have many advantages over other popular diets. They allow you to burn fat while eating luxurious, satisfying foods. They do not require you to count calories or follow a meal plan. Best of all, you can lose weight without ever feeling hungry. One aspect of low card dieting that is often misunderstood and misrepresented is ketosis, the metabolic by-product of accelerated fat-burning.
Because our ancestors were hunter gatherers, our cells evolved to make use of two kinds of fuel. They can meet their energy requirements with glucose, usually derived from plant-based foods. Alternatively, they can run on fatty acids, either from animal foods, or from fat deposits in the body. When we are trying to lose weight, we would obviously prefer our metabolism to burn stored fat for energy.
When we restrict carbohydrates, there is insufficient glucose in circulation to fuel the cells. The body maintains its energy balance by producing the hormone glucagon. This hormone triggers fat deposits to release their stored energy in the form of free fatty acids. In the process of converting stored fat to usable fuel, molecules called ketones are produced.
Ketones are generated every time the body breaks down stored fat for use as energy. Even people who consume large amounts of carbohydrate produce ketones every night. During the eight hour fast while we are asleep, our blood sugar naturally drops. This prompts the release of glucagon which activates the fat-burning process.
Because stored fat is continually converted into energy in the absence of glucose from carbohydrates, a low carb diet naturally leads to the production of more ketones. When levels of ketones rise to the point where they can be measured in the blood, we are said to be in ketosis.
Some types of ketones are immediately used for energy. In the absence of carbohydrates, the brain and central nervous system will run largely on ketone bodies converted from dietary fat. The heart and kidneys actually prefer ketones to glucose.
There is one sort of ketone molecule that the body cannot use for energy. When it is excreted through the lungs, it can be the cause of the ‘acetone breath’ sometimes associated with low carb eating. Most low carb diet plans advise drinking plenty of liquids so that the majority of excess acetone will be flushed out of the body in the urine.
Several studies have shown that people on ketogenic diets experience reduced appetite. Because fatty acids are continually being released into circulation, the body’s energy needs are met and hunger signals are inhibited. Falling blood sugar is the physical source of food cravings. When the metabolism has switched from glucose burning to fat burning mode, blood sugar levels stay constant.
On a ketogenic low carb diet weight is lost in the form of fat, not lean muscle tissue. Limiting carbohydrate consumption promotes the release of fat from deposits on the body to be used as energy. Increasing protein consumption ensures that body never needs to break down muscle to meet its energy requirements.
There is nothing dangerous or unnatural about being in ketosis. It is a sign that the body has switched from a fat-storing metabolism to a fat-burning metabolism. A low carb ketogenic diet plan is a healthy and painless way to lose stubborn excess fat.
Because our ancestors were hunter gatherers, our cells evolved to make use of two kinds of fuel. They can meet their energy requirements with glucose, usually derived from plant-based foods. Alternatively, they can run on fatty acids, either from animal foods, or from fat deposits in the body. When we are trying to lose weight, we would obviously prefer our metabolism to burn stored fat for energy.
When we restrict carbohydrates, there is insufficient glucose in circulation to fuel the cells. The body maintains its energy balance by producing the hormone glucagon. This hormone triggers fat deposits to release their stored energy in the form of free fatty acids. In the process of converting stored fat to usable fuel, molecules called ketones are produced.
Ketones are generated every time the body breaks down stored fat for use as energy. Even people who consume large amounts of carbohydrate produce ketones every night. During the eight hour fast while we are asleep, our blood sugar naturally drops. This prompts the release of glucagon which activates the fat-burning process.
Because stored fat is continually converted into energy in the absence of glucose from carbohydrates, a low carb diet naturally leads to the production of more ketones. When levels of ketones rise to the point where they can be measured in the blood, we are said to be in ketosis.
Some types of ketones are immediately used for energy. In the absence of carbohydrates, the brain and central nervous system will run largely on ketone bodies converted from dietary fat. The heart and kidneys actually prefer ketones to glucose.
There is one sort of ketone molecule that the body cannot use for energy. When it is excreted through the lungs, it can be the cause of the ‘acetone breath’ sometimes associated with low carb eating. Most low carb diet plans advise drinking plenty of liquids so that the majority of excess acetone will be flushed out of the body in the urine.
Several studies have shown that people on ketogenic diets experience reduced appetite. Because fatty acids are continually being released into circulation, the body’s energy needs are met and hunger signals are inhibited. Falling blood sugar is the physical source of food cravings. When the metabolism has switched from glucose burning to fat burning mode, blood sugar levels stay constant.
On a ketogenic low carb diet weight is lost in the form of fat, not lean muscle tissue. Limiting carbohydrate consumption promotes the release of fat from deposits on the body to be used as energy. Increasing protein consumption ensures that body never needs to break down muscle to meet its energy requirements.
There is nothing dangerous or unnatural about being in ketosis. It is a sign that the body has switched from a fat-storing metabolism to a fat-burning metabolism. A low carb ketogenic diet plan is a healthy and painless way to lose stubborn excess fat.
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