What is the Ketogenic Diet - A Complete Beginner's Guide

While you might be familiar with the concept of cutting carbs, how much do you know about the keto diet? Lauded for its ability to help you lose weight without counting calories, the keto diet has spawned countless variations. If you've been looking for a way to shed excess fat without always feeling hungry, this particular diet plan may be the answer. First, though, you'll need to have a basic understanding of what the keto diet entails.

The Basic Keto Principle

At its core, this diet plan changes the way your body creates and expends fuel for energy. When you eat or drink anything containing carbohydrates, your body creates glucose for energy. Whenever glucose is present, your body will default to it as the primary energy source because it is the easiest molecule for the body to convert.

The human body requires energy for even the most basic physiological functions, and those energy demands increase as you go about your busy day. When glucose is the fuel powering all this function, your fat stores are left in reserve because they're simply not needed to maintain function. Since busting these fat stores is the goal of most diets, a ketosis-inducing plan can be particularly effective.

Ketosis is the process by which your body processes fat stores for energy. Forcing your body into ketosis is essentially kickstarting the survival process, where your body burns through fat stores to avoid starvation. Fortunately, you don't have to actually starve yourself to reach weight loss goals.

When you restrict carbohydrate intake, your body no longer has plentiful access to its preferred fuel source, glucose. Instead, it must resort to drawing from fat reserves, which are processed through the liver and converted to ketones. In the end, you're able to lose fat while still enjoying a plentiful diet made up primarily of proteins.

Keto-Friendly Supplements

Even the most forgiving diet still requires you to restrict or at least greatly reduce your intake of certain foods. When balanced properly, you're able to avoid vital deficiencies.

While protein will make up a substantial portion of your keto-friendly diet, your body will require more than the amount recommended for those with sedentary lifestyles to avoid loss of muscle tissue and increases in appetite.

A high-quality, low-carb protein powder can be an indispensable part of your keto diet. Supplements like Pinup Girl Protein help you maintain sufficient protein intake levels while curbing hunger, while supplying all nine essential amino acids in plentiful amounts. Our product has 0 grams of fat, and 0 grams of sugar with only 110 calories total. Learn more.