What is the Keto Diet and Does It Work for a Bodybuilder?

The keto diet is one of those diets that gets too much and not enough attention all at the same time. It is a diet that was once thought of as being a fad, especially as it’s been referenced as another type of Atkins. But there’s a lot of truth behind the effectiveness of the keto diet and it does have its place.

What is the Keto Diet?

The keto diet is a type of diet plan focused around sending the body into ketosis. Ketosis is practically the starvation mode, which the body enters into and turns to anything for energy. At this time, weight loss is in full force. Whether its water, muscle, or fat, there is no stopping the body from converting anything it can into energy.

The fundamentals of the diet are pretty simple. Carbohydrates are cut out of the picture. Trace carbs are acceptable, but as little carb intake as possible is ideal. Some use this diet with a maximum of 30 grams of carbs per day. While much of this number could be made up of trace carbs, it’s still ideal to eliminate any foods containing more than trace carbs. This is because the body needs to enter ketosis and stay in it, or else the results may end up being negative.

Is the Keto Diet Good for Weight Loss?

The keto diet can provide weight loss benefits as the body enters into ketosis and begins to shed itself to keep energized. These benefits vary by individual though. Someone with a relatively lean physique will likely end up losing too much muscle mass with this diet. However, someone with a lot of weight to lose could speed up the weight loss process. In fact, many have reported following the keto diet and losing more than a pound a day, even while eating burgers, bacon, cheese, and everything else people say to avoid.

So the keto diet does provide weight loss results. The concern is just that the composition of the weight that’s lost may not be ideal. If someone wants to lose weight during the cutting stage of a bodybuilding goal, the keto diet is not the ideal route to take.

Is the Keto Diet Good for Bodybuilders?

Without a doubt, this is not a good diet for anyone focusing on bodybuilding. It’s also not a good diet for anyone with little weight to lose. It’s really just an effective option for people looking to lose a lot of weight. It’s the Atkins diet in overdrive.

The biggest concern for bodybuilders is the poor macronutrient breakdown. With the keto diet, there will be no carbohydrates brought in. This is something which plays an important role in energy at the gym, muscle reparation post workout, and muscle growth in general. To ensure the body remains as anabolic as possible, a diet supporting some carbohydrate intake and a healthy overall macronutrient ratio is key.

There is no reason to believe the keto diet has no role in the weight loss industry. It’s just that this particular diet caters to a different audience. Not only that, but there are some concerns over the healthiness of the diet. As many are eating foods like burgers, bacon, and cheese, there is a lot of fat intake happening. This is not good for the heart. This is why many only stick to the keto diet for a few months.

Conclusion: Is the Keto Diet Perfect for Major Weight Loss?

By now, it should be clear that this diet only serves as a quality dieting approach for those looking to lose a considerable amount of weight. With that said, it is not necessarily the best way to approach such weight loss goals. The ideal route to take would be a slow weight loss, which allows the body to prevent compromising muscle mass to get to its ideal physique.

On the other hand, the keto diet gives the body a very quick way to lose a lot of weight. This does come with some muscle loss, but muscle can always be rebuilt after the keto diet is done. If this approach is taken, switching to something like a muscle recomp through Lean Gains would be a good choice. This will let the body re-stabilize its lean body mass before entering into bulk or cut mode.