The keto diet for men; you may be wondering if the keto diet is any good for men or does it even work.
There is a lot of women out there trying the Keto diet and having really great success. But does it work for men?
According to various studies and customer reviews, the answer is YES, the keto diet inspires quite some benefits for men. Among the most prominent results include the apparent benefit of weight loss, a rise in energy levels, appetite control, and reduced inflammation among many more.
Keto Diet
To proclaim that the keto diet has gradually assumed its position as among the most popular diets in recent times is a complete understatement.
In fact, if statistics are anything to go by, there are over a million searches on Google about the keto diet every month!
This diet is particularly unique since it has won the hearts of individuals looking to lose weight-and fortunately for them, there is a crop of success stories to refer to.
Check out a few celebrities that are on the Keto diet including male celebrities, in my article 11 Celebrities on the keto diet and what they have to say
I go into more detail about the keto diet in my article the ketogenic diet – The ultimate beginner’s guide to keto.
If you’re looking for a keto diet program check out the 28-day keto challenge and the 3-week keto diet. Both of these provide you with meal plans which will help you out.
The Primary Concern with the Keto Diet
However, there is not much to report about how it works for men. Despite numerous studies designed to determine its safety and efficiency involving either animals or men, there is still the question of how effective it is for men using it.
So, does the keto diet work for men? What does it help to achieve? What benefits do men reap from it? And does it have any side effects?
To answer these and many more questions on the Keto diet for men, here is everything you need to know.
Does the Keto Diet Work for Men?
Benefits of the Keto Diet:
Unlike other diets that only guarantee one primary benefit in weight loss, keto has multiple benefits mainly because of how it alters the chemistry of your body.
Generally, your body works much more efficiently when it uses ketones as its source of fuel. Some of the advantages of the keto diet include:
1. Weight Loss
This is by far the biggest reason behind the popularity of the keto diet and the main reason why many people are now embracing a ketogenic lifestyle.
Since fat becomes a source of energy, your body subsequently burns fat actively when it requires more energy rather than relying on glucose. So how does this process unfold?
As soon as your body enters a ketosis-state, your insulin and blood sugar levels both drop.
This allows the fat cells to effectively release the water they are retaining, which is the major reason why most individuals initially notice a massive decrease in their weight because of losing water.
After releasing water, the fat cells diminish in size and can therefore not only enter the bloodstream but also the liver. Here they are transformed into ketones.
This goes on as you advance further into your keto journey provided you ensure you are in a caloric deficit.
2. A rise in Energy Levels
The human body can only store so much glycogen. This characteristic, therefore, necessitates constant refueling if you want to maintain your energy levels.
Nonetheless, your body already has a lot of fat to use not to mention that it can also store some more fat, therefore, meaning that in ketosis, your body has energy that cannot get depleted.
What this means is that you will always find yourself having more energy throughout the day. Imagine no longer having the urge to take a nap right after lunch; amazing isn’t it? This is what the keto diet offers!
3. Appetite Control
One of the greatest perks of the keto diet is that you discover that you don’t get as hungry as often, therefore, this means that you no longer have the random cravings which lead you to eat otherwise unhealthy’ items.
Numerous individuals who are on the keto diet can do intermittent fasting in that they only eat only during specific periods of the day.
Such is possible since your tummy isn’t rumbling insisting that you grab a bite of that doughnut.
The benefit of intermittent fasting particularly for men is that it allows the body to take a breather from normal digestive functions to alternatively focus on fundamental repair work and subsequently gaining from the numerous other advantages of resting.
What this means is that as you fast, the energy resources of your body redirect towards restorative functions (such as balancing hormones and repairing tissue) as opposed to digestive functions such as producing digestive juices to breakdown food.
4. Reduced Inflammation
Among the most basic yet most profound perks of a keto diet is that it significantly reduces inflammation.
This is usually possible because of the minimized amount of free radical generation which happens when your body burns ketones rather than glucose for energy.
Reduced inflammation facilitates more energy production as well as an effectively functioning body.
Due to this, there is an amplified capacity of your body to heal in multiple aspects.
Similarly, a keto diet has anti-inflammatory characteristics because it permits insulin and blood sugar to stabilize.
Imbalance of blood sugar is among the most prominent inflammatory occurrences which occur in bodies of individuals relying heavily on sugar as their source of energy.
Due to this anti-inflammatory effect, the keto diet can be well suited for enhancing cancer outcomes, neurological disorders, autoimmunity, as well as metabolic disorders.
5. Better Sleep
According to the author of Sheet Pan Ketogenic and personal trainer, Pamela Ellgen, she has observed that numerous individuals using the keto diet report sleeping better and deeper.
Even so, during the initial stages of your keto journey, you may experience insomnia; a condition that ends after your body adjusts to burning stored fat and ketosis.
Eventually, you will discover that you can sleep deeper, longer, as well as feel more rested and relaxed once you get up.
Side Effects of the Keto Diet
Similar to any other significant alteration to your diet, when you begin your keto journey, it is not uncommon to experience one or more side effects as your body adapts to a new dietary structure.
With a keto diet, the body is forced to switch its primary source of fuel from glucose as found in carbohydrates to utilizing its fat stores, an experience which can result to you experiencing several side effects including:
1. Constipation
This is perhaps one of the most common side effects that come with starting a ketogenic lifestyle. It happens because of the removal of several fiber sources in the diet.
What’s more, the shortage or ultimate lack of fiber can also enhance the risk of both heart diseases and bowel cancer in the long run.
Nonetheless, this is preventable by following several steps such as drinking plenty of water, consuming a lot of acceptable’ high-fiber vegetables, or even taking fiber supplements.
2. Keto Flu
The keto flu is also among the most popular and prevalent side effects common in individuals starting the keto diet. Keto flu’ is an episode that usually springs up several days into your keto diet routine.
Typically, you will experience several symptoms as a result including irritability, headaches, nausea, tiredness, as well as brain fog.
This occurs since your body is experiencing a distinct upheaval period due to sugar and carb restriction while it tries to adapt to the sudden changes.
Generally, carb-laden foods encourage water retention by the body; and as such, once you eradicate them, water retention quickly disperses.
This is often the reason behind the rapid loss of weight in the initial stages of starting the keto diet although it can result in the loss of salts by the body and dehydration – which is the keto flu occurrence.
Even so, if you experience this, the good thing is that it is ordinarily short-lived and will often take about one week to pass.
To reduce your chances of getting the Keto flu,’ ensure you take a lot of water to maintain your fluid levels as well as top up your electrolytes using supplements or broth.
3. Leg Cramps
One other possible side effect that may come with starting a keto diet is developing muscle cramps.
Usually, these cramps are benign although they can be annoying.
But one of the most common causes is a condition known as hyponatremia that occurs when the sodium (salt) level in the blood is relatively low.
Nonetheless, this condition can be eased by the earlier recommendation of ensuring your stay hydrated as well as maintaining adequate salt levels in your system.
4. Bad Breath
Finally, one last popular side effect is bad breath, also often described as Keto-breath. This can usually happen as you approach the fat-burning state of ketosis.
Ketones can usually be released not just in your breath, but also in sweat and urine. One form of ketone called Acetone when released on your breath can result in a foul breath or metallic taste in your mouth.
This condition is usually temporary and is set to disappear after several weeks. For bad breath, you can alleviate this by taking breath freshener or a minty sugar-free gum to help mask the foul smell. What’s more, you can go for rigorous oral hygiene by not only brushing your teeth regularly but also using mouthwash frequently throughout the day.
Conclusion
Although the keto diet was initially developed as a solution for seizures in kids, it is slowly gaining popularity and captivating numerous researchers, health enthusiasts, not to mention the general global populace.
The keto diet is beyond a typical diet, It becomes a distinct lifestyle that you stick to. And if results and statistics are anything to go by, it completely transforms your life for the better.
Despite the few mild side effects associated with it, the number of reported success cases renders it a worthwhile investment for your wellbeing, health, and appearance.
If you’re looking for a keto diet program check out 28-day keto challenge and the 3-week keto diet. Both of these provide you with meal plans which will help you out.
References Used in This Article
- Long-term effects of a ketogenic diet in obese patients.
- Glycogen serves as an energy source that maintains astrocyte cell proliferation in the neonatal telencephalon.
- Anti-Oxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Ketogenic Diet: New Perspectives for Neuroprotection in Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Ketogenic diet in cancer therapy.
