If You haven’t heard about the keto diet or intermittent fasting by now, there is no other explanation other than the fact that, frankly, you have either had your head buried in the sand or you have been living under a rock. These two, fairly new, diet plans have quickly become the fastest growing trends in the dieting world since crash diets and juicing.
Chances are someone you know has or is implementing on or both of these eating plans into their everyday life. With everyone from young professionals, housewives and celebrities raving about the results of the keto diet and intermittent fasting, there must be something to it, right?
A couple of years ago the population was more aesthetically orientated rather than health orientated but in recent years we have seen a rise in the “healthy diet” trend. These are diets that are not only focused on drastic weight loss but on executing that weight loss in a healthy, sustainable way, with added physical and mental health benefits.
The keto diet and intermittent fasting have been voted to the top of that list with dieticians, medical professionals and sports therapists all backing their results and benefits. To truly understand the physical benefits of these two eating methods we need to first understand the practice behind them and the benefits of implementing a keto meal plan in itself.
The Keto Diet Explained
The keto diet (or the ketogenic diet) entails forcing your body into a metabolic state known as ketosis by dramatically decreasing your consumption of carbs and replacing them with healthy fats. When your body is put into a state of ketosis it becomes extremely productive at burning off fat and using fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. This diet has been studied extensively and is widely popular with athletes and bodybuilders.
Intermittent Fasting Explained
While fasting is not a new practice in religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judiasm, it is a fairly new practice to implement for health and weight loss purposes. Intermittent fasting can more accurately be described as an eating pattern rather than a diet as this method does not specify what you should and should not be eating, instead it specifies when you should and should not be eating.
To execute the intermittent fasting method you would have to alternate between cycles of fasting and eating. For example, you would fast for 16 hours consecutively in a day and only eat during the remaining 8 hours or you could fast for 2 days a week at 24 hours at a time. Due to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, our bodies have evolved to be able to withstand and function through extended periods of time without food.
Despite the fact that it may sound like you are starving yourself, this eating pattern has been proven to have numerous, long-lasting health benefits.
The Benefits Of Implementing An Eating/Meal Plan
Many people believe that they are getting the optimal results from simply following the restrictions and guidelines of their chosen diet. What they don’t know is that meal planning or eating plans can elevate their results while teaching discipline and healthy eating habits.
Here are a few benefits of following a meal plan:
- Helps You Learn Portion Control – Meal planning helps you keep track of the quantity of food you are actually consuming and adjust it accordingly.
- You Save Money – Planning your meals ahead of time helps reduce impulsive food purchases and because you are required to purchase ingredients for meals in bulk, you end up paying less in the long run.
- Reduced Wastage – Having a meal plan means that every ingredient you buy has a purpose. You won’t have to about cooking something before it is past its expiration date or throwing food items that have gone bad, out.
- You’ll Have More Time On Your Hands – Meal plans cut out a lot of wasted time in regards to deciding on a meal, prepping it, cooking it and cleaning up after the process is completed. With all your meals and snacks ready to go, all you need to do is open the fridge and where applicable – heat & eat
Now that we have a clear understanding of the keto diet, intermittent keto fasting and the benefits of adhering to a meal plan, let us look at the true benefits of combining all of these super diet methods together.
The True Health Benefits Of A Keto And Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan
What happens to your body when you combine a drastically low carb, high fat diet with a cycled eating/fasting eating pattern and a customized, structured eating plan?
- There is up to a 5 times higher level of production of the Human Growth Hormone in the blood.
- Significant drops in blood insulin levels.
- The body’s cellular repair process gets kicked into overdrive and it increases functions such as the removal of waste from the cells.
- Because of the changes in your genes and molecules, your body has a higher defence against harmful diseases and bacteria.
- Short term relief for high blood-pressure.
- Helps reduce inflammation in the body which in turn slows down the ageing process.
- If combined with endurance exercise, it can reduce the level of cholesterol and LDL cholesterol
- Increases levels of HDL cholesterol (healthy cholesterol)
- Improves Concentration, mental acuity and brain energy levels
- Improves quality of sleep
- Reduces appetite
- Reduces blood sugar levels
- Helps alleviate acne by balancing hormones
- Speeds up metabolism
- Dramatic and sustainable weight loss
It is clear to see just why so many people are going crazy for these two trendy diet plans. The overwhelming amount of health benefits you accumulate just from a couple of small diet changes, is mind blowing and if it is that easy to ensure your state of bodily health and prolong your life while losing weight, we should all consider switching to a keto and intermittent fasting meal plan today.
Kick Fat Fast is a professional weight loss expert that is dedicated not only to helping you reach your weight goals but to making sure you are the healthiest version of yourself by keto with fasting plan. Contact us today to discuss our keto and intermittent fasting meal plans.
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