Benefits of Keto for Short-Term Weight Loss
Summer barbeques are coming to an end, and the holiday season is just around the corner. Are you worried about losing a few extra pounds for the Christmas card photo? Or maybe you over-did at the cookouts already, and now you’re wanting to drop a little weight before you need stretch pants by the New Year. Keto has become a very popular diet choice in recent years for rapid weight loss. With popular diets, like Adkins, and celebrity endorsements, like Melissa McCarthy, it can be exciting to think of what this diet can do for you. There are also great groups, like Love Yourself, which provide Keto meals pre-portioned, and delivered to your home. Perfect for losing weight, without all the extra prep. There are some skeptics about the health benefits of Keto, but there is evidence to support several additional benefits to following a ketosis diet.
- Rapid Weight Loss
Of course the first benefit to following a Keto diet is the rapid weight loss. Of all recommended diets, Keto provides the most dramatic weight loss. (Mangan, 2017) As this graph below shows, Keto had the most weight loss over the first 4-6 months vs a diet that was low-fat, and even the Mediterranean Diet, which is often prescribed for patients with high blood pressure or cardiac issues. Long term dieting with Keto even provides more weight loss after a 2 year period.
- It helps your cholesterol
In a medical study in 2004, the benefits of Keto were studied over a 24 week period. What they found was that in the first 8 weeks of the Keto diet, there was a significant decrease in LDL and total cholesterol in the patients in the study. HDL, the good cholesterol, improved week over week for the entire 24 week study. So even though the diet is high in fat, which can be concerning to someone with high cholesterol, there is evidence that this diet could help improve your numbers in the short term. (et.al, 2004)
- Reduced Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of lipid (fat) found in your blood. Having a high triglyceride level in your blood can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke. (Triglycerides: Why do they matter?, 2018) In the same study of patients on the keto diet, it was observed that triglyceride levels also decreased week after week for the entire 24 week study. (et.al, 2004)
- Blood glucose control
One of the best benefits for a keto diet is that since it is low-carb, it is a very diabetic friendly diet. Patients who have been on this diet have been able to lose weight, decrease their blood glucose, and sometimes have even been able to come off his or her medications. Low carb diets, like keto, are highly recommended for those with diabetes. If you are pre-diabetic, it is the best time for you to start a keto diet, it could help you avoid ever needing to use insulin to control your blood sugar.
Ready to start!? Worried about where to start though? How do you know what foods to eat, which to avoid? How many calories should you eat? Too busy to cook every night? Who isn’t! Check out Love Yourself for easy Keto-meal plans delivered to your door. Love Yourself has a Michelin Trained Professional chef, who prepares and cooks all the meals. These ready-made meals are made fresh each day and delivered to you, which is great for a busy professional. You can choose between a 1700 or 3200 kCal Keto meal.
With the ease of having meals delivered, you can start this diet tomorrow, and be on your way to a healthier you. Looking and feeling your best for your company’s Holiday party is an added perk.
References
et.al, H. D. (2004). Long-term effects of a ketogenic diet in obese patients. Clinical Cardiology, 200-205.
Mangan, P. (2017, Jan 7). Why a Low-Carb Diet Is Best for Weight Loss. Retrieved from Better Humans: https://medium.com/better-humans/why-a-low-carb-diet-is-best-for-weight-loss-28fd2a731146
Triglycerides: Why do they matter? (2018, Sept 13). Retrieved from Mayo Clinic.org: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/triglycerides/art-20048186
