The keto diet is all the rage now and it’s something that fitness enthusiasts are even raving about to their peers for good reasons. The high-fat, low-carb diet puts the body into a state of ketosis where the liver uses ketones for energy production and, in the process, allows the body to use fats for fuel instead of carbs. The result: Effective weight loss and muscle gain as well as better overall health.
But the keto diet also has its downsides, especially during the first few weeks when the body’s in a transition period, exercise-wise. You must then inform your personal trainer at Anytime Fitness about it so as to set realistic expectations about your exercise performance.
You’re Likely to Experience the Keto Flu
For the first few days on a keto diet, you will experience sluggishness, headaches and brain fog, among other symptoms of the so-called keto flu. This is because your brain and body’s previous primary fuel source was glucose, which comes from carb-rich foods. But as you switch to high-fat foods, your brain and body adjust to the change – and it isn’t a pleasant experience.
You should then skip a few days of your workouts when you’re starting on a keto diet. You’re not likely to be on your best performance because of keto flu so save your energy instead. You can, fortunately, go back to your old workout routine within a week or two after starting on a keto diet, when the keto flu has passed.
Even when you’re back on the grind, you should think twice about trying a new workout. Since your body is still adjusting to the new diet, you won’t know what’s working and what’s not in terms of exercise.
You Should Eat Enough Fat-rich Foods
Keep in mind that your body’s now on fat-burning mode so it needs more fat-rich foods than ever before. You have to compensate for the extra-low carbs intake by eating more grass-fed meats, fatty fishes, eggs and dairy products, avocados, coconut oil and olive oil, and even MCT oil. Otherwise, you will feel tired all the time because your body isn’t getting enough supply of both carbs and fats!
You and your personal trainer will have to account for the changes in your diet albeit only when the keto flu has passed. Your cardio and resistance training workouts will likely change because your body’s now running on fat, not carbs, a change that has its benefits in body composition and physique. You may even have to rethink your HIIT workouts and shift to moderate intensity workouts – and you will still get similar, even better, results; think of it as getting more with less effort.
Also, be sure to listen to your body! You have to look out for cues, such as feeling dizzy, tired or exhausted often, which signal you’re not following the right fat-carb ratio in a keto diet.