Tag: Keto Diet
Jim Stoppani: Keto Diet Vs Carb Cycling, Which Is Best?
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Jim Stoppani breaks down the keto diet and carb cycling in his latest explainer.
The keto diet is one of the more popular diet trends circulating through the fitness world over the past decade. The basic concept is to cut all carbs out of your diet and increase dietary fat. But is this popular trend all it’s cracked up to be? And how does it compare to the tried and true method of carb cycling often used by athletes? We partnered with Barbend and turned to exercise physiologist Jim Stoppani for a full explainer guide on keto diet vs carb cycling – and the overall role of carbs in nutrition for those looking to be fit and healthy.
In the current internet age, it’s become so much easier to get information to stay healthy and find ways to lose weight. But it’s also very easy for misinformation to spread and popular trends to take hold that might not be the best for you. That’s why it’s important to treat every super popular diet trend with caution. People have been singing the keto diet praises for years. And in fact, it holds a lot of similarities to older diet systems like the Atkins diet. But for those who want to handle fitness and health the right way – is this diet truly a good option?
Jim Stoppani breaks the diet down in our latest video conversation and also compares it to carb cycling – the act of cycling in and out of low and regular carb intake. What is the truly best way to handle carbohydrates in a fit diet? Let’s break it down.
What is the keto diet?
Jim Stoppani explains that the keto diet’s main factor is to cut carbs out of your diet completely. You then focus on an increase in dietary fats (the healthy ones). The goal of this is to rewire the way your body works. Instead of getting energy from glucose (carbs), your body will start pulling that energy from ketones.
Ketones are found in fat – and so when your body starts using ketones for energy, you start burning fat much more effectively. This is why the diet has become so popular. It’s a powerful method of losing weight fast (if you stick to it firmly).
Fun note – when your body is in ketosis and burning ketones/fat rather than glucose/carbs, you’ll find that your breath smells bad and in some extreme cases your sweat will also start to take on a different smell.
Should you use the keto diet?
While the results are proven to lead to relatively quick fat loss, Jim Stoppani warns against this diet being a go-to for those looking for long term fitness and health. Stoppani explains that the keto diet is great for a quick weight loss over the course of four to six weeks. So for those looking to fit into a wedding dress or look good on the beach during vacation, this diet can work wonders.
But for those who are looking to lose weight, keep the weight off, and remain health and fit – this diet is not the best option. Jim Stoppani explains:
“The last thing you want to do is go from eating 400 carbs a day to zero… and really that’s why keto is so popular because it’s used for short term fat loss. It’s great for losing a tone of weight in six weeks. But now that you’ve cut out all your carbs and now you hit a plateau, where do you go? You’ve got no more carbs to cut out. What are you going to cut out? Protein? You’re going to start cutting protein now?”
His main point is that the keto diet doesn’t work in the long term – especially for those who have more ambitious fitness goals like bodybuilders or athletes. That’s why Jim Stoppani recommends slowly cutting out carbs in phases.
Focus on cutting only 100 carbs first, you’ll lose weight if you do it right. Then after that plateaus, cut out another 100 carbs. If the keto diet focus on a slow transition out of carbs it would be more sustainable.
So what about carb cycling?
Jim Stoppani far prefers the tried and true carb cycling method for cutting weight. He’s used it in the past for years and finds it very effective. The key goal here is to cycle on and off with low carb days and then high carb days. There are various ways you can set up this schedule to work best for you.
The reason for the cycling is to prevent your metabolism from crashing. Suddenly cutting carbs will eventually lead to a plateau as your metabolism goes into a sort of “starvation mode” – suddenly you burn less calories at rest than before. This makes it harder to lose weight after a short term period of quick fat loss.
Carb cycling prevents this – while still cutting down overall carbs in your diet. It keeps your metabolism working faster while also cutting out glucos and focusing on burning fat instead.
Wrap Up
In Jim Stoppani’s eyes, the keto diet is no different than any other “lose fat fast” plans. They work great in the short term but likely lead to fluctuating weight in most people who try it. It’s hardly sustainable and not a long term solution. Carb cycling can be a great alternative for those looking to reduce carbs and burn fat. In either case – Jim Stoppani’s suggestion is to ease out of carbs instead of crashing down to zero instantly.
You can watch Jim Stoppani explain in full detail by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
How To Build Muscle On The Keto Diet
This popular diet is best known for weight loss, but how does one build muscle when on keto?
The ketogenic diet, or keto for short, is a popular and great way for those looking to lose weight to achieve this. But a common misconception is that it is hard to build muscle since weight loss is the main goal. However, it is more than possible to build that valuable muscle on keto and it just takes knowing exactly what to do and how to properly do it to see those gains you want most. With the right approach, it is entirely possible to see those bodybuilding gains unfold while still sticking to the keto diet.
Let’s take a look at the keto diet and see just how to build muscle while on it. The keto diet can work wonders for weight loss and for those bodybuilders looking to sculpt their physique, this may be a great way for you to see progress while still packing on that vital lean muscle.
What Is The Keto Diet?
The keto diet, short for ketogenic diet, is a low carb and high fat diet used my many to lose weight, as well as provide for some other health benefits as well. How this works is you drastically lower your carb intake and consume some protein but majority fats. This will then kick your body into ketosis, a metabolic state (1).
What ketosis does is it takes fat to use as fuel. Since your body is depleted of its access to carbs or glucose, it compensates by using fat, thus burning fat and aiding in your weight loss progress. Where part of the debate lies is that to build muscle you need carbs and by losing weight, people associate that with losing hard earned muscle as well. But with the keto diet, you can still build muscle and see that sculpted and shredded physique take effect.
Building Muscle On Keto
When it comes to building muscle on keto, there are a number of factors to consider in order to see the growth you want most. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to build muscle on the ketogenic diet.
Figure Out The Right Caloric Intake
Looking into how many calories you need in the day can greatly affect how you build muscle. We all know to lose weight, you need more calories out than you take in. But to build muscle, you need to make sure you get an adequate amount of calories in order to build and keep on existing muscle on. With factors like age, weight, sex, and activity level all playing a role, figuring out your ideal caloric number can set you up for knowing just how many you need in a day and how many calories to play with for each meal.
Track Your Macros
Tracking the amount of macronutrients you consume may seem daunting, but it is imperative as there are certain numbers to hit so you stay in ketosis. When it comes to carbs, this means around 50 grams or fewer carbs consumed to stay in ketosis (2). Placing carbs around your workouts is a good idea for this can be a strategic way to fuel workouts and stay in ketosis.
When it comes to protein, be sure to include this with every meal. Too much protein in one sitting can throw your routine around and potentially decrease the amount of ketones you have, thus kicking you out of ketosis. But since protein is essential for muscle growth, having enough protein in your diet is of the utmost importance (3).
For your fat intake, calculating how much you need will prove to be beneficial for each meal will be easier to tell just how much you need to stay in ketosis. This is a fine line to play with in order to build muscle but this is where training comes into the picture.
Focus On Strength Training
When it comes to your training, be sure to focus on strength training, and lower reps with heavier weight can prove to be beneficial in the long run. This will also stimulate muscle growth and hypertrophy so a well-planned muscle building program ensures you pack on that lean muscle while keeping it on even in ketosis. With consistent resistance training, you encourage muscle growth and those bodybuilding goals so you hit all those marks you want (4).
Featured Supplement For Keto Muscle Building
The right supplements can have great effect on our gains and knowing which ones to take will prove worthwhile for our progress. While we all know the staples being protein powders, pre-workouts, BCAAs, and fat burners, there are those unique supplements out there to work wonders for all our gains.
Enhanced SLIN
Enhanced SLIN is a great supplement designed to take carbs and turn them into muscle. Using a unique insulin mimetic, this shuttles carbs into your muscles instead of being stored as fat.
Enhanced SLIN is a unique and powerful supplement designed to take carbs and put them into muscle. Using an insulin mimetic, this supplement shuttles the carbs you eat and puts them into your muscles instead of being stored as fat. With amazing and versatile ingredients, SLIN is a top tier product perfect for those on keto who want to take those carbs and get rid of them quickly. SLIN will increase fat loss but keep on muscle so all those desired physique goals are easily met.
Price: $35.99
Wrap Up
For those looking to build muscle on the ketogenic diet, it does take some careful planning so you see all those desired changes you want most. It is important to take your caloric intake into account, as well as properly tracking your macros so you see all those desired gains unfold. For training, focusing on resistance training can prove to be the key to building muscle as lifting heavier weights can greatly influence growth and lead to increased hypertrophy. Building muscle on the ketogenic diet is possible, it just takes careful planning, a good training routine, and proper supplementation to help get there.
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*Images courtesy of Envato
References
O’Neill, B.; Raggi, P. (2020). “The ketogenic diet: Pros and cons”. (source)
Campos, M. (2020). “Ketogenic diet: Is the ultimate low-carb diet good for you?”. (source)
Stark, M.; Lukaszuk, J.; Prawitz, A.; Salacinski, A. (2012). “Protein timing and its effects on muscular hypertrophy and strength in individuals engaged in weight-training”. (source)
Westcott, W. (2012). “Resistance training is medicine: effects of strength training on health”. (source)