If you are someone who likes going on a lower carbohydrate diet plan to control your blood sugar levels better and see faster rates of weight loss, you might be interested in considering a diet plan called the targeted ketogenic diet.
If you are not familiar with the ketogenic diet plan, this is a very low carbohydrate diet that contains just 5% of the total calories coming from carbohydrates. The remaining calories come from protein at 30% and dietary fat at 65%. Altogether these put you into a state called ketosis, where your body is running off an alternative fuel source.
The problem with this type of diet, however, apart from the fact it is tough to maintain, is you cannot perform any intense exercise while using it because you are not supplying the number of carbohydrates necessary to do so. On top of that, food cravings are highly probable because let us face it; it is difficult to eat a no-carb diet. You likely love your carbohydrates and cutting them out altogether is not going to be easy.
Finally, nutritional deficiencies can result from this approach. Many of the world’s most nutritious foods are carbohydrates – fruits and vegetables, and even these are limited on this diet.
Enter The Targeted Ketogenic Diet. What is the targeted ketogenic diet all about? On this diet plan, you will be doing things a bit differently. Rather than keeping your carbohydrate intake low at all times, you are going to increase your carbohydrate intake adding more carbs to your diet around the times you are active. Doing this will give your body the fuel you need to complete the exercise training, while also ensuring you can still maintain a good nutritional intake. As long as you choose nutritiously dense foods when selecting those carbohydrates, you should have no problem meeting your nutrient needs.
How many carbohydrates you add during this time will depend on your goals…
- the amount of exercise you are doing, and
- the intensity,
so note it is variable. However, most people will easily be able to get away with 25 to 50 grams of carbohydrates before the workout and another 25 to 50 grams after the session. Potentially, this will give you 400 calories of carbohydrates to play with, so feast on nutrient-dense foods like…
- sweet potatoes,
- beans,
- oats,
- fruits, and
- vegetables.
If you are interested in the ketogenic diet but do not want to do a full blown ketogenic diet, definitely consider this approach. It may just be the best thing for you.