So I’ve had discussions with my husband about his main focus with the keto dash diet. And for some insane reason he keeps going back to this idea that it’s the calories that he needs to track. Now, I’ve been over this with him, but it’s like he goes to sleep and the next day he’s rebooted into the old habits of calories in, calories out.
Don’t get me wrong, being mindful of your calories is important. Keeping a thoughtful budget that doesn’t leave you in starvation mode or into a food coma is a tricky art, but one we must be open to. We must program ourselves to and adjust to what our bodies need.
Not every calorie is equal, so just focusing on the amount of calories is really going to mess your percentages and could keep you from achieving your goal.
A gram of carbohydrate is 4 calories, a gram of protein is 4 calories and a gram of fat is 9 calories. Now carbs are the easiest source of energy your body can break down. Next is fat, yielding the most energy per gram. See, your body burns energy to consume energy. Protein takes about the same amount of energy to consume as it offers. So think of it this way, if your body has an easier route to getting energy it’s going to take it. If it has an all three nutrients, carbs, fats, and protein, it’s going to break down the carbs first and then whatever it doesn’t use, it’s going to store. So in the keto dash diet we’ve taken out those easy carbs so now your body is burning the next easy energy source, fats.
In order to keep your body in that happy state of ketosis it has to stay balanced. So feeding it what it needs and not to much or too little will help it get accustomed to that process. Too little calories will sent it looking to hold onto that valuable energies and store them away as excess. Same will happen if you consume too much. That’s why we have the percentage rate of fats, carbs, and protein. Keep your body in a routine it knows. Feeding it the right amount of amino acids and fatty acids is important. It can’t build muscle and continue to keep your body functioning in a healthy state if it doesn’t have what it needs.
Remember, don’t focus on the amount of calories too much Stay within a healthy range and keep to correct portions. Don’t go crazy on the proteins and please, please stop thinking the most important thing is a calorie deficit. That’s not what keto is. Stay focused.
