First of all, what is the ketogenic diet, what does it do and why is it popular?
So the ketogenic diet, in essence, is a low carb diet where you’re eating less than 50g of carbs per day and you’re getting your main fuel from foods rich in protein and fats and those are the macronutrients that you concentrate on. So the reason why this works because you’re putting your body in a state of ketosis which is teaching your body to fuel itself from fat, more specifically the glycogen that’s already stored inside of your own fat cells rather than using carbohydrates you consume.
I have followed a low carb diet myself but I’ve always done it in a carb cycling format so I’ve never been on 100% keto because of the reasons I will tell you and also because I know my body in terms of what I’m trying to achieve.
That said, there are positive about the Keto Diet, I like how Keto motivates people into eating less processed food but when you take out a whole macronutrient for long term, in my experience of my female clients I see side effects like major headaches, migraines, brain fog, lack of energy, grumpiness, irritability, constipation, bloatedness, skin issues etc.
So if your goal is to lose weight to make yourself feel more confident and sexy and you’re getting these side effects, are you really achieving what you want to achieve?
I mean, I don’t feel confident, happy or sexy when I am constipated or have a headache!
Another issue is that it takes your body quite a bit of time to get into a ketosis state. And if you’re not somebody who is very strict with what you’re eating you could easily fall out of ketosis and it could take weeks to get your body back into that state.
The major downside that I see, specifically for women over 40, is the complete mess it can have on your hormones and on your metabolism.
We already have a nation of women with thyroid issues and I believe that this diet itself can contribute to the ever growing numbers of hypothyroidism and under acting Thyroid issues and will make that worse.
What we’re trying to do for women over 40 is that we’re trying to balance your already turbulent hormones.
Keto diet is just a diet, it’s not a lifestyle change. It’s not something that is completely sustainable.
However, there are some key learnings from it which are the understanding of carbohydrates as fuel and finding your Carb Tipping point. So rather than completely cutting it out, there is in fact a better way to use the processes and science of the keto diet for more long term solution.
This is why we use a Carb Cycling Formula.
In order to build lean muscle, you have to consume carbohydrates. So strength training and carbohydrates go hand in hand. But you need to know how much carbs you need to eat and when.
[Goddess Got Goals Podcast Episode 21: Why Carbs are not the Enemy & My Review of the Keto Diet]
What we do in Warrior Goddess Kettlebell Training is we use strength training. We use the kettlebell of course. The reason why women over 40 need to embrace strength training is that firstly, this is what is going to deliver the Body Shape Change they are looking for but more importantly, the building of lean muscle will boost your metabolism, do good things to your joints and bones and it will also activate your growth hormone AKA youth hormone, which will help you look more youthful.
When you’re looking to add muscle, you do not only need to increase protein intake (to maintain the muscle) but you also need to feed your body carbs to fuel the muscle and grow the muscle.
Plus Carbs recharge the body and give you energy and just make you happy. So why deny yourself something that in essence will do all these good things for your body, make you feel happier and make you want to train more and get stronger!
Watch the full video below to get all the juicy info!
Want to learn more about the 7 Day Carb Cycle to get a Body you are Proud of in your 40s?
Download it here and FREE instant Access.
