Keep in mind that
NO clinical or other classical ketogenic diet has
NO carbohydrates. Typically there will be a reduction in carbs and carbs will come mostly from vegetables and some fruits. (One classical mix is 60% fat, 30% protein and 10% carbohydrate)
Remember, vegetables help to buffer acid in the body as well as provide essential nutrients necessary for the body to optimally carry out processes such as fat burning!
There will, no doubt, be a lot of comments on this, so I will tell you my perspective primarily from a physiological point of view.
I assume you intend this as a way to lose stored body fat?
This diet was originally designed to help treat seizures.
First, you have to understand a little of the role of carbs in the body...they are essential for brain and nervous tissue function and they are an essential part of the energy cycles that result in optimal fat burning.
Next, a tiny bit of why this is called a ketogenic diet. The absence of carbs makes it necessity to turn dietary and muscle proteins and fats into usable energy. It is essential that the body have carbs available at all times for the above mentioned systems.
These carbs are therefor supplied by proteins and fats. The conversion of proteins to energy generates ammonia which is toxic to the body and which must be converted to urea and excreted, requiring
excretion of a large amount of water during periods of high protein turnover often resulting in the body not being
properly hydrated. The conversion of fats to energy results in various ketone bodies which are also not optimal as they result in the body becoming
more acidic. Some of these ketone bodies can be utilized for energy.
Keep in mind, any time the body is significantly
more acidic, it does not function optimally. Additionally, any time the body is not
properly hydrated, it does not function optimally...and it does not handle acid conditions well because the water is part of the buffer system of the body. So, you can see how these can have a combining that is not optimal.
The main appeal to the low carb diets commercially has always been the gimmick of fast weight loss from the depletion of water, resulting from reduced carbohydrate intake. However, this reduction of total body water also has a crippling effect on optimal fat burning.
So, to remove carbs completely would not be a wise practice.
Down below 10-20%...
Turner Z and Kossoff EH in The Ketogenic and Atkins Diets: Recipes for Seizure Control, published in Practical Gastroenterology. 2006. 29(6). Noted side effects as:
constipation, lack of appropriate weight gain, low-grade acidosis, and hypoglycaemia if there is an initial fast. Cholesterol may increase by around 30% It has also been noted that 5% of those on this level ketogenic diet develop kidney stones. Keep in mind the significance of this, as 0.0002% of the general population develops kidney stones.
Now, if you take a moderate approach, such as 20% carbs with a refeed day, you are more likely to avoid some of these issues.
None-the-less, there are clinical issues which may arise when you follow these types of diets, so if you are not sure you are in perfect health, check with your doctor!
I recommend a less severe approach in general.
That being to start at a baseline of carb/protein/fat intake (25% protein, 50% carbs, 25% fat or something) and get the body building muscle. It takes time for the body to develop the optimal hormonal/chemical environment for muscle gain.
Then, introduce some
progressive HIIT training and work to get the body tapping fat stores without costing muscle. Again, it takes time for the body to develop the optimal hormonal/chemical environment for this as well.
Then, I would start to gradually modulate the nutrient ratios to maximize the fat loss.
Keep in mind that tracking caliper-measurement-based body composition and
only making changes when the desired change slows or stops is the way to maximize the results...not making drastic changes. Drastic changes mean more rapid adaptation to the change and less result before the adaptation state occurs.
So, starting with this example of baseline...
25% protein, 50% carbs, 25% fat
Gradually Adjust ratios to accelerate fat loss in this direction:
35-40% protein, 40% carbs, 20-25% fat
Finally,
Gradually Adjust ratios to maximize fat loss in this direction:
50% protein, 20-30% carbs, 20-30% fats
Ketosis will occur in this situation as well, however from a health standpoint, I feel it is more sensitive to the individual body's needs and responses. Remember, no single diet will suit everyone because we are all chemically distinct and individual.
In this manner, there is no need for a specific refeed day, though you can take one day a week to be more loose on the diet and eat what you like within reason.
I hope that addressed your question.
<message edited by danmirage on Saturday, August 01, 2009 12:56 PM>