Site navigation and social media links
Keto Q&A’s
Health | June 21, 2018
Today’s post is a long one, so let’s dive into some common Q&A’s and statements I’ve seen regarding my Keto Meal Plan.
It’s a starvation diet
Hardly! The reason why it looks as though people aren’t eating much on a keto diet is because the meals themselves are very satiating. They’re filled with fibrous, non-starchy veggies (filler #1), some protein (filler #2, which takes a while to digest), and plenty of fat (filler #3, and what truly fills you up). Keto meals help you to feel comfortably full, or content with hunger, for hours without spiking insulin or blood sugar. That’s the beauty of keto- you’re not starving from a lack of food or forceful restriction. You just don’t need to constantly feed yourself due to poorly regulated blood sugar and insulin. Also, fat itself is high in calories, so you’re not going to be calorically deprived.
(By the way, if you’re someone who NEEDS to control cravings, overeating, binging, or food addictions, keto is an excellent “tool” to help re-balance your system and get you back to eating normally and intuitively.)
Do I need to Intermittent Fast?
Maybe. Maybe not. Intermittent fasting certainly has its benefits beyond ketosis; cell renewal, blood sugar balance, recovery, etc. But the reason why many people recommend intermittent fasting is because fasting stimulates ketone production. You see, our body normally produces ketones during sleep, which is technically a fast. The ketones are meant to serve as an alternative source of fuel for the brain. Therefore, extending the fast to when we’re awake in the form of intermittent fasting causes the body to produce even more ketones as energy. For some people, incorporating this practice helps them to maintain ketosis. Just know that intermittent fasting by itself is not going to work unless your diet supports it. Hence the ketogenic diet, which is meant to support a prolonged state of dietary or nutritional ketosis when the body is using fat, ketones, and minimal amounts of glucose as energy.
So the answer to your question depends on your bio-individuality and goals. If you’re dead set on entering ketosis immediately, then by all means, incorporate intermittent fasting. However, if your body is not tolerating intermittent fasting, then skip it. Women especially need to be mindful of this; it’s a controversial, complicated subject. Many experts suggest that women intermittent fast for shorter periods than men IF they decide to do it. In conclusion, listen to your body; it will tell you whether or not intermittent fasting works well for you. And don’t forget to check in with your doctor to rule out anything else that might compromise your health should you adopt intermittent fasting into your routine.
Won’t Keto kill my gains?
If you’re an active person and are worried about muscle loss and keto, pay attention. It’s true that for some individuals, strength and a bit of muscle mass can potentially lower on keto. That being said, you can sleep soundly knowing these two things.
First, those who report any reductions in strength or muscle while on keto typically regain them the longer they stay on the diet. Furthermore, they may also need to tinker around with their carb intake on the days of their workouts/training. Some athletes can get away with eating more carbs on keto; 50g, 80g, sometimes even 100g. A good coach and ketone monitor can track how well your body responds to these carb increases.
Second, you can’t argue with common sense. A sedentary individual working a desk job for most of the day is not going to need as many carbs, fats, and proteins as an athlete. They can get away with consuming less because their body is going to need less. An athlete on the other hand will require more nutrition. Increasing protein and fat (without overdoing either one, mind you) while keeping blood sugar and insulin low (in the form of lowered carb intake) is going to be beneficial. And again, tracking ketones and taking note of performance and overall physical health can help you to determine your keto “macros” for the day.
As an added bonus, the longer you’ve been in ketosis, the more ketones you’ll be producing. Ketones are actually muscle sparing, so please don’t give up just yet if you’ve only been eating keto for a couple of months. From my own experience, I’ve noticed a better muscle definition and easier gains in muscle mass. Again it might be individual but you do need to remember that if you don’t train your body, your gains won’t show. Many people don’t push themselves enough in their workouts when on Keto, because they get discouraged by the initial loss of strength.
So does keto kill gains? No! You just need to tailor it to your training, and work with your bio-individuality.
You’re cashing in on the Keto Trend.
I understand where many people are coming from right now. Keto is the “it diet” of the moment, and it seems everyone left and right is manically promoting a meal plan, product, or service of their own. But the thing is, I chose to release this plan for multiple reasons.
1: I wanted to have a keto meal plan on my site. If you’ve noticed, I already have two at the date of this post. The Z-Shred and Shred & Glow. So keto is not my first (or even my last). And part of the reason why it’s on there is because similar to my workout series, I wanted variety. Not only do I want people to have a wide range of training styles to work out to, I want the same when it comes to these meal plans. For a while, you can do one plan, then switch over to a new one. But you don’t HAVE to go on the keto meal plan; you can do the Z-Shred or the Shred & Glow, or stick to your own diet if it’s working for you. But some people need guidance or want to take their training to another level. So if you’re not a fan of regimented meal plans, then don’t opt in. No harm, no foul. Simple.
2: I wanted to share something that works for me. I’m not being selfish here; I’m not hiding away any secrets behind closed doors. If I find something that helps me to maintain my fitness, health, and physique, then of course I’m going to share it with you. Did anything I do before not work? No! But keto had extra benefits beyond just looking good. It helped with my skin, appetite, mood, and mental function. Not only that, it helped me to maintain my figure when I was doing less workouts after dealing with an injury and low back pain. That’s because keto is very therapeutic when it comes to recovery and inflammation. All of the muscle mass I worked hard to build was saved on a ketogenic diet. It also controlled my cravings, so I didn’t overeat or emotionally feed myself. In the end, I didn’t gain any weight, my mind was clear, and I was able to keep all of my muscle. By the way, this brings me to the next point.
3: I’ve been doing keto for several years, and not just recently. Need proof?
May 2014: “Make the long story short for now, I started nutritional Ketogenic diet (high fat, low carbs) about 2 weeks ago and I feel fantastic. I have never had so much energy like I have now and without any crushes throughout the day. No food coma, and no need for a nap in the afternoon after a hard working day.”
(from Zuzka’s Bluffins Recipe)
June 2014: I used to eat whatever I wanted, kept my portions small and worked out every day and I look pretty good. However, my skin didn’t look as good as it does now, I was getting cavities in my teeth a lot, and I didn’t have nearly as much energy as I do now. I’ve been on a low carb diet for about a year now, I dropped sugar and I just love eating healthy and feeling strong. I cycle nutritional Keto diet with low carb diet and I’m loving the results.”
(from Healthy Snack in 5 Minutes)
July 2015: Going through the metabolic change using Keto diet has also affected my workout performance. My body has to adapt to fat as a main source of energy. I do have already amazing energy and clarity throughout the day, but it feels different when I do my workouts. So if you guys decided to follow the Keto diet with me, don’t be surprised or freaked out if your training feels suddenly a lot harder.”
(from Z-Special Upper Body Strength)
And another one from the same month:
“It’s been about 2 years since I was introduced to Keto diet and began to experience and understand it’s benefits. I went in and out of Keto a few times to experiment and learn the workings of this lifestyle. I think that the Keto diet can come across as extreme and is not for everybody, however I have decided to get back on the horse and give it a longer run this time. The number one thing I love about this diet is the amount of sustainable energy it gives me throughout the day. Even though my earn your carbs diet has already been giving me plenty of energy to begin with, it’s still nothing in comparison to being on Keto. It feels like you have more clarity and you feel fresh the entire day, no matter how hard you work. This is the most important reason for me right now, because I have a lot going on and I need to be 100% focused on my work. I can use the extra energy, especially now during the summer when the heat slows me down, I’m excited to turn on the highly efficient fat burning mode and boost my metabolism.”
(from Ketogenic Diet Benefits)
August 2015: “It wasn’t my first time doing Keto, however it was different from the first and second time I tried it. They say 3rd time is a charm, and it sure was this time around. Our bodies are really good at adapting and the more you do something, whether it be exercise or diet, your body becomes better and more efficient at dealing with the situation. In this case, I have noticed a huge difference in the rate that my body adapted to the high fat diet and using fat as a main source of energy, in comparison to my past 2 trials. It felt like my body was telling me: “oh, are we doing this again? I remember, and I can do better this time”. It took me only 3 days to get into Ketosis, however I was really diligent and followed strictly the jump start rules, I have posted for you guys.”
(from My Experience with Ketogenic Diet)
I hope this is enough where I don’t have to go through every year and tell you about keto and me.
4: Keep this in mind: I don’t commit to keto 100% year-round, either. It’s a great sugar detox, and if I ever get injured or sick, then for sure I’ll jump right back into it. And there will be times when I just need a break from carbs and want to do something different for a while. After all, I made the transition to keto shortly after eating a high carb diet for a while.
(See my Coffee Talk about it here)
Keto was the perfect reboot for MY body. And I hope that my keto meal plan does the same for you. After that, you can stay on keto as long as you like, or go back to your old ways or stick to a lower carb diet. The choice is yours.
5: I didn’t release this kind of meal plan before because there wasn’t as big an interest in keto before. Sure, it was gaining momentum, but nowhere near to the state it’s in today. Why would I release a meal plan based on a diet that only a handful of people would opt in for? Since more and more people are recognizing the benefits of keto, I thought that now was the right time to release my plan. And you get more than a meal plan from me. You get 68 pages of information based on hours of research teaching you the ins and outs of keto. I dispel myths like keto being a fad diet (it’s not), and how to prevent the keto flu (short answer: drink your minerals). You get the macros and calorie counts of each day and recipe, which is something I normally don’t do. And I had to make sure that the macros themselves were right; if it was too high in carbs, it had to go. If the calories were either too low or high, I had to go back and play with the recipe or meal plan. A lot of care and preparation was put into this plan. I didn’t just dump a bunch of random things for the sake of it. This plan was my take on keto, based on my experiences, that I willingly chose to share with the public because I felt that I had something positive to say about it. Yes, you have to buy it, but buying a plan also keeps you accountable. A random PDF with a few recipes and pretty pictures isn’t enough. When you put your money on the table, then you know how committed you are towards improving your health and working for your goals.
You don’t like vegans or plant based diets; keto is totally against those diets.
No, it’s not. If you look up the keto diet online, nowhere does it say that the ketogenic diet is a high animal diet. It gives you the macros, not the source of them. High fat, low carb, moderate protein. You can adjust that for keto while still keeping it vegan or plant based. And vegan keto is starting to gain popularity. Go on Instagram or google Vegan Keto and you’ll see that lot’s of vegans are enjoying a ketogenic diet without having to give up their ethics. And if you’re plant based- with just a little bit of animal protein here and there-, then you’re in luck: you too can still eat keto. Have some eggs, dairy, and or animal protein on occasion but surround it with plenty of low-carb, fibrous vegetables and fat from foods like avocado, olives, olive oil, nuts, and seeds, and you’re good to go.
For more information on Keto and Plant Based or Vegan diets, read my post here:
Private Member |
Hey Z.,
thanks for the aticle, I always read interested about Keto as I would like to give it a try, but I don’t feel I’m prepared to stay disciplined enough. I guess I’m just throwing stones in my one way, but one day I’ll get there… What I noticed is that you felt like you had to justify this Mealplan as a selling ‘product’. Well… unfortunately I’m pretty sure you had good reasons, and what I sincerely do not understand, is the people coming to a website just to get judgemental with the one that owns it or the ones that follow it. If you don’t want it, don’t buy it. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, but just being judgemental brings no one benefits.
I have been prowdly following you since 2010 and my only regret was that I didn’t hear about you sooner. Anyway… I just felt I had to thank you. The one good reason I stuck with you all these years is due to your authenticity. You did evolve a whooooole lot in the past years (congratulations to that :D) but you did stay earth grounded. Not even now, at your level, did you forget beginners, who may be scared when exposed to such a huge database and difficulty of workouts. Whoever lands on this page, is (in my oppinion) well taken care of. You sweat here with all of us in the Zgym and show us how progress is really made and how commited one must be, but that all this is actually achievable. You have had your ups and downs and your trials and errors, just like any of us here, but you always thrive to make the best version of yourself, for yourself and for your followers. Thumbs up to that! You are a continuous inspiration and have influenced, motivated and inspired already millions of people, and for that you should be damn proud! 🙂 I am definately thankful for everything on this website. THANK YOU!
Private Member |
I totally agree w/everything you said!! ❤ 😃
Private Member |
hailey, id
Nice thoughts, Star 🙂 I agree!
Been following her since late 2009 when she as still in her living room, on the roof, or in a parking lot.. I loved it all. It made me take my image of working out back outside where I grew up!
Yep, Z has such amazing information to share and I really enjoy the originality (cute typos and all!!! 😀 ) of her posts and videos. She’s so strong and well-mannered… very clear and easy to believe and follow with a desire to TRY to do what she’s suggesting.
interestingly… pov: I’ve not bought the meals yet, because I’m so used to all the ‘fluffy’ sales of diets that I get turned off by the concept. HOWEVER……. I have very much grown to trust Z’s work and her meal choices … and am NOW .. I think I’m just hiding behind that excuse! .. and I’m trying to stick to a tight budget at the moment. I’m thinking it is a good investment for me after I read great comments from those that use it – SO – I hope Z puts more of those stories up here!
Private Member |
Hey Tanya 🙂
I too loved all those Wos on the roof, in the living room, with a broomstick and everything. And due to her I trained for years with not even one piece of purchased equipment. I did my Wos on the rug and lifted packs of waterbottles or bags with potatoes or watermellons in them :)) and had even made my own Sandbag after a couple of years, out of old jeans 😀
My greatest lesson at the beginning was: NO EXCUSES! And so it is. Although I was not as nearly training as much as I do now, I did stay inspired and stuck with it, and always got back on the horse, becuase it was all so handy and so well explained.
I did purchase one Mealplan (the Shred and Glow) and I loved it. For me it was maybe not such a big change, since I already am on a Flexitarian Diet, and prepare everything I eat from scratch, and never buy already made meals. It was an interesting experience though and if I would do it again, I would have a whole other insight to it. The portions were to big for me and always had leftovers, and had to rethink every portion since I do have to cook for 2, and honesty didn’t control my portions as I should have. Willingly or not, my Husband tried a lot of these recipes and loved most of them. I loved the fact that I had everything planed. I put every meal and the daily Workout in my Calender and had them handy at all times. Followed most of the recipes and even now after 4 months, I still go back and do mostly recipes in the Mealplan, because they are just tasty and easy to prepare.
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
I must say I mainly purchased 2 meal-plans to support Z. I am sure I will never be able to follow by the book, but I love new things and I am very appreciative of Z and the community.
Private Member |
hailey, id
very nice of you, Laila 🙂
I’m also quite thankful for all the support we get to give each other here – and how Z responds to us with newer and grander ideas, every day!
It makes it fun to go back to some of her older routines and really try to do them faster than her, because she is way faster and stronger, now, so it’s hoot when I can actually be faster than Z on something! hahaha 😀
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
sometimes I am faster because she explains, then she picks up the pace and I am done 🙂 I wish I could do more”lives”, but my connections are very slow/low and that will not changes any time soon. However I found an app to capture the screen/record a vid. but that means I should still be able to view it with buffering.
Private Member |
hailey, id
Nice! I got on and off the horse, too! I still do – I won’t go more than 3 days off the horse, tho! Only because I’m on my mtn bike as my alternative, I don’t have enough $ to eat enough to keep my body fed to workout hard. every day. I need the fuel or I’m a wreck, but I could also.. change some habits that way – me thinks.. ;-D
And with THAT = I would do well on her plans because I’m a total planner, too – maybe in the near future I will dive in on my habit foods and change it up to a plan and see how it helps this ol girl.
Private Member |
christchurch, new zealand
Hi Zuzka, I am interested in buying your Keto Plan to help me lose a few kgs and slim down for my wedding next March, my question is I live in NZ and we are in the middle of winter, would it be better if I waited until we are in Spring/Summer so the salad vegetables are in season or start now? currently, in NZ, the main vegetables are brassicas, cabbage, dark green leafy vegetables, carrots and of course starchy vegetables. Also, avocados are a crazy ridiculous price but should be coming back into season in a few weeks.
Thanks
Prue
Private Member |
mza, argentina
I have pretty much the same question:
is there a better season to start??
Private Member |
uk
The bulk of the diet is mostly brassica and other cruciferous veg. cabbage, sprouts, cauli, spinach, broccoli, some lettuce, asparagus, and cucumber, tomato etc. Those are the very low carb veg. There is a lot of avocado.
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
google it and read on great articles by specialists (e.g. perfectketo). you’ll see it is 2 different things /2 different states. especially if you can do a blood test, you’ll see that it will ever be difficult to reach DKA.
Private Member |
Hi Z. My only question is when do I start feeling and seeing the benefits. I’ve been following the diet since March and honestly I’m not noticing much difference in energy levels, strength, flexibility perhaps, however minor, and especially the skin. I started this diet because I’ve been diagnosed with rosacea, hate it, and so far not much improvement. I’ve eliminated some inflamation foods in Keto as well, like eggs, dairy. What I want to know is how do you know you are in ketosis. Thanks.
Private Member |
hendersonville, nc, united states
The only true way of knowing is by getting a ketone meter where you test your blood. It’s kind of like a blood glucose meter but for ketones. There are also meters that you can blow into that test ketones in your breath. These 2 ways are the most accurate.
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
Functional medicine is now using keto diet to cure diabetes although if someone is diabetic I would always recommend them to get supervised by functional medicine proffesional when doing keto – ketoacidosis can kill diabetics but it’s not a threat to an average person. It’s a common misconception. When it comes to Keto diet, it’s better to listen to professionals who actually have a lot of experience and done a lot of research around this topic like Dominic D’Agostino or Rhonda Patrick. I love Jillian don’t get me wrong but I have never heard her even taking interest in Keto before until now when her only response is that it’s a fad diet and other misconceptions. I’ve taken real interest in this diet years ago so I actually know where to look for qualified information.
Private Member |
santa fe, nm, usa
Two completely different things! Dr Eric Berg explains that very well, and easy to understand.
Private Member |
České budějovice, czech republic
It’s really one of the most common misconceptions (and even doctors often get it wrong!), non diabetic person doesn’t have to worry about ketoacidosis. Zuzka is absolutely right in her answer and she know what she’s doing. I saw the show where Jillian talken about keto, I also listened to her podcast about this topic, and sorry to say that, but as much as I like her, she is completely off in this topic as she said that keto is Atkins. These two diets are really similar, mind you, but Atkins is high protein which keto is not, it’s moderate protein. Anyway, apart from above mentioned, I also recomment Dr. Berry…and probably the best source of information is dr. Stephen Phinney and dr. Jeff Volek. 🙂
Private Member |
Does the low carb diet, as an alternative to keto, have higher carbs ( but how many grams?), Less fat and less calories in total? Then, the body is still a sugar-burner but there are not spikes of insulin, right?. But how one can control that? What is the best way for example to eat a piece of fruit? As a snack only, not combined with other carbs? After a workout? Can anyone help me with this?
Private Member |
Hey Z. Thanks for your input. I had question about doing keto as it is my plan to do it 1-2 times a year for 2-3 months at a time. Many people of stated the benefits and downsides of keto including higher cholesterol, both HDL and LDL increase. As someone who is more prone to having higher cholesterol, what can I do to keep it within a normal range while on keto?
Private Member |
Dear Zuzka, I am very interested in a keto-diet and have recently been talk to my father about it.
He is a doctor and very active man (mountain biking, at least 4 times a week). He tole me he was living on Keto diet when he was young for several (longer) times as he wanted to test his own metabolism and its reaction in different circumstances.
However, today he blames the former keto-diet periods for his todays struggle to keep his weight stable. He sais he gains body fat incredibly quickly in comparison to his mountainbike friends at the same age. I know, this is just his observation, there might also be genetic factors in his decreasing metabolism, but he clearly blames keto for his body-fat-content.
And as you have stated before, when the body has switched to keto-mode, it remebers and switches even faster to this mode after. So might this memory even go deeper?
Are there any long term studies (e.g. 30 years) that focus on the metabolic system and weight gain of people who went on keto-diet in their live? If the body remembers how to go on keto, makes the switch easier and faster each time and that (in these times) fat is essential for survival as it was the to 90% only energy source, might there an increased built up of fat tissue afterwards? Let’s say, that the body sort of builts up a safety-net with body fat in case it has to jump on keto but no food is available? In particular when you get older?
I really hope I could explain what I was getting at and that you might have an answer to this question.
It would be horrible if my body then just keeps on gaining unnecessarily much fat tissue in 10-20-30 years although I am doing sports, eating healthy; Just because I “taught” is to become even MORE EFFICIENT in saving energy in my fat tissue in keto-diet periods.
I am very curious about your opinion and I hope you can help me find the right decision for me.
Best wishes, Gwen