In the past several years, the Keto diet became all the rage. It is a go-to plan for thousands of people who want to lose weight. Its popularity is a result of a misconception that it is easy because it focuses on the high fat intake. However, many people who think they are following a Keto diet are in reality eating a low carb diet.
The reason why it is crucial to understand the differences between the Keto and low carb diets is that you could otherwise not be as successful in your weight loss. And that’s not all, you might also strip muscle of your body and throw your metabolism out of balance.
We can start with the main similarity between these two diets, as it is usually the core reason why they are mistaken for each other. This connection is that they are both low carb diets. Thus, many people believe that they are on Keto simply because they decreased their carb intake.
However, with Keto, you want to become fat adapted and enter a state called ketosis. This transformation will usually happen within a week, and your body will start burning fat as fuel. To achieve this, 75% of your daily macro intake should be fats, and your carb intake has to be below 50 grams. In the low carb diet, on the other hand, you can eat around 100 and 300 grams of carbs per day and much less fat. Finally, the biggest difference between these two diets is that in Keto, the protein must be kept low as well, or your body will not get into ketosis. If you don’t follow this rule, you will start losing muscle along with your fat. Thus, if you cant follow the Keto diet rigorously, you will be better off with a low carb diet. It usually focuses on a higher protein intake, resulting in both fat loss and increased muscle mass.
If you do choose to follow a Keto based diet, lose fat and still keep your muscle mass unchanged, you will have to make sure you track your macronutrients avidly. On the other hand, if you are looking for a long-term plan that is much easier to follow, a low carb diet is a better solution for you.