The following is the first of a three part series by Santa Clarita Fitness Trainer, Ellen Como, about Ketogenics.

Ketogenic is becoming a buzzword in and out of the fitness community.  You hear this word in gyms, online, and it just seems to be everywhere. As a personal trainer, I am very cautious about any new hot diet, workout, fitness plan etc. So I set out to learn as much as I could about the Ketogenic Diet and this is what I have learned:

The Ketogenic Diet is a high fat, protein and low carb diet that forces the body
to burn fat for energy rather then carbohydrates. What you might not know is there are 5 types of Ketogenic diets.

The first one is the Standard Ketogenic – It’s a very low carb, moderate protein and high fat diet. It typically contains 75% fat 20% protein and 5% Carbs.

The Second one is the Cyclical Ketogenic – This one involves periods of higher carb days such as 5 Ketogenic days then 2 carb days.

The third one is the Targeted Ketogenic – This allows you to add carbs around your workouts.

Previous: Staying Fit Through Menopause With Menopause Fitness

The fourth one is High Protein Ketogenic which includes more protein in the ratio 60% fat 35% protein and 5% carbs.

The fifth one is a Vegan Ketogenic this one is done the same way as any other of the Ketogenic diets but without any animal or dairy products.

Make sure you have enough nutrition, especially your daily greens, when following a Ketogenic Diet, a greens powder can work well find more information here!

As a Menopause Fitness and wellness coach in Santa Clarita who regularly builds fitness training programs this way of eating made so much sense to me because when you are in menopause you are lacking estrogen so your body increases fat cells which contain a lower dose estrogen that the body is lacking. But, because this fat is replacing the muscle mass you are losing through aging the fat ends up in your belly and that can lead to heart disease among other diseases. This is why you need to keep you body fat under control. So a great way of addressing this is to force the body to use fat as energy.

The negative side of this diet is it is not for everyone. Also, if you don’t commit to this 100 percent you could gain weight and you know what that does to you physically and emotionally while you are going through the phases of Menopause. Its very important to listen to your body. Never do anything that doesn’t feel right just because it’s the new hot thing. There are several other healthy eating lifestyles available and we will be exploring all of them in the future. Next week we are going to explore which foods are good for the Ketogenic lifestyle and which foods go on the do not eat list.

Ellen Como has been in the fitness industry in Santa Clarita for over 30 years.  With her experience working in Gyms and as a personal trainer she has developed fitness training programs and fitness plans for men and woman of all ages.    Her passion is creating overall wellness in all her clients and sharing menopause fitness with women going through all the phases of menopause. Visit her website for latest news, products, and personal training at ellencomo.com.