1. The Keto diet in recent years has gained a lot of popularity, as a diet that sheds excess weight and improves overall health. This diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that helps shed weight by cutting out carbs that are easy to digest such as sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread. This diet works by only allowing your body to eat less than 50 grams of carbs a day.

After a few days the body starts to adapt and begins to lose blood sugar for energy. The body then begins using protein and fat for energy this is what helps a person lose weight, by entering the “ketosis” stage. The keto diet will help a person lose more weight in the first 3-6 months. However, it may become more difficult to lose weight after the body becomes adapted. This diet isn’t a long-term diet, it is more of a short-term diet since it focuses mainly on weight loss and not health benefits. When following this diet most people experience the “keto flu” which makes you feel like you have the actual flu and experience symptoms such as, headache, weakness, irritability, bad breath and fatigue. When following the Keto diet most people eat plenty of meat, cheese, butter, oils, processed meats, eggs, sausages, and fibrous vegetables.I do believe a person can be successful on the keto diet to a certain extent. I think this diet is a quick way to lose weight and shocks the body into burning fat. However, I think a person who is considering the Keto diet should consult with their doctor because, this diet is not for everyone such as people who suffer from kidney disease this could worsen their condition. Also, I can agree that this diet is not a long-term diet or a lifestyle adjustment. I think once the goal weight has been reached the person on the diet can loosen up their restrictions while still maintaining their weight. My brother has used this diet and was successful using it by losing 34 pounds. However, he knows it not a lifestyle he picks and chooses his carb intake by making better choices and only having one day a week where he can indulge while working out 5 times a week. The keto diet is a suitable diet for someone who has a goal to lose weight quickly.

2. There are many popular diet trends that are used today. One that has always piqued my interest is the keto diet. I know many people who are currently on keto or have tried it in the past, and I’ve always wanted to learn more about what the diet entails. On the keto diet, all forms of carbohydrates are heavily restricted. The goal of those on keto is to keep their total carb intake below 50 grams per day. The purpose of this is to allow the body to use a different energy source, fat. The body’s main energy source is carbohydrates and with limited consumption, the body starts to use fat instead (Gordon). The diet also calls for a higher consumption of protein, but usually more fat consumption than protein. The central nervous system can not use fatty acids as a source of nutrition so the liver converts the lipids from food into ketone bodies. This then puts the body into a form of ketosis where the body starts to burn fat for energy (Shilpa & Mohan, 2018). The plan for this diet is to essentially consume as little carbohydrates as possible while consuming more forms of protein and fats. The diet claims to help with weight loss due to the breakdown of fat instead of carbohydrates. The diet also claims to reduce certain health risks such as diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease. There have also been claims made that the diet can reduce seizures during epilepsy which is why keto was originally started. However, there are some risks associated with taking part in this diet over an extended period of time. Some risks include mineral and vitamin deficiencies, high protein in the blood, kidney stones, the buildup of fat in the liver, low energy, etc (“Keto diet: Benefits and nutrients).

3. I don’t believe someone can be successful in weight loss by restricting a macronutrient. In my opinion, I believe there may be short-term weight loss, however, highly restrictive diets are considered a yo-yo diet. One may be on this diet for a short period of time and once they go back to eating normally, they put the weight back on thus creating a yo-yo effect on one’s weight. I believe that moderation and variety in one’s diet are key to successful weight loss along with physical activity. Also, most of these restricted diets that limit a macronutrient group cannot be performed indefinitely. Overall, I believe by initially starting one’s weight loss journey with moderation and variety in one’s diet one will be more likely to stick with their regimen and also learn how to live a healthier more realistic lifestyle. 

4. The diet that I chose to discuss for this assignment was the Ketogenic diet. I found this diet to be extremely interesting as it is a diet plan that I have tried. The keto diet is described to be a low carbohydrate and high-fat diet. This diet plan claims that it can help people to lose weight and improve their overall health. A fact that many people are not aware of is that the ketogenic diet is used to fight against many diseases/disorders. Some examples of diseases/disorders are epilepsy, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. This diet plan aims to drastically decrease the number of carbohydrates a person would consume and replace those carbs with high fats. The reduction of carbs then puts your body into a metabolic state known as ketosis. Ketosis makes your body very efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver that also act as fuel for the brain. The keto diet is also known to lower blood sugars and insulin levels. This is exactly why the diet is ideal for patients with diabetes. It is proven that with this diet, weight loss is apparent. When the body goes into ketosis, the body is typically burning just fat. So losing weight is not a problem with this diet plan. I decided to do the ketogenic diet over the summer. At first, it was hard adjusting to changing my entire lifestyle, but I got used to it. Over time I began to lose weight like crazy. I eventually stopped it because my food options were limited but I am definitely going to start it again soon. 

5. A popular diet plan that many individuals use would be weight watchers. I am someone that is currently on this diet plan and it has worked wonders for me in terms of my food consumption. The way that the stay at works is that it is based on a point system. An individual receives a certain amount of points they are allowed for a days’ worth of eating. After the certain out of points are up, you can no longer consume any more food because that would be over your point value. This I believe it’s a particularly good diet plan because it is not restricting the kinds of foods you are eating but the amount of intake you are having without having to sacrifice some of your favorites. There are plans like the blue plan, the purple plan, And the red plan that all have different kinds of points values you can use. The claims I hear is that this method allows you to not fear the kinds of good foods that you like and it helps you monitor your intake so that you were living a healthy and nutritious lifestyle. I have been on weight Watchers for about a year now and I have lost over 75 pounds. I also believe it is about the willpower and the commitment for these diet plans in order to make them work. I believe that a person can be successful in weight loss with restricting a macro nutrient because it is all about personal choices that you were making. If someone is used to eating sugary foods and then automatically switches to diet foods, there will be a crash and they will not be able to come back to their regular habits. It is also about one day at a time and physically and mentally training your brain able to do so successfully. I would recommend this weight loss plan to anyone that wants to live a healthier and more nutritious lifestyle, it really does work!