Keto Abs: Fueling Your Workout With The Right Foods

The Ketogenic Diet is a low-carb, high-fat, and moderate-protein diet that has been linked to several health benefits, including improved blood sugar control and decreased hunger levels. While the keto diet may not be the only way to get abs, it can help in reducing body fat percentage, which is key to achieving visible abs. To get the most out of a keto diet for abs, it is recommended to minimize carbohydrate consumption, perform high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and combine intermittent fasting with the keto diet. Additionally, increasing healthy fat intake, tracking progress, and investing in resources to learn more about keto can help maximize results. However, it is important to note that keto may not be suitable for everyone and can have drawbacks such as decreased energy levels and impaired muscle growth.

Minimise Carb Consumption

Minimising your carbohydrate consumption is key to achieving ketosis, which is a state where your body burns fat as its primary source of energy instead of glucose. This can be achieved by following a low-carb, high-fat diet, such as the Keto Diet.

When you lower your carbohydrate intake, your body will start burning fat for energy, including both the fats you consume and your stored body fat. This process can lead to weight loss, particularly in the abdominal area, making it easier to achieve visible, toned abs.

To minimise your carbohydrate consumption, it is important to make conscious food choices. Here are some specific strategies to help you reduce your carb intake:

• Choose whole grains: Opt for whole grains like oats, barley, buckwheat, and quinoa instead of refined carbs such as white bread, pasta, and rice. Whole grains are a great source of fibre and can help regulate appetite hormones, promote a feeling of fullness, and stabilise energy levels.
• Increase healthy fat intake: Focus on consuming healthy fats, such as fatty fish (salmon, herring, sardines), coconuts and coconut oil, avocados, nuts and seeds, and olive oil. These foods can help you feel fuller for longer, suppress your appetite, and reduce your overall caloric intake.
• Opt for complex carbs: Include more complex carbohydrates like vegetables in your diet. They provide long-lasting energy and can help manage body fat levels by reducing feelings of hunger.
• Avoid sugar and sugary foods: Stay away from sugar-sweetened beverages (soda, sports drinks, juice, energy drinks), sugary snacks (cookies, pastries, cakes, candies), and processed foods high in added sugars.
• Limit refined carbs: In addition to white bread, pasta, and rice, minimise your consumption of breakfast cereals and other refined carbohydrate sources.
• Be mindful of portion sizes: Even when choosing healthier carb options, it's important to watch your portion sizes. Calories from carbs can add up quickly, hindering your efforts to minimise carb consumption.

Remember, while minimising carbohydrate intake is important, it should be done alongside regular exercise and a well-rounded diet that includes lean protein sources, fruits, and vegetables to effectively work on your abs while following a keto diet.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT is particularly effective at burning fat and calories, even during rest periods. It also boosts metabolism, builds strength, lowers blood pressure, and improves cardiovascular function. A well-rounded HIIT workout combines cardio with strength training to stimulate the whole body, increase heart rate, and promote weight loss.

• Start with a 5-minute walk to warm up.
• Sprint as fast as you can for 30 seconds.
• Walk for 4 minutes to recover.
• Repeat the sprint and recovery 2-3 more times.
• Do this routine only 2 times per week.

It is important to note that the intensity of the workout can be adjusted to suit individual needs and fitness levels. For beginners, it is recommended to start at a moderate intensity and gradually increase as you build strength and improve cardiovascular stamina.

When incorporating HIIT into a keto diet, it is crucial to monitor both your diet and training plans to avoid overexertion. The keto diet focuses on proteins and fats while reducing carbohydrate intake. This combination of keto and HIIT can accelerate weight loss, as the body requires more fuel to meet the calorie demands of high-intensity exercises.

To support the intense nature of HIIT, it is recommended to consume a diet rich in protein and electrolytes to facilitate muscle repair and reduce downtime. Additionally, HIIT should be performed no more than 3 days a week when starting out, and it is important for individuals who are not physically fit or lack mobility and core strength to proceed with caution.

Combine Intermittent Fasting with Keto

Combining the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting is likely safe for most people, but it is not necessary to do both. It is recommended that pregnant or breastfeeding women and those with a history of disordered eating avoid intermittent fasting. People with certain health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, should consult a doctor before trying this combination.

Pros of Combining Intermittent Fasting and Keto:

Your appetite decreases:

Replacing carbs with fat on a keto diet causes appetite to decrease, possibly due to shifts in appetite-regulating hormones. Once your body is fat-adapted on the keto diet and your appetite is lower than normal, you’ll probably find the fasting portion of intermittent fasting easier.

You might lose weight faster:

The controlled calories from the short feeding window, plus the fact that you’re using fat for energy, may mean that you lose more weight in a shorter period of time.

You reach ketosis faster:

The ketogenic diet restricts carbs so the body switches to fat for fuel. At the same time, fasting causes the body’s glycogen levels to deplete, so the combination of the two diets together is like a fast track to ketosis. This can help mitigate the "keto flu," a particularly nasty symptom of the transition into ketosis.

Cons of Combining Intermittent Fasting and Keto:

Keto doesn’t guarantee good health:

Done wrong, keto can still be unhealthy, and intermittent fasting doesn’t change that. Unlike what many people perceive it to be, the ketogenic diet isn’t meant to be full of cheese, eggs, and bacon. To help avoid increases in LDL cholesterol, the keto diet should be based on mostly unsaturated fats from sources such as avocados, nuts, and olive oils.

It may affect athletic performance:

While intermittent fasting may help reduce fat stores while preserving muscle mass, the extremely low carb level of the ketogenic diet has been shown to negatively affect athletic performance. Carbohydrates are still considered the best source of fuel for athletes.

It’s not easy:

It’s a lot of restriction. Most people would consider the ketogenic diet fairly restrictive on its own, with its extremely low carb limits. Adding a layer of time constraints on top of the keto diet may be too much to handle.

Increase Healthy Fats

To get a six-pack, it is important to focus on what you eat, not just on the number of crunches or sit-ups you do. A keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. After a few days of eating a low-carb, high-fat diet, your body enters a state called ketosis, where it starts burning fat as its primary source of energy.

Fats are one of the three macronutrients that should be part of your daily diet. They are an excellent source of energy, with 9 calories per gram, compared to proteins and carbs, which have 4 calories per gram. For weight loss, 60% of your calories should come from fats, and the rest from proteins and carbs.

• Include fatty fish such as salmon, herring, and sardines in your diet. These fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with lowering abdominal fat and body fat percentage, and they also boost heart health.
• Coconuts and coconut oil are also good sources of healthy fats.
• Nuts and seeds provide a great balance of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, all of which are beneficial for achieving defined abs. They can also help promote weight loss by regulating appetite and making you feel fuller for longer. Some nuts and seeds to include in your diet are almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and chia seeds.
• Avocados are another great source of healthy fats and are high in fiber and several vitamins and minerals.
• Olive oil is a healthy fat that can be used in cooking or as a dressing for salads. It is high in monounsaturated fats, which have been linked to reduced inflammation and improved heart health.
• Eggs are a good source of animal protein and healthy fats. They are also nutrient-dense, containing various vitamins and minerals.

Remember, it is important to choose high-quality sources of healthy fats and to combine your diet with an exercise routine to achieve your desired results.

Track Progress

Tracking your progress is an important part of any diet or fitness journey, and there are several ways to do this when following a keto diet. Firstly, it's important to remember that results may vary from person to person, so try not to compare your progress to that of others.

If you're a numbers person, a good way to track your progress is to test your ketone levels. This can be done using urine strips, blood strips, or a breathalyser. Testing your ketone levels can indicate whether you're in ketosis, and if you're experiencing any negative side effects, such as fatigue and headaches, you may need to make adjustments to your diet to increase your ketone production.

Another way to track your progress is to take measurements of your body. Measure key areas such as your waist, hips, thighs, calves, and bust at the beginning of your diet, and then at regular intervals (such as monthly) to see how your body is changing. Taking "before" and "after" photos is also a great way to visualise your progress.

You can also use a body fat analyser scale, which uses bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) technology to measure body fat. These scales send a very low electrical current through your body and measure the speed at which it travels. The data is then used to estimate body fat using a mathematical formula.

Additionally, tracking your calorie and macronutrient intake in a food diary or journal can help you identify areas where you can make positive changes. For example, you may need to increase your fat intake to obtain enough calories or slightly decrease your protein intake to stay in ketosis. Including other factors such as your mood, workouts, sleep, and whether you're doing intermittent fasting can also provide valuable insights.

If you're not a numbers person, pay attention to how your body feels. The keto diet often results in increased energy, reduced bloating and swelling, less hunger and cravings, improved sleep, and better stamina and endurance during workouts. If you're experiencing these positive changes, it's a good indication that the keto diet is working for you.

Remember, it's important to be patient and consistent when tracking your progress. Results may take time, and it's normal to experience setbacks or plateaus. By using a combination of these tracking methods, you can gain a clear understanding of your progress and make adjustments as needed to achieve your goals.

Frequently asked questions