The Art Of Keto

Dispelling keto misinformation and helping you lose fat.

MUSCLE GAIN

Why It Doesn’t Matter How Many Meals A Day You Eat On Keto

How often people should eat to lose weight or gain muscle has been a frequently debated and confusing topic. 

When I first started focusing on my health and weight way back when the message was, “eat 6 small meals a day to stoke your metabolism.” Now, intermittent fasting has people eating as little as one meal a day (OMAD). 

Quite confusing if you ask me.

How many meals should you eat on keto? When it comes to weight loss or muscle gain, how many meals you eat per day should be based on preference and lifestyle, with science showing no meaningful difference as long as calories and protein are equated.

In this article, I'm going to dive a bit deeper on meal frequency, metabolism, how many times you should eat per day for weight loss versus muscle gain, and dispel a few myths along the way.

HOW MANY MEALS SHOULD YOU EAT ON KETO PINTEREST

How Often Should You Eat On Keto?

How many meals one should eat has been a discussion for as long as I can remember. A few decades ago, intermittent fasting and eating only one or two meals a day was unheard of.

I even remember setting the alarm on my watch to remind me to eat every 2-3 hours, you know… because I had to feed the fire and keep my metabolism burning!

But with all the scientific literature we have today, I can safely tell you that it doesn't matter.

Meal frequency studies

How often you should eat on keto or any other diet will not make a meaningful difference when it comes to weight loss. That means if you want to eat 2 meals or 4 meals, it doesn't matter.

 What really matters is your total caloric intake at the end of the day.  

Granted, that doesn't mean that you eat 2 additional meals if you choose to eat 4 meals per day. For example, this means that the same two meals you would have eaten should evenly be distributed amongst four servings. 

There may be reasons for larger meals less frequently for issues such as adherence and preference, but I'll get to that soon.

What you need to know is how many meals and how often you eat doesn't matter when it comes to weight loss.

Unless, of course, a specific meal frequency allows you to stick to your diet.

Does Eating Frequency Or More Often Increase Metabolism?

Eating 6 meals per day was a standard prescription for fat loss, and still is in many circles. The idea was that each meal increases your metabolic rate, so consuming more meals would increase your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

If your energy expenditure (calories out) is higher than your energy intake (calories in), you'll be in a negative calorie balance, and your body is then forced to burn its own energy, ideally from fat stores.

It is true that when you eat, your metabolic rate increases; this process is often referred to as the thermic effect of food (TEF). The thermic effect of food refers to the energy it takes for your body to digest, absorb, and utilize the food you eat.

 However, the energy required (TEF) is proportional to the energy intake (calories) from your meal. Meaning, 2 large meals would result in 2 large spikes, while 6 smaller meals would result in 6 smaller spikes.  

Whether you split your same amount of calories and macros over 1 or 2 big meals or 4 to 6 smaller meals, the thermic effect of food would be nearly identical.1 2

Therefore, eating frequency or eating more often does not increase your metabolism any more than eating the same amount in fewer meals.

Does Eating Less Slow Metabolism

Since we know that it requires energy to digest, absorb, and utilize the food we eat (TEF).3 You can safely decide how many meals you want to eat based on preference.

But does eating less slow metabolism? Eating less does slow metabolism to a certain extent, and here's why.

It takes a certain amount of calories (energy) to digest a meal, but the amount of energy required is proportional to the number of calories you eat. 

For simplicity's sake, let's assume that 10% of the calories you eat are burned through digestion. 

That means if you ate 2,500 calories, approximately 250 calories would be used to digest the food you ate. If you ate only 2,000 calories per day, about 200 calories would be used to digest your food.

The net difference between eating 2,500 calories vs. 2,000 calories in our example was a 50 calorie increase in TEF for the 2,500. 

So in that sense, your metabolism isn't as high, but it didn't necessarily slow down. It's just the price you have to pay if weight loss is your main focus at the moment.

While we can attenuate some of that loss through increased protein, which has the highest thermogenic effect compared to fat or carbohydrates, eating less is usually a necessity when it comes to weight loss.

Unless, of course, you like to do endless hours of exercise.

However, there may be reasons to eat more frequently if muscle gain is your primary focus, but I'll get to that soon.

How Many Times Should You Eat A Day To Lose Weight On Keto?

You know now that eating more often doesn't equate to a faster metabolism, so how many times a day should you eat to lose weight on keto?

While you may hate this answer, you should eat as many times as you want, and which fits your lifestyle.

Meaning, if you prefer to eat 2 bigger meals on keto over 5 smaller meals, then eat 2 bigger meals. 

However, if you prefer smaller snacks throughout the day, then eating more frequently may be a suitable choice for you.

 The most significant factor when choosing how many meals a day you should eat on a ketogenic diet is adherence.  

Ask yourself:

  • How many meals a day is realistic and allows you to stick to your diet?
  • Do you overeat when you eat smaller meals throughout the day?
  • Does using intermittent fasting make you so hungry that it leads you to binge later in the day?

These are just a few things you should consider when choosing how many times you should eat a day on keto.

What's great about ketogenic diets is that they are notorious for suppressing hunger, which may lead you to fewer meals throughout the day. 4

Also, eating less often is associated with improved appetite control, according to a few studies. 5 On the opposite end, some studies suggest that more meals may equate to more hunger. 6

The bottom line is, the best approach will differ from one person to the next.

With total daily calories being the most critical factor, how many meals you choose to eat won't make too much of a difference.

How Many Times Should You Eat A Day To Gain Muscle On Keto?

When it comes to weight loss, meal frequency is low on the totem pole. However, in terms of muscle gain, there may be reasons why you should increase your meal frequency. 

If you want a thorough explanation, I go over how to optimize your muscle gain best on a bulking diet during keto.

Since most people reading this are concerned with fat loss at the moment, here's the brief rundown on why you may want to eat more frequently if muscle gain is a priority.

There is a limit on how much protein the body can use in a single meal for muscle building. Notice, I didn't say how much your body can use, but how much it can use SPECIFICALLY for muscle building. 7

Specifically, when it comes to building muscle, your goal should be to increase muscle protein synthesis. If muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is greater than muscle protein breakdown (MPB), the net result is increased muscle.

However, there is an upper limit to how much muscle protein synthesis can be increased after a single meal, known as the muscle-full effect. 8 9

As in, once you go over a certain amount of protein, eating more will not increase MPS any further. For most individuals, the amount of protein will generally fall between 20 – 40 grams per meal. 

Once MPS is maximally stimulated, it enters a refractory period where it cannot be stimulated any further before sharply dropping back down to baseline. 

In the end, total intake still outweighs meal frequency, but it wouldn't hurt to at least split your protein intake into 3 or 4 meals. 

Can You Eat As Much As You Want On Keto?

Somehow, over the last few years, there has been this demonizing of insulin and carbohydrates.

In all this confusion, many individuals, even those with various “medical credentials,” have perpetuated the false statement of calories don't matter.

 While being on a low-carb or ketogenic diet does offer many benefits to individuals who are looking to lose weight, you don't simply lose weight by not eating carbohydrates. 

Numerous studies have attempted to test whether a low-fat or a low-carb approach was any more superior than the other, and all have failed to show any meaningful difference when calories and protein are equated for. 10

Different individuals respond differently to different diets, and for some, low-fat may work better than a low-carb or ketogenic approach. 

Again, when it comes to picking a diet or lifestyle, adherence is still the number one priority. 

However, ketogenic diets are known to suppress appetite. A ketogenic diet may suppress hunger to the point where you feel like you're eating as much as you want and still losing weight.

Still, don't confuse this with being able to eat as much as you want and even lose weight. There are still individuals, such as myself, who can quickly gain weight despite being on a ketogenic diet.

How Many Calories Can You Eat And Stay In Ketosis?

People often get confused by how or what is needed to get into ketosis. 

First, ketosis is a metabolic state characterized by increased levels of ketones. Nutritional ketosis is said to occur once blood ketone levels reach at least 0.5 mmol/L as tested by a blood ketone meter. 

 How many calories you eat has no bearing on whether you reach and stay in ketosis. Establishing and maintaining a metabolic state of ketosis is established through carbohydrate restriction, not calorie restriction. 

Meaning, you can be in ketosis whether you eat 1,000 calories or 10,000 calories as long as you keep carbohydrates low enough.

This also means that achieving and maintaining ketosis is not predicated by fat intake. You DON'T NEED to eat high fat to get in or stay in ketosis. I explain why you may not want to overeat fat or always try to un-necessary hit your fat intake by drinking oil on keto if fat loss is a priority. 

The Takeaway

The number of meals you eat, whether it be 2 or 6 will not matter as much as your total calorie intake for both fat loss or muscle gain. 

Therefore, how many meals a day you should eat on keto should be based on preference and lifestyle with no amount of meals showing to be any more superior than the other. 

Is Muscle Milk Keto Friendly? [And More About Protein Shakes]

One of the first protein shakes I remember back in the day were those Muscle Milk ready to drink shakes in the refrigeration section. We even used to get them for free as student-athletes since Muscle Milk was a big sponsor of our athletic program. Naturally, I wondered if I could still consume muscle milk products on a ketogenic diet, and this is what I found.

Certain Muscle Milk products are allowed while following a keto diet. the low-carb ones are:

  • Muscle Milk Genuine RTD Shakes
  • Muscle Milk Pro Series RTD Shakes
  • Muscle Milk Coffee House RTD Shakes
  • Muscle Milk Light RTD Shakes
  • Muscle Milk 100 Calorie RTD Shakes
  • Muscle Milk Whey Protein Powders

*RTD = Ready To Drink (pre-mixed)

In this article, I'll break down the different muscle milk products that you can drink while on a ketogenic diet and the ones you should stay away from. Also, I'll cover what's in muscle milk, protein on keto, and whether you should be worried about consuming too much protein.

Is muscle milk keto friendly pinterest

Can You Drink Muscle Milk On Keto?

When I had my very first muscle milk shake EVER, the first thing I remembered was how delicious it was. I don't think there was another product on the market like Muscle Milk when they first came out.

It's no wonder muscle milk exploded on the scene.

With most protein shakes tasting horrible back then, it was refreshing for a company to release such a great tasting protein powder. 

Are muscle milk shakes keto friendly, though?

 You could enjoy particular muscle milk protein shakes and powders, but not all of them. Many of the different variety of muscle milk products also contain a relatively large amount of carbs, making it not ideal for a ketogenic diet. 

The following muscle milk products are lower in carb and may be enjoyed while following a ketogenic diet. However, I'll break down the carb count for each of them in the next sections.

Muscle Milk Ready To Drink Shakes

Muscle Milk Protein Powders

Does Muscle Milk Have Carbs?

Muscle milk keto friendly

There are a few carbs in all of the different muscle milk products, but more than half of them do not contain a sufficient amount for you to worry about. 

The below table is a breakdown of all the keto friendly muscle milk products with their total and net carbs.

Each listing is either for one entire ready to drink shake (RTD) or 1-scoop of protein.

Muscle Milk Net Carbs
Genuine RTD Banana Creme2g
Genuine RTD Chocolate3g
Genuine RTD Cookies 'n Creme3g
Genuine RTD Strawberries 'n Creme
Genuine RTD Vanilla Creme2g
Pro Series RTD Go Bananas3g
Pro Series RTD Intense Vanilla2g
Pro Series RTD Knockout Chocolate3g
Coffee House RTD Cafe Latte2g
Coffee House RTD Mocha Latte5g
Coffee House RTD Vanilla Latte2g
Light RTD Chocolate4g
Light RTD Vanilla Creme3g
100-Calorie RTD1g
Whey Blend Chocolate2g
Whey Blend Vanilla3g
100% Whey Chocolate3g
100% Whey Vanilla3g

What's In Muscle Milk?

Most muscle milk protein shakes, unless otherwise stated, are a blend of the following proteins:

  • Milk protein isolate
  • Calcium Caseinate
  • Sodium Caseinate

And muscle milk is sweetened with:

  • Acesulfame Potassium (ace-K)
  • Sucralose (Popularly known as Splenda)

The Whey protein powders are a mix of:

  • Whey protein isolate
  • Whey protein concentrate

Most of the thick and creamy texture of muscle milk products can be attributed to the use of the milk and casein proteins, which offer a much thicker consistency compared to whey protein.

Below are the ingredients of all the different keto-friendly variations Muscle Milk has to offer.

Muscle milk keto friendly ingredient list

Can I Drink Protein Shakes On Keto?

There is often this confusion or misinformation spread around about too much protein on keto being “bad.” Protein and protein shakes are often shunned at for two different reasons.

  1. Too much protein will kick you out of ketosis
  2. Protein shakes will spike your insulin (and again, kick you out of ketosis)

While I'll elaborate on these two points a bit more, you can also read my article below a read on this very subject.

Too much protein on keto

Many people fall into the trap of finding arbitrary percentages on the internet, telling them how much protein they can eat. These percentages usually have the majority of individuals starting a ketogenic diet severely underrating protein. 

When it comes to protein on a ketogenic diet, or any diet, too much is better than too little 

 Most individuals, short of trying to do so, and even then, would not be able to eat what's considered “too much protein.”  

Protein should be based on your weight, and ideally, your lean body mass (total weight – fat weight). An easy way to determine how much protein you should be eating is to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of DESIRED body weight per day.

This means, If you are currently 175 lbs and want to get down to 145 lbs, then you would eat 145 grams of protein per day. 

Think about it this way:

Suzy is a 175 lbs female with 30% body fat and eating 1800 calories to lose weight. Let's say Suzy uses this arbitrary "percentage" of say… 15% for example's sake that would equate to 68 grams of protein.
Now, Bob is a 180 lb athletic male at 15% body fat and also eating 1800 to drop some weight. Assuming they both blindly follow this arbitrary percentage, they'd be eating the same amount of protein. 

Doesn't make too much sense, right?

Protein shakes will spike your insulin

Now, there is a slight possibility of protein shakes spiking insulin, but that doesn't mean you'll stop losing weight.

Insulin has been getting demonized, especially by the ketogenic community, and for no good reason.

In the case of insulin and protein shakes, even if you were to get a “spike” in your insulin, and worst-case scenario knocked out of ketosis, it would be so short-lived you wouldn't even notice. 

Keep in mind; you may be fluxing in and out of ketosis throughout the day even without drinking protein shakes, it's nothing to worry about.

The following image is a chart showing the insulin and ketone levels of a male participant who fasted for 50 days before having insulin DIRECTLY injected into his body. 

KICKED OUT OF KETOSIS INSULIN TEST

As you can see in the following graphic, ketones did go down briefly (~30 minutes) then shot right back up. 

And did I mention this was shooting insulin intravenously? 

Now, think about how much that protein shake is going to affect you? Not likely, and if it did, not for long.

Does Protein Stop Ketosis?

The myth that protein stops ketosis is unfounded. Many people want to throw around things like “protein will be converted to sugar.”

And again, it does… 

But hear me out.

This process they are referring to where protein and amino acids are converted to glucose by the body is called gluconeogenesis. 11 

And here's the vital tidbit, it's a demand-driven process. Meaning, protein is only converted when it's necessary. 

What they also fail to realize is that this process happens all the time, and is happening whether your protein intake is high or low. 

While it's true, ketone levels may not be as high with higher protein intakes; this is not an indicator that fat loss is any slower. Ketone levels do not correlate whatsoever with how much fat you're losing. 

In fact, you can have high ketone levels and be gaining weight. 

Other Similar Muscle Milk RTD Shakes

There are a few other popular ready to drink shakes on the market. Many companies are coming out with their versions and selling them at big warehouse stores like Costco here in the U.S.

To cover them briefly as they may be an option for you if they are more accessible and/or affordable, they are the following.

Are Premier Protein Shakes Keto? Premier protein shakes are keto-friendly and only have 3 grams of net carbs per shake, which also gives you an additional 30 grams of protein.

Are Pure Protein Shakes Keto Friendly? Pure protein RTD shakes are keto-friendly with only 2 grams of net carbs per can while also supply 35 grams of protein.

You can either buy these online via the links below or check out your local Costco, Sams Club, or other bulk warehouse stores in your part of the world.

I've also seen pure protein shakes at various Trader Joes

Muscle Milk Ready To Drink Shakes

Muscle Milk Protein Powders

The Takeaway

Muscle milk has a lot of different products, some of them are keto friendly, but some of them are also far from being keto friendly. 

Use the chart above to determine which drinks are keto-friendly, and be sure to double-check the nutrition label for any formulation changes. 

How To Get A Pump While Following A Keto Or Low Carb Diet

One thing I struggled with when starting a ketogenic diet was achieving a pump, the feeling of my muscles swelling and about to burst through my skin. 

While it may be harder to achieve a pump on keto or low carb, here are a few tips someone can utilize:

  • Consume an adequate amount of electrolytes, mainly sodium.
  • Stay well-hydrated.
  • Strategically use carbs such as a targeted ketogenic diet or cyclical ketogenic diet.

I mean, there's nothing better than feeling your shirtsleeves stretch during or after a brutal workout, even if it is just a boost for my ego, but how do we get that same pump we had on a carbohydrate-based diet on keto?

In this article, I'll go over exactly how to get that pump back while following a ketogenic diet, what causes it, the best pre-workout to use for a better pump, and much more.

HOW TO GET A PUMP ON KETO PINTEREST

How To Get That Pump Back On Keto

So you started a ketogenic diet, and now you're feeling flat in the gym. You may feel that you simply don't have that same muscle swelling you once had on a carbohydrate-based diet, and you're not wrong.

But that doesn't mean you can't achieve that superhero feeling you once had after an intense workout, especially an arm day. 

Here are some tips to get you headed in the right direction.

Increase electrolytes

When you first started a ketogenic diet, you may have noticed that your weight dropped rapidly during the first week or two.

While some of the weight you lost may have been fat, a more significant proportion of it was water weight and food volume. 

The average adult stores ~500 grams of carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, located in both your muscles and your liver.

For every gram of carbohydrate your body stores, the body will store 3 grams of water.

In the beginning, when you're restricting carbohydrates, your body begins to burn through your stored glycogen. With no carbohydrates to bind to, the extra water is flushed from your body, usually through urination.

This may be why, if you noticed, that you pee more frequently when first starting keto. 

But, as your body expels this water, it will also flush out electrolytes with it, especially sodium and potassium.

The loss of electrolytes is usually exacerbated even further because you may be eating less sodium-filled foods in your diet now that you're keto.

 You can usually combat this by making sure you take in an adequate amount of salt by making sure to salt your foods but also supplementing with additional salts and electrolytes if you work out and sweat regularly. 

I recommend an excellent electrolyte supplement that has a sufficient amount of potassium, which most don't. 

Being deficient in electrolytes will do more than just keep you from getting a pump; it can make you weaker, and you may begin to experience muscle cramps.

Sodium and potassium are important minerals that help your body maintain fluid balance, so you must get in a sufficient amount. 2 

I'd recommend at least 4,000mg – 6,000mg sodium and potassium each per day MINIMUM. 

Here is one that I would recommend:

Stay hydrated

Playing off the previous recommendation, you have to make sure you're well hydrated. 

Along with electrolytes, you have to maintain adequate hydration to get a pump in the gym. Upwards of 60% of your body is made of water, but your muscles are made up of more than 70 percent water. 2 3

In short, drink enough fluid that your urine isn't super yellow, and not too much to where it's clear like water. Use the chart below as a reference as to where you want your urine color to be generally.

Keto flu hydration chart sore throat keto

This, along with the previous step (electrolytes), will solve most of your issues when it comes to getting a pump in the gym. 

Another trick I like to use is to take a teaspoon of salt with my pre-workout or dilute salt into a big jug of water and sip it throughout the day. This way, you get extra minerals and sodium while staying hydrated. 

HOW TO GET A PUMP ON KETO SALT

Specialized Ketogenic Diets

There's more than one way to do keto, especially if you're an active individual or an athlete. 

In general, there are three different kinds of ketogenic diets:

  1. Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD)
  2. Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD)
  3. Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD)

Standard Ketogenic Diet

The standard ketogenic diet is most likely what you're doing now, very low to no carbohydrates seven days a week, somewhere in the ballpark of 20 to 50 grams of net carbs per day.

Targeted Ketogenic Diet

A targeted ketogenic diet is how it sounds in that you target carbohydrates around your workouts. 

Most people following a ketogenic diet consume somewhere between 5-50 grams of carbs pre and post-workout while still being able to stay in ketosis. 

Cyclical Ketogenic Diet

Cyclical ketogenic diets are the most complex of the three. During a cyclical ketogenic diet, you'll be mixing days of a standard ketogenic diet with a couple of high-carbohydrate days. 

Usually, people will do a 5/2 or a 6/1 ratio, so a 5-day SKD then 2-day carb-up or 6-day SKD then 1-day carb-up.

There's typically a specific workout regimen that would go along with implementing a CKD optimally, but it's not for the faint of heart.

By using a TKD or CKD, you're filling your muscles with a little extra glycogen that will help boost both your performance and pumps in the gym.

Why Does Salt Give You A Pump?

First, I should clarify that it's technically not salt that helps with a pump, it's the sodium. Salt is technically a 1:1 mix of both sodium and chloride. 

Crave salt on keto redmond analysis

That said, one of the responsibilities of sodium in the body is to help regulate blood volume and blood pressure. 

During a workout, we know that the primary reason we get a pump is due to increased blood volume to the working muscle. 

A low sodium intake translates into lower blood volume, and lower blood volume equates to little or non-existent pumps in the gym.

If you want a pump in the gym, then make sure you're getting an adequate amount of salt/sodium in your diet. 

Unless you have a specific condition that prevents you from increasing your salt intake, your body is well-equipped to process any excess.

For a good read on salt and all its health-promoting benefits, I'd recommend giving The Salt Fix a read.

What Is A Muscle Pump?

You may be wondering what exactly is going on during a muscle pump. 

When you lift weights and contract a muscle repeatedly, blood and water get diverted to the working muscle to support the increased metabolic needs. 

As the muscle swells, the surrounding veins are constricted, resulting in more blood becoming trapped in that specific muscle group.

It's like if you were to turn on the hose and fold or tie a knot somewhere in the line. The pressure would accumulate, and the water would get trapped at a certain point, thus expanding the hose at the point of constriction. 

Do Carbs Give You A Better Pump

People may confuse carbs with giving them a better pump because they don't give a ketogenic diet enough time to work out the kinks. After all, switching to a ketogenic is a significant shift and requires a bit of a learning curve. 

As I've alluded to earlier, carbs hold water, and your muscles are made up of mostly water.

However, while glycogen may be impaired during the beginning of a ketogenic diet, there seems to be no significant difference in muscle glycogen levels once you become fat-adapted. 4

Given enough time, your muscle glycogen stores will begin to re-fill, even without carbohydrates in the diet.

So while carbs give you a better pump “temporarily,” you should be able to experience these same effects by ensuring you have an adequate intake of electrolytes, water, and good ole' time to become “keto-adapted.”

Building Muscle On A Keto Diet

People always ask me, what's the best way to gain muscle on keto? And I usually respond “the same way you build muscle when not on a ketogenic diet.”

This means:

  • Adequate training stimulus
  • Sufficient nutrition
  • Proper recovery

The same principles that applied on a carbohydrate-based diet apply when you're on a ketogenic diet. 

If you want to learn more about how to bulk on keto without getting fat or how to implement bodybuilding principles, then give the two articles below a read.

What's The Best Preworkout To Get A Pump On Keto?

Now that we've gone over how you don't have to live a life of “flatness” during your workout, what else can you do to help get a pump on keto?

If you've taken care of the above points, there are additional products and pre-workouts you can take to help increase blood flow, blood volume, and get some sick pumps in the gym.

Creatine

There's often this misconception that creatine makes you bloated and hold water. 

Ok, it's not completely untrue, creatine DOES make you hold water, but it does so INSIDE the muscle. 5

Since muscles are made up of over 70 percent water, by saturating your muscle creatine stores, you'll increase intramuscular water retention. 

Meaning, you'll have bigger, rounder, and fuller muscles while taking creatine.

Creatine is also the MOST well-studied performance-enhancing supplement and very cheap at that.

I'd recommend supplementing with 5g of the monohydrate version per day, and don't bother with the “loading phase.”

L-Citrulline

Besides creatine, L-Citruline is another supplement that has a reasonable amount of scientific support. You may even find them in the current pre-workout you're using. 6 7 8

Unfortunately, though, MOST companies underdose L-CItruline in their pre-workout formulation. Either that or you don't know how much is in it due to their “proprietary blends.”

L-Citrulline can increase blood vessel diameter (vasodilation), allowing higher blood flow to your muscles.

And we all know increased blood volume and blood flow equals greater pumps.

According to the studies, a dose of 4-10 grams of l-citrulline has shown to be an effective dose.

Pre-workout

If you just want to take a pre-workout instead of buying L-Citruline separately, remember that most of them are underdosed.

Here are a few of the more reputable companies I would recommend that have clinically effective doses of the ingredients in their products.

The Takeaway

We all love that feeling of our shirts hugging our sleeves and our chest, but many people starting a ketogenic diet often lose this sensation due to being misinformed.

Achieving a pump on keto is all about understanding WHY you're not getting a pump anymore, and it's not because you don't have carbs in the diet.

Make sure you're getting in an adequate amount of electrolytes and water, followed by allowing enough time to keto-adapt, and you'll have all the same pumps you used to get following a carbohydrate-based diet.

If you want to step it up a little further, adding in some supplements like creatine or l-citrulline will help fill your muscles with water and increase blood flow, allowing more muscle growth and giving you a better pump.

The Hidden Truth About OMAD Without Keto? [Does It Work?]

With keto being all the rage these days, people are brought into the community and exposed to so many new foods, methodologies, and even meal structure. 

I don't think you could be on keto for any reasonable amount of time without hearing about intermittent fasting (which is also catching wind by the mainstream). Inevitably, people start going deeper and deeper down the hole and ultimately find out about one meal a day OMAD. 

For one reason or another, you may enjoy the structure of OMAD, and maybe you're looking to switch up your diet or implement some more carbohydrates, but can you?

Can I do OMAD without keto? You can do one meal a day OMAD style of eating using whatever diet or foods you wish to use. There is nothing about OMAD that would require you to be in ketosis and vice versa. 

In this article, I'm going to dive a little deeper into what exactly OMAD is, what to eat, muscle and fat loss, IF vs. OMAD, and much more. 

OMAD WITHOUT KETO PINTEREST

Can You Do OMAD Without Keto?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an umbrella term in which OMAD falls under. Technically speaking, what most people refer to as intermittent fasting or one meal a day (OMAD) is regarded as time-restricted eating (TRE) in the scientific literature. 

After some time on a ketogenic diet, you may have started to do some research on different ways to speed up your weight loss, which ultimately let you down the path of IF.

Once you go down the rabbit hole far enough, most people end up trying things like OMAD or multiple day fasts. 

Naturally, there comes a time where you may want to transition off keto and wonder if you can still eat one meal a day without being on a ketogenic diet.

And you can, without a doubt. 

 One meal a day isn't reserved for implementation with a ketogenic diet only. You can manage to lose or maintain your weight loss using any form of diet or with additional carbohydrates. 

What Is OMAD

OMAD is short for one meal a day. 

It's just another form of time-restricted eating that allows people to eat their total daily calories in one meal, versus spreading your meals throughout the day.

 Think of your daily calories as a “budget” that you are given at the start of each day.  

You could make small purchases throughout the day, OR you could make one big purchase at the end of the day. 

Why people choose to eat one meal a day

You may have found it easier or more convenient to implement intermittent fasting than eating smaller meals throughout the day, or maybe someone, somewhere, told you that intermittent fasting with the holy grail for fat loss.

After all, who likes to eat like a bird all day when you can eat like a king or queen at night?

And who doesn't want to expedite their results?

Although, whether you eat all your calories in one meal versus four meals will not make a considerable difference in terms of weight loss. 9

Outside of some possible health benefits or as a dietary adherence strategy, IF will not speed up weight loss to any significant extent. If you'd rather eat smaller meals throughout the day, this is your permission to do so.

Besides, most people are busy during the daytime and have most of their social or family obligations that occur during the evening hours. 

You may also generally be more hungry during the evening and/or hate going to bed on an empty stomach, at least that's what sealed it for me.

 Therefore, there's nothing synonymous with OMAD and keto. OMAD merely is eating in a time-restricted fashion and eating all of your daily calories in one meal. 

Hence, “One Meal” A Day.

Can You Eat Anything On OMAD

At the end of the day, the most significant determining factor when it comes to weight loss will be your total calories. 

Yes, despite what other “keto gurus” led you to believe. Insulin isn't as evil as people make it out to be. 

While different macronutrients play a small role, total daily calories will have the most significant impact on whether you lose weight or not.

Therefore, while it still makes sense to eat whole, nutrient-dense foods, you can still lose weight if you're managing your total daily calories.

… and that's whether that involves you sticking to a low-carb ketogenic diet, or a more moderate carbohydrate diet.

However, for many individuals, they find the structure of a ketogenic diet easier to adhere to, feel better, and they're not constantly starving compared to other types of diets. 2 3 4

What To Eat On OMAD

So what should you eat if you want to OMAD without keto? Well, that depends on what you like to eat (within reason of course).

What I mean by that is, a diet shouldn't be based solely on foods that someone told you are “good” or “bad.”

Instead, try to implement foods you enjoy, within reason of course, while achieving your goals. This may mean making healthier substitutes or lower-calorie alternatives, but it's all for the greater good.

After all, how can you sustain a diet based on foods you don't enjoy? 

Easy, you can't.

So instead of asking WHAT to eat, you first need to figure out how much to eat, then fit in what to eat based on that.

The only big suggestion I have here is to set your protein intake, then eat a mix of fat or carbohydrates based on your preference.

To learn more about setting up macros, you can visit the keto macro calculator.

Will You Lose Muscle On OMAD

When you lose weight, the goal shouldn't be ONLY to lose weight, but to lose fat. 

Losing muscle can lead to a variety of negative consequences, but within the context of weight loss, it just means your metabolic rate will be slower.

There's also a higher chance you'll not have the physique you had imagined once you do lose the weight.

Therefore, one must be mindful and aim to preserve as much muscle tissue when dieting as possible.

Whether you lose muscle on OMAD is primarily determined on a few key factors, those being:

  • How fast you're losing weight (0.5-1.5% body weight per week)
  • How much protein you’re eating (~1g/lb) 5
  • Proper stimulus (resistance training)
  • How lean you are (the leaner you are, the more susceptible to muscle loss)
  • Lifestyle factors (stress, sleep, etc.) 6

There's a little more wiggle room when it comes to intermittent fasting or OMAD and weight loss. 

However, if muscle GAIN is a priority, you could gain muscle doing OMAD, but it wouldn't be the most optimal way to do so.

IF vs. OMAD

Whether you choose to do IF using an eating window, such as 16/8 (16 hours fasting, 8 hours feeding), or consolidate all of your calories into one meal is solely based on preference.

 Neither the typical IF eating windows or OMAD is superior for weight loss.  

Therefore, if you enjoy eating 2 or 3 meals versus one big meal, the result will be the same.

Of course, results would only be the same if you ate the same amount of calories and protein spread throughout the 2 or 3 meals as you would the one meal. 

OMAD would only be more beneficial versus the typical IF protocols for weight loss if it allowed you to sustain a more significant caloric deficit. 

Is OMAD Healthy?

Current scientific literature suggests that intermittent fasting, which OMAD falls under, has beneficial effects on cardiovascular biomarkers, may decrease inflammation, and promote longevity.

However, it may be more beneficial if your one meal or eating window was during the earlier half of the day versus the evening time.

This method of shifting your eating window to the morning is referred to as “early time-restricted feeding (eTRF).

During a 5-week crossover trial, researchers using a feeding window from 7 am to 1 pm. 

Compared to a control diet, the early time-restricted feeding window led to less insulin resistance, lower postprandial insulin response, and better beta-cell function. 7

In another stud, they compared a 9-hour feeding window from 8 am to 5 pm versos 12 pm to 9 pm, but no significant differences were found. The eTRF group had a slightly better fasting glucose. 8

If you're still wondering if OMAD is safe and healthy, you have the green light. Most of the benefits are health-related versus weight loss related. 

Intermittent Fasting Without Keto… Can you lose weight intermittent fasting without keto? 

While keto may make intermittent fasting or OMAD more natural to adhere to, you can do both IF or OMAD successfully without a keto diet.

 A ketogenic diet may make it easier to adhere to a long fasting window due to its effect on satiety, but it isn't required. 

I should also note that IF or OMAD isn't required to lose weight either. If fasting for such long periods causes you more stress and you prefer to eat smaller meals throughout the day, I would suggest you do that.

The Takeaway

OMAD or one meal a day is merely a time-restricted feeding method often used by those who enjoy bigger meals over two to six smaller meals throughout the day. 

While there is no inherent benefit for weight loss when it comes to intermittent fasting or one meal a day, this style of eating allows people who prefer it to adhere to their diets, and it fits with their lifestyle.

A ketogenic diet is not required to successfully implement an intermittent fasting or OMAD approach so long as calories are controlled. 

7 Reasons Why You Crave Salt On Keto [Why You Need More]

What's weird is that before starting a ketogenic diet, I was more of a sweet than savory type, but after going keto, that completely reversed. Now, it's like I crave salt like there's no tomorrow.

Naturally, I questioned why this was, and through the years this is what I've learned,

Why are you craving salt on keto? The most often causes of craving salt when first starting keto is due to dehydration, an electrolyte imbalance, less insulin, and the stress your body is undergoing when transitioning into a ketogenic diet. 

In this article, I'll explain what salt does in your body, why you're having intensive cravings, how much you should be eating, the benefits, and even the best salts to use.

Crave salt on keto pinterest

Why You Crave Salt On Keto

There are various reasons why people start to crave more salt when switching to a ketogenic diet. Often, they are usually a result of the reasons I'm about to list for you below.

Dehydration

High carbohydrate consumption has caused your body to retain water and salt up until now. When you eliminate carbohydrates from the diet, you begin to expel pounds of water (yes, pounds).

On average, your body stores ~500 grams of carbohydrates (glycogen). With every gram of glycogen your body stores, an additional three grams of water is stored with it. 

That's 1,500 grams (1.5 kg or 3.3 lbs) of water that is stored just with the carbohydrates in your body. 

When you eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, the stored carbohydrates are eventually used for energy, and the water is expelled, primarily through urination.

Electrolyte Imbalance

Everything you ate previous to starting a ketogenic diet was probably salted up the wazoo. 

Now, chances are none of your food is pre-salted, and because you've eliminated a majority of carbohydrates when starting keto, your body is expelling water…

… and with that water, electrolytes are being lost. 

It's the same reason athletes need sports drinks because when they sweat, they also lose electrolytes. 

Sports drinks are fortified with sodium and potassium to help replenish sodium and potassium lost through sweat and urination. 

Electrolyte are important, especially when first starting a ketogenic diet, most notably sodium and potassium.

Electrolytes I recommend:

Low Insulin

You may think of insulin as the regulator of blood sugar, but insulin also helps the body retain sodium. Without insulin, the kidneys can filter it into the urine at a much quicker rate.

In a 2012 study, this was demonstrated by Type 1 diabetics who do not produce insulin, thus have low insulin levels. These individuals experienced high levels of salt loss through urination. 9

This study demonstrated the opposite effect; they found when given insulin, people's sodium concentration in their urine was reduced, meaning more sodium retention. 2

Low carbohydrates = low insulin and lowered insulin lead to increased excretion of sodium via the kidneys.

Caffeine

Are you a coffee or tea drinker? Many people following a ketogenic diet seem to increase their caffeine intake with keto or bulletproof coffees exponentially, and I get it… they are delicious.

One study found that one cup of coffee (about ~90mg of caffeine) led to 437 mg of extra sodium loss out the urine. When participants consumed around four cups of coffee, there was around a 1,200mg of additional loss of sodium from the urine. 3

If you're ridding your body of salt with extra caffeine, your body may be giving you a sign to replenish it. 

Stress

Changing diets, such as switching from a carbohydrate-based diet to a ketogenic diet, can be a lot of stress on a person's body. 

Craving salt is one way your body may be trying to deal with the stress your body is undergoing.

Cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone,” is released by the adrenal glands as a response to stress. Some research indicates that people with higher levels of sodium release lower levels of cortisol. 4 

A craving for salt may be your body trying to deal with this stressful transition.

A deficiency

You might be asking what deficiency causes you to crave salt? And that's an easy one, salt! 

Duh! 

Think of your salt cravings as a built-in “thermostat” that helps you get in the right amount of salt.

The reason you're craving salt is that your body's “salt thermostat” is set at a certain level, and you're currently below it. Your body responds by increasing cravings for salt to bring your levels back up to where it believes to be sufficient. 

Your hypothalamus produces hormones that dictate your inherent needs. 

Hard-wired?

Some scientists believe that our salt cravings go back to prehistoric times, which makes sense. 

Salt was not as available as it is today. The though is that our brain developed a “reward system” that encourages us to seek out salt when possible; otherwise, we'd die. 

And this makes sense because certain animals in the wild go out of their way to seek out salt licks. https://www.ncpedia.org/salt-licks

Why You Need So Much Salt On Keto

You may be wondering, do you need more salt on keto? Yes, you do need more salt on keto. 

While following a ketogenic diet, your needs may be more significant than with a carbohydrate-based diet. 

Since carbohydrates help store water in our body, and we're severely limiting them from our diet, we don't have as big of a reservoir for holding water.

Therefore, the majority of the burden comes down to the intake of sodium to ensure proper bodily functions and water retention.

What Happens When You Don't Eat Enough Salt

In today's society, we're scare mongered into believing high salt intake will lead to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and hypertension In everyone. 

When you start cutting sodium to less than 3000mg/day, renin, angiotensin II, and aldosterone begin to skyrocket. 5

Increased stress

The stress hormones noradrenaline and adrenaline are activated when we restrict salt intake. 

Higher risk of death or hospitalization

Restricting sodium to less than 2,500 mg per day was associated with a significantly higher risk of mortality or hospitalization, compared to those who did not restrict sodium. 6 7

Decreased sodium also could lead to:

  • Increased cholesterol and triglycerides 8
  • Insulin resistance 9 10
  • Hyponatremia 11

How Much Salt / Sodium On Keto? 

 There's a difference between how much salt we need for basic survival and the necessary salt intake to thrive.  

How much salt you need is individual, your body controls your salt intake, and that's why someone may crave salt more or less than another despite eating the same amount of salt.

Your body has mechanisms in place to control these cravings.

As of 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reduced their Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of sodium from 2,400 to 2,300 mg/day. 

Based on what I've laid out for you in the previous section, you can see how a deficiency in sodium may lead to a whole host of adverse effects.

Why do you need so much salt on keto?

Combine a low sodium intake with a low carbohydrate diet, and you have a recipe for disaster. 

Are you craving salt and tired? This may be why you're feeling exhausted on a ketogenic diet or suffering from all the signs and symptoms of the “keto flu.”

You need more salt because:

  • You have fewer carbohydrates helping you store water
  • Producing less insulin due to lowered carbohydrates, which means more sodium excretion
  • Eating less salt in your diet due to eating more whole-foods 

So do you need more salt on keto? Yes, your need for salt will increase on a ketogenic diet; that's why you may experiencing these salt cravings.

 I'd recommend at least two teaspoons of salt a day (~4,000mg) when following a ketogenic diet. This much salt can come from foods you enjoy, like salted butter and bacon, etc., but it's also essential to salt your foods liberally and to taste. 

Salts I recommend:

Keto, salt, and exercise 

If you're a very active individual or athlete who sweats profusely, which I found out the hard way, then an additional ~ one teaspoon pre-workout may help keep you hydrated and even improve exercise performance. 

Taking salt before exercise can help:

  • Decrease thirst
  • Increase exercise capacity
  • Improve performance
  • Improve muscle gains
  • Decrease the risk of hyponatremia
  • Lower risk of iodine deficiency
  • Improve kidney function

Salt sensitive vs. salt resistant

Salt sensitive individuals are the ones who respond poorly to high salt intakes.

Salt resistant individuals don't respond very much in response to a diet high in salt. If you have healthy kidneys, they are capable of excreting excess salt very efficiently.

About a third of people with high blood pressure are actually salt resistant. 12 About 5% of these individuals have reverse salt sensitivity, meaning, their blood pressure improves when they increase their salt intake. 13  Increases in age and weight make you more susceptible to being salt sensitive. 

Additionally, here are a few more individuals who may be more salt-sensitive:

  • Women
  • African Americans
  • Diabetics
  • Those suffering from chronic kidney disease
 High doses of salt are not unhealthy for all individuals depending on your phenotype (sensitive vs. resistant). Eating so much salt that it becomes fatal is extremely unlikely in either case.[/su_highlight

Is Salt and Sodium The Same Thing?

So what does salt exactly do in our bodies? Why is salt so important?

First, let's distinguish a difference between salt and sodium.

Salt and sodium are not the same things.

  We get sodium from salt, but salt is not sodium. 

Instead, salt is sodium chloride, which is table salt. Sodium chloride is only 40% sodium and 60% chloride.

Take my favorite salt, Redmond Real Salt, as an example:

Crave salt on keto redmond real salt label

As you can see, 1/4 tsp (1.4g) serving has only 530mg of sodium and not 1.4g of sodium.

What Does Salt Do In Our Body?

Now that we know the difference between salt and sodium, why is it so important?

Salt, our primary source of sodium, is a mineral and electrolyte that does some of the following:

  • It helps maintain the right amount of fluid in and around our cells.
  • It helps muscles work efficiently.
  • It helps with nerve signaling throughout your body. 

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Sodium is ESSENTIAL for life!

What Are Symptoms Of Low Sodium and Salt On Keto?

There are many common symptoms associated with low blood sodium; they include:

  • Irritability
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Muscle cramps

Do these sound familiar? It should because these same signs and symptoms happen to people who suffer from the “keto flu.”

Most people suffering from these signs and symptoms think that they mean you're entering ketosis or expected to happen. Still, from my experience, it means you're dehydrated and have an electrolyte imbalance. 

Other symptoms that may indicate a greater need for salt:

  • Cold extremities
  • Dark urine
  • Decreased urine output
  • Dizziness and hypotension (occurs after rising from a seated position)
  • Thirst and salt cravings
  • Constipation
  • The “shakes”
  • Heart palpitations

What To Eat When Craving Salt?

There are no special foods you “should” eat when it comes to your salt cravings; this may be just your body's way of telling you it needs salt.

I recommend people salt their foods to taste, and that is often enough to solve the salt cravings.

Think about it. 

If you put TOO MUCH salt, you WILL know, because now your food just became inedible. 

Which Salt To Use For Keto?

It doesn't matter which salt you use since sodium is sodium. 

However, some salts do offer additional minerals and arguably taste a lot better.

Crave salt on keto redmond analysis

If you can, use unprocessed salts such as:

The Takeaway

If you're craving salt on keto, it's because your body may be signaling you that it needs sodium. 

Due to the low-carbohydrate nature of a ketogenic diet, less sodium and water are retained, thus increasing the need for salt in the diet.

For athletes or active individuals who excessively sweat, additional salt may be required and even suggested to help improve performance.

“You could live the rest of your life without eating another granule of sugar, but you can't stay alive for very long without salt.”