Do you want to be slimmer but don't want to be hungry all the time?Then pay attention to the keto diet!With this diet, you can lose weight quickly without counting calories or portions.
In the 80-90s, the entire Western world (especially America) was afraid of fatty and oily foods.At that time, it was popular to abandon normal naturally fatty foods and switch to low-fat foods.Products with very low fat content filled all supermarket shelves.The reasoning behind this was that fat contains more calories than carbohydrates.But what people didn't know was that if they ate less fat, they would start eating more carbohydrates to stay full.Therefore, at that time, words about obesity and diabetes began to be heard frequently.Now it is clear why you should abandon natural products containing a sufficient amount of natural fats and prefer low-fat diet products.
What is the keto (ketone) diet?
The keto diet is a diet in which carbohydrate intake is limited and fat and protein are increased in the diet.The basic principle of this diet is more fat, less carbohydrates.This diet is stricter than, for example, the Atkins diet, where you can eat absolutely any fat.It got its name from the ketone bodies formed during the metabolism of fats and then used as energy, and the process itself is called ketosis.Usually carbohydrates are used for these purposes, but if there is a deficiency, the body finds a solution and resorts to fats, which become the main source of energy.
Who is the keto diet suitable for?
Keto diet is very suitable for those who want to lose weight quickly as well as those who want to gain the necessary muscle mass and lose weight.However, if you train in the gym and want to build muscle mass using this diet, unfortunately this diet will not suit you.Ketonic diet is a very delicate and complex process in which you need to be able to listen well to your body, so even some experienced athletes lose some of their muscle mass.
Basic information
In addition to reducing the proportion of all carbohydrates you consume on this diet, you also need to limit your sugar and starch intake.When you limit foods containing starch and sugar as much as possible, your body's blood sugar levels begin to stabilize and insulin levels decrease.Therefore, fat burning increases and you do not feel full most of the time.When you limit carbohydrate intake, the body begins to switch from glycolysis (percentage of carbohydrate breakdown) to lipolysis (percentage of fat breakdown).This occurs when glycogen reserves in the liver and muscles are completely depleted;Usually these processes begin 2 days after the diet.
What can you eat?
- meat products: almost any type of poultry, beef and even pork.You can also eat chicken skin, but it is recommended that it be a domestic chicken that has not been fed with feed.
- Seafood: squid, shrimp, herring, salmon or other oily fish without breading.
- eggs: Eggs can be prepared as desired.
- healthy fats: Use olive oil or vegetable oil when cooking.Also include omega 3-6 fats in your diet.
- vegetables: You can eat all kinds of green vegetables and herbs (cabbage, lettuce, asparagus).
- Milk: sour cream, butter, cream 40% and fatty cheeses.
- Hazelnut: These are often found in diets, and the keto diet is no exception.
- fruits: Fruits are very beneficial for the whole body, so they can be consumed in moderation.
Try to choose foods with a carbohydrate percentage of no more than 6%.
Also try to drink more water and green tea.
What can't you eat?
- Starch: Foods containing starch (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes) should be avoided as much as possible.
- Sugar: All forms (solid and liquid) must be excluded, this is our greatest enemy.All kinds of sweet sodas, confectionery, ice cream and similar popular products on store shelves - all this should be excluded from the diet.
- Margarine: This product is unnecessary in any diet or just a healthy diet, so forget about it.
- Beer: This drink contains a lot of quickly absorbed carbohydrates.
- fruits: Avoid fruits rich in sugar (grapes, mangoes, tangerines).
How much should you eat?
Fats – 65%;Proteins – 30%;Green vegetables – 5
There is a very important rule in the keto diet;The weight of proteins should be equal to the weight of fats.There is almost no difference in weight, but when we look at the calorie content, we have a twofold advantage in favor of fats (fat-9 kcal, protein-4 kcal), in fact, this is the principle of this diet.Let's say you need to eat 2000 kcal per day, we get:
1300 kcal/145 grams - fat;600 kcal/150 grams - proteins;(carbohydrates - 20/30 grams)
We get about 150 grams of protein and carbohydrates, which should be consumed at the rate of 2000 kcal for the whole day.By the way, the B/F ratio does not affect the portions in any way, it just summarizes the whole day.The percentage of protein and fat may vary slightly, but mostly fat is preferred.For example, a diet may consist of 20% protein foods and 75% fats.
Use the calculator to calculate the required amount of calories for yourself.Remember that to lose weight you need to create a calorie deficit, so spend 300-500 kcal.more than you eat.
How to follow the keto diet properly?
The diet itself can last from 1 week to 1-2 months (depending on your goals).However, it is recommended to use it for 1-2 weeks at first.In order for the body not to experience great stress, the first week should be spent with increased protein portions (up to 45%), as it must gradually adapt to the use of fat.In the second week, you can reduce the protein rate to 30% and continue to stick to this plan.Exiting the ketone diet should be gradual, that is, increase the carbohydrate rate by no more than 30 grams per day.In a few weeks, without torturing yourself with hunger and counting portions, you can actually lose weight by up to 10 kilograms.
What is the difference between low-carb and ketone diets?
A low-carb diet can often contain more than 60 grams of carbohydrates, which is unacceptable for a keto diet.With such a large amount of carbohydrates, the body cannot switch to constant work on fats, since the processes associated with ketosis themselves do not occur.And on the keto diet, the body receives a negligible amount of carbohydrates (or none on the diet) and is forced to work on fats.
How does this work?
When you consume a lot of carbohydrates, only a certain portion of them is absorbed in the intestines and then broken down into simple sugars.Once absorbed, simple sugars raise blood sugar levels, which trigger insulin secretion.This hormone can increase the synthesis of not only proteins but also fats, thus it is directly related to fat accumulation.
Insulin is produced intrasecretory in the pancreas.When insulin is elevated, it can inhibit fat burning and also store excess nutrients in fat cells.After a while, this can cause a lack of glucose in the body, which can lead to starvation.As a result of these processes, the brain sends signals and the person tries to saturate his body with food as soon as possible.This is a continuous cycle that requires fat accumulation processes.
When low amounts of carbohydrates are consumed, blood sugar levels rise gradually and become mostly stable, which does not cause large spikes in insulin.This approach allows you to increase the release of fat from fat stores, which increases fat burning.
diabetics
If you have diabetes, you will need to check your blood sugar levels more frequently when you start this diet.By following this diet and limiting yourself to carbohydrates as much as possible, you reduce your need for hypoglycemic medications.If you use the same insulin dose as before the diet, you may cause hypoglycemia, so you need to reduce the dose of the medications.To be as safe as possible, you should consult your personal physician.If you are absolutely healthy, there is almost no risk of developing hypoglycemia.
Keto diet side effects
When you first start following this diet and stop eating sugar and starches, you may experience some side effects as your body reacts to the changes in diet.On average, the duration of such a reaction disappears after only a few days.
Popular side effects:
- Numbness.
- Headaches.
- Weight.
- Erethism.
- Increased heart rate.
Once the body adapts, side effects disappear.To minimize these you need to drink more water and also add some salt to some vegetables, but very little.
Keto diet menu
Breakfast
For breakfast, you can eat up to 15 grams of carbohydrates, which can be obtained from non-starchy vegetables and cheese.You can also prepare an omelette with 2-4 eggs and fried tomatoes.
Lunch
At lunch, you should avoid grains, starchy vegetables, sugar, fruits, as well as milk and yoghurt.Abuse of carbohydrates is also not recommended and it is best to limit their intake to 15 grams.For lunch, it is best to eat salad, meat or vegetable soup with meatballs, without potatoes, noodles and rice.
Evening meal
For dinner you need to combine green vegetables and meat.You can also add healthy fats in the form of nuts or flavor the salad with herbal or olive oil.
Snacks
Your snacks should not contain more than 5 grams of carbohydrates and should consist of protein and fat.These may include boiled eggs, fish, chicken wings, cucumber, celery and cheese.