A keto diet (ketone) is a diet that contains only low-carbohydrate foods, moderate amounts of protein, and a lot of fatty foods.
With this method, weight loss is optimal for those who are serious about sports, but even if one just wants to get rid of extra pounds, it helps to avoid weakness, apathy and drowsiness.
Interestingly, such a diet is permissible even in diagnosed type 2 diabetes, although this disease is a contraindication to any other restricted menu.
The essence of the keto diet: the body reaches a state called ketosis, the evolutionary meaning of which is survival in carbohydrate-deficient conditions. For weight loss, this is an opportunity to reduce body fat, dehydrate and have a beautiful relief.
Principles of diet
The diet owes its name to ketone bodies, which are formed in the human body only under certain conditions. These bodies are the result of liposis, which is the process by which fat cells enter the bloodstream. There, they are actively used as an energy source because too little carbohydrate gets into the body through food.
The principle of the keto diet is to create a calorie deficit by limiting or excluding carbohydrate foods from the menu. Proteins and fats partially replace the energy source, but will obviously not be enough for the normal and stable life of the whole body, so fat deposits will be used.
The difference between a keto diet and other diets is that the menu is high in fat and does not contain animal but vegetable fats, which are found in foods fortified with polyunsaturated acids.
Advantages and disadvantages of a keto diet
The types of diet foods considered have the following benefits:
- weight loss is fast and efficient - not fluid leaves the body, but fat after splitting;
- to get rid of fat accumulation, man manages to maintain the flexibility and strength of muscle tissue;
- lack of hunger and desire to eat something harmful that has a positive effect on the state of the psycho-emotional background;
- you don’t have to constantly count your calories.
The keto diet is not unique, so it has some drawbacks:
- not observed for a long time, as excessive intake of proteins and fats in the body leads to problems with the functioning of internal organs and systems due to virtually a lack of carbohydrates;
- vitamin and fiber deficiency occurs during weight loss. What can cause disorders of the intestines and immune system;
- carbohydrate deficiency negatively affects a person’s mental abilities, so the keto diet is not recommended for those who, due to the nature of the profession, are forced to do continuous and intensive mental work.
In addition, while following the keto diet, weight loss can lead to increased drowsiness, rapid fatigue and apathy - in this condition, work activity can "sink".
Contraindications
In fact, there are quite a few of them:
- the presence of inflammatory, infectious kidney diseases and stones in the pelvis and cup of this paired organ;
- problems with your liver - such as progressive hepatosis (a condition in which the cells in an organ are surrounded by fat cells);
- twisting or bending of the gallbladder, stones in it, blocked bile ducts;
- pregnancy and lactation;
- inadequate response of the body to animal proteins.
The author of the weight loss method itself recommends that you see a therapist or consult your GP before following a keto diet. Perhaps latent pathologies develop in the body that can become a contraindication to such weight loss.
White and black listed products
Yes, carbohydrates should be completely excluded from the diet of the dieters, but in order not to find out the composition of a particular food before every meal, it is worth mentioning only two lists.
The white list can be used during the entire weight loss diet of the keto diet:
- any meat, including pork, but low in fat;
- chicken and quail eggs;
- fatty fish (salmon, tuna, salmon, herring and others) and all seafood;
- whole milk, but with a low fat content - not more than 1, 5%;
- any nuts, including hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds;
- oranges and green apples, rarely grapefruit;
- small amounts of fresh vegetables but little starch, i. e. potatoes, corn and all legumes excluded;
- fermented milk products are low in fat with no added flavors or colors.
In principle, such an extensive list of "white" products allows you to create a completely varied and satisfying menu for every day. But you need to understand which products are strictly prohibited:
- potatoes and absolutely all grains;
- chocolate and bananas;
- cakes (butter and not) and grapes;
- bread and sugar.
When compiling your weight loss menu, you need to follow one caveat - you can consume 50 g of carbohydrates a day.
Adaptation of men and women to a new diet
The distinguishing feature of the keto diet is the rather long period of the body’s adaptation to a new diet. And it usually lasts at least a week for men and at least 5 days for women. The easiest days to adjust are considered to be 1 and 2, during which the body consumes the carbohydrates that are ingested before weight loss to get the amount of energy it needs.
The hardest days are 3-5: there are no more carbohydrate reserves, so the processing of proteins into glucose begins. Because the body has not yet adapted, it may begin to take protein from the muscle tissue, resulting in weight loss and even muscle pain.
The complete keto diet lasts for a maximum of 3 weeks and the most difficult is to endure the first 7 days, because already on the 8th day the body's function is fully restored, the process of fat burning begins.
Sample menu for a week
Since you can create a fairly varied menu of approved products, it's a good idea to study an example for at least a day:
- morning - an omelette of three chicken eggs with cream or scrambled eggs + 2 toasts with cheese + ½ grapefruit + tea without sugar;
- lunch - boiled chicken breast with arugula or caesar salad without croutons and sauce + coffee without sugar;
- evening - fried trout with onions or fennel + mineral water.
For snacks between the main meals of the keto diet, you can use walnuts, cottage cheese, kefir, natural yoghurt.
Keto diet recipes
You can make delicious and suitable salads:
- boiled shrimp + arugula + boiled egg + olive oil with a few drops of lemon;
- tomatoes + cucumbers + soft cheese (e. g. Adyghe cheese) + vegetable oil;
- shrimp, mussels, octopus and squid cooked and fried in butter + sprinkle with apple cider vinegar.
When it comes to hot foods, the following are suitable for a keto diet:
- Fish fried in foil - it can be salmon, trout or mackerel. Just add dill greens, a few slices of lemon and salt with ground pepper.
- Roast meat with onions and fennel - put everything in a pan / tin, pour cream and simmer in the oven or stove for an hour. It is appropriate to serve fresh cucumber or arugula leaf with this dish.
- You can make a fluffy omelette with layered cottage cheese eggs or in the oven. In the first case, 1 kg of cottage cheese should be mixed with 5 eggs, poured into a mold and pour all over with greasy sour cream and bake on medium heat for 20-30 minutes. And the omelette is even easier to make: the eggs and milk need to be beaten in equal amounts, salted, and poured into a mold. After 15 minutes in the oven, the mixture is ready for a hot dinner or lunch.
Expected result
Weight loss will be "grandiose"! According to those who have already lost weight with the keto diet, you can get rid of 7-12 kg in a full 3 weeks. In this case, the muscles will not suffer and the figure will be tight and slender. The only thing that will be needed to achieve such an effect is to strictly follow the rules of a prudent method of weight loss and exercise.
The keto diet is considered to be very aggressive and cumbersome for the body and therefore cannot be performed without first consulting a therapist or treating physician in the presence of chronic pathologies. Such a diet is performed no more than once in six months and you should leave your diet very carefully - adding 30 g of carbohydrates a day.
Losing weight with a carb-free diet (keto) will certainly work, but only if you approach your body responsibly and follow the menu’s recommendations. And exercise helps support muscles and prevents them from weakening and flabby.