What is the Keto Diet and How to Follow It Properly?

If you avoid confectionery and other sweets for a long time, your weight will begin to drop.Therefore, when we eliminate these foods from the diet, we can safely say that a lighter version of the keto diet is being used.Nowadays, this nutritional program is becoming increasingly popular.

Working principle

This is because no calories are lost when burning fat, thereby maintaining muscle mass and a good metabolism.

The principle of this dietary diet is as follows: During lipolysis (excess fat enters the blood), so-called ketone bodies are formed in the body.In the future, the body uses these fats as energy.

Ketone bodies appear in the liver when glucose uptake is limited.This phenomenon is the reason for reduced carbohydrate consumption (no more than 100 grams per day is allowed).

If one does not take into account that proteins and fats do not play a major role in the formation of ketone bodies, they can generally increase the calorie content of the diet.It is important to remember that any diet involves a lack of calories.Therefore, on a keto diet it is necessary to maintain the levels of carbohydrates and other nutrients.

By creating conditions for a calorie deficiency (mainly due to carbohydrates), the process of burning fat takes place.

The principles of the keto diet are simple:

1. A few days in advance, you need to calculate the energy value of your usual menu using a calorie calculator.Thanks to the calculation, you can determine the average daily calorie intake.From the start of this diet, you need to reduce the calculated number of calories by 500-700.
2. It is important to eliminate alcoholic drinks from the diet as they have no benefit.
3. Foods containing carbohydrates should be removed.Vegetables are a source of carbohydrates because the fiber contained in these products is complex carbohydrates.That's why vegetables are forbidden.It is allowed to eat no more than 200 g of green vegetables per day.This can be vegetables or salad.
4. Protein foods should be the main source of nutrition.
5. The consumption of vegetable fats is permitted.
6. The menu can include eggs, butter, nuts, fish and meat.It is very important to control your calorie intake.

Diet and exercise must be combined.Since the keto diet is one of the diets that does not involve reducing the amount of muscle tissue, but only fat, it is immediately obvious that after a while the body becomes more prominent.To make it more attractive, it is important to exercise on sports equipment, which accelerates the process of processing fat.

People who have not previously engaged in vigorous physical activity can consume up to 40 grams of pure carbohydrates while on a ketogenic diet.

Efficiency

Considering that daily calorie intake is reduced by about 15%, switching to this diet allows for quick and effective elimination of accumulated fat.After a week of dieting, you can lose up to 3 kg without feeling hungry.

The nutritional program does not slow down the metabolic process as it does not have a stressful effect on the body.Therefore, even if a person switches to the same diet, including carbohydrates, the lost weight does not return.

From the experience of many people, it can be said that within three weeks of following the keto diet you can achieve a weight loss of a few sizes and long-lasting results.In the future, if a person adheres to proper nutrition and consumes carbohydrates in normal amounts, weight loss will continue normally.

The difference between the keto diet and simple low-carb diets is their long duration and systematics.In the first week, the body gets used to the changes and feeds from reserves.In the second week, the process of burning subcutaneous fat begins.

The body prepares for ketosis in 4 phases:

1. Absolute glucose consumption.In the first half of the day after the end of the last meal, the body uses glucose that comes from carbohydrates.
2. Complete waste of glycogen.Within 12 hours, the body processes the entire amount of glucose and then takes glycogen from the reserves of the muscles and liver.This phase lasts about 1-2 days.
3. Waste of protein and fat.This phase is the most difficult, since after depleting all carbohydrate reserves, the body continues to process fatty acids, and also produces the required amount of protein and glucose.At this stage, the body uses protein as an energy source.
4. Fat consumption.Around the 7th day of the keto diet, this process is observed.The body gets used to the lack of carbohydrates and ketosis begins.The process of breaking down your own and dietary protein slows down and fat becomes the main source.

Menu for the week

Next, it is important to familiarize yourself with the menu for the week.

For breakfast you can eat the following foods:

• Scrambled eggs from 3 eggs (per 180 g - 264 kcal);
• one serving of protein shake (30 g – 121 kcal);
• Toast with cheese (50 g – 197 kcal);

The following foods are allowed for lunch:

• boiled dark rice (88 kcal per 30 g);
• boiled or fried chicken breast in olive oil (170 g – 276 kcal);
• hard cheese (per 30 g - 109 kcal);

For afternoon tea you can eat:

• Almonds (per 30 g – 121 kcal);
• Protein shake (per serving – 134 kcal);

For dinner you can:

• Salmon (per 130 g – 256 kcal);
• dark rice (30 g – 88 kcal);
• salad (30 g);

For the second dinner you can eat:

• cottage cheese (100 g);
• casein (30 g);

With such a nutritional program you can consume 1938 kcal per day.With such products, the body receives 211 grams of protein, 90 grams of fat and 81 grams of carbohydrates.This menu should not be considered a strict diet that cannot be interrupted or adjusted.This is a sample menu showing how much protein, fat and calories your daily diet should contain.

List of permitted and prohibited products

The following foods are allowed on the keto diet:

• fish (including fatty varieties);
• meat of any kind;
• Cheese;
• cottage cheese (it is advisable to give preference to low-fat cheese);
• nuts;
• eggs;
• vegetables (not all);
• dairy products.

A clarification is needed regarding vegetables.They contain some carbohydrates, so it is important to control the total amount of calories (the amount consumed at once should not be more than 40 grams).

When it comes to meat and dairy products, it is important to say that these products can be consumed in any quantity.When it comes to meat, it is optimal to prefer chicken or turkey.Among dairy products, the most useful are low-fat milk, kefir and yogurt without additives.Among fish it is better to eat herring and salmon.

Prohibited foods on the keto diet include:

• baked goods and confectionery;
• bananas and sweet grapes;
• beets;
• Carrot;
• Potato;
• Grain;
• Pasta;
• Sugar.

Advantages and disadvantages

Benefits of the diet:

1. The biggest advantage of this diet is rapid fat burning.This is particularly important for athletes, as with other diets muscle mass is lost in addition to fat.As your muscle mass decreases, your metabolism also slows down.
2. This diet can be followed by people who do not exercise.With this diet there is no feeling of hunger and calories are not lost.We can say that the reduced amount of carbohydrates is replaced by fats.However, it should be noted that the calorie content should not exceed the limits.In this context, the consumption of fats and proteins should be controlled.
3. Another benefit of the diet is monitoring your appetite.This diet eliminates hunger because protein and fatty foods prevent you from starving and losing weight at the same time.The key point is that the weight does not return after the diet is completed.

Disadvantages of the diet:

1. Since only protein-containing foods are consumed on the menu, negative aspects such as flatulence, constipation and a feeling of heaviness in the stomach can be observed.This phenomenon is explained by the fact that the foods allowed during the diet do not contain fiber (it is found in bread, vegetables, potatoes and fruits).To prevent digestion from suffering, you need to eat cabbage, apples and sour grapes in very small quantities.
2. It is difficult to determine what glucose deficiency entails.Each person's body reacts differently to a lack of this element.Therefore, you may experience weakness and discomfort in the first week.In order for the results to be visible, you need to last at least 3 weeks.

Contraindications

You cannot follow a diet in the following cases:

1. Diseases of diabetes mellitus, diseases of the kidneys, digestive system and intestines.
2. Work associated with psychological stress (glucose deficiency affects the quality of work).
3. Vigorous physical activity.

Reviews

• Review #1: "For me, the diet was simple and very effective. I ate almost only vegetables and fruits. In the first few days it was difficult to switch to a different diet, I felt weak and wanted to sleep. However, over time, my body adapted and it was easy for me to eat differently. I exercise and lost 5 kg in about a month, and the weight remained the same even after the diet."
• Review #2: "You can't stick to such a diet for a long time, as the lack of glucose creates stress. But I took vitamins that support the immune system and drank herbal tea to calm myself down. I managed to lose weight and get in shape in a short time. I think I will resort to the keto diet from time to time."
• Review # 3: "I followed this diet for fun. Almost without changing my diet, I managed to lose weight and increase my metabolism. I reached a state of ketosis by reducing the amount of carbohydrates consumed. The body was full, there was no feeling of hunger and I lost 7 kg in a month. I think this is an excellent result, and to this day I control the carbohydrates that the body receives."