What is the keto diet and how to follow it correctly?

When you give up sweets and other sweets for a long time, weight starts to decrease.Therefore, by removing these foods from the diet, we can safely say that a lighter version of the keto diet is being used.Today, this nutrition program is becoming more and more popular.

Operating principle

This is explained by the fact that calorie intake is not lost in the process of burning fat, as a result of which muscle mass and a good metabolic rate are maintained.

The principle of this dietary food is as follows: in the process of lipolysis (excess fat entering the blood), so-called ketone bodies appear in the body.In the future, the body uses these fats as energy.

Ketone bodies appear in the liver with limited glucose intake.This phenomenon is the reason for reducing the consumption of carbohydrates (more than 100 grams per day is not allowed).

If you do not take into account that proteins and fats do not play a big role in the formation of ketone bodies, it can generally increase the caloric content of the menu.It is important to remember that any diet involves a calorie deficit, so it is necessary to maintain the level of carbohydrates and other nutritional components with a keto diet.

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

The principles of the keto diet are simple:

1. A few days before, you should calculate the energy value of the usual menu using a calorie calculator.Thanks to the calculation, you will be able to find out the average daily calorie intake.From the beginning of following this diet, it is necessary to reduce the calculated number of calories by 500-700.
2. It is important to exclude alcoholic beverages from the diet, as they have no benefit.
3. Foods containing carbohydrates should be excluded.Vegetables are a source of carbohydrates because the fiber in these products is a complex carbohydrate.Therefore, vegetables are prohibited.It is allowed to eat no more than 200 grams of green vegetables per day.It can be greens or lettuce.
4. Protein foods should be the main source of nutrition.
5. Consumption of vegetable oils is allowed.
6. The menu may contain eggs, oil, nuts, fish and meat.Controlling calorie intake is very important.

Diet and exercise should be combined.Since the keto diet is one of those diets that does not reduce the amount of muscle tissue, but rather fat, it is immediately obvious that the body will become more prominent after a while.To make it more attractive, it is important to train in sports equipment, which will speed up the fat processing process.

People who have not previously engaged in intense physical exercise can consume up to 40 grams of pure carbohydrates during the ketogenic diet.

Efficiency

Given that daily calorie intake is reduced by about 15%, switching to this diet allows you to quickly and effectively get rid of accumulated fat.After a week of dieting, you can lose up to 3 kg without feeling hungry.

Since the nutrition program does not have a stressful effect on the body, it does not slow down the metabolic process.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 by following a keto diet, you can lose several sizes in 3 weeks and achieve long-lasting results.If a person follows a proper diet in the future and consumes carbohydrates in a normal amount, then weight loss will continue normally.

The difference between the keto diet and simple low-carb diets is that it is long-term and systematic.In the first week, the body gets used to the changes and eats from reserves.In the second week, the process of burning subcutaneous fat begins.

The body prepares for ketosis in 4 stages:

1. Absolute glucose consumption.In the first half of the day after the last meal, the body uses glucose from carbohydrates.
2. Complete waste of glycogen.Within 12 hours, the body processes the entire amount of glucose, and then the body takes glycogen from the reserves of muscles and liver.This stage lasts about 1-2 days.
3. Protein and fat waste.This stage is the most difficult, because using all the reserves of carbohydrates, the body begins to process fatty acids, as well as produce the necessary amount of protein and glucose.At this stage, the body uses protein as an energy source.
4. Fat consumption.This process is observed on about the 7th day of keto nutrition.The body gets used to the lack of carbohydrates and ketosis begins.The process of breaking down your body and food protein slows down and fat becomes the main source.

Menu for the week

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

You can eat the following foods for breakfast:

• Boiled eggs from 3 eggs (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);
• chicken breast boiled or fried in olive oil (170 g - 276 kcal);
• hard cheese (30 g - 109 kcal);

For afternoon tea you can eat:

• almonds (30 g - 121 kcal);
• protein cocktail (per serving - 134 kcal);

Allowed for lunch:

• salmon (130 g - 256 kcal);
• brown rice (30 g - 88 kcal);
• lettuce (30 g);

For the second lunch you can eat:

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

Such a nutrition program allows you to eat 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 broken or modified.This is a sample menu that shows how much protein, fat and calories should be in your daily diet.

List of permitted and prohibited products

The following foods are allowed on the keto diet:

• fish (including oily species);
• all kinds of meat;
• cheese;
• cottage cheese (it is recommended to give preference to low-fat);
• nuts;
• eggs;
• vegetables (not all);
• dairy products.

As for vegetables, it is worth clarifying.They contain some carbohydrates, so it is important to control the total amount of calories (the amount consumed at a time should not exceed 40 grams).

As for meat and dairy products, it is important to say that these products can be consumed in any quantity.It is optimal to give preference to chicken or turkey among meats.Among dairy products, the most useful are low-fat milk, kefir and yogurt without yogurt.Among the fish, it is better to eat herring and salmon.

Prohibited foods when following a keto diet are:

• bread and confectionery products;
• bananas and sweet grapes;
• beet;
• root;
• potatoes;
• cereals;
• pasta;
• sugar.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the diet:

1. The most important advantage of this diet is the rapid burning of fat.This is especially important for athletes, because with other diets, muscle mass is lost along with fat.When the level of muscle mass decreases, the metabolism also slows down.
2. This diet can be followed by people who do not exercise.With this diet, hunger does not appear and calories do not disappear.We can say that the reduced amount of carbohydrates is replaced by fats.But it is worth remembering that the amount of calories should not be excessive.In this regard, the consumption of fats and proteins should be controlled.
3. Another advantage of the diet is to monitor your appetite.Hunger is eliminated with this diet, because protein and fatty foods simultaneously prevent hunger and weight loss.The main thing is that after completing the diet, the weight does not return.

Disadvantages of the diet:

1. Since only protein foods are consumed in the menu, adverse conditions such as bloating, constipation, and heaviness in the stomach may be observed.This phenomenon is explained by the lack of fiber in food allowed during the diet (found in bread, vegetables, potatoes, fruits).So that digestion does not suffer, you need to eat a very small amount of cabbage, apples and sour grapes.
2. It is difficult to determine what causes a lack of glucose.The body of all people reacts differently to the lack of this element.Therefore, weakness and fatigue may occur in the first week.You should continue for at least 3 weeks to see results.

Contraindications

You cannot follow the diet in the following cases:

1. Diseases of diabetes mellitus, pathologies of kidneys, digestive system and intestines.
2. Work related to mental stress (lack of glucose will affect the quality of work).
3. Vigorous physical activity.

Reviews

• Review #1: "For me, the diet was easy and very effective. I ate almost nothing except vegetables and fruits. In the first days, it was difficult to switch to a different diet; I felt weak and wanted to sleep. But over time, my body adapted and it was easy for me to eat differently. I do sports, so I lost 5 kg in about a month. "
• Review #2: "You can't stay on a diet like this for long because the lack of glucose causes stress. But I took vitamins to support the immune system and drank herbal tea to calm down. I was able to lose weight and get in shape in a short amount of time. I think I'll go keto every now and then."
• Review #3: "I did this diet for fun. I managed to lose weight and jump start my metabolism almost without changing my diet. I went into ketosis by reducing the amount of carbs I consumed. I was full, I didn't feel hungry and I lost 7 kg in a month. I think that's a great result and I still control my carbs to this day."