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

With prolonged abstinence from confectionery and other sweets, weight begins to decrease.Therefore, by removing these foods from the diet, we can confidently say that a lighter version of the keto diet is used.Today, this nutritional program is becoming more and more popular.

Principle of operation

This is because during the fat burning process, calorie intake is not lost, allowing muscle mass and a good metabolic rate to be maintained.

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

Ketone bodies appear in the liver with limited glucose intake.This phenomenon is the cause of a reduced consumption of carbohydrates (no more than 100 grams per day are allowed).

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

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

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 will be able to know the average daily calorie intake.From the start of this diet, you should reduce the calculated number of calories by 500 to 700.
2. It is important to remove alcoholic beverages from the diet, as they do not provide any benefit.
3. Foods containing carbohydrates should be removed.Vegetables are a source of carbohydrates, since the fiber present in these products is a complex carbohydrate.This is why vegetables are prohibited.It is allowed to eat a maximum of 200 g of green vegetables per day.It can be green vegetables or lettuce.
4. Protein foods should be the main source of nutrition.
5. It is allowed to consume vegetable fats.
6. The menu may include eggs, butter, nuts, fish and meat.It is very important to control your calorie intake.

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

People who have never done strenuous exercise can consume up to 40 grams of pure carbohydrates during a ketogenic diet.

Efficiency

Considering that the 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.

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

From the experience of many people, it can be said that in 3 weeks of keto diet you can achieve a reduction of a few sizes and lasting results.If in the future a person adheres to proper nutrition and consumes carbohydrates in normal quantities, weight loss will continue normally.

The difference between the keto diet and simple low-carb diets is its long duration and systematic nature.During the first week, the body gets used to the changes and eats from its reserves.From the second week, the process of burning subcutaneous fat begins.

The body prepares for ketosis in 4 steps:

1. Absolute glucose consumption.The first half of the day after the last meal, the body uses glucose from carbohydrates.
2. Complete waste of glycogen.In 12 hours, the body processes the entire amount of glucose, then the body takes glycogen from muscle and liver stores.This stage lasts approximately 1 to 2 days.
3. Waste of proteins and fats.This stage is the most difficult because, having exhausted all carbohydrate reserves, the body switches to the processing of fatty acids, as well as the production of the required amount of protein and glucose.At this stage, the body uses protein as an energy source.
4. Fat consumption.This process is observed approximately on the seventh day of keto nutrition.The body gets used to the carbohydrate deficiency and ketosis begins.The process of breaking down your own and food proteins slows down and fats become the main source.

Menu of 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 (for 180 g - 264 kcal);
• a serving of protein shake (30 g – 121 kcal);
• toast with cheese (50 g - 197 kcal);

The following foods are allowed for lunch:

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

For afternoon tea, you can eat:

• almonds (for 30 g – 121 kcal);
• protein shake (per serving – 134 kcal);

For dinner, you are entitled to:

• salmon (for 130 g – 256 kcal);
• black rice (30 g – 88 kcal);
• lettuce (30 g);

For the second dinner, you can eat:

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

Such a nutritional program allows you to eat 1938 kcal per day.With such products, the body receives 211 grams of proteins, 90 grams of fats and 81 grams of carbohydrates.This menu should not be considered a strict diet that cannot be disrupted or adjusted.This is a sample menu that shows the amount of protein, fat and calories you should consume daily.

List of authorized and prohibited products

The following foods are allowed on the keto diet:

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

Concerning vegetables, this deserves to be clarified.They contain carbohydrates, so it is important to control the total amount of calories (the amount consumed at a time should not exceed 40 grams).

Regarding meat and dairy products, it is important to specify that these products can be consumed in any quantity.Among meats, it is optimal to favor chicken or turkey.Among dairy products, the most useful are skimmed milk, kefir and yogurt without additives.Among fish, it is better to eat herring and salmon.

Foods prohibited on the keto diet are:

• bakery and confectionery products;
• bananas and sweet grapes;
• beet;
• carrot;
• potato;
• cereals;
• pasta;
• sugar.

Advantages and disadvantages

Benefits of the plan:

1. The most important benefit of this diet is rapid fat burning.This is especially important for athletes, because with other diets muscle mass and fat are lost.When your muscle mass decreases, your metabolism slows down as well.
2. This diet can be followed by people who do not exercise.With this diet, the feeling of hunger does not appear and the calories do not disappear.It can be said that the reduced amount of carbohydrates is replaced by fats.But it is worth remembering that the calorie content should not exceed the limits.In this regard, the consumption of fats and proteins should be controlled.
3. Another benefit of the diet is monitoring your appetite.With this diet, hunger is eliminated, since protein and fatty foods prevent you from starving and losing weight at the same time.The key point is that the weight does not come back after completing the diet.

Disadvantages of the diet:

1. Since only protein foods are consumed on the menu, negative aspects such as bloating, constipation and 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 (they are found in bread, vegetables, potatoes and fruits).To prevent digestion from suffering, you should eat cabbage, apples and sour grapes in very small quantities.
2. It is difficult to determine what a lack of glucose will cause.Everyone's body reacts differently to a deficiency of this element.Therefore, weakness and malaise may occur during the first week.For the results to be visible, you must last at least 3 weeks.

Contraindications

You cannot follow a diet in the following cases:

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

Notice

• Review #1: "For me, the diet turned out to be simple and very effective. I ate almost only vegetables and fruits. The first days, it was difficult to change my diet; I felt weak and wanted to sleep. However, over time, my body adapted and it was easy for me to eat differently. I play sports, so I lost 5 kg in about a month and the weight remained the same even after the diet."
• Review No. 2: "You cannot follow such a diet for a long time, because stress occurs due to a lack of glucose. But I took vitamins that support the immune system and drank herbal teas to calm down. I managed to lose weight and get in shape in a short time. I think that from time to time I will turn to the keto diet."
• Review No. 3: "I followed this diet for fun. Almost without changing my diet, I managed to lose weight and start my metabolism. I achieved 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."