A ketogenic diet for weight loss is different from a low-carb diet, although the basic principles of both diets are similar. On a low-carb diet, ketones do not accumulate in the blood and the body does not use them as a source of energy. And in a state of ketosis, ketone bodies are the main fuel that powers the body's functions.
A low-carb diet simply limits the amount of glucose, and a ketogenic diet almost eliminates its intake from the outside. Only 5% of the calories the body receives from carbohydrates, the rest - from fats. At the same time, it is important that a person successfully adapts and constantly remains in a state of ketosis.
If the diet is combined with training, you should carefully monitor the amount of incoming protein. It should not be too small for the muscles to recover after sports. But if the protein starts flowing more than normal, the body will start breaking it down to glucose and it will come out of the state of ketosis.
In pursuit of harmony, we are sometimes ready for the most drastic measures, exhausting our body, leading it to anorexia, which is extremely dangerous to health. Others exhaust themselves with strength training, but still cannot achieve a toned body. This is because it is better to act comprehensively, combining proper nutrition and moderate physical activity. One of the progressive nutrition systems is the ketogenic, which will be discussed in our article.
The keto diet (also known as ketogenic or ketone) is an extremely low-carb diet. At the same time, fats prevail in the diet, as well as a moderate amount of proteins (proteins).
At the beginning of the 20s of the 20th century, doctors faced a serious problem - the treatment of epileptic seizures turned out to be ineffective. Against the background of the usual way of life, attacks in patients appear regularly. Then nutritionists developed a completely new nutritional system that helped stop the symptoms, minimizing the crises. Over time, it became clear that along with the seizures, excess subcutaneous fat began to melt.
Ten to fifteen years later, anticonvulsant drugs appeared to help epileptics control their seizures. But the cardiologist from the United States, Robert Atkins, invented a diet for weight loss based on previous developments. It is true that carbohydrates were present in his version and proteins were not disturbed, which prevented the body from remaining in a state of ketosis, on which the entire harmonious system of the modern keto diet is based.
In the late nineties, the American director Jim Abrahams decided to share the story of his son's struggle with epilepsy. Due to intolerance to some drugs, as well as their side effects, the boy could not take the prescribed drugs. The ketogenic diet helped to find a way out, for which Jim made a famous movie called "Do No Harm" with Meryl Streep in the lead role. So the keto diet went beyond a purely medical phenomenon and became a public domain.
Where does the wild popularity of such a power system come from, why does it really work? Normally, our body gets its energy "fuel" from carbohydrates, turning them into glucose. It also nourishes the neurons of the brain. However, with a shortage of this product, the body begins to look for alternative methods of nutrition, using fat cells.
Scientists have shown that the ketogenic diet suppresses the body's production of the hormone ghrelin. It is he who is responsible for the feeling of hunger. With a properly selected diet of this type of food, you will stop suffering from a constant desire for something to eat. This is such a nice side effect of ketosis.
When our body stops receiving carbohydrates as its only source of energy, it turns to the same reserves of fat that it has saved for a rainy day. They are processed by the liver, breaking them down into glycerol and fatty acids. They subsequently form ketone bodies that fuel the body and brain.
The process is called metabolic ketosis. It comes on about the seventh day of the diet. Then the body stops the process of processing glucose (glycolysis), using reserves from the muscles, liver and other tissues, while activating lipolysis - the high-quality breakdown of fats.
The peculiarity of this type of nutrition is that you can lose weight by burning your own fat reserves. After all, carb eating is not happening. At the same time, protein tissues remain intact. That is, such a diet is very suitable both only for losing weight and for those who engage in sports that require special endurance (heavy weights, marathons, triathlons).
The main feature of the ketogenic diet is varied nutrition, depending on the capabilities of your body. There are three main types of diet.
- Standard. This is the most affordable type of diet where carbohydrates are gradually reduced to an extreme minimum. It is suitable for anyone involved in sports or fitness. The main principle here will be the rejection of the so-called refeeds (days in which the consumption of carbohydrates is permissible). It is highly efficient and takes the same number of calories.
- Directed or directed. With this type of loading days are acceptable, when there are foods rich in carbohydrates, it is permissible. For example, to eliminate drowsiness or fatigue during intense training, for example before competitions.
- Cyclic. This option is considered the most modern, it is not available to everyone. With such a diet, you must independently determine when it is time to replenish the reserves of carbohydrates, which are needed, for example, during intensive training or exhaustion of the body. This suggests a return to ketosis when balance is restored.
Nutritionists recommend starting a diet with a standard one, but if you feel bad, switch to more sparing regimes.
The ketogenic diet was first used in the 1920s, and not at all for weight loss - it was successfully used at the Mayo Clinic (USA) to treat children with epilepsy. However, since obesity was not a global problem 100 years ago, the benefits of dieting for weight loss have only recently been exploited.
What is the ketogenic diet for weight loss?
The very name of the diet comes from the word "ketosis". This is a metabolic condition that occurs when a critically small amount of carbohydrates enters the body. It contributes to rapid weight loss, but, as studies show, only for a short period of time. In the long term (if you follow a ketogenic diet for more than a year), the results are not much different from any other diet. A balanced low-calorie diet will give approximately the same effect, but it will be just as fast.
Stages of adaptation of the body: pros and cons
Due to differences in genetics, each person has an individual "journey" to ketosis. Some can get there within three or four days and stay there for a month without problems, while others can't achieve results even after a week. There's no needworrying and going to extremes, giving up halfway through. The main thing is to understand what is happening in the body, where to start on a keto diet and how to deal with negativity.
In order for the body to get used to ketosis, it will have to go through a difficult path with many changes.
Allowed and forbidden foods on a keto diet
In any food system, certain foods are excluded in favor of the consumption of others. For example, the paleo diet only includes what a caveman could get on his own. So the dos and don'ts of the keto diet.
- Organic red meat: lamb, beef, pork, game, poultry with skin.
- Lard, fat.
- Heavy cream, butter, ghee.
- River and sea fish of fattier varieties (salmon, sardines, halibut, trout, tuna), seafood (shrimps, mussels, crabs, lobsters).
- eggs.
- Vegetable oils are best consumed raw: flax, sesame, olive, coconut, macadamia oil and avocado.
- All green vegetables.
- Nuts and seeds.
- Some types of legumes: asparagus (green) beans, peanuts.
- Mushrooms of different varieties (forest and cultivated by people).
- The green ones.
- Dairy and lactic acid products (cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk, yogurt).
If you follow a keto diet, you should not consume hydrogenated or at least partially hydrogenated oils in any form. They provoke jumps in cholesterol, stimulate inflammation, increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
- Sugar, as a sweetener and in the composition of any dishes.
- Refined, frozen vegetable oils.
- Bread, cakes, pastries, flour products.
- Skim, condensed or whole milk.
- Noodles, pasta, spaghetti, lasagna.
- Biscuits, desserts, cakes, sweets.
- Rice, quinoa.
- Fruits and dried fruits.
- Any cereal.
- Jams, preserves, mousses, puddings.
- Powdered and sweetened beverages, carbonated beverages.
- Imitation crab meat, sticks.
- Semi-finished products in any form.
- Cold cuts, including salami, pepperoni and some cured meats.
- Sweet milk and lactic acid products.
- Starch, as well as starchy vegetables (potatoes, beets, corn).
- Products containing sorbitol or fructose.
- Bean cultures.
- Honey and foods containing it.
- Shop and homemade juices.
The list of permitted drinks is quite wide and includes even light alcohol, but in extremely moderate doses.
- Pure water.
- Water with lemon or cucumber.
- Bone broth.
- Green and black tea.
- Coffee without additives or with cream.
- Unsweetened hemp or almond milk.
- Brut champagne, whiskey, dry martini, dry white wine (in small quantities).
At the same time, in no case should you drink juices, soft drinks, beer, energy drinks and other things that contain carbohydrates.
Using any, even the most "safe" sweeteners, you do not allow your body to turn away from such a tempting offer. However, in some exceptional cases it is acceptable to use a few popular substances, such as stevia, xylitol or erythritol. The mainhere is to not overdo it and not go out of ketosis, otherwise all previous efforts will go to waste.
Side effects of the keto diet
Proponents of the ketogenic diet admit that it can have side effects such as constipation, nausea and vomiting. But it's all the little things in life. Being in ketosis can have more serious consequences:
- Reduced performance under load. Frequent intense training is difficult due to a decrease in the amount of glycogen in the muscles and liver. You will have to forget about serious training.
- Delayed recovery in training athletes. On a ketogenic diet, the rate of muscle growth is reduced and the recovery process is slower. This is also a consequence of the decrease in the amount of glycogen in the muscles.
- Kidney stones. In a state of ketosis, the risk of kidney stones increases.
- Type 2 diabetes. Due to the lack of carbohydrates in the diet, the body's sensitivity to insulin gradually decreases and glucose intolerance develops. This can lead to type 2 diabetes.
The ketogenic diet has nothing to do with healthy eating. It can provoke a disease, the cause of which was always considered to be malnutrition - type 2 diabetes. The relationship of the disease to the state of ketosis was confirmed by the ETH and the Children's University Hospital Zurich as a result of a joint study. Scientists have done experiments on mice, but it is likely that humans respond to a state of ketosis in much the same way. It's better not to risk it.
Keto Diet Rules: In and Out Tips, Side Effects
Basic postulates
The diet of this diet is based on the principle of assimilating as much fat as possible, with extreme restriction of carbohydrates, as we have already said. However, not everyone can comfortably enter such an unusual mode. Therefore, experts give advice on what to do, where to start and what rules to follow. Let's summarize everything we've learned so far.
- Pay attention to carbohydrates, if possible, completely give up their use. After all, they not only provide an excessive amount of energy that the body is unable to process, but they can even disrupt the metabolism and cause various diseases.
- Choosing vegetables on a keto diet does not mean switching to potatoes and carrots. There is no way they can be. It is better to forget once and for all all the starchy gifts of gardens and orchards. It is worth giving preference to green vegetables growing above the surface of the earth.
- Eating healthy fats doesn't have to be limited to butter and meat. Take advantage of opportunities such as eating more fatty fish, seafood, avocados, olives, and more.
- Fans of the keto diet mostly learn to cook for themselves, which is undoubtedly a plus. Due to dietary preferences, it will be difficult to go to a cafe or restaurant, because it is not a fact that the menu there will be adapted to you. In addition, you may not even know the quality and composition of some dishes. Such a trifle can "take" out of ketosis for a week, which is why you will have to make an effort again. Cook at home to make sure that everything is in order.
- Use various vitamin complexes, nutritional supplements, fermented foods during the keto diet. This will help the digestive tract, as well as the whole body, to get the missing part of substances, macro- and microelements, vitamins and other things.
- Water is the basis of life. You need to drink it always, everywhere and a lot, especially on such a difficult diet as the ketogenic one. If you find it difficult to learn how to do this, set yourself a "reminder" and drink 100-200 grams every hour.
For some on a keto diet, even the very idea of fasting is unacceptable. However, the intermittent system is quite accessible to everyone. This means that on the chosen day you set a corridor of eight to ten hours when you do not take any food, only water. This system will allow you to burn body fat even better.
Many are interested in the question of how to enter the mode so that they are smoothed and minimal at the same time. First, you need to correctly calculate the optimal calorie content for the keto diet. This is done according to individual indicators: height, weight, gender, activity, lifestyle. Most of all, you will need to maintain the correct balance of BJU: 70% quality fat, 20% protein, only 10% carbohydrates.
- Start with water. Initially, you should drink at least two liters. Ideally, the amount of water ingested per day should be 2. 7 liters for women and 3. 7 liters for men.
- To make up for the loss of sodium, you should consume about half to a full teaspoon of common table salt per day.
- Do not forget to replenish the reserves of magnesium, potassium, otherwise you will not get unpleasant consequences for a long time.
- At first, give up strength training and switch to aerobics or yoga.
Meditation can significantly reduce stress, which will help you quickly adapt to a new menu. Look inside yourself, set realistic goals, contemplate your body and spirit, then everything will definitely work out. An example menu and recipes for a keto diet are discussed in detail in the article on our website, it does not hurt to read it for review.
The right way out
The ketogenic diet is a special nutritional system. Historically, it has happened that some nationalities, for example, the Far North, live in this mode throughout their lives from generation to generation. However, some, after going through drying or simply losing weight, improving their health or achieving other goals, want to return to their usual lifestyle.
It is better to come off ketoration gradually rather than abruptly. The body must be given time to recover back to carbohydrate intake to begin the process of glycolysis. Therefore, it is best to introduce carbohydrate products one at a time without too much fanaticism. For example, start with a slice of bread a day, half a grapefruit, an apple. This will help you not to feel discomfort.
Usually, those who have tried the keto diet talk about rapid weight loss, dehydration. Their bodies become more toned, the remnants of unnecessary fat under the skin melt without a trace, making the muscles more prominent and beautiful. The work of all body systems improves, metabolism normalizes, skin, hair, nails become healthier.
However, some side effects do occur, such as those described at the very beginning of the article. But if the lack of hunger can be considered a plus, then the smell of acetone from the mouth is hardly. If this happens in the first week or two, there is nothing to worry about. If the process drags on, then it's time to see a doctor.
Expert reviews
The basics of the dangers of the ketogenic diet and the healthy alternative
There is no evidence to support the beneficial effects of the ketogenic diet on the body, other than improving the condition of children with epilepsy. It has a bad effect on the growth of muscle mass, reduces efficiency and can cause serious damage to health.
Long-term studies have shown that using a ketogenic diet for a year and a balanced diet produce about the same weight loss. At the same time, the right diet does not harm health, it can be followed even for a lifetime without the slightest negative consequences.
Any extreme diet has long been proven to be harmful. Violence against the body is not in vain. Of course, there are advantages to the ketogenic diet: in a state of ketosis, fat is burned quickly and you see the first results after a month. But there are more cons and they are dangerous. Please keep in mind that:
- The diet has side effects. During the adaptation period, constipation, nausea and vomiting are possible.
- A ketogenic diet reduces glycogen stores in the liver and muscles. This leads to a deterioration in well-being, a decrease in productivity.
- Health risks are increasing. The state of ketosis can provoke type 2 diabetes, the formation of kidney stones.
Consider whether you are willing to risk yourself, lose weight quickly on a ketogenic diet, and then work for the pharmacy for the rest of your days. Eating healthy and losing weight gradually is much more convenient. Try it.