Slim down by increasing your fats and decreasing your carbs.
You have most likely heard of the high fat, low carb diet phenomenon that has blown up in the last year — The Ketogenic Diet. But what is it? And how will eating more fats help you lose weight?
Below is a brief guide to understanding how the keto diet works.
The keto diet will require you to severely limit your carbohydrate intake. Depending on your body composition, you will need to keep your carb count between 15 and 30 grams. The easiest way to maintain your carb balance is by recording everything you eat. You will quickly gain an understanding of which foods you can eat and which foods you should avoid. Do note that some foods contain much higher levels of carbs than you would think. Not all veggies are equal in the keto diet.
You will then replace your deficit in carbs with higher amounts of fat. This will force your body to stop using carbs for energy and instead turn and burn your body’s fat. This process is called ketosis.
More and more people are finding that this high fat diet is far more effective in weight loss than low fat diets. Not only do you see the waist-slimming results, you feel full, maintain a balanced mood, and can think clearly. All while eating bacon!
Reducing your carb count can also drastically reduce your blood sugar spikes and balance your insulin, which has helped people with diabetes and pre-diabetes. The keto diet can also help prevent heart disease as it works to improve your HDL cholesterol as well as balance your blood sugar and blood pressure. Those with cancer are also turning to the keto diet to help slow down tumor growth. Patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s who subscribe to keto have also noticed a reduction in the diseases’ progression.
When thinking through your weekly meal plan, do not fret. You will have to make some dietary changes. But there are so many keto-friendly recipes as well as small tweaks to your weekly regulars that you can make. You will not have to throw out the whole fridge in order to go keto. Below is a list of some of the foods you CAN have.
- Meat: Red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, etc.
- Eggs
- Avocados
- Oils: olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil
- Butter and cheese
- Nuts: almonds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, etc.
- Veggies: green leafy veggies, peppers, onions, etc.
NOTE: Use this Keto Counter to help you record your carbs for the day and look up more foods that you can and cannot eat.