Flavorful and rich food combined with a creamy and delicious sauce helps you lose weight!It sounds counterintuitive at first glance, but a low-carb, high-fat diet is a great way to enjoy eating and lose weight at the same time.
Keto diet - fight fat in the name of slimness
Fat is a unique flavor enhancer that makes our food especially appetizing.After all, how can a dry chicken breast compare to a piece of juicy pork in cheese sauce?The same thing.
If you eat enough fatty foods, keeping your carbohydrate intake to a minimum, dietary nutrition will open up for you from a new side - tasty, juicy and nutritious!
In a moment we will move on to the TOP 10 methods, but for now let's briefly look at the principle of the keto diet - how it works, forcing the body to lose weight, but at the same time eliminating the feeling of hunger and bad mood that usually occurs with dietary restrictions.
The basis of the ketogenic diet is foods with a high fat content, an optimal amount of protein and a minimal amount of carbohydrates.The portion of the latter should not exceed 25 g per day (the optimal amount ranges from 20 to 25 g).
The easiest way to produce energy for our body is glucose, the source of which is all kinds of carbohydrates (such as apples, which contain two dozen carbohydrates, as well as bread and candy).However, once supplies of this substance are limited, our system begins to use ketones, which are produced in the liver, as fuel.
Ketosis is triggered, a natural process in the body that usually occurs during times of extreme hunger.For example, if the slightest food does not appear in the stomach for several days, the body begins to lack glucose (energy sources dry up), so the body recruits ketones for work.
In this way, the keto diet helps you lose weight, not because of hunger, but because of the low supply of carbohydrates to the “processing workshop”.As soon as the body switches to using fat as a source of energy for life, it begins to actively “eat” fat from food, as well as fat that “decorate” the sides, stomach and other parts of the body.
Therefore, in the keto diet, it is important to remember the main thing: your diet should contain as many fats as possible - they will make the body slim.Contrary to existing prejudices (fat makes you fat, is dangerous, etc.), don't be afraid of fatty foods, because as part of a low-carbohydrate diet it will be very beneficial for the body.
On a ketogenic diet, you will always feel full, cheerful and in a good mood, because fatty foods satisfy your hunger perfectly and for a long time, and the delicate taste of food does not make you feel deprived of delicious dishes.
This is what happens with other diets with strict restrictions on the amount of cheese, for example, or a complete ban on juicy kebabs from a piece of fatty pork.
TOP 10 – we eat fatty and delicious!
In some cases, the keto diet can cause problems for people who are not used to eating a lot of fatty foods.Therefore, we are talking about 10 ways to eat more natural fats, getting comprehensive benefits - both the pleasure of eating and effective weight loss.
1. Start with whole foods rich in fat
It's time to say goodbye to low-fat or low-fat foods.Clear your refrigerator and kitchen cupboards of dried egg mixtures instead of real eggs, artificial cream, and low-fat peanut butter.Now your breakfast, lunch or dinner will be absolutely delicious!
Eliminate any foods labeled “light” or “diet”—they're not good for your stomach on a keto diet.Replace skim milk with the fattest, enjoy heavy cream of 20% or more, eat cottage cheese with a fat content of 9% and enjoy the smooth and creamy taste of food.
By the way, if you can't find full-fat milk or yogurt in the nearest store, don't hesitate to buy low-fat products, because you can increase the fat content yourself.For example, add a few tablespoons of heavy cream or sour cream to a 1% yogurt drink.
Review your entire shopping list.Your goal is to stock your refrigerator with whole foods that are high in fat, including avocados and chicken eggs.
When preparing dishes, try to add natural fats to them, and do not avoid them out of old habits.Fry eggs in melted butter, eat your favorite high-fat hard cheese.
In short, do not deny yourself the pleasure of eating delicious and fatty foods!By the way, you can easily make natural ice cream from cream - just beat it and put it in the freezer.An hour later, your delicacy will be ready.Use strawberries or apricots as a sweetener - they contain few carbohydrates (5 g for half a cup of strawberries and 8 g for 2 large apricots).
From now on, give preference to fatty meats.In addition, it is more aromatic, tender and cheap, unlike low-fat products.Include fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines in your diet - they are rich in fat, so they will be a great addition to your menu.
2. Cook with added fat
Don't be afraid to pour too much oil into the pan so that the pieces of food are completely submerged in it.No more steaming vegetables or grilling dry chicken breasts without a drop of fat on the foil.Cook low-carb vegetables, fish, meat or eggs in natural fats.
This will make your food more appetizing and nutritious.Use only as much fat as is necessary to prepare the dish.You can always throw away the leftovers—there's no point in eating them with a spoon.
3. Use different fats - this will diversify the taste of food
Fat can easily change the taste of food, and this is a great way to expand the range of taste sensations for the ketogenic diet on a daily basis.The easiest option is to boil green beans and season them with a piece of butter for a delicious taste.
Do you like it fatter?Then fry the nuts in oil, and finally drizzle with sesame oil - you will have a wonderful dish.It is not forbidden to sprinkle nuts with a spoonful of sesame seeds (this will add flavor and add a little fat, which will help the body lose weight).
Experimentation is welcome!Don't be afraid to try new food combinations and natural fats to see which foods you like best.Stock up on several types of healthy fats at once, which can be stored in the refrigerator or in the kitchen cupboard:
- vegetable oil;
- olive and coconut;
- lard (in any form);
- Sesame oil;
- avocado and peanut oil;
- pumpkin seed oil;
- nut oils (macadamia, almond, etc.);
- chicken fat, duck fat and other types of animal fat.
Use oil anywhere - on sandwiches, salads, when boiling, stewing or frying food.
4. Prepare a list of low-carb recipes
It doesn't seem as difficult as it seems.Write down a dozen simple recipes in a separate notebook so that you don't have to rack your brains every time you think about what delicious food to cook for breakfast or dinner.The most important thing is that there are practically no carbohydrates in the dish.
Here are some first ideas for your dishes:
- Chicken casserole with feta cheese and olives.Its carbohydrates are only 6 g, and cooking is as easy as shelling pears - mix the ingredients and bake until golden brown, don't forget to coat the chicken with spices and butter.
- Cutlets in tomato cream sauce with stewed cabbage garnish(with butter of course).Only 10 g of carbohydrates with the charming taste of fried meat pieces in a fragrant and filling sauce.
- Keto Pancakes with Roast Pork.Only 8 g of carbohydrates and an incredible taste delight!Use heavy cream and almond flour to prepare these pancakes, and don't forget to season the finished dish with melted butter.
- Hamburger with airy egg bun, fried bacon, cheese, vegetables and herbs.This dish will replace any fast food meal, and will only deliver 7g of carbs!By the way, the “bread” itself is very easy to prepare: just beat the yolks and whites separately, then mix them into one dough and bake in the oven.You probably already know how to fry meat.Enjoy your meal!
Low-carb recipes will help you eat well, and most importantly, consume a lot of fat, which is so necessary for losing weight on the keto diet.
5. Coat ready-to-eat food with oil, sauce or thick sauce.
Do this with everything you eat.There is no need to gobble up olive oil by the tablespoon, but adding it to vegetable salads is your sacred duty.Even avocado, which is known to be a very fatty food, pairs well with oil dressing.
There are a lot of sauce options:
- pure vegetable oil mixed with herbs and spices;
- cheese and cream sauces, as well as their combinations (tomato, mushroom, etc.);
- melted butter or mayonnaise is “cursed” by everyone.
Always add natural fats to your diet, as this is the basis of the keto diet.
6. Beautiful food = fatty food.Decorate your dishes with fatty foods!
For some reason, when we hear the word “fat”, our minds conjure up a vague image of an unsightly piece of lard or, worse, the fat on our own body.So now is the time to shift your thinking in the opposite direction, because fat can sometimes look delicious, not to mention taste!
See what you can use to decorate your dish:
- fatty cheese;
- avocado slices;
- olives and seeds;
- beef jerky;
- chopped macadamia nuts;
- toasted sesame, almonds;
- puree avocado, tomatoes, and herbs;
- bacon or brisket slices;
- pine nuts.
This simple food adds variety to the taste of your meals, provides your body with nutrients and, of course, lots of fat!They can be added to almost any dish and are a great support for your keto eating plan.
7. Check the snack - are you sure it contains fat?
Snacks and various appetizers are best avoided on any diet, but sometimes they are great for curbing hunger, so you feel full until your next meal.If you happen to be hungry, choose a fatty snack.It can be cheese, nuts, or boiled chicken eggs.
8. Always keep cheese stock in the refrigerator
Because cheese is the best addition to any meal.It is perfect as a snack and can be eaten for breakfast or as a snack.Use cheese as a topping - it is perfect as a dish in itself (for example, a spicy cheese topping in the form of tightly rolled balls of cutlet) and as an aesthetic touch to the main dish (in the form of a topping).
Prepare a wonderful cheese-based creamy dessert and enjoy its taste for breakfast or dinner.Choose any type of fatty cheese with minimal carbohydrate content - this high-calorie product will quickly fill your stomach, making you feel satisfied with your meal.
9. Add fat to drinks
Your tea, coffee or hot milk will sparkle with an unmatched taste if it contains a spoonful of aromatic fat.For example, melt some butter or coconut oil in a bowl.This will take no more than 30 seconds, but the aftertaste of the drink will satisfy your taste buds for another 15 minutes.
Heavy cream or heavy sour cream from the farm shop goes well with hot drinks.And if you add butter to a glass of hot milk, you can not only lose weight, but also forget about seasonal colds.This simple snack will solve two problems at once: quench your thirst and fill your stomach.
When you get carried away with fatty foods and dream of a slim body, do not forget about a sensible approach to business.Indeed, an excess of fatty foods in some cases risks giving the opposite result - stopping the process of losing weight or sharply increasing cholesterol levels.
Especially if you drink this drink on a full stomach, it will supply the body with a lot of excess energy.This tool is very powerful - use it wisely.
10. Which dessert to choose on the keto diet?
The first tip for all diets is to skip dessert.However, as with snacking, sometimes it's hard to deny yourself the small pleasures that are so lacking when losing weight.
If you're determined to treat yourself to something delicious, choose recipes that are high in fat and low in sugar, including artificial sweeteners.Unsweetened whipped cream (30% fat or more) with raspberries is an ideal choice for a keto dessert.
You can diversify the menu of those with a sweet tooth with fat bombs with vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom.These “candies” go well with tea or coffee, always improving the mood of those who are losing weight.By the way, the “bomb” contains only 0.4 g of carbohydrates.Write down the recipe, because it is prepared simply and very quickly!
What you'll need:
- 85 g butter (preferably unleavened);
- 0.5 grated coconut (no added sugar);
- 0.5 teaspoon ground cardamom (green);
- 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract;
- 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
How to cook:
- Warm the oil to room temperature.
- Fry the coconut flakes until golden brown.
- Mix the butter, most of the chips, spices and put in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Once the mixture has hardened a bit, shape it into small balls, roll them in the remaining toasted coconut and enjoy!
This dessert is easy to store in the refrigerator and freezer (the shelf life is the same as the oil you use).
How to increase the weight loss effect of the keto diet?
Fats make our lives tastier, healthier and easier in the truest sense, but moderation is important in everything.Every time you eat, eat in moderate portions, don't overeat.The best advice is to leave the table slightly hungry, as satiety comes a little later than the end of the meal.
If you find that you are hungry, this can always be corrected with small portions of fatty foods, but if you overeat, the diet can be considered a failure.Pay attention to your diet: make sure it has lots of fat and few carbohydrates.Don't deviate from the prescribed path, as this is the basis of the keto diet.
If you want to get maximum results, check out some useful tips below.
1. Make onboarding easy.
At the beginning of the carbohydrate-free journey, fatty foods run the risk of appearing too rich in fat for the body - this is normal, so your task is to wait out the “storm”.When switching to a new food system, the body and taste buds begin to adapt gradually, you just need to give it a little time (2-4 weeks on average).
During this period, try to eat more neutral fatty foods (e.g. avocado, cheese and meat fried in a little oil).A smooth transition to more high-fat foods will eliminate hunger and allow your body to get used to the new energy source without unnecessary stress.
Once you achieve balance in the path of addiction, the hunger after a “light fat” diet will decrease.From the body's side, this indicates that adaptation has been successful and access to the processing of fat as fuel is fully open (there is no longer a supply of glucose accumulated from carbohydrate foods).
2. Watch your appetite
If you have adapted more than perfectly to the keto diet, but your stomach has become too demanding on food volumes, it's time to experiment: try reducing the amount of natural fat added to food (at the cooking stage or in finished dishes).
When hungry, still choose foods high in fat over carbohydrates.The latter will make your efforts to lose weight futile.Eat as much food as you need to satisfy your hunger - let your body burn its internal fat reserves, not an extra spoonful of butter from your plate.
3. Add more fat to your diet as you lose weight.
As soon as you reach the desired result - the figure on the scales, for which you stop consuming carbohydrates, there are no more fat reserves left in the body, which are used day after day as a source of energy.
During this period, it is important to listen to the body, tune in to the same wavelength as it to learn to read physical hunger signals.This is the period when the amount of fatty foods should be increased gradually.Until you "find" balance, namely the ability to maintain body weight without feeling hungry.
Don't worry that you can't hear your own body, and there will be excess fat.During the weight loss process which takes at least 2 months (depending on your initial weight), you will gain good communication skills with your stomach.
The body itself will tell you how much food is enough to make it full.To listen to the instructions, all you need to do is control your appetite and resist the temptation to overeat.
4. Eat sufficient amounts of protein foods
Protein foods are responsible for suppressing hunger effectively.If you eat a lot of fatty foods, but still feel hungry, check to see if enough protein is going into the “processing section”?Protein deficiency can slow or stop weight loss.
Make sure that your daily diet contains an average of 1.5 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight (the amount of protein can reach 1.7 g depending on the weight, so the calculation is always individual).If you do fitness or go to the gym to gain muscle loss, you should increase your protein portions.
How much fatty food can you eat on the keto diet?
The ketogenic nutrition system does not provide strict restrictions on calorie intake, so the main rule is: eat until slightly full, choose standard portions (or focus on a glass volume of 200 grams - eat as much as fits).
Have dinner before 8 pm - this will make the work of the whole body easier.Don't think your stomach will be happy with a beef patty with cheese sauce an hour before bed.Like you, he wants to rest at night, and not work at all to process the supplies that come in.
Eating well during the day will allow you to calmly endure 12 hours of rest without eating (evening + night's sleep).As a last resort, eat a piece of cheese or drink a glass of milk with a small spoonful of butter.
This will allow you to relieve hunger and fall asleep feeling full.And remember, even light physical activity like walking will significantly improve your weight loss results.
Eat deliciously and lose weight with pleasure!