Tasty, rich foods combined with creamy, hearty sauces help you lose weight!It sounds counterintuitive at first glance, but a low-carb, high-fat diet is a great way to enjoy food and lose weight at the same time.
Keto diet - a fat fight in the name of slimming
Fat is a unique flavor enhancer that makes our food particularly appetizing.After all, how can a dry chicken breast compare to a juicy piece of pork in cheese sauce?Same thing.
If you eat enough fatty foods, keeping the intake of carbohydrates to a minimum, dietary nutrition will open up for you from a new side - tasty, juicy and nutritious!
Very soon 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 are so typical with dietary restrictions.
The basis of the ketogenic diet is food with a high fat content, an optimal amount of protein and a minimum amount of carbohydrates.The portion of the latter should not exceed 25 g per day (the optimal amount is in the range of 20 to 25 g).
The easiest way for our body to produce energy is glucose, the source of which is carbohydrates of all types (such as an apple containing two dozen carbohydrates, as well as buns and candies).But once the supply of this substance is limited, our system begins to use ketones, which are produced in the liver, as fuel.
It triggers ketosis, a natural process within the body that usually comes into play during extreme starvation.For example, if even the smallest piece of food does not appear in the stomach for several days, the body begins to feel a lack of glucose (the energy source has dried up), so it recruits ketones to function.
In this way, the keto diet helps you lose weight, not because of starvation, but because of the low supply of carbohydrates in the "processing laboratory".As soon as the body switches to using fats as a source of energy for life, it begins to actively "eat" fats from food, as well as those that "decorate" the ribs, stomach and other parts of the body.
Therefore, on a keto diet, it is important to remember the main thing: your diet should contain as much fat as possible - they will lead the body to slimming.Contrary to prejudices (fat makes you fat, is harmful, etc.), do not be afraid of fatty foods, because as part of a low-carb diet, they will be extremely beneficial for the body.
On a ketogenic diet, you will always feel full, happy and in a great mood, because fatty foods satisfy your hunger perfectly and for a long time, and the pleasant creamy taste of food does not allow you to deprive yourself of delicious dishes.
This is exactly what happens in other diets with a strict restriction on the amount of cheese, for example, or a complete ban on a juicy kebab from a fatty piece of pork.
TOP 10 – we eat fatty and delicious!
In some cases, the keto diet can be problematic for people who are not used to eating a lot of fatty foods.Therefore, we talk about 10 ways to eat more natural fats, receiving comprehensive benefits - both the pleasure of eating and effective weight loss.
1. Start with whole foods high in fat
It's time to say goodbye to low-fat or low-fat foods.Clean out your fridge and kitchen cupboards of dried egg mixes instead of real eggs, artificial cream and low-fat peanut butter.Now your breakfast, lunch or dinner will be really tasty!
Avoid foods labeled "light" or "diet"—they have no place in your stomach on the keto diet.Replace skim milk with fatter, enjoy thick cream 20% or more, eat cottage cheese with a fat content of 9% and enjoy the delicate creamy taste of food.
By the way, if you can't find whole milk or yogurt in a nearby store, feel free to buy a low-fat product, because you can increase the fat content yourself.For example, add a few tablespoons of heavy cream or sour cream to 1% yogurt.
Check your entire shopping list.Your goal is to stock your fridge with whole, high-fat foods like avocados and chicken eggs.
When preparing dishes, try to add natural fats to them and not avoid them out of old habit.Fry eggs in melted butter, eat your favorite hard cheeses with a high fat content.
In a word, do not deny yourself the pleasure of eating tasty and fatty food!By the way, you can easily make natural ice cream from cream - just whip it up and put it in the freezer.In an hour, your treat will be ready.Use strawberries or apricots as a sweetener - they contain minimal carbohydrates (5 g for half a cup of strawberries and 8 g for 2 large apricots).
From now on, prefer fatty meats.In addition, it is more aromatic, tender and cheap, unlike its low-fat counterparts.Include fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines in your diet – they are high in fat so they will be a great addition to your menu.
2. Cook with added fat
Don't be afraid to pour so much oil into the pan that the pieces of food literally swim in it.No more steaming vegetables or roasting dry chicken breasts without a drop of grease on foil.Cook low-carb vegetables, fish, meat or eggs with natural fats.
This will make your food even tastier and more nutritious.Use only as much fat as is needed to prepare the dish.You can always throw away the leftovers - there's absolutely no point in eating them with a spoon.
3. Use different fats - this will vary the taste of the food
Fats can easily change the taste of food and this is a great way to expand the range of taste sensations for each day of the ketogenic diet.The easiest option is to boil green beans and season them with salt and pepper with a pat of butter for a pleasant aftertaste.
Do you like it thicker?Then you fry the beans in oil and finally pour sesame oil - you will have a wonderful dish.It is not forbidden to sprinkle the beans with a spoonful of sesame seeds (this will stimulate the taste and add a little more fat, which will help the body lose weight).
Experiments are welcome!Don't be afraid to try new combinations of foods and natural fats to see which foods you like best.Create a healthy supply of several types of fat at once, which can be stored in the fridge or 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 everywhere - on a sandwich, in salads, when boiling, cooking or frying food.
4. Get a list of low carb recipes
It is not at all difficult as it seems.Write a dozen simple recipes in a separate notebook so that you don't have to rack your brain every time about what delicious to cook for breakfast or dinner.The most important thing is that there are practically no carbohydrates in the dishes.
Here are some first ideas for your dishes:
- Chicken casserole with feta cheese and olives.Only 6 grams of carbohydrates, and cooking is as easy as peeling pears - mix the ingredients and bake until golden brown, not forgetting to brush the chicken with spices and butter.
- Meat cutlets in a creamy tomato sauce with a side dish of stewed cabbage(in butter, of course).Only 10 grams of carbohydrates against the charming taste of a fried cutlet with an aromatic, hearty sauce.
- Keto Pancakes with Roast Pork.Only 8 grams of carbohydrates and an amazing taste treat!Use heavy cream and almond flour to prepare these pancakes and don't forget to season the finished dish with melted butter.
- Hamburger with an airy egg bun, fried meat, cheese, vegetables and herbs.This dish will replace any fast food, and will bring only 7 grams of carbohydrates!By the way, the "bun" itself is very easy to prepare: just beat the yolks and whites separately, then mix into a single mass and bake in the oven.You probably already know how to fry meat.Good appetite!
Low-carb recipes will help you eat deliciously and most importantly, consume plenty of fat, which is so necessary for weight loss on the keto diet.
5. Cover prepared foods with oil, sauce or rich dressing.
Do this with everything you eat.You don't need to devour olive oil by the tablespoonful, but adding it to a vegetable salad is your sacred duty.Even avocado, known to be a very fatty food, goes well with an oil dressing.
There are countless options for sauces:
- pure vegetable oils mixed with herbs and spices.
- cheese and cream sauces, as well as their combinations (tomato, mushrooms, etc.).
- melted butter or everyone's "damned" mayonnaise.
Always add natural fats to your food as this is the basis of the keto diet.
6. Pretty food = greasy food.Decorate your plates with fatty foods!
For some reason, when we hear the word "fat," our minds conjure up clumsy images of an unsightly hunk of lard or, even worse, body fat.So now is the time to turn your thinking in the opposite direction, because fat sometimes looks great, not to mention tastes good!
See what you can use to decorate your dishes:
- fatty cheeses;
- avocado slices;
- olives and seeds;
- spasmodic;
- chopped macadamia nuts;
- toasted sesame, almonds;
- mashed avocado, tomatoes and herbs.
- slices of bacon or brisket;
- cone.
These simple foods add variety to the flavor of your food, provide your body with nutrients and, of course, plenty of fat!They can be added to almost any dish and are a great addition to your keto meal plan.
7. Check the snacks - are they sure they contain fat?
Snacks and various appetizers are best avoided in any diet, but sometimes they are great for curbing hunger, allowing you to feel full until your next meal.If you happen to be hungry, choose fatty snacks.It can be cheese, nuts or boiled chicken eggs.
8. Always keep a stock of cheeses in the fridge
Because cheese is the best addition to any food.It works great as a snack and can be eaten for breakfast or as a snack.Use cheese as a topping - it works great both as a stand-alone dish (for example, a spicy cheese topping in the form of tightly wrapped balls) and as an aesthetic touch to the main course (in the form of a sprinkle).
Prepare amazing creamy cheese based desserts and enjoy the taste for breakfast or dinner.Choose any type of fatty cheese with minimal carbohydrate content - this high-calorie product will quickly fill your stomach, leaving you feeling satisfied with your meal.
9. Add fat to drinks
Your tea, coffee or hot milk will sparkle with an incomparable taste if it contains a spoonful of aromatic fats.For example, melt some butter or coconut oil in a bowl.It won't take more than 30 seconds, but the aftertaste of the drink will delight your taste buds for another 15 minutes.
Heavy cream or thick sour cream from farm stores goes well with hot drinks.And if you add butter to a glass of warm milk, you can not only lose weight, but also forget about seasonal colds.Such a simple snack will solve two problems at once: quench your thirst and fill your stomach.
While you are tempted by fatty foods and dream of a thin body, do not forget about a logical approach to business.Besides, the excess of fatty foods in some cases risks giving the opposite effect - stopping the weight loss process or sharply increasing cholesterol levels.
Especially if you drink the drink on a full stomach, feeding the body with tons of excess energy.This tool is powerful - use it wisely.
10. Which dessert should I choose on a keto diet?
The first tip for all diets is to skip dessert.But, as in the case of snacking, sometimes it's hard to deny yourself the small pleasure that is so missing when losing weight.
If you are determined to enjoy something tasty, 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 keto-sweet option.
You can diversify the menu of those with a sweet tooth with thick bombs with vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom.These "sweets" go great with tea or coffee, always lifting the mood of those who are losing weight.By the way, such "bombs" contain only 0.4 g of carbohydrates.Write down the recipe, because they are prepared simply and very quickly!
What you will need:
- 85 grams of butter (preferably unleavened).
- 0.5 grated coconut (no added sugars).
- 0.5 teaspoon ground cardamom (green).
- 0.5 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- 0.5 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
How to cook:
- Heat the oil to room temperature.
- Fry the coconut flakes until golden.
- Mix the butter, most of the chips, the spices and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Once the mixture has hardened slightly, form it into small balls, roll in the remaining toasted coconut and enjoy!
This dessert can be conveniently stored both in the refrigerator and in the freezer (the shelf life is the same as the oil you used).
How to enhance the weight loss effect on a keto diet?
Fat makes our lives tastier, healthier and easier in the true sense of the word, but moderation is important in everything.At each meal, eat moderate portions, do not overeat.The best advice is to leave the table slightly hungry, because the feeling of satiety comes a little later after the end of the meal.
If it turns out that you are hungry, this can always be corrected with a small portion of fatty foods, but if you eat too much, the diet can be considered a failure.Watch your diet: make sure you have a lot of fat and few carbohydrates.Do not deviate from the prescribed course, because this is the basis of the keto diet.
If you want to achieve maximum results, check out some helpful tips below.
1. Make onboarding easy.
At the beginning of a no-carb journey, fatty foods run the risk of appearing too fat-rich on 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 them some time (on average 2-4 weeks).
During this period, try to eat more neutral fatty foods (for example, avocado, cheese and meat fried in a small amount of oil).A smooth transition to more fat-rich foods will relieve you of hunger and allow your body to get used to a new source of energy without unnecessary stress.
Once you balance the addiction pathway, the feeling of hunger after a "light-fat" diet will decrease.From the body's point of view, this indicates that the adaptation was successful and that access to the processing of fat as fuel is completely open (there is no longer any 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 for the volume of food, then it's time to experiment: try to reduce the amount of natural fats added to the food (at the cooking stage or in the finished dish).
When you're hungry, choose high-fat foods instead of carbohydrates.The latter will reduce your efforts to lose weight to nothing.Eat just as much food as you need to satisfy your hunger - let your body burn its internal fat stores, not an extra spoonful of butter from your plate.
3. Add more fat to your diet as you lose weight.
Once you achieve the result - the desired number on the scale, for which you gave up carbohydrates, there are no more fat reserves left in the body, which were used day after day as a source of energy.
During this period, it is important to listen to the body, to tune in with it in order to learn to read the signals of physical hunger.This is the period when the amount of fatty foods should be gradually increased.Until you "find" balance, that is, the ability to maintain weight without feeling hungry.
Do not worry that you may not listen to your body and there will be excess fat.During your weight loss process, which will take at least 2 months (depending on your starting weight), you will acquire good communication skills with your stomach.
The body itself will tell you how much food is enough to fill it up.To listen to the hint, all you need to do is keep your appetite in hand and resist the temptation to overeat.
4. Eat enough protein foods
Protein foods are responsible for effectively suppressing hunger.If you eat a lot of fatty foods, but you're still hungry, check if enough protein is getting into the "processing department"?A lack of protein 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 work out or go to the gym to rip your muscles, you should increase your protein intake a bit more.
How much fatty food can you eat on a keto diet?
The ketogenic diet system does not provide for strict restrictions on caloric intake, so the basic rule is: eat until you are slightly full, choose standard portions (or focus on the volume of a 200-gram glass - eat as much as you can).
Eat dinner before 20:00 - this will make the work of the whole body easier.Don't think your stomach will be happy with a cheeseburger an hour before bed.Like you, he wants to get a good night's rest and not have to deal with processing incoming supplies at all.
Good nutrition during the day will allow you to calmly survive a 12-hour break without food (evening + night 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 drink your hunger and fall asleep feeling full.And remember, even light physical activity like walking will greatly enhance your weight loss results.
Eat deliciously and lose weight with pleasure!