Tasty, rich foods paired with creamy, hearty sauces help you lose weight!It sounds crazy at first, but a low-carb, high-fat diet is a great way to enjoy eating and lose weight at the same time.
Keto diet - fighting fat in the name of thin
Fat is a unique flavor enhancer that makes our food especially appetizing.After all, how can a dry chicken breast compare to a juicy piece of pork in a cheese sauce?Same thing.
If you eat enough fatty foods, keeping your carbohydrate intake to a minimum, your diet will open up for you from a new side - tasty, juicy and nutritious!
Very soon we will continue to the TOP 10 methods, but for now let's look briefly at the principle of the keto diet - how it works, forcing the body to lose weight, while at the same time eliminating the feeling of hunger and bad mood that are so typical with dietary restrictions.
The basis of a ketogenic diet is food 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 is between 20 and 25 g).
The easiest way to produce energy for our body is glucose, its source is carbohydrates of all kinds (such as an apple that contains two dozen carbohydrates, as well as buns and sweets).But as soon as the supply of this substance is 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 extreme hunger.For example, if even the smallest 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 gets ketones to work.
Thus, the keto diet helps you lose weight, not because of hunger, but because of the low supply of carbohydrates to the "workshop".As soon as the body has switched to using fat as a source of energy for life, it begins to actively "eat" dietary fat, as well as the fat that "decorates" our sides, 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 - it will lead the body to become thin.Contrary to popular belief (fat makes you fat, it's bad, etc.), don't be afraid of fatty foods, because as part of a low-carb diet, it will be very beneficial for your body.
On a ketogenic diet, you will always feel full, cheerful and in a great mood, because fatty foods satiate hunger perfectly and for a long time, and the pleasant creamy taste of food does not allow you to be deprived of delicious dishes.
This is exactly what happens on other diets with strict restrictions on the amount of cheese, for example, or a complete ban on juicy kebabs made from fatty pork.
TOP 10 – we eat fat and tasty!
In some cases, the keto diet can be problematic for people who are not used to eating a lot of fatty foods.That's why we're talking about 10 ways to eat more natural fats, which get universal benefits - both the pleasure of eating and effective weight loss.
1. Start with whole foods that are high in fat
It's time to say goodbye to low-fat or reduced-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 truly delicious!
Get rid of foods labeled "light" or "diet" - they have no place in the stomach of the keto diet.Replace skim milk with the fattest, enjoy heavy cream 20% or higher, eat cottage cheese with 9% fat content and enjoy the delicate creaminess of the food.
By the way, if you can't find whole milk or yogurt in a store nearby, 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% drinking yogurt.
View your entire shopping list.Your goal is to stock your fridge 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 habit.Fry an egg in melted butter, eat your favorite high-fat hard cheese.
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 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, give rather fatty meat.In addition, it is aromatic, soft and cheaper, unlike its low-fat counterparts.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 so much oil into the pan that the pieces of food literally swim in it.There is no longer a need to steam vegetables or bake dry chicken breasts without a drop of fat in aluminum 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 no point in eating them with a spoon.
3. Use different fats - this will enhance the taste of the food
Fat can easily change the taste of food and this is a great way to increase the range of taste buds for each day of the ketogenic diet.The easiest way is to boil green beans and season them with a piece of butter for a pleasant aftertaste.
Do you like it fatter?Then fry the beans in oil and finally drizzle sesame oil over - then you will have a wonderful dish.It is not forbidden to sprinkle the beans with a spoonful of sesame seeds (this will increase the taste and add a little more fat, which helps 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 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, duck fat and other types of animal fat.
Use oil everywhere - on a sandwich, in salads, when boiling, frying or frying food.
4. Make a list of low carb recipes
It is not at all difficult as it seems.Write down dozens of simple recipes in a special notebook so that you don't have to rack your brain every time about what delicious thing to cook for breakfast or dinner.The most important thing is that there are almost no carbohydrates in the dishes.
Here are some initial ideas for your dishes:
- Chicken casserole with feta cheese and olives.Only 6g of carbs, and cooking is as easy as peeling pears - mix the ingredients together and bake until golden brown, don't forget to coat the chicken with spices and butter.
- Meat cutlets in a creamy tomato sauce with a side dish of boiled cabbage(in butter, of course).Only 10 g of carbohydrates against the fascinating taste of a fried cutlet with a fragrant, hearty sauce.
- Keto Pancakes with Roast Pork.Only 8 g of carbohydrates and a fascinating delight of taste!Use heavy cream and almond flour to prepare these pancakes and don't forget to season the finished dish with melted butter.
- A hamburger with an airy egg bun, fried meat, cheese, vegetables and herbs.This dish replaces any fast food and brings only 7 g of carbohydrates!By the way, the "cup" itself is very easy to prepare: just beat the yolk and white separately, then mix into one mass and bake in the oven.You probably already know how to roast meat.Good appetite!
Low-carb recipes will help you eat deliciously, and most importantly, consume a lot of fat, which is so necessary to lose weight on a keto diet.
5. Cover prepared food with oil, sauce or rich dressing.
Do this with everything you eat.There is no need to eat olive oil by the spoonful, 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 possibilities for sauces:
- pure vegetable oils mixed with herbs and spices;
- cheese and cream sauces, as well as their combinations (tomatoes, mushrooms, etc.);
- melted butter or everyone's "damned" mayonnaise.
Always add natural fats to your food, as this is the foundation 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 clumsy images of unsightly lard or, even worse, fat on our own bodies.So now it's time to turn your thinking in the opposite direction, because fat sometimes looks good, not to mention tastes good!
See what you can use to decorate your plates:
- fatty cheeses;
- avocado slices;
- olives and seeds;
- jerk;
- chopped macadamia nuts;
- roasted sesame, almonds;
- puree of avocado, tomatoes and herbs;
- slices of bacon or brisket;
- pine nuts
These simple foods add variety to the taste 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.
7. Check the snacks - are you sure they contain fat?
Snacks and various appetizers are best avoided on any diet, but sometimes they are great for curbing hunger, allowing you to stay full until your next meal.If you are hungry, choose a fatty snack.It could be cheese, nuts or hard-boiled chicken eggs.
8. Always keep a stock of cheeses in the refrigerator
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 an independent dish (e.g. spicy cheese topping in the form of tightly rolled cutlet balls) and as an aesthetic touch to the main course (in the form of a straw).
Prepare amazing creamy desserts based on cheese and enjoy the taste for breakfast or dinner.Choose any type of fat cheese with a minimum carbohydrate content - this high-calorie product will quickly fill your stomach and make you satisfied with the meal.
9. Add fat to drinks
Your tea, coffee or hot milk sparkles with an incomparable taste if it contains a spoonful of aromatic fat.For example, melt a little butter or coconut oil in a bowl.It takes no more than 30 seconds, but the aftertaste of the drink will delight your taste buds for another 15 minutes.
Heavy cream or thick farmyard sour cream 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.Such a simple snack will solve two problems at once: quench your thirst and fill your stomach.
While you are fond of fatty foods and dream of a slim body, do not forget about a fair approach in business.After all, there is a risk of too much fatty food in some cases giving the opposite result - stopping the process of losing weight or significantly increasing cholesterol levels.
Especially if you drink the drink on a full stomach, which gives your body tons of excess energy.This tool is powerful - use it wisely.
10. Which dessert to choose on a keto diet?
The first tip for all dieters is to skip desserts.But, as in the case of snacks, sometimes it is difficult to deny yourself the little pleasure that is so missing when you lose 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.
The varied menu of those with a sweet tooth can be expanded with fat bombs with vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom.This "candy" goes well with tea or coffee and invariably lifts 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 in a simple and very quick way!
What you need:
- 85 g butter (preferably unsalted);
- 0.5 grated coconut (no added sugar);
- 0.5 tsp ground cardamom (green);
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract;
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon.
How to cook:
- Heat the oil to room temperature.
- Fry the coconut flakes until they are golden brown.
- Mix together the butter, most of the flakes, spices and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Once the mixture has set slightly, shape it into small balls, roll in the rest of the toasted coconut and enjoy!
This dessert can be conveniently stored in both the refrigerator and the freezer (the shelf life is the same as the oil you used).
How to increase the weight loss effect of the keto diet?
Fat makes our lives tastier, healthier and easier in the truest 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 a little hungry, because the feeling of fullness comes a little later than the end of the meal.
If it turns out that you are hungry, you can always fix this with a small portion of fatty food, 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 get carbohydrates.Do not deviate from the specified 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 the carb-free journey, there is a risk that fatty foods will seem too fatty 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 the 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 higher fat foods relieves hunger and allows your body to get used to a new source of energy without unnecessary stress.
Once you have balanced your addiction, the feeling of hunger will decrease after a "low-fat" diet.From the body's point of view, this indicates that adaptation has been successful and access to the processing of fat as fuel is completely open (there is no longer a supply of glucose accumulated from carbohydrate food).
2. Watch your appetite
If you have adapted more than perfectly to the keto diet, but your stomach has become too demanding regarding the volume of food, then it's time to experiment: try to reduce the amount of natural fat added to the food (at the cooking stage or in the finished dish).
When you're hungry, still choose high-fat foods instead of carbs.The latter will nullify your weight loss efforts.Eat exactly as much food as you need to satisfy your hunger - let your body burn internal fat stores, 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 result - the desired number on the scale, for which you gave up carbohydrates, there are no more fat reserves left inside the body, which were 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 with it to learn to read the signs 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 being hungry.
Do not worry that you do not listen to your own body and there will be excess fat.During the weight loss process, which will take 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 for it to be full.To hear the tip, you just have to keep your appetite in hand and resist the temptation to overeat.
4. Eat enough protein foods
Protein food is responsible for suppressing hunger effectively.If you eat a lot of fatty foods but are 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 the daily diet contains an average of 1.5 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight (the amount of protein can be 1.7 g depending on the weight, so the calculation is always individual).If you exercise or go to the gym to get ripped muscles, you should increase your protein intake a bit more.
How much fatty food can you eat on a keto diet?
The ketogenic nutrition system does not impose strict restrictions on calorie intake, so the principle is: eat until you are slightly full, choose normal portions (or focus on the volume of a 200 gram glass - eat as much as it fits).
Eat dinner before 20:00 - this facilitates the work of the whole body.Don't think your stomach will be happy with a meatball in cheese sauce an hour before bed.Like you, he wants to rest at night and not work at all processing incoming provisions.
Eating well during the day allows you to easily 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 allows you to sate your hunger and fall asleep full.And remember that even light physical activity like walking will significantly increase your weight loss results.
Eat deliciously and lose weight with pleasure!