Delicious, rich foods combined with creamy, hearty sauces help you lose weight!It sounds absurd at first, but a low-carb, high-fat diet is a great way to enjoy food and lose weight at the same time.
Keto diet - fighting fat in the name of thinness
Oil is a unique flavor enhancer that makes our dishes especially appetizing.After all, how can dry chicken breast compare to juicy pork in cheese sauce?Same thing.
If you eat enough fatty foods and minimize carbohydrate intake, diet food will open up for you from a new side - tasty, juicy and nutritious!
We'll get to the TOP 10 methods soon, but for now let's take a quick look at the principle of the keto diet - how it works, forces the body to lose weight, and at the same time eliminates the feeling of hunger and bad mood that is so characteristic of 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 between 20 and 25 g).
The easiest way for our body to produce energy is glucose, the source of which is all types of carbohydrates (such as apples, which contain twenty carbohydrates, as well as bread and candies).But as soon as the supply of this substance is limited, our system starts using ketones produced in the liver as fuel.
Ketosis is triggered, a natural process in the body and usually occurs 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 experience a lack of glucose (the energy source has dried up), so it recruits ketones.
Thus, the keto diet helps to 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 fats as a source of energy for life, it begins to actively "eat" fats from food, as well as "decorate" our sides, stomach and other parts of the body.
Therefore, it is important to remember the main thing in the keto diet: you should have as many fats as possible in your diet - they will lead the body to thinness.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, they will be extremely beneficial to the body.
On a ketogenic diet, you will always feel full, cheerful 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 feel deprived of delicious food.
This is what happens in other diets, for example, with a strict restriction on the amount of cheese or a complete ban on juicy kebabs from fatty pork.
TOP 10 – we eat fat and delicious!
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 oils with comprehensive benefits - both the pleasure of eating and effective weight loss.
1. Start with whole foods rich in fats
It's time to say goodbye to low-fat or low-fat foods.Clean your refrigerator 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 any foods labeled "light" or "diet" - they have no place in the stomach on a keto diet.Replace skim milk with the fattest, enjoy 20% or higher heavy cream, eat 9% fat cottage cheese and enjoy the delicate creamy taste of food.
By the way, if you can't find full-fat milk or yogurt in a nearby store, feel free to buy low-fat products, because you can increase the fat content yourself.For example, add a few spoonfuls of heavy cream or sour cream to a 1% drinkable yogurt.
Review your entire shopping list.Your goal is to stock your fridge with fatty foods, including avocados and eggs.
When preparing food, try to add natural oils to them and avoid the old habit.Fry eggs in melted butter, eat your favorite high-fat hard cheeses.
In short, don't 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.After an hour, your delicacy 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).
After that, give preference to fatty meats.In addition, it is more aromatic, tender and cheaper than 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 oil
Do not be afraid to pour so much oil into the pan that the pieces of food literally float in it.No more steaming vegetables or baking a lean dry chicken breast in foil.Cook low-carb vegetables, fish, meat or eggs with natural oils.
This will make your food more appetizing and nutritious.Use as much oil as you need to cook the food.You can always throw away the leftovers - there's no point in eating them with a spoon.
3. Use different oils - this will diversify 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 a piece of butter to get a pleasant taste.
Do you like this better?Then fry the beans in oil and sprinkle with sesame oil at the end - you will have a wonderful meal.It is not forbidden to sprinkle a spoonful of sesame seeds on the beans (this will increase the taste and add a little more fat, which will help the body lose weight).
Experiences welcome!Don't be afraid to try new combinations of foods and natural oils to see which foods you like best.Keep a healthy supply of several types of oils that can be kept in the refrigerator or kitchen cupboard:
- vegetable oil;
- olive and coconut;
- fat (in any form);
- sesame oil;
- avocado and peanut butter;
- pumpkin seed oil;
- nut oils (macadamia, almond, etc.);
- chicken, duck fat and other types of animal fat.
Use oil everywhere - in sandwiches, salads, when boiling, baking or frying food.
4. Make a list of low-carb recipes
It is not as difficult as it seems.Write dozens of simple recipes in a separate notebook so that you don't have to rack your brain every time about what delicious food 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 meals:
- Chicken stew with feta cheese and olives.Only 6g of carbs and it's as easy as a pear to cook - mix the ingredients and cook until golden brown, not forgetting to coat the chicken with spices and butter.
- Meat cutlets with a side dish of stewed cabbage in a creamy tomato sauce(in oil, of course).Only 10 g of carbohydrates against the delicious taste of a fried cutlet with an aromatic, hearty sauce.
- Keto pancakes with fried bacon.Only 8g of carbs and an amazing burst of flavor!To prepare these pancakes, use heavy cream and almond flour, and do not forget to season the finished dish with melted butter.
- Hamburger with airy egg bun, fried meat, cheese, vegetables and greens.This meal will replace any fast food and only bring 7 g of carbohydrates!By the way, the "bun" itself is very easy to prepare: beat the yolks and whites separately, then mix them into a mass and bake them in the oven.You probably already know how to grill meat.Bon appetit!
Low-carb recipes will help you eat delicious food and most importantly consume plenty of fat, which is very necessary for weight loss on a keto diet.
5. Coat prepared foods with oil, sauce or rich dressing.
Do this with everything you eat.You don't need to swallow olive oil by the tablespoon, but it is your sacred duty to add it to your vegetable salad.Even avocado, which is known to be a very fatty food, goes well with a fatty sauce.
There are countless options for sauces:
- pure vegetable oils mixed with herbs and spices;
- cheese and cream sauces, as well as their combinations (tomato, mushroom, etc.);
- melted butter or anyone's "damned" mayonnaise.
Always add natural fats to your meals, as this is the foundation of the keto diet.
6. Nice food = fatty food.Decorate your meals with fatty foods!
For some reason, when we hear the word "fat," our brains conjure up awkward images of an unsightly lump of fat or, worse, fat on our own bodies.So now it's time to reverse your thinking, because fat sometimes looks great, let alone tastes!
See what you can use to decorate your food:
- fatty cheeses;
- avocado slices;
- olives and seeds;
- crushing;
- chopped macadamia nuts;
- roasted sesame, almonds;
- avocado, tomato and greens puree;
- slices of bacon or brisket;
- pine nuts.
These simple foods add color to your meal, provide your body with nutrients and, of course, plenty of fat!They can be added to almost any meal and are a great addition to your keto meal plan.
7. Check the snacks - are you sure they contain fat?
Snacks and various snacks are best avoided in any diet, but sometimes they are great for curbing hunger, allowing you to feel full until the next meal.If you happen to be hungry, choose fatty snacks.It can be cheese, nuts or hard-boiled chicken eggs.
8. Always keep a supply of cheese in the fridge
Because cheese is the best addition to any meal.It works great as a snack and can be eaten for breakfast or as a snack.Use cheese on top - it works great both as a stand-alone dish (for example, a spicy cheese topping in the form of tightly wrapped meatballs) and as an aesthetic touch to the main dish (in the form of a sprinkle).
Make amazing creamy desserts based on cheese and enjoy it for breakfast or dinner.Choose any kind of fat cheese with a minimum carbohydrate content - this high-calorie product will quickly fill your stomach and you will be satisfied with the meal.
9. Add oil to drinks
If your tea, coffee or hot milk contains a spoonful of aromatic oil, it will sparkle with an inimitable taste.For example, melt some butter or coconut oil in a bowl.It will not take more than 30 seconds, but the taste of the drink will delight your taste buds for another 15 minutes.
Heavy cream or thick country sour cream from farm stores goes well with hot drinks.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.
If you indulge in fatty foods and dream of a slim body, don't forget a reasonable approach to business.After all, an excess of fatty foods in some cases risks having the opposite effect - stopping the weight loss process or sharply increasing cholesterol levels.
Especially if you drink the drink on a full stomach, you will provide the body with 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 diets is to skip dessert.But just like with a snack, sometimes it's hard to give up the little pleasures missing from weight loss.
If you're determined to treat yourself to something delicious, choose recipes that are low in fat and 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 butter bombs with vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom.These "sweets" go well with tea or coffee, they constantly lift the mood of those losing weight.By the way, such "bombs" contain only 0.4 g of carbohydrates.Write down the recipe because they are simple and very quick to make!
What you will need:
- 85 g of butter (preferably unleavened);
- 0.5 grated coconut (no sugar added);
- 0.5 teaspoons of 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, 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 in both the refrigerator and the freezer (the shelf life is the same as the oil you use).
How to increase the effect of weight loss on the keto diet?
Fat literally makes our lives tastier, healthier and easier, but moderation is important.Eat moderate portions at each meal, 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 you find yourself hungry, this can always be fixed with a small portion of fatty foods, but if you eat too much, the diet can be considered a failure.Pay attention to your diet: make sure it is high in fat and low in carbohydrates.Do not deviate from the prescribed course, because this is the basis of the keto diet.
If you want to get maximum results, take a look at the following useful tips.
1. Make recruiting easier.
At the beginning of a carbohydrate-free journey, fatty foods run the risk of appearing too fatty to the body - this is normal, so your task is to wait for 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 fat foods (for example, avocado, cheese and low-fat fried meat).A smooth transition to more fatty 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 your addiction path, you will feel less hungry after a "light fat" diet.From the body's point of view, this indicates that the adaptation has been successful and access to the processing of fat as fuel is completely open (glucose stored from carbohydrate foods is no longer available).
2. Watch your appetite
If you are perfectly adapted to the keto diet, but your stomach is too demanding on 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 ready-made food).
When you're hungry, still choose high-fat foods instead of carbohydrates.The latter will reduce your efforts to lose weight to nothing.Eat as much as you need to satisfy your hunger - not an extra spoonful of butter on your plate, but let your body burn its internal fat stores.
3. Add more fat to your diet as you lose weight.
As soon as you get the result - the number you want on the scale, for which you gave up carbohydrates, the body does not have fat reserves, which are used as a source of energy day after day.
During this period, it is important to listen to the body and 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 gradually increased.Until you "find" balance, that is, the ability to maintain weight without feeling hungry.
Do not worry that you will not hear 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 to fill you up.All you have to do to hear the hint is keep your appetite in check and resist the urge to overeat.
4. Eat enough protein foods
Protein foods are responsible for suppressing hunger effectively.If you're eating a lot of fatty foods, but you're still hungry, check to see if you're getting enough protein in the "processing department"?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 rip muscles, you need to increase the protein portion a little more.
How Much Fat Can You Eat on a Keto Diet?
The ketogenic nutrition system does not impose strict restrictions on calorie intake, so the basic rule is this: eat until you are a little full, choose standard portions (or pay attention to the volume of a 200-gram cup - eat as much as you like).
Have dinner before 20.00 - this will facilitate the work of the whole body.Do not think that meatballs in cheese sauce will make your stomach happy an hour before bedtime.Like you, he wants to rest at night and not bother processing the incoming provisions.
Eating well 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 quench your hunger and go to sleep with a feeling of fullness.Remember that even light physical activity like walking will significantly increase your weight loss results.
Eat deliciously and lose weight with pleasure!