Eat Fat To Lose Fat With The Ketogenic Diet

Are you looking for a low-carb diet to lose weight, a diet where you can eat fat to lose fat? Though the idea may seem strange at first but it definitely has an answer, and that is a ketogenic diet! The ketogenic diet, or the keto diet, helps in the creation of ketones. This happens when the fat intake of our body goes past the carbohydrate intake hence inducing the ketosis process inducing weight loss and also preventing diseases like obesity or low metabolism. This diet plan has gained popularity amongst those people who wish to maintain their blood sugar levels and lose weight at the same time, following the principle of eat fat to lose fat.

What are ketones?

Ketones are the small fuel molecules produced by the liver, from fat, when the human body does not contain much carbohydrate content. Only after you have been on such a diet for about a week or more, the body and brain get used to it and start burning ketones and fats instead of carbs to fuel energy. Now this fuel is used throughout the human body including the brain. The brain uses highest amount of the energy and it cannot run on fats directly. It can only run on either glucose (which is resultant from carbohydrate consumption) or on ketones.

RELATED STORIES

Keto Diet: This Is What Happens When You Consume Fewer Carbs On A Ketogenic Diet

Want to try keto for weight loss? Take a look at these effects of this diet pattern.

Weight Loss Tips: Should You Add Supplements To Your Routine?

Supplements For Weight Loss: In this article, we assess various aspects of supplements and discuss whether or not they are a good addition to your diet.

Now that the keto is a carb-free diet plan, the brain would need ketones anyway!

When on a ketogenic diet, your carbohydrate content should not go above 50 grams a day. So basically, your body would have high fat content, moderate levels of protein and extremely low carbs. In a keto diet, you will be on meat, fish, avocados, eggs, cheese, seeds and low-carb vegetables. All these food items are rich in protein and fat and there is negligible consumption of carbohydrates.

Photo Credit: iStock

The keto diet for weight loss

When you consider weight loss, typically, the very first step a person takes is cutting down on fat consumption and switching to fruits, grains, rice, cereal, etc. all of which are high-carb foods.

Now when you stick to such diet plans, glucose is used as the primary source of energy, hence leaving fats unused and stored in your body leading to its accumulation. But under the keto diet plan, all these foods are a big "no no". Under this diet, you need to eat fat to lose fat. Strangely, this diet has been proved to be more effective than other low-fat diet plans.

While on a keto diet, here's what you should eat:-

• Meats like fish, poultry, lamb, etc
• Green leafy and above ground vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, etc
• High-fat dairy products like cheese, butter, full cream, etc
• Avocado and berries
• Nuts and seeds like walnuts and sunflower seeds
• And other fats like coconut oil, saturated fats, monk fruit, etc

Eat fat to lose fat
Photo Credit: iStock

And here's a guide to what should be avoided under this diet:-

• Grains like rice, cereal, corn, wheat, etc
• Sugar in the form of honey or maple syrup
• Potatoes, yams and other high-carb foods
• Bananas, oranges, apples under fruits

Photo Credit: iStock

So, if you wish to be specific, our keto diet plan can be segregated into portions of 70% fat, approximately 25% of protein and just 5% of carbohydrates.

Besides weight loss, ketogenic diet also helps in reversal of type 2 diabetes, improve mental focus and also improve your physical endurance. Not only these benefits, keto diet has proven effective for treating uncontrollably epileptic children and even adults. When medication did not prove helpful, keto was their remedy!

How do you know when that you're in ketosis?

When you switch to a different diet, it shows certain symptoms in your body during the initial weeks. Some of the symptoms are as under:-

1. Increased thirst

 You may tend to feel thirsty quite often, so drink water and also get enough electrolytes (salt) to keep yourself from feeling too thirsty.

Photo Credit: iStock

2. Increased urination

Acetoacetate is another ketone body which may end up in urine. Another possible explanation is excessive thirst, you may drink lots of water resulting into increased urination.

3. Keto breath

This happens due to a ketone body name acetone which escapes our body through the breath. During the initial days, your breath may smell fruity or that similar to a nail polish remover. Though mostly temporary, it can also come from sweat while you work out.

4. Reduced hunger

As your body gets accustomed to this diet, energy coming from burning fat instead of glucose and ketones, with time your hunger for food may also reduce. Though eating all the fats would feel great during the first few days, with time you will stop feeling too hungry and your appetite will also get curbed. As a result, weight loss will also speed up.

5. Increased enery

A good and healthy diet will not just affect you physically, but mentally as well by powering you with clear thinking, sense of euphoria and an end to brain fog. Also, initial days may feel tiring and lazy but as you progress, you will feel energized.

With the above in mind, the eat fat to lose fat diet plan becomes worth giving a shot. The ketogenic diet is packed with some unusual yet effective benefits. Try it to feel the difference not just in your body weight, but its strength and your mental health as well.