Portion Control – What does 30g protein look like? + CHARTS

How many times have you ever found yourself wondering what does 30g protein look like? Are you worried about portion control and trying to figure out exactly how many carbs and proteins are actually in a meal?

If you nodded your head as you read that sentence, this post was written for you.

Not only will this article help you understand estimating or counting carbs and proteins in food, but you’ll also get your eyes on a helpful printable cheat sheet at the end of this post that will visually show you what 30g carbs/30 g protein actually looks like which will help you with your keto portion control.

What Does 30g Protein Look Like?

[charts are stated as cups as a more visual reminder of portion sizes on a dinner plate]

In this article you will find:

• Portion control – why is it so important
• Serving size vs portion control 
• What does 30g protein look like
• What does 30g carbs look like?
• Portion control tips
• How to start low-carb – for beginners

We will discuss how much protein to enjoy each day in a future article.

The question of protein goals/limits is an entire article in itself. Why? Because if you ask 10 experts about protein, you’ll get 10 different answers. So this article is just to give you a visual guide to counting/visualising what does 30g protein look like.

Portion Control – super important to healthy eating and weight loss success

Before we really dive into what does 30g protein look like, let’s discuss portion control and break it down.

It’s important to say that no matter what, food portions do matter. While many people believe you can eat as much food as you like, as long as it’s low-carb or keto, it’s a myth I want to bust.

Why? Because after helping millions of readers each and every month, running my FREE low-carb support group and my 4-week quickstart course I see the same problem time and time again – overeating large portions of low-carb and keto meals.

Poor portion control (or portion distortion I often call it) is the most common mistake beginners make. Suddenly when cheese, butter, cream, chicken with the skin on and juicy fat steaks are back on the menu, too many people go overboard and end up overindulging.

Poor portion control (portion distortion) is the most common mistake beginners make. These handy protein charts can help guide you. #lowcarb #lchf #nsng

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Those who are desperately trying to live low-carb but not getting the results they crave – because their portion sizes have not reduced as they lower their carbs and amp up their healthy fats.

When we eat higher healthy fats, it helps keep us satiated for longer AND helps reduce our appetite.

Key Takeaway Note: portion sizes should naturally and gradually decrease.

While limiting unhealthy foods is extremely important, moderation of your keto portion control is also key!

Serving Size vs Portion Size – How to understand portion control and food labels

One aspect that many people fail to understand about weight loss is that there is a difference between a serving size and a portion size. Due to varying food regulations, all food items that are sold have to have some sort of label on them showing nutrition, calories, fat, ingredients, serving size, etc.

• Serving size = is determined by the manufacturer and what you will see on a nutrition label
• Portion size = is the amount of food you would actually eat 

Anytime that you read the term “serving size”, that doesn’t mean that it’s actually the same thing as a portion size. In fact, the two are actually quite different.

Serving size is a term that often relates to what a food manufacturer wants you to consider to be a serving size. Portion size definition is different. 

Often times, many people will look at serving size listed on a label and just assume that it’s what they need to focus on solely to achieve their weight loss goals, but they couldn’t be further from the truth.

Food manufacturers often suggest a smaller portion size than you would generally eat so to reflect a smaller number of calories, fat, sugar, etc.

For example, often sugary fizzy drinks will show a serving size of 1 or 2 serves per bottle/can, but most people would consider one bottle/can to be one serving.

Granola may often say a serving size is ½ cup whereas most people would actually serve themselves up to 2 cups, and sometimes go back for second helpings.

What does 30g protein look like?

[charts are stated as cups as a more visual reminder of portion sizes on a dinner plate]

Now that we’ve dived into the differences of wording, it’s time to show you what varying food portions look like that have the same carb and protein amounts. It’s almost mind-blowing to see the varying portion sizes and understand that they are actually equal in terms of protein! 

What many people fail to understand when just starting out on their low-carb and keto journey, is that 100g of chicken, beef or salmon is NOT equivalent to 100g protein.

How Much Protein Is There In 100g Salmon?

Meat is made from protein, fat and water. So 100g of cooked salmon equates to only 25.4g protein, the rest is made from water, fat and trace vitamins and minerals.

Looking at the chart above, What does 30g protein look like, you can immediately see that eating 35 cups of spinach has the same 30g protein as consuming 1.1 cups of almonds or 0.4 cup steak. Now not all protein sources can be regarded in the same way. Vegetable proteins will not contain complete proteins and vitamin B12 for example. But this chart is purely a visual reminder to help you with portion sizes.

Or what about the fact that a 0.5 cup of salmon and 5.5 eggs have the same amount of 30g protein?

When you start living low-carb, you already know to eat low-carb foods that you can eat more of to help you feel fuller longer! The same thought process goes with protein as well! 

What does 30g Carbs Look Like?

A previous article in this series discussing portion control, I showed you what 30g of carbs look like. Who would have thought that 30 eggs and 1 large banana both have 30g carbs? 

I know which one I’ll be basing my daily meals on (bye bye bananas, hello eggs any way I like).

In the article, I discussed how everyday foods affect your blood sugar control, do you have insulin resistance and how to make low-carb nutrient dense meals to help you crowd out the junk. To read the full article – CLICK HERE.

What about the fact that 9.5 cups of cauliflower has the same 30g carbs as eating 1.8 dates?

When eating a lower carb diet, you may want to double check that you’re eating foods that are going to help you feel full longer. Everyone can probably agree that eating 9.5 cups of cauliflower will keep them fuller much, much longer than consuming 1.8 dates, right?

To download and print both the cheat sheets, CLICK HERE.

Portion Control Tips To Remember

Let’s be real and honest for a moment…getting started and being aware of portion controls isn’t always the easiest. It does take a little bit of time to get used to and many are surprised at how much they are overconsuming when compared to a tried and true portion to eat.

• Tip #1 – Eat off small plates and donate your oversized plates

All of us all probably guilty of this, but if we eat off of a large plate, we tend to want to fill that plate completely. Makes sense, right? Instead of setting yourself up for that issue or difficult decision, why not just donate your oversized plates and eat your meals on smaller plates or bowls. That way, you still get the appearance that you’re plate is full, but you know the portions are smaller just because the plate is smaller as well.

• Tip #2 – One mess up doesn’t ruin everything

Sometimes, life happens. If you find that there’s a possibility that a portion was eaten that was larger than intended, don’t stress. Everyone is human and mistakes do happen. The best thing to do is to acknowledge how and why it happened and put the best foot forward to get back on track with the next food item.

The great thing about food portions is that miscalculations can be corrected with ease. And as long as you are tracking your portions, you can simply reduce the size of your next meal. 

• Tip #3 – Don’t be afraid to get help

Remembering all the varying portion control tips may start to overwhelm, so why not get some help? There are actually dishes and plates out there that are divided into small portions that will remind you, without feeling as though you have to actually remember on your own. And why not join my FREE support group. You can get all the tips you need to be successful when starting low-carb.

• Tip #4 -Mentally prepare yourself to be disciplined

When changing up your food portions, no one is going to hold you accountable, but you. If you allow yourself to keep eating the same portion sizes that you did before you went low-carb, you’ll take longer to reach your weight loss goals.

For most beginners, they begin by enjoying low-carb foods THEN the longer they live low-carb they naturally want smaller meals. BUT it is a total mind shift. I still have to mentally remind myself to serve myself smaller meals.

This can be one of the hardest habits to break and one of the last things to swap mentally BUT it is the most successful aspect to losing weight life long and finally reaching your weight loss goal. 

Food Portions – Conclusion

Using the cheat sheets above to help you better understand your carb and protein food portions will be a great way to keep your healthy eating habits on track. There’s never been a better time than now to start your healthy low-carb lifestyle!

How To Start Low-Carb – for beginners

After seeing the images above, and realising how high-carb everyday foods are, you may be contemplating starting low-carb.

My advice is always to start slowly. Cut out the most obvious places that sugar and carb lurk and the worst offending items. 

It may seem like a daunting task when you begin, but each little step brings you closer to living on real food, whole food and unprocessed food that is lower in carbs.

If you would like to start, READ THIS PAGE. It has all the resources you’ll need.

1. How to start a low-carb diet
2. A FREE 1-week low-carb challenge
3. Shopping lists
4. The basics
5. Follow the “Stepwise approach”
6. What to eat/avoid/sometimes foods
7. Low-carb easy healthy recipes.

6 Ketogenic Diet Mistakes To Avoid As A Beginner

Thinking of starting a ketogenic diet? This high-fat, low-carb diet is all the rage, and Instagram is brimming with success stories about “going keto.”

So, what is “keto”exactly?

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that seems to grow more popular by the day.

Studies have shown that it aids in weight loss, while suppressing your appetite and lowering your cholesterol.

Even celebrities have jumped on the keto bandwagon. From Kelly Ripa to Kourtney Kardashian, Hollywood stars gush about its body-transforming effects. Halle Berry is also a keto enthusiast, and she says the secret is training your body to burn fat by not feeding it any sugar.

Many people do see success in just a short period of time (like in the “28-Day Keto Challenge“), but without a road map it can be difficult navigating the challenges that the keto diet presents. Learn more about the challenge here.

Though this diet plan seems new, it’s been around for nearly 100 years. It started as a natural way to treat epilepsy but fell out of favor soon after its discovery. According to Alix Turoff, R.D., new anti-seizure drugs were an easier and more effective way to treat the condition.

This diet also has similarities to the Atkins craze that peaked in popularity in the early 2000s. To follow the Atkins Diet, you could eat all the fat and protein you wanted as long as you severely limited your carbohydrates. There was no calorie restriction, and the diet became a mockery of health, with people eating entire sticks of butter and pounds of bacon.

The ketogenic diet is distinct from the Atkins Diet in that it does entail counting calories, and it advocates for eating real food, not processed food. Still, the rules are strict, and it’s easy to “fall out of ketosis” if you’re not following the principles to the letter.

If you’ve been looking for a way to burn fat, get ripped, or regulate your hormones, you’ve probably heard that the keto diet can help. We’ll discuss the top six mistakes people make when they’re starting the ketogenic diet and give you tips to overcome them.

Avoid these common keto mistakes to make your transition as smooth as possible.

Pro Tip: Exercise is a vital component of any fitness or weight loss plan. Not sure what workouts you should be doing? Try the Aaptiv app and get personalized recommendations and fun exercises that you can do anywhere. No gym required.

The intention of the keto diet is to force the body to run on fat, as opposed to glycogen (sourced from carbs). When the body reaches this stage, it’s called ketosis. As a result, you need to be eating a significant amount of fat.

If you’re not used to eating a lot of fat, you may find it difficult to hit your required amount. The first 30 days are critical and this step-by-step 28-day keto plan was designed for you to lose weight.

Chances are, you could actually be underestimating how much fat you’re consuming as well. The exact macronutrient ratio will differ from person to person.

However, general guidelines stipulate 60–75 percent of your food should be from fat, 15–30 percent from protein, and five to ten percent from carbohydrates. To work out your personalized split, try using an online calculator.

It’s a good idea to plan your meals and moderate your fat intake until you can estimate the number of fats in your meals by eyeballing portions.

As you adjust your diet, it’s a good idea to measure your ketones to ensure you’re entering ketosis. Ketosis is a delicate balance, and you can throw yourself out of it unknowingly. If you “fall out of ketosis,” you could sabotage your entire diet without even knowing it.

Dr. Nick Sudano says that people come to his office daily complaining that “keto doesn’t work” for them. The first question he asks them is whether they measure their ketones, and the answer is almost always no.

To know if you’re in ketosis, you must measure your ketones. If you’re not, then you’re just guessing. There are three ways to measure your ketones:

1. Urine tests measure acetoacetate. This test will tell how you many ketones are being passed into your urine, so it’s useful as you’re starting keto. However, after a couple of weeks, you stop excreting acetoacetate, so you’ll need another method to ensure you’re still in ketosis.
2. Breath tests measure acetone. This is often referred to as the “sweetness” that’s on your breath. While this test is quick and doesn’t require you pee on a strip, it’s hard to get consistent results.
3. Blood tests are the most accurate way to test if you’re in ketosis. You can do these tests at home by pricking your finger and using the appropriate device.

One of the common keto diet mistakes that people make is eating too much saturated and trans fats. Yes, the keto diet is a high-fat diet, but there is still a difference between the types of fats that you should eat.

Healthy fats are the ones that should make the up the most of your fat intake.

The American Heart Association recommends that you limit your saturated fat intake. Too much saturated fat can increase your “bad” cholesterol, and, therefore, your risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

While it is impossible to completely eliminate saturated fat from your diet, don’t let it make up the majority of your diet.

On the other hand, healthy fats, which are monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fats, are the ones that raise your “good” cholesterol. So, stock up on your nuts, avocado, and fatty fish intake. Your body will thank you for it.

We’ve been trained to be afraid of fat, but that doesn’t need to be the case, especially on the keto diet. Again, the key is consuming the right types of fats.

According to doctors and nutritionists, including Kelly Kennedy, RD, some of the best fat sources you should be consuming on this diet include:

• Wild-caught salmon
• Olives
• Avocados
• Nuts
• Olive oil
• MCT oil
• Coconut butter
• Grass-fed beef tallow oil
• Ghee

The fats that you should avoid at all costs are:

• Vegetable and canola Oils — They are high in omega-6 fats, and they oxidize and become rancid. These oils also contain trans fats, which raise your “bad” LDL cholesterol and increase your risk of coronary artery disease. Foods containing trans fats include many processed foods.
• Dairy — This food group is thought to cause inflammation, acne, allergies, skin conditions like eczema, congestion, asthma, sinusitis, IBS, constipation, and weight gain. Mark Hyman, M.D., warns that dairy is only a suitable item to consume if you’re a calf.

Not surprisingly, there’s disagreement in the medical and nutritional community about the ratio of fat to protein you should be consuming. Most of what you’ll read online advocates for more fat than protein, but some of the more reputable sources say the opposite is true.

Some sources recommend that 60% to 80% of your calories come from fat, and others say those percentages should be allocated to protein instead. We turned to Harvard Health for a definitive answer, and what we gathered is that consuming healthy, whole foods is the way to go.

If you are going to consume the majority of your calories from fats and proteins, make sure they are unprocessed and “clean.” By clean, we mean eating meats that are grass-fed and pasture-raised, avoiding dairy, and staying away from processed junk foods.

It’s also probable that individuals respond differently to these ratios, and you might need to experiment to see what works for you. How do you discover this? By testing your ketones (see the next mistake below).

Too many people focus on restricting carb intake to the point where they don’t eat their vegetables. Don’t do this. Vegetables are critical to your health, even if you’re on the keto diet.

They also contain micronutrients and fiber, so you don’t want to miss out on them. Make sure that you’re eating your veggies, especially the non-starchy kinds. Cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms are great options.

Fruit also becomes the enemy for people following a low-carb diet. But, just like with vegetables, they are an important factor in your health. While some fruits are higher in carbs, there are also alternatives, such as berries, that are delicious and are low in carbs.

Eating your servings of whole foods, such as fruit and vegetables, is important. Don’t just rely on products that are marketed as “keto-friendly,” because chances are, they are also processed.

While it is okay to indulge a little, you want to make sure that you’re eating as much whole food as possible. That includes your fruits and veggies.

Dr. Anthony Gustin, Co-Founder of Perfect Keto, says, “I would ten times out of ten rather have you eating a diet composed of 90 percent real food carbs and not have a single ketone in your body than eating a heap of processed junk.”

He emphasizes food quality. Whatever food plan or diet you choose to follow, this is an important factor.

To ensure you’re keeping your carbohydrate consumption in check, we recommend tracking them, almost to the point of compulsion. Too many carbohydrates on the ketogenic diet are a big no-no. If you overindulge, you’ll be “kicked out of ketosis,” says WBFF Pro, Daniel Ventura. This pitfall is one of the hardest to avoid because carbs are in just about everything.

Before consuming anything, check labels for the number of carbs. If you’re eating unprocessed foods, which is what we recommend, use an online food calculator like this one from WebMD. Use their search function and find out the calorie and carbohydrate content of any food imaginable, from fruits and vegetables to French Fries at McDonald’s.

As a general rule, your net carbohydrate intake should be limited to 30 grams per day. Notice we said net and not total. This is important because you only need to calculate the number of carbs absorbed by your body. Healthline has a handy formula for this calculation:

Carbs -Fiber = Net Carbs

Let’s say we’re trying to figure out how many net carbohydrates a serving of blueberries has. One serving has 11 grams of total carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, so one serving of blueberries has 9 net carbs. Knowing that you can only consume 30 grams, you’ll want to budget wisely.

The keto diet typically stipulates moderate protein. Another one of the common keto diet mistakes people make is consuming too much protein.

This hinders the ability to enter a state of ketosis because excess protein will be converted to glucose by the body, which you don’t want on a keto diet.

Additionally, in general, consuming too much protein may cause kidney issues so make sure you have a good kidney support.

Though a high-protein intake doesn’t cause kidney issues in those with normally-functioning kidneys, studies have found it may exacerbate kidney issues in people who already suffer from mild kidney abnormalities.

Like with your fat intake, monitor your protein intake to make sure that you’re eating the right amount of protein for you. You don’t want to go to all this work to limit carbs and increase fat, only to derail your progress because of your protein intake.

The right fat-to-protein ratio can be controversial, and it’s hotly debated among nutritionists. The controversy stems from a process called gluconeogenesis (GNG). This process happens when the body creates its own glucose from non-carbohydrate sources.

Many nutritionists believe that if you eat too much protein, it results in gluconeogenesis and your blood sugar spikes. While this is true, what’s important to note is that in the absence of carbs, both protein and fat intake can cause GNG.

First, let’s get a grip on what gluconeogenesis is. Dr. Anthony Gustin, DC, defines it as a metabolic pathway that allows your body to make glucose, even the absence of carbohydrate consumption.

The word sounds like a mouthful, but it’s a combination of three concepts. Once you understand the origin of the word, it’ll roll off your tongue, so let’s break it down:

• gluco-: glucose
• –neo-: new
• –genesis: origin or creation

The rationale that’s caused this “fear” of gluconeogenesis is that when you’re in ketosis, your body should be running on ketones, not glucose. While that’s true up to a point, you do need some glucose to perform vital functions in your body.

Here’s where it gets interesting. On a ketogenic diet, you’re not eating sugar, and your carbs are extremely limited. Therefore, your body doesn’t have a ready source of glucose at its disposal. When this happens, your liver and kidneys will convert the fat and protein in your system to make glucose for energy.

So, you don’t need to be afraid of fat or protein on the diet, but it’s smart to maintain the nutritionist-recommended balance with a higher concentration of your calories coming from fat.

People tend to load up on protein over fat because it’s more filling. Plus, it can be lower in calories. But remember, counting calories isn’t the goal of the ketogenic diet. The goal is to enter ketosis, and to do that, you need to up your fat intake while drastically reducing the number of carbs you eat.

Many people what to know how much fat on keto they should consume. Remember, the goal is to use your existing stores of fat to lose excess weight, so you shouldn’t be afraid of either fat or protein on this diet.

As we stated earlier, 60–75 percent of your food should be from fat, 15–30 percent from protein, and five to ten percent from carbohydrates. You can use a food calculator to plan your meals using this framework as a guideline:

1. Plan your fat consumption first to make sure you’re getting the proper ratio.
2. Decide how you’re going to allocate the limited amount of carbohydrates you’re allowed to eat.
3. For the calories that are still left over, fill them in with protein.

Before dismissing protein altogether, it’s important to note that protein also has a thermic effect on your system — it takes energy for your body to convert that food source to fuel. To put it into perspective, a 100-calorie serving of protein takes 25 calories to convert to energy in your body. By contrast, 100 calories of fat require only about two calories before it’s ready for you to use.

If you’ve hit a plateau on keto or you’re not losing weight at all, take another look at your balance of fat and protein consumption. You may need to rebalance your fat and protein levels.

If you limit your protein intake too drastically, especially if you’re a woman, you could encounter the following:

• Stalled weight loss
• Thyroid problems
• Hormonal imbalances
• Hair loss

Again, the amount of protein each person needs will vary, but you may need more if you’re an athlete trying to build or maintain muscle, Dr. Gustin warns.

When done correctly, the ketogenic diet can have astonishing effects on your health and weight. Don’t forget to stay active with Aaptiv app. From strength training workouts to warm-up and cool-down stretches, there’s something for everyone.

Due to the restriction of carbs, you lose a lot of water in the body. So, make sure that you drink more water to prevent dehydration.

A common side effect of the ketogenic diet is constipation, but it is preventable. Dr. Sudano says that for every gram of carbohydrates you consume, your body holds four grams of water. Overall, this effect can be a good thing because your body is going to shed excess water weight. The problem occurs when you lose water that your body needs for vital functions like digestion.

Make sure to up your water intake if you’re feeling stopped up. Start by drinking 64 ounces of water a day, and then increase it if you’re still not regular after a few days.

Keep your water bottle on you at all times, as it’s easy to get sidetracked and forget to drink. Don’t let your thirst be the only indicator to have some water. If you’re thirsty, it means that you’re already getting dehydrated, and we want to avoid going down this path.

If your urine is on the yellow side, then drink up! It means that you are not drinking enough water. You want it to be light or pale yellow.

Unfortunately, on a keto diet, you can’t really have a cheat meal like you may be able to do on other diets.

This is because a cheat meal will typically be high in carbs. This will take you out of ketosis and then you will have to start all over again to get your body back into it.

However, it is impossible to completely ignore your cravings. This will make you most likely to binge. So if you do want to have a cheat meal, be smart about it.

You can try having low-carb versions of your favorite meal, such as cauliflower crust pizza. Or, if you want to order it from your local pizza store, choose thin crust over thick or deep pan. This way, you can indulge, while still staying as low-carb as possible.

If you do cheat, keep in mind that just a single transgression is likely to throw you out of ketosis, and you’ll have to begin the process again. It can take a minimum of two to four days to get back on track (make sure you test your ketones), so ask yourself if the pizza is worth it before you indulge.

For different ideas, try looking online for some keto recipes. You’d be surprised which foods have keto-friendly recipe adaptations. There’s even a way to make Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups compliant with keto!

If you’re up for a challenge, see how much weight you can lose on the “28-Day Keto Challenge“.

Another way to have a cheat meal on the ketogenic diet is to actually make the meal is worthwhile. Don’t just mindlessly snack, but really just eat something that you’re craving and enjoy every bite of it.

Then, you can get back to your keto diet stronger than ever.

While it’s true that the keto diet involves eating lots of protein and fat with very limited carbohydrates, it doesn’t mean you can eat in infinite quantities. Like any diet, its success depends on you achieving a calorie deficit. At the end of the day, you must burn more calories than you consume if you want to lose weight.

According to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, achieving a daily calorie deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day is the ideal amount for achieving safe and healthy weight loss of one to two pounds per week.

To help you achieve a calorie deficit, make sure you get plenty of exercise. The Aaptiv app has hundreds of workouts to choose from, and more are added frequently, so you’ll never get bored. It’s like having a personal trainer right on your phone!

Questions & answers about the keto challenge

By , medical review by – Updated March 6, 2021

1. Questions specifically about the challenge
2. General low-carb questions

Challenge questions

I’m not ready to start on Sunday, I want to postpone the challenge and do it next week, or later.

To postpone the challenge, please press “unsubscribe” at the bottom of any challenge email. Then, during the week before the Sunday you want to get started, go to the Diet Doctor’s 2-week keto challenge page and sign up again.

Where can I find the meal plans?

You can locate each week of the 2021 Get Started meal plan in the links below:

I’m cooking dinner for two people but the recipe says 4 servings, what do I do?

You should use the same amounts, four servings. You’ll need two servings for dinner and two as leftovers for lunch next day. 2 + 2 = 4 servings.

I wonder if the servings are too big – too many calories – will I really lose weight eating this much food?

You should only eat as much as you need to feel satisfied. If there’s too much food for you, save the leftovers for later. If there’s too much every day you can of course reduce the amounts a bit.

As long as you stick to the challenge and only eat when you are hungry, your chances of losing excess weight are very good. There’s no need to count calories on this diet, because your appetite will be reduced. You may even burn around 300 more calories per day.

Should men and women eat the same amount of food? Do I have to adapt portion sizes for men or women?

Eat until satisfied. If you’re not hungry, don’t eat.

That takes care of all differences between sexes and all differences between people.

I’m still hungry after a meal, what do I do?

The serving sizes are calculated so that most people should not feel hungry after eating. But everyone has different needs, so you might need to add more food. What should you add? Add fat. Add butter, mayo, olive oil etc.

What do I do if I’m hungry between meals? What snacks are allowed?

Most people get way less hungry, meaning there is zero need to snack between meals. In fact, if you’re really hungry between meals you’re probably not doing something right. You may want to eat more at mealtime. Specifically, you should consider adding more fat to your food. Like butter or olive oil.

We recommend no snacking between meals during this two-week challenge. After these two weeks you may want to add an occasional low-carb snack, even if you choose to stay on low carb. Not because you need it, because you likely won’t, but simply because it can be enjoyable.

We recommend that you wait until after the challenge is done, though.

How much weight will I lose during the challenge?

Most people with excess weight lose 4-8 pounds (2-4 kilos) during the two-week challenge. Some lose much more. But it is impossible to know the exact answer in advance.

I’m taking the challenge and it’s working great, I’m not hungry at all. I really want to skip a meal. Can I?

Yes. Just make sure you have leftovers prepared for the next day if you’re skipping dinner.

General low-carb questions

Here are common questions and answers about low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) nutrition and health:

Is saturated fat dangerous?

No. That is an old and disproven theory. It’s been a mistake from the beginning. Here’s why.

I started eating low carb / keto and I feel dizzy / have a headache / am tired

Dizziness / headaches and similar symptoms are common in the first week as your body adapts to a very low carb diet. These symptoms usually go away in a few days.

Adding a bit more carbs to meals reduces the symptoms, but can slow down the adaptation (and weight loss).

Another possibility is that you are dehydrated or low on salt. When starting a very low-carb diet there is extra loss of salt and fluids through the kidneys in the first weeks, until the body adapts. Drinking more fluids and adding some extra salt to your food during the first week can help avoiding this problem and often cures the symptoms. Alternatively, you can drink some bouillon a few times a day.

Do you use blood-pressure medication? A very low-carb diet can lower high blood pressure, and medication may need to be reduced in that case. Low blood pressure may result in dizziness.

I have other beginner’s problems on low carb

Check out our full guide on common low-carb side effects and how to cure them. Alternatively, you can jump right to the section that interests you. Here are the most common early problems:

I have longer-term problems on low carb

All common low-carb side effects and how to cure them

I’m eating a low-carb diet but I’m not losing as much weight as I’d like. Why?

There may be many reasons. Follow the checklist on the How to Lose Weight Page

Can you breastfeed on a low-carb diet?

Yes, but you should probably eat a more moderate low-carb diet with 50+ grams of carbs per day. It’s also important to eat enough food.

It’s not recommended to eat a strict low-carb diet or to starve (restrict calories) due to a rare, but serious, risk of complications

What about gallstones and LCHF?

High-fat food can give you short-term trouble if you already have gallstones. Low-fat food gives you gallstones in the long run. More.

Can you eat LCHF if you’ve had your gallbladder removed? Yes.

Can you eat low-carb cookies / bread / pasta and lose weight?

That is probably not a good idea:

Do you get cancer from eating red meat?

Highly unlikely, although favoring unprocessed meat is the healthiest choice. Replacing meat with processed carbs may be one of the worst things you can do for your health and weight. More. 

Do you need to eat resistant starch on low carb to feed your gut bacteria?

Unknown, but there appears to be some potential benefits of doing so

Do you get hypothyroidism on a very low carb diet?

No, hardly on a well-formulated low-carb diet, meaning you replace the energy from carbs with more fat. In scientific studies on LCHF there are no problems with the thyroid and I see no new thyroid issues in my patients going strictly low carb.

However, starvation can lead to hypothyroidism, and if you remove carbs AND fat from your diet you will be starving. So you do need to eat carbs or fat to fuel your body.

Bottom line: An LCHF diet is fine for your thyroid.

Is there scientific proof that LCHF is good for weight / blood sugar / cholesterol / blood pressure?

Yes.

Are studies showing better weight loss on low-carb diets sponsored by the meat industry or the Atkins foundation?

Yes, a few of them are. But repeated independent studies show the same results.

Does insulin play a role in weight gain / loss?

Yes, it’s absolutely crucial in most cases. Some bloggers have objections but they do not change biochemical facts. More.

Can you drink alcohol on LCHF?

Sure, in moderate amounts. But beer and sweet drinks need to be avoided. Choose wine or non-sweetened liquor. More.

Is salt dangerous?

No. At least not in moderate amounts. More.

What’s a good low-carb breakfast except for eggs?

Here are some excellent low-carb breakfasts

Can you eat fruit on LCHF?

Only occasionally, as an exception, if you want to be strict and get the maximum effect. Fruit contains a lot of sugar. Fruit is candy from nature.

More knowledge

This talk by our founder, Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, summarizes the history and science behind the ongoing revolution in diet and health.

More questions

If you still have questions unanswered, feel free to email us at [email protected] and we will do our best to respond as soon as we can.

Keto diet macros to follow when building a healthy plate

Meal planning is hard enough—researching recipes, planning what to make, shopping for ingredients, and cooking the damn food are all time consuming on their own. But for people on the keto diet, the menu choices get even more limited. That’s because the low-carb, high-fat eating plan has very particular macros that can limit one’s food options (sorry, but pasta and rice are totally out the window).

The typical keto diet macros are: 75 to 80 percent of calories from fat, 15 to 20 percent from protein, and only 5 to 10 percent from carbs, says Sam Presicci, MCN, RD, LD, CPT, lead registered dietitian at Snap Kitchen. People might play with those macros depending on their particular health goals and needs, or on their particular interpretation of keto; the “Ketotarian” diet, which advocates for a more plant-based approach, allows for up to 15 percent of calories from carbohydrates.

Why the intense focus on macros, you ask? Basically, this is the ratio of fats to carbs that allows a person to achieve ketosis—when the body switches from burning carbohydrates to fats as its primary source of energy. Ketosis “unlocks” keto’s main potential health benefits, from effective weight management to balanced blood sugar, reduced inflammation, and increased mental clarity. Thus, how you build your plate at mealtime is key to ensuring you stay in ketosis and maintain adequate nutrition.

“Done correctly, a healthy keto diet will consist of lots of well-raised animal proteins (like grass-fed beef, pastured chicken and wild-caught seafood), healthy fats (including avocados, extra virgin olive oil, nuts/seeds, olives, coconuts, etc) and non-starchy vegetables for fiber and micronutrients,” Presicci says.

Related Stories

If you’ve just started keto or you’re thinking about it, here’s how to portion out your favorite veggies, carbs (whatever you can eat), protein, and fats to satisfy your hunger and burn those ketones.

Photo: W+G Creative

Prioritize healthy fats throughout your plate

This is trickier to judge, since Presicci says healthy fat should be incorporated in all parts of a keto meal. “The plate will look like it consists of one-fourth fat, but keep in mind that your veggies will be topped with fat and your meat may also have fat. So really, fat is dispersed across your plate rather than just in one spot,” she says.

“In terms of healthy fats, some great options include avocado oil, coconut oil, avocados, coconut, olives, extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed ghee or butter, and pastured animal fats,” she says. Use these for dressings and cooking techniques, as well as high-fat choices for proteins or protein toppers (think avocado on a burger). You can also snack on fats for snacks, like nut butter or MCT oil in a smoothie.

Load up on vegetables

On keto, non-starchy veggies should take up half your plate. Think lots of leafy greens, bok choy, cucumber, zucchini, cauliflower, asparagus, mushrooms, and tomatoes. “Vegetables contain vital micronutrients like fiber, folate, B vitamins, calcium, as well as a vast array of antioxidants,” she says, so they’re super good for you.

However: “Keep in mind that even though veggies may take up half your plate, they are not calorically dense and therefore don’t actually amount to much of the macronutrient distribution,” Presicci says. Thus, you’ll need to add ample fats and proteins to adequately fuel up. Top your vegetables with (or cook them in) healthy fats like avocado oil, ghee, or extra virgin olive oil for extra fats to burn ketones and to keep you fuller longer.

Keep your carbs to a minimum

Presicci adds that the only carbs a person eats on the keto diet should come from vegetables (think sweet potatoes and other starchy options). You can also get carbs on occasion from low-sugar fruits like blackberries or apricots, provided they don’t push your allotted carb macros over their daily limit. For that reason, Presicci doesn’t really give a set ratio for carbs, but rather includes the carb count within your half-plate of veggies, however it may fit.

For more intel on the keto diet, watch top dietitian Tracy Lockwood Beckerman spill the MCT oil…er, tea: 



Don’t go overboard on protein

There’s a common perception that the keto diet involves massive amounts of steak, bacon, and other fatty meat. In reality, Presicci says up to a fourth of your plate should be protein. “The type of protein depends on preferences, but it’s always recommended to source the best quality you can afford. Since those following a keto diet may be eating higher fat meats, it’s particularly important to aim for high-quality meats, since things like hormones, antibiotics and toxins end up in the animal’s fat,” she says. She also recommends not going overboard on red meat for the sake of heart health and instead prioritizing leaner meats like chicken and fish for your day-to-day eating. Load up on eggs, avocado, nuts, and tempeh if you’re on keto but limiting meat intake.

What does a sample plate look like?

To recap, a very generalized example of a healthy keto plate would be half vegetables, a fourth protein, and a fourth healthy fats (with more fats incorporated throughout).

Some sample keto meal ideas: Fill your plate with sautéed mushrooms, bok choy, and asparagus cooked in grass-fed ghee, then add a three-ounce serving of grass-fed sirloin steak cooked in a small pat of pastured butter (or swap the beef for skin-on chicken thighs). Or you could roast zucchini and tomatoes in avocado oil, then serve with skin-on cooked salmon with a creamy sauce on top. Breakfast could consist of a veggie omelette with some cheese, cooked in olive oil or pastured butter.

“The plate can stay consistent for all meals, since the macros are the same whether you’re eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Some people may practice intermittent fasting and not eat breakfast, but that still doesn’t impact what their plate looks like when they do eat,” Presicci says. Consistency is key for achieving and maintaining ketosis—which hopefully should make things easier for meal prep, too.

Looking for more keto food inspo? You’ll want to try these air fryer recipes. Oh, and these keto Instant Pot recipes are pretty great, too. 

Do You Make These 7 Keto Mistakes?

You’re going to make mistakes. Guaranteed.

But that’s the good news.

Because if you’re making mistakes it means you’re in the game.

And If you’re reading this, it also means you’re human. It’s what we do.

It’s not that you’re not cut out for this: You’re normal.

The good news is we can also learn from someone else’s mistakes.

Weight stalls, plateaus, and even weight gain can happen if you fall into those traps and they’re frustrating.

Here they are so you can learn from them and avoid the setbacks. 

1. The Sugar Chameleon

Sugar is as ubiquitous in our food supply as Starbucks is on every street corner.

But unlike the welcoming, stylish, and cozy coffee bar… sugar lurks, hides, and disguises herself from you, the unassuming consumer.

She’s covert. She takes on different names and aliases to conceal her identity.

If you’re not careful with this devious chameleon, you fall prey.

Beware of where she lurks:

Sauces, marinades, salad dressings. They might be thickened with flour or cornstarch, sweetened with honey or brown sugar.

Fake foods labeled “low carb”, “sugar free”, “net carb”. They’ve got:

• sugar alcohols like sorbitol, maltitol, and xylitol
• sugar aliases like dextrose and maltodextrin
• fake “fiber” ingredients.

They raise your blood sugar, and they behave just like sugar.

Fruit. They’re sweet. The alias is fructose.

Alcohol. Light beer and wine may be low carb. But it’s not that easy to stop at one glass, is it? The chameleon strikes back.

Over-the-counter medications. Cough medications and antacids could have sugar in them. Read the label, and ask your doctor or pharmacist. 

2. Protein The Size of Texas

How much protein is too much?

Expert recommendations vary between 0.6 – 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

That’s between 40 grams – 136 grams of protein per day for someone who weighs 150 pounds.

Yes, it’s a wide variation.

So how do you know how much you should eat? And how much protein does that look like?

Here’s how:

1. Look at the size of your palm.
2. That’s around 3 oz of meat or approximately 21 grams of protein. It ain’t a perfect way to measure. But it’s a good start.
3. Eat less protein if you’re not losing weight, eat more if you feel weak.

Choosing fatty cuts of meat will also help you stay in the ballpark:

• rib eye
• chicken wings and thighs
• pork belly
• salmon, tuna, mackerel.

Think Trader Joe’s, not Costco.

The ketogenic diet is low carb, moderate protein, and high in fat.

High protein is not recommended because protein raises insulin, and excess protein can turn into sugar. This promotes fat storage and prevents fat loss. 

3. Fat Phobia

Combining low carb with low fat won’t look pretty: you’ll be hangry and exhausted … you might quit.

Fat gives you energy in the absence of carbs.

Please don’t deprive yourself of this clean, reliable fuel.

It’s been over 50 years since the war on fat began. So it makes total sense if you’re still afraid to embrace it. We’ve all been taught to avoid it our entire life.

But you can take heart from the truth: There is no evidence that saturated fat is associated with heart disease.

Enjoy:

• avocado
• sour cream
• heavy cream
• coconut oil
• olive oil
• real butter
• ghee
• full fat cheeses
• whole-plain Greek yogurt
• nuts
• fatty cuts of meat, poultry, seafood.

One of the secrets to staying on track is to eat fat to satiety.

Fat keeps you full and energized so it becomes a sustainable way of eating. 

4. Fat Mania

You don’t need to avoid fat.

But you also don’t need to force it.

• Forcing it means drinking bulletproof coffee with meals instead of as a meal replacement.
• Forcing it means snacking on fat bombs in between meals instead of having a high fat meal that keeps you full until the next meal.

You won’t lose fat if your body’s too busy burning the fat you’re forcing in, that it can’t get to burning your stored fat. You may even gain weight.

Use fat wisely… with your meals.

Use it as a weapon against fatigue so you can stay on track.

Use it as leverage to keep you full so you won’t feel the need to snack. 

5. The Caloric Fear Factor

Just as we’ve been told to avoid fat, we’ve also been told to eat less, control portions, and count calories to lose weight.

But the biggest perk that comes with keto is that it suppresses your appetite naturally.

Take advantage of it:

• Eat.
• Eat when you’re hungry.
• Eat until you’re full.

Don’t be afraid to overeat because your hunger is already reduced.

If you try to eat less you may end up not eating enough, and then you might be forced to battle with The Snack Attack. 

6. The Snack Attack

Snacking in between meals or eating more often throughout the day won’t “rev up” your metabolism to help you lose weight.

It’s quite the opposite.

Snacking promotes weight gain because the thing it will “rev up” is your insulin – the hormone that makes you store fat.

If you’re thinking about doing one thing to change to break through a weight stall, try this: Don’t snack.

Here’s how:

Maybe you’re really hungry. Wait for your next meal. Try walking, doing a chore, or a task. The hunger wave will usually pass. But if you’re still hungry, turn this would be snack into a full meal so you’re not adding to your eating frequency.

Maybe you’re snacking out of habit. Replace the habit. Try that walk, or have unsweetened coffee or tea instead.

Maybe you’re not eating enough during meals. Eat more, or add more fat to your meal to help you stay full until your next meal. 

7. The What-The-Hell Effect

Slip ups happen. But that’s not the issue.

It’s this:

Well, since I’ve already blown it with this pizza bite, I might as well have the full slice… and another. Oh, what-the-hell, I’ll have a beer – and that cookie!

Researchers call this downward spiral the What-the-Hell effect.

But there’s a way out.

Behavioral science says it’s self-compassion… in other words – forgive yourself.

Guilt and shame make you feel bad after a slip up.

These negative feelings make you “let yourself go” in an attempt to make yourself feel better.

But if you forgive yourself, the bad feelings dissipate and you won’t feel the need to keep eating in order to feel better.

So instead of saying “What-the-hell”, try this …

It’s okay. I’ve been doing real well. And I sure-as-hell haven’t ruined my long-term goal.

Because if you don’t feel bad about something, you won’t feel the need to fix it. 

Why perfect won’t give you results either

Learn from others’ mistakes. Do your research. These are all smart strategies.

But there’s a downside to chasing perfect.

Perfect can keep you from getting started, because it can get you stuck from fear of making mistakes.

Perfect can keep you from going, because it can trick you into thinking you’ve ruined it when mistakes are just part of the process.

Instead, try to give yourself permission to make mistakes.

It gives you freedom to act and freedom to keep going despite the setbacks.

Because that’s where results come from: consistent action over time.

Did you like this article? Please share it on Facebook, or share it on Twitter. Thank you!

Your Guide to the Keto Diet

APR. 10, 2019

 
2 MIN. READ

“Keto” refers to ketogenesis, a process in the body that results from significantly reducing the carbohydrates in your diet and increasing your fat intake. The keto diet has been around a long time and has even been used for medical reasons, but athletes, celebrities and others are turning to the regimen as an effective weight loss technique.

How Does It Work?

When you’re on the ketogenic diet, you are in a state similar to fasting – your body is using fat for fuel. Normally your body gets energy from readily available carbohydrates, but on a keto diet, your carb intake is slashed. “When carbs are available, the body will naturally turn to them for energy instead of using dietary fat or stored body fat,” explains Pam Nisevich Bede, RD, MS, a dietitian with Abbott.

However, without regular replenishing of carbohydrates, the body begins to break down fat for energy, resulting in the formation of ketones. Ketones can eventually be used by the body for energy.

The move from carb to fat fueling is marked by an adaptation phase. This phase can come with some lethargy and other symptoms as your body adjusts (we discuss this more later) but you’ll start to notice weight loss as well as more steady energy and less hunger. “This can be a hard shift for someone who’s been fueling with bagels and pasta their entire life, but after three to five weeks, the body adapts,” Bede explains.

Related: Sign up for keto quick-start guides and more

What You’ll Be Eating

The key to keto is knowing what’s in your food. “On a standard diet, most people consume approximately 50-55 percent carbohydrates, 20-25 percent protein and 20-25 percent fat,” says Bede. “With a keto diet, the breakdown is approximately 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein and 5 percent carbohydrates.” For example, a woman who weighs 150 pounds and is moderately active is recommended to eat 25 grams of carbs (think one medium sized apple!), 86 grams of protein (a little over three 3 oz chicken breasts) and 189 grams of fat (hello, avocados and nuts!) per day on the keto diet.

Interested in a keto meal plan? Check out a full day of recipes here.

A typical keto diet will consist of foods high in protein and healthy fats, including red meat and poultry, fatty fish, non-starchy vegetables, dark, leafy greens, avocado, coconut oil, keto-style coffee, bone broths and of course plenty of water. When you’re in a pinch, you can grab a ZonePerfect Keto shake in flavors like White Chocolate Coconut or Butter Coffee. to meet your targets to stay fueled and satiated on the go

What to Expect

During the transition to a keto diet, you might experience some minor side effects. Don’t get discouraged — it’s a normal part of the process. Bede explains that new diet adopters might feel symptoms of “keto flu,” including headaches, nausea, fogginess, muscle cramping and fatigue. Make sure you are not too low on electrolytes — sip on broth or take a salt tablet to get needed sodium. If you’re an avid runner or athlete, you might feel a bit drained at first during those workouts, but Bede notes that “Once adapted, gym goers and strength athletes will have no issues cran­­­king through a workout session.”

Remember that this transition might last about three to five weeks, and the benefits can certainly outweigh the immediate side effects. Bede no­­tes that you might notice increased energy throughout the day and some people report a feeling of greater mental clarity or focus. Further, the combination of fat and protein on the keto diet may contribute to increased feelings of satiety.

A keto diet is an option for people looking to lose fat and build muscle, but like any diet, it’s not the best choice for everyone. Pregnant women, serious endurance athletes and people managing Type 1 diabetes as well as other conditions may have trouble with the restrictions of a keto diet. If you are considering starting a keto regimen, research it well, consult with your doctor and have regular blood lipid testing to ensure your cholesterol and other levels stay in healthy ranges.

Learn More:
ZonePerfect Keto Shakes are perfect for people following the keto diet. Made with 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs – delivering keto macros to burn fat for fuel. Available in Pineapple Coconut, Butter Coffee and White Chocolate Coconut.

Choosing and Preparing Animal Protein for Keto

The stereotypical image of a keto meal is a big plate full of bacon with a few spears of asparagus on the side – needless to say, this isn’t how most people on keto actually eat, at least not most of the time. In fact, it’s even possible to eat keto with minimal to no meat, if you’re willing to go for eggs and dairy.

How Much Meat to Eat?

Meat supplies a whole range of nutrients – including nutrients like vitamin B12 that you can’t get anywhere else. It’s also a key source of protein for keto diets. At the very minimum, humans need to eat enough protein to repair our muscles and do all the other important stuff that protein does. So “enough meat” means enough to serve as a primary protein source and round out your diet with essential nutrients that are mainly or only found in meat.

The short version: if you eat meat or eggs at 1 to 3 meals a day, with supplemental protein (primarily dairy and nuts) at any non-meat meals, you’ll probably get plenty of protein for keto plus enough of all the other nutrients in meat. Scroll down to the list below for suggested serving sizes.

The long version

How much is “enough protein,” and how does that translate into actual meat on your plate? U.S. dietary guidelines prescribe protein based on body weight (a minimum of 0.36 grams per pound of body weight, if you want to bust out your calculator). But that’s the minimum necessary to stay alive and prevent deficiency, not the right amount for optimal health or weight loss. The classic ketogenic diet has a ratio of 4:1 fat grams:(protein grams + carb grams), meaning that the diet would be less than 20% protein by weight (grams) and 10% protein by calories. People who want to put on muscle – or people who want to lose weight more easily – often eat closer to 30% protein by calories, which is probably fine and maybe even helpful for keto weight loss, since protein helps suppress hunger. It’s perfectly fine to eat on the low end – keto isn’t necessarily a high-protein diet – but there’s a big range of totally reasonable options.

Depending on how much you eat in a day, that would be roughly 40 grams of protein at the extreme low end (a very small, sedentary woman eating a low-protein keto diet) or approximately 150 grams at the higher end (a large man or a very active woman eating a high-protein keto diet).

Time to take a look at some actual foods:

• 3 slices of bacon, baked in the oven: 8.68 grams of protein, 10.51 grams of fat, 0.33 grams of carbs.
• 1 can of sardines, in oil: 22.65 grams of protein, 10.35 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs.
• 1 chicken drumstick, roasted in the oven, with skin: 24.52 grams of protein, 10.66 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs.
• 1 chicken breast, with the skin, roasted: 29 grams of protein, 7.62 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs.
• 4 ounces of chuck roast, cooked, with the fat: 34 grams of protein, 20 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs.
• Half a can of salmon: 39.75 grams of protein, 12.45 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs.
• 1 pork chop, with the fat: 40.21 grams of protein, 17.36 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbohydrate.

Once you add in all the miscellaneous protein you get from nuts, dairy (if you eat dairy), eggs (around 18 grams per 3 eggs, so they’re comparable to meat), and other sources, it’s pretty easy to get plenty of protein with very reasonable amounts of meat. In fact, many people don’t eat more meat on keto than they ate before – they just get rid of all the junk that surrounded the meat.

As for all the other nutrients in meat? If you’re eating enough meat to get your protein, you’ll probably get enough of those, too. For example, that 4 ounces of chuck roast contains 113% of the RDA for vitamin B12, plus substantial amounts of other B vitamins, like choline. For people without special nutritional needs, it’s just not necessary to worry about it beyond that.

And that’s how the short version above came about: based on the numbers, a good rule of thumb is to eat between 1 and 3 meals per day with meat, with other protein sources (eggs, nuts, dairy) at the meat-free meals. This will work well for most people – although, as always, everyone’s a little different and you might feel best with more or less. It’s not an exact science, and it doesn’t need to be.

Choosing and Preparing Meat for Keto

Choosing meat

If it’s financially within your reach, buy meat from animals who lived decent lives – cows that lived on pasture, chickens that had room to scratch around in the dirt. Whether it’s labeled “organic” or not is secondary; a lot of local farms can’t afford organic certification but still meet or exceed the standards of the label.

This isn’t just an ethical issue – it’s also nutritionally important because the fat from pastured animals is much higher quality than the fat from their factory-farmed cousins. Which is particularly important for keto because you’ll be eating a lot of fat.

People with inflammation issues may also feel best prioritizing fish and deprioritizing pork – that’s because pork tends to be higher in potentially inflammatory omega-6 fats and fish tends to be higher in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.

Pick the Fatty Cuts

Once you’ve found your source of good animal protein, zoom in straight to the fattiest bits you can find. As you can see from the chart above, even “fatty” animal foods are still surprisingly high in protein – you can get plenty of protein even from fat-heavy cuts of meat.

Preparing meat for keto

There’s no One True Way to cook meat on keto – lots of fat-heavy cuts taste delicious after a slow braise, but as long as your recipe doesn’t have too many carbs, it’s all good! If you’re stumped for inspiration, check out Hawaiian style kalua pork, margherita chicken,  buffalo meatballs, or one of our other tasty keto meat recipes!

For leaner cuts of meat (like chicken breast, ground turkey, or pork tenderloin), good cooking methods include anything that adds fat:

• Curries or braises with coconut milk
• Butter or cream sauces
• Lean meats wrapped or stuffed with bacon
• Avocado salsa on top
• Anything with cheese

Do I even need meat at all?

Most vegan protein sources (lentils, beans) are way too carb-heavy for keto, even if you don’t care that much about sticking to a strict Paleo diet. But if you eat eggs and dairy, it’s definitely possible to have a vegetarian keto diet that’s adequate in protein, reasonably varied and quite tasty. It would likely be lower in protein than a meat-heavy keto diet, but if that works well for you, then it’s totally fine!

Add fish (which makes you technically a pescetarian, not a vegetarian) and you have even more options – plus all those healthy omega-3s.

Here’s a chart breaking down some non-meat protein sources:

• Green = Paleo + keto-friendly
• Orange = keto-friendly but not Paleo
• Red = not Paleo or keto-friendly

*As long as they don’t contain sugar, honey, or other sweeteners, which will obviously up the carb count – check the label!

In place of all the animal fat you won’t be getting, just fill in the missing calories with high-fat plant foods like olive oil, avocados, and nuts, plus high-fat dairy like heavy cream and butter/ghee.

Summing it Up

Keto is a lot more than a big pile of bacon – you don’t even need to eat meat at every meal to get enough protein for keto. Eggs are a great staple protein source, and low-carb dairy foods like cheese can give you a boost in the protein department. Getting high-quality protein at every meal is a good practice in general, especially for weight loss, but it doesn’t take any more meat than most people normally eat at a serving.

Have a look at Paleo Restart, our interactive Paleo 30-day program. Learn more and get started here.

+ #PaleoIRL, our new cookbook all about making Paleo work for a busy life is now available! Get it now here.

90,000 Balanced Keto Diet | Naketo

How to compose a diet?

1. Introduction.
– what are we talking about and why is it needed?
– can we count nothing?
– with what precision everything needs to be done (replacement of products, calculation to a gram)?
2. We select the type of ration, we determine the KBZhU
3. We establish the norms of consumption of macro-microelements, adjust for the ration if necessary (if not PP).
4. We select and configure the accounting method (program, document, online service, etc.)
5. We compose a diet
– we make a list of permitted products (with reference to reality)
– we clarify the composition of KBZhU, macro and micro elements
– we plan a week (usually by the type of protein)
– we add herbs, vegetables and fats
– we introduce additions for maximum approximation to the balance of macro and micro elements
– check the general composition and adjust, if necessary

1. Introduction.

There are a lot of the same questions from clients regarding the preparation of a balanced diet.Everyone has a list of products, but for some reason it so happens that over time, most of this list narrows to a very narrow and monotonous set of products. Not only is this annoying, but the most annoying thing is that it may not be very useful in the long term. In this article, we will look at one of the options for composing a diet. This is not a rule, not a state standard. This is a rough description of how I do it. It is not a fact that in a month the methodology will not change and will not be supplemented with anything. But whenever possible I will try to update this text as necessary.

Let’s clarify right away with two main questions – what accuracy is needed and is it possible to count nothing at all? Accuracy – we must understand that this whole scheme is rather arbitrary and deviations and errors are possible at each step. Determining the exact level of calories consumed is by itself a complex process with a large number of variables and, most importantly, that over-precision is not particularly needed, and you can still check the calculation only in practice. Therefore, the simplest solution will be described further in the section on KBZHU.

Composition of products – there are a lot of different databases, and it is not known how accurately the data is entered in them and how carefully errors are corrected. Any database may contain inaccuracies. Therefore, we must understand all the conventions of this method and not go to extremes, trying to calculate up to a gram and up to each calorie

Serving weight is also a factor influencing the result. Yes, you can walk everywhere with weights and weigh each portion, and this should essentially be done for the first couple of weeks, at least.BUT! Next, you must understand what you want and select the required accuracy for this. If you are at the initial stage and cannot enter the mode of sustainable weight loss, then you need to weigh everything accurately. But if you have already been in the regime for half a year and are used to the size of the portions, have picked up your diet, then a spread of 10-15% in a portion of vegetables will not change anything at all.

Percentage of assimilation – each product is not completely absorbed. This is a very complex process that depends on metabolism, food mix and many other factors.Therefore, even if you have passed all the previous difficulties and were able to weigh everything up to a gram and take into account according to an ultra-accurate base, then how much you will learn from what you eat, you will not know for sure without a laboratory and a complex experiment. But this is not necessary. What to do? We must understand all the conventions of these measurements.

The main criterion is your direct experience and well-being. Usually we start with an approximate accuracy of 10-15%, with a simply calculated KBZHU and then pay attention to the dynamics of weight change, well-being and the result of regular analyzes.If everything is fine, then we continue or even simplify the method (add carbohydrates, calories, introduce other foods, etc.). If the weight is worth it or there is discomfort, then we make adjustments to the diet and increase the accuracy of measurements (we select the diet more accurately and weigh everything).

Can you not count? Yes, of course you can. It all depends on your goals. If you do not overeat, your appetite is normal, you have a varied and nutritious diet, then you do not need to count anything. This condition should be the final goal of all diets and diets, in fact, it is a healthy lifestyle.

Any diets, diets and meal plans that are not focused on this in fact do not make sense, except to be a means of enrichment by their authors. But if you have problems with excess weight or health that are solved by changing the diet and you have never considered anything , then without the most accurate calculations, it will not be easy to achieve a guaranteed result.

My recommendation in this case is aimed at beginners who have never considered anything and want changes in weight and health – we do, but without fanaticism, see the previous point, plus 10-15% minutes, it’s okay.

2. Select the type of diet, determine KBZHU

At the beginning of the preparation of the diet, we choose its type, i.e. the ratio between proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In our case, this is keto diet with a minimum amount of net carbs of 30 grams. What are clean and why I’ll tell you a little later. Diet can be anything and this way of drawing it up is applicable to any regimen, be it PP, paleo, LCHF, or even the Mediterranean diet.

All further description will be given on the example of a keto diet, but you can easily replace it with your own version if you wish, what exactly and how to change will be clear.

Next, we must determine the number of calories that we need.

The easiest way is to use any online calculator, enter “calorie calculation” in Yandex and choose any. I usually use mine –

Расчет

Enter your data, we get the number of calories. In this case, you enter the desired weight, which should be no more than 3-5 kg ​​less than the current one. If you need to lose more than 5 kg, then this is done in several stages.With a weight of 90 kg, calculating at 55 and sticking to it is a very bad idea, because it will be difficult to handle and create mass.

For example, with a weight of 70 kg, a height of 170 and an age of 35, we enter a weight of 65 kg from the given link. There are two calculation formulas, we use a more modern one – Mifflin – San Geora.

We look at the range from “How many calories do you need per day so that the weight does not change” to “How many calories do you need per day to lose weight”. In our case, these are 2311 (so that the weight does not change) and 1849 (for weight loss).

This calculation is made for a weight of 65 kg, which is 5 kg lower than ours. Next, we choose the mode – we want to lose weight easily and comfortably or quickly, while we are ready to be patient. If a person does not have health problems, usually in this case, I would recommend taking 1800 kcal as a basis for starting and keep in mind that you can easily increase consumption by 200-300 if you feel hungry.

The choice of the minimum value is relevant for the keto diet , because it has its own characteristics and there is always a decrease in appetite on it.

I need to say a few words about food lovers for 1200-1300 kcal. Any person has a minimum necessary level of calorie intake, the so-called. “Base metabolic rate” or RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). These are the calories that our body consumes in a state of complete rest. Consuming fewer calories puts the body in a state of “starvation” and it has to slow down its metabolism for its own survival.

This is one of the reasons why some people fail to lose weight even with minimal consumption.The baseline can be calculated using complex formulas that can be easily found on the Internet, but the approximate value is equal to ten times your weight in pounds. There are 450 grams in one pound, so with a weight of 70 kg we get

RMR = 10 * 70 / 0.45 = 1555 kcal.

Therefore, if your weight is 70 kg and you want the fastest weight loss, then I would not recommend making a diet of less than 1600 kcal. This value is also due to one point, which I will talk about in more detail in one of the following points – with rations below 1600 -1650 kcal, it is very difficult to ensure a sufficient intake of macro and micro elements and you cannot do without taking additional drugs.

On rations from 1600, you can eat a balanced diet without taking pills (except for some of the most important ones that are desirable for any diet, for example, vitamin D and omega 3, more on this later). Now we know the total number of calories and we need for ourselves determine the distribution of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. I usually take 30 grams of carbohydrates to begin with, this is enough in the vast majority of cases. Proteins take the minimum value, but not less than 0.7 g per 1 kg of weight.

It is desirable to take in the range from 1 to 1.2 g.With a weight of 65-70 kg, you can take 70 grams of protein as the basis of the diet. From experience – anything less than 70 grams is very difficult to provide in practice without hunger and serious restrictions on food. If after a couple of weeks of the diet the weight will stand, then it will be necessary to reduce carbohydrates and proteins, in our case, after two weeks of stagnation of weight, I would make 25 grams of carbohydrates and 65 grams of protein. Everything else will be fats. There is enough conditional calculation based on the fact that 1 gram of carbohydrates and protein contains 4 kcal, and fat contains 9 kcal.

In fact, this is not entirely accurate, but we have already spoken about this and for us such accuracy is quite enough.We get: 1600-30 * 4-70 * 4 = 1200 kcal we should consume from fat. 1200/9 = 133 grams of fat.

Received a full calculation of KBZHU 1600/70/133/30

3. We set the norms of consumption of macro and micro elements.

The fun begins. All problems with the wrong diet begin with a regular shortage of some element. Too little or too much sodium and swelling and problems with blood pressure may occur, a lack of potassium can affect the heart rate, magnesium can cause seizures, etc.d.

As soon as we start touching on this topic, then two main questions emerge – what exactly to take into account and where to get the consumption rates? There are heated debates on the Internet about which consumption standards to follow, the versions are different and there are a lot of them.

It is necessary to find a simple scientifically grounded solution, with which there will be no disputes and double interpretations. There are many books, websites, articles on this topic.

There are several international standards and guidelines. Meanwhile, we have the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Here is the official website site

http://www.ion.ru/

This institute has an official base “CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF FOOD PRODUCTS USED IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION” at link

http://web.ion.ru/food/FD_tree_grid.aspx

He issued the norms of physiological requirements for energy and food MR 2.3.1.2432-08, in which all elements are described and recommendations for consumption are indicated. They can be downloaded from the Rostekhnadzor website –

http: // rospotrebnadzor.ru / documents / details.php? ELEMENT_ID = 4583

By the way, remember we calculated the minimum calorie intake at the beginning? In this document, there is the concept of “basal exchange rate”, which is essentially the same RMR that we talked about. We got 1555 kcal, according to the norms for our conditions it is equal to 1490 (Table 4.1), which you will agree very closely.

Further, this value must be multiplied by a coefficient, depending on the load and activity. For us, this is a confirmation of the correctness of the calculations.We take these norms as a basis and adapt them to our diet. We have already adjusted the amount of carbohydrates, there will be more changes a little further. These norms have a physiological need for each element. But if we take into account everything, but it is difficult to calculate and hardly necessary. We need some other simple accounting method.

But how to choose those elements that are necessary in the first place and the lack of which is critical for health?

There is such a method and it is described in the same standards.There is a separate table for calculating the risk of undernutrition, this is the very last page. I will not complicate the text with the whole table, I will write out the most important thing:

Minimum values ​​
Protein from 0.75 to 1.6 g per 1 kg of weight (we chose from 1 to 1.2 g)
Vitamin B1 – from 1.2 to 1.5 mg
Vitamin B2 – from 1.3 up to 1.8 mg
Vitamin C – from 40 to 90 mg
Vitamin A – less than 900 μg
Calcium – 700 mg
Iron – 8.7 mg for men and 14.8 mg for women

In case of a shortage of these substances, there is a likelihood of a health risk, this is the opinion of the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, with which we have no reason to disagree.

Let’s make some minor adjustments taking into account the keto diet . Here I will rely on the available laboratory results from the long-term keto diet (in the near future there will be a separate article on this topic with all the links and conclusions). We will also take into account the experience of leading specialists in this area in the west.

In my practice, all further recommendations are fully confirmed. The main problems and side effects on the keto diet are associated with digestive disorders due to a lack of fiber (dietary fiber) in the diet and an imbalance of essential minerals due to large water loss and leaching.

Therefore, I suggest that we also take into account the quantity according to the above standards:

Fiber – 20..30 g
Sodium – 1300 mg
Potassium – 2500 mg
Magnesium – 400 mg

We have received a complete list of KBJU, macro and micro elements that we need for a complete and balanced keto diet. The consumption of these substances in the indicated quantities will not harm the body and can be used as a complete balanced diet.

You do not need to calculate all this in full, but now we can check any diet for balance. All of this was detailed so as to avoid controversy and discussion.

As a result, we get the following requirements for the diet:

4. Select and configure the accounting method (program, document, online service, etc.)

Now we need a way to calculate what we are eating and compare with this data. If our diet does not deviate from these parameters, we will know this and will be able to choose – drink supplements or add food changes.Moreover, if we decide to drink supplements, we will know exactly what to drink and what dose. So, what are the options to take all this into account?

a) Program for computer or telephone . There are many options for different programs on the market, but first of all, they are designed to take into account what has been eaten. But no one bothers to enter all the data in advance and correct them until a balance is achieved for all of our selected parameters. It is not very convenient for weekly planning, but it is quite possible.

MyFitnessPal
LoseIt!
Cron-O-Meter
FatSecret

Try them all and find the one you like. If you are too lazy to try – put MyFitnessPal.

If you pick up a program and get used to it, understand and check its base, then you can calculate the daily rations quite well. How to take into account the eaten, and plan ahead.

b) Online service. There are also a lot of online services for calculating KBZhU and ration.There are a lot of them, there are paid and free ones. If you find this topic interesting and lacking in functionality, you can search the Internet.

c) Document – spreadsheet. Probably the most difficult option, but the most accurate. I use this method, although it took me a lot of time to customize the table to fit my needs. I have to select a lot of rations for my clients, so I had to develop a functional tool.

I think that for individual needs an application on the phone or an online service is quite enough.

5. Composing the diet

a) For any diet, we must make a list of foods. If we use the program, we check the database, understand in what form carbohydrates are taken into account. For example, in the database above, carbohydrates are counted separately from fiber. In most other databases, they are counted together.

b) The list of products for the keto diet can be downloaded from my website. I plan to expand it in the near future, indicate carbohydrates and protein in each product.For those who have already received it, there will be a mailing list with a new list.

c) There are two main ways of organizing meals for the week, they greatly affect how you choose your meals.

First method.
You can prepare the entire ration for a week on weekends, arrange in containers (preferably glass), leave the first three days in the refrigerator, freeze containers for Thursday and Friday.

Pros:
– it is more convenient for consumption
– portion sizes are very accurately taken into account
– a lot of time is saved on weekdays

Cons:
– not everyone likes the taste of defrosted food
– often stored in plastic containers, which is not very useful

Second method.
It is possible to formulate the ration in such a way that it is cooked every day. For this, the composition of the products is planned for this and simpler recipes are selected. The basis of this method is fresh vegetables and leafy salads. Pros:
– no time wasted on weekends
– always fresh food
– you cook what you want to eat

Cons:
– it is a little more difficult to control portions, because the calculation is carried out for raw products and you do not immediately divide the dish into equal parts, as with the first method
– almost every day you have to spend time preparing food

g) Whichever method you choose, then you start planning the diet for the week.First, plan your week for a staple protein product. With the first method, everything is clear, you cook and lay out everything every day in any combination.

Let’s consider an example of composing and calculating a ration for the second method (daily preparation). It’s hard to eat the same thing every day. Therefore, usually every day you will have two types of protein, for example from the current day and from the next.

For example,
Monday – beef, especially if bone broth is cooked on the weekend, you can add a little meat and get the preparation for Monday
Tuesday – Pork
Wednesday – Vegetable day, protein from Adyghe cheese or tofu (such days are very good for the intestines , it is advisable to add them)
Thursday – fish
Friday – By-products, such as beef or chicken liver
Saturday – Chicken or pork, whichever you prefer
Sunday – fish

All this is approximate, and depends on taste.The main variety.

Next, we begin to plan the diet. General recommendation:

Breakfast. Nobody forbids eggs. But you can try different varieties of chia puddings, smoothies, different keto pancakes and curds. There are many recipes. I will post it as much as possible to help with breakfast ideas. If desired, we make brone-coffee, or brone-cocoa.

Lunch. We select the main protein – beef, chicken, fish, pork, lamb, meat offal (for example, liver).We decide how we want to cook – boil, stew, bake or fry. Here, too, you need a variation from day to day. In raw form, for 1600 kcal, you need about 100 grams per serving. We always think about the possibilities of the kitchen. If you have to cook several dishes at the same time, take into account the cooking methods – for example, if you have a stove with an oven and a slow cooker, then you can distribute the dishes. For example, we bake the main course, cook something on the stove (for example broth) or fry it, simmer it in a slow cooker.

Choosing a side dish – cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, cabbage / spinach, broccoli, if you want a warm side dish.All this can be stewed, fried or steamed. About a serving raw 100-150 grams. You can alternate with fresh salad, changing the composition every day – take salad greens, cucumber, half a tomato or avocado. Avocados should be added more often, 1-2 times a day in half – for example, to an omelet, in a salad, or just cut. You can add 6-8 olives or olives each. All side dishes can be seasoned with olive oil or brought to taste with salt, minced pepper and garlic.

In both warm and raw side dishes, you should try to add a lot of greens – parsley, dill, basil, cilantro, 2-3 tablespoons each.

Dinner. You can go with lunch, or you can use simple recipes according to the “in a pot” principle. For example roast, sauté, stewing vegetables with meat. We choose 100 grams of basic protein, 2-3 types of vegetables for stewing (eggplant, a little onion, zucchini, tomato, etc.) and cook in different versions with different spices and additives. The proportions per serving are about the same – 100 grams of protein product and 150 vegetables. Additionally.

With this diet and serving size, there is usually a calorie reserve and mineral deficiencies.We supplement the diet and introduce various additives to meals or “snacks”. For example – flaxseed flax breadcrumbs (15-20 grams per day, these are several pieces) – dark chocolate with (it should contain no more than 14-18 grams of carbohydrates, one bar can be used) – various nuts (see the list on the website), total nuts half a handful a day.

Example.
Breakfast – an omelet of two eggs with a tomato, armor-coffee
Lunch – Salad of beef, herbs and vegetables
Dinner – Saute of pork, eggplant and zucchini

I will give an example of calculation, as I usually do:

As expected, does not converge yet.

Mostly missing:
– Sodium (add olives to the salad)
– Calcium (add cheese for breakfast)
– Fiber (add flax crisps, they will also give Omega3)
– Add broth to improve digestion

Making adjustments.

We get the result:

Already more or less normal.

You need to add greens for lunch and dinner and fiber in the broth (available in pure form).

We have already spoken about accuracy, it makes no sense to level everything to zero.

I foresee the question – do we count oil or not? If we use it, as in the example with the armor-coffee, then we must count. If we use it as a salad dressing, then we will not use everything, we count about half. When frying in oil – according to the situation, if all the oil remains in the pan, you can not count it. If we fry vegetables, for example, eggplants, then they can absorb up to half of the oil, we also take half.

On other days, I would pay special attention to what was almost missing on this day – magnesium and fiber.

This approach makes diet planning transparent and straightforward.

You can download an example of such a diet for free from the link.

90,000 Keto diet – keto diet menus and recipes, reviews of the keto diet

During a keto diet, the body receives enough calories and a person does not feel hunger, but excess weight goes away due to the phenomenon of ketosis.

During the keto diet, carbohydrates are completely excluded from food \ sportadvice.ru

During quarantine, many wonder how not to gain extra pounds sitting at home, when the refrigerator with food is always at hand.Moreover, it is spring on the street, and summer is ahead, therefore, the kilograms that have accumulated over the winter, require elimination. The keto diet can help with this. During the keto diet, the body receives enough calories and the person does not feel hunger, but the excess weight goes away due to the phenomenon of ketosis.

Reviews from nutritionists confirm that the keto diet has proven to be effective, and the result is stable due to the absence of a stressful abrupt transition from fasting to a regular diet.

What is the keto diet:

The keto diet appeared to treat some diseases, but then found its place in dietetics.The principle of the diet is as follows: the body uses carbohydrates as the main “fuel” for the brain. With a sharp reduction in carbohydrates in the diet below 20 grams per day, the amount of glucose is critically reduced – and there is not enough energy for normal functioning and fat oxidation. To nourish the brain, the body starts the process of obtaining alternative energy – ketosis. It is the process of breaking down fat in the body to form ketone bodies that are used as alternative energy.

Harm of the keto diet:

One of the disadvantages of such a diet is poor understanding of the process. It is difficult for people to understand how you can eat and lose weight at the same time, and they are also afraid that without glucose the brain will have nothing to eat. The mechanism of ketosis described above will help you understand the principle of the keto diet. The real disadvantage is unbalanced nutrition. All carbohydrates are excluded, a process is artificially triggered, which usually is not so active, the load on the liver is increased. This is quite unhealthy.The keto diet is prohibited for diabetics, pregnant and lactating women, people with chronic diseases. In ketosis, you may smell acetone from the mouth, body, and urine. This is an individual phenomenon and is completely invisible for some. To minimize odor, you should drink more than 2 liters of water per day so that acetone is excreted more actively. Lack of vegetables can cause digestive problems. According to nutritionists, the keto diet is a pretty extreme kind of diet. Refusal from carbohydrates threatens with breakdowns on unhealthy diet, headaches, weakness, chills.When you switch to a keto diet suddenly, you may experience an exacerbation of pancreatitis and other health problems.

The effectiveness of the keto diet:

The exclusion of carbohydrates from the diet does not allow the body to use substances as usual: to store fats “in reserve”, and use carbohydrates as the main energy. Thus, the body switches to using energy from fat, starting the process of ketosis. High-calorie foods are satiating and help to avoid breakdowns There is no severe hunger, since there are no sharp surges in blood sugar.The main advantage of such a diet is that the lost weight will not return, since there is no sharp change in nutrition and artificial reduction of calories. However, due to the large amount of proteins and fats in the diet, few kilograms are consumed per week.

One of the disadvantages of such a diet is a poor understanding of the process \ yousense.info

Keto diet menus for a week for women:

Carbohydrates are excluded from food completely. This means that nothing sweet, cereals, fruits, pastries, starchy or sweet vegetables (such as beets, carrots, potatoes) can be avoided.You can only green vegetables, but when they are eaten, the amount of carbohydrates should not exceed 20-50 grams per day.

Day 1

Breakfast: two boiled eggs

Snack: avocado

Lunch: salad with walnuts, cheese and beef, chicken broth

Afternoon snack: kefir

Dinner: cabbage rolls with beef.

Day 2

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with ham

Snack: a handful of nuts

Lunch: mushrooms with cheese, green salad

Afternoon snack: fermented baked milk

Dinner: cheesecakes with sour cream.

Day 3

Breakfast: toast with peanut butter

Snack: egg

Lunch: fish soup

Afternoon snack: kefir

Dinner: meat salad.

Day 4

Breakfast: cottage cheese

Snack: cheese, apple

Lunch: chicken broth, boiled egg

Afternoon snack: fermented baked milk

Dinner: beef entrecote, salad of green vegetables with butter.

Day 5

Breakfast: scrambled eggs from 2 eggs

Snack: avocado

Lunch: baked chicken, herbs

Afternoon snack: cottage cheese with nuts

Dinner: cheese, zucchini pancakes.

Day 6

Breakfast: toast with ham and cheese

Snack: slice of cheese, green apple

Lunch: fish cutlet, tomato and cucumber salad

Afternoon snack: plain yogurt

Dinner: pork chop, greens.

Day 7

Breakfast: omelet of 3 eggs

Snack: salad of boiled beef and green vegetables

Lunch: meat lunch, brown rice

Afternoon snack: fermented baked milk

Dinner: baked red fish, vegetables.

Keto diet has its pros and cons \ iform.dk

Keto diet recipes:

Fritters with cottage cheese and berries without adding flour . Ingredients for 4 servings: 4 eggs, 200 g (225 ml) cottage cheese, 1 tbsp. l. (8 g) crushed psyllium husk powder, 50 g butter or coconut oil. Topping: 50 g fresh raspberries, fresh blueberries or fresh strawberries, 225 ml heavy whipping cream.

How to prepare: Add eggs, cottage cheese and psyllium husks to a medium bowl and mix together.Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken a little. Heat butter or coconut oil in a nonstick skillet. Fry the pancakes over medium or low heat for 3-4 minutes on each side. Do not make them too large, or it will be difficult to turn them over. Add the cream to a separate bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Serve the crepes with whipped cream and berries of your choice.

Keto bread with zucchini . Ingredients: 8 eggs, ½ cup coconut, butter, or ghee, ½ cup xylitol, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup sifted coconut flour, 1 teaspoon spoon baking powder, 1/2 cup pecans or chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup chopped zucchini.

Method of preparation: Mix together eggs, butter or ghee, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix coconut flour with baking powder and add through a sieve to the dough, mix well until there are no lumps in the dough. Add the finely chopped zucchini and don’t forget the nuts. Pour the dough into a 23 x 13 x 8 cm bread pan and bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 60 minutes. Remove the bread from the mold and let it cool.

Baked fish with Brussels sprouts and mushrooms .Ingredients for 4 servings: 650 g cod, 450 g Brussels sprouts, 200 g mushrooms, 2 tbsp. l. small capers, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tbsp. l. olive oil, 30 g butter, for frying, salt and pepper, Rose butter: 150 g butter at room temperature, ½ clove of garlic, ¼ tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. l. pink pepper, coarsely ground, 75 g grated Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon lime juice or white wine vinegar.

How to prepare: Combine all ingredients for rose butter (best at room temperature) in a bowl using a fork or hand mixer.Set it aside. Preheat oven to 200 ° C. Cut Brussels sprouts in half and place in a baking dish. Pour olive oil on top, season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until tender.

Cut the mushrooms into two or four pieces, depending on their size, sauté in butter and thyme. Once the mushrooms are tender, add the capers and fry for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the Brussels sprouts baking dish from the oven and place the mushroom and caper mixture on top.

Season the cod pieces with salt and pepper and place on top of the vegetables. Add the rose butter you cooked earlier. Bake for 20 minutes, or until fish is the color you want.

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Size Matters: Why You Should Control Food Serving Size

We are not always able to adhere to a certain style of food due to frequent business travel, difficult work schedules or health conditions.A sensible approach to what we put on our plate and control of portion sizes is ideal for anyone looking to lose weight or keep their weight within certain limits.

Eating smarter instead of dieting

The main problem with diets is that some time after its completion, the weight may return to the old mark or even exceed it in the direction of increase. Moreover, it is always difficult and frustrating. Due to a sharp transition to a different diet, the body begins to rebel.Stomach problems can begin, and the constant feeling of hunger and refusal of favorite sweets or a glass of wine can make us irritable. Work, others and, of course, ourselves will suffer from outbursts of anger.

New York University nutritionist and visiting nutritionist Lisa R. Young finds careful monitoring of portion sizes ideal for weight management.

Reference: Dr. Lisa Ryu Young is a Practicing Nutritionist, Nutritional Consultant, and Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Dietetics and Nutritional Research at New York University, author of The Portion Teller Plan: Eating, Cheating, and Losing Weight Permanently, which is listed among the six best health books by The Wall Street Journal and O, The Oprah Magazine.Contributes regularly to magazines such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Boston Globe, Washington Post, Newsweek, Self, Health, Redbook, and Glamor.

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With this approach, you can enjoy your favorite sweets, but in moderation. If you want to eat your favorite ice cream – you look at the calorie content and eat a portion of 150 kcal.

If a decision was made to seriously engage in nutrition and weight loss, you need to study the size of healthy (correct) portions for different categories of products.Try to eat less starchy vegetables (potatoes), grains, baked goods (give preference to whole grain bread). For these categories, the maximum serving size is half a cup. It is better to give preference to salads and vegetables that are low in carbohydrates: broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, spinach, Brussels sprouts, carrots.

Also, do not completely exclude carbohydrates from the diet. If we control the amount we eat, they will not harm or make us fat.

The main problem with this approach is that we don’t think about how much we actually eat. To keep track of the number of calories eaten, it is advisable to keep a diary. It is easy and simple to do this using special mobile applications: MyFitnessPal (iPhone, Android), Lose It! (iPhone, Android), YAZIO (iPhone, Android), FatSecret (iPhone, Android). Some of them have a grocery barcode scanner, which makes calorie tracking even easier.

You should also be attentive to high-calorie healthy foods.In this case, it is worth remembering that healthy does not mean low-calorie at all. There are a variety of the right foods that you can recover from quickly. This category includes avocados (160 kcal per 100 g), nuts (cashews – 553 kcal per 100 g, walnuts – 654 kcal per 100 g, almonds – 576 kcal per 100 g, peanuts – 567 kcal per 100 g), seeds (pumpkin seeds – 559 kcal per 100 g, sunflower seeds – 584 kcal per 100 g), dried fruits (raisins – 299 kcal per 100 g, dried apricots – 241 kcal per 100 g, prunes – 231 kcal per 100 g) and other similar products …So you need to keep track of how much your favorite mixture of dried fruits or nuts was eaten. This snack is very quickly used up for watching movies or TV shows and is often used as a healthy snack during the day or before a workout. Yes, this is useful, since all of these foods contain “healthy fats” (omega-3, omega-6, omega-9 and others), but control is necessary, otherwise the daily calorie intake will be depleted somewhere in the afternoon, if you’re lucky.

Tips for controlling portion sizes

Houses.First, we carefully read the calorie content of products on the package and enter the food eaten into the mobile application for calculating calories. We must divide our daily intake into several meals.

Secondly, we do not use large plates. They always hold more, and the standard portion may seem small – you will definitely want more! You can do a simple experiment: take a medium-sized plate, put your lunch there, and then pour into a large plate. The difference will be obvious.If there are no medium-sized dishes, and small ones are designed for children’s portions, then we try to fill the dish with salad or vegetables.

In restaurants and cafes. The first and easiest way is to order one dish for two. This eats less and you can try more different foods, since each portion will be divided in half.

We do not order the main course immediately. Better to take a salad or soup. This low-calorie snack will satisfy hunger and fill your stomach.After this, it will be difficult to eat a lot of high-calorie foods. There will simply be little space left for her. And we always remember that the signal of satiety reaches the brain only 20 minutes after the food enters the stomach, so you need to eat slowly and enjoy the taste.

Another interesting option: order from the children’s menu – portions are designed for children. If the feeling of hunger remains, you can drink a glass of water and wait a little longer (remember about 20 minutes).

You can also specially wear tight-fitting clothing – it will be very difficult to eat a lot with a compressed stomach.And it is advisable not to watch movies or read entertaining content while eating – this is very distracting from the process, and then more than what is guaranteed will be eaten. Another interesting experiment is to set a timer for 20 minutes and start eating. During this time, just as much will be eaten as needed. Of course, provided that there is no rush, and the food will be thoroughly chewed.

Examples of Healthy Portion Sizes

Paste – 1 cup or one palm.

Nuts or dried fruit – ¼ cup.

Fruit – fist. It is recommended to eat several such servings per day.

Leafy greens – 2-3 cups or two handfuls.

Non-starchy vegetables – 1 cup or one handful.

Starchy vegetables – an incomplete handful.

Meat, poultry and fish – one palm.

Cheese – one index finger.

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90,000 Do not count calories, do not limit portion size, eat satisfying and tasty while losing weight and maintaining weight.Is this possible? | Health Stories

… do not count calories, do not limit portions, eat satisfying and tasty while losing weight and maintaining weight. Is this possible? Yes, fans of the keto diet say.

From time immemorial

Ketosis is the body’s energy supply system in case of a shortage of food.

It was formed in the process of evolution.

If the hunt was unsuccessful, during the period of forced starvation, a person could exist for some time, consuming fat.

Since food became available, our bodies have stopped using ketosis.

We didn’t know …

The ketogenic diet was developed in the 1920s in the USA.

But not for weight loss, but for the fight against epilepsy. Neurologists who have been treating severe forms of this disease in children noticed that with a sharp reduction in carbohydrates in their diet, the number of attacks also decreased. They recommended for 36 hours to almost completely eliminate carbohydrates from the diet of children, replacing them with fats, while the calorie content remained the same.When digested, fats were converted into specific metabolic products, the so-called ketone bodies, which had an anticonvulsant effect.

Then the ketogenic diet was adopted by the most famous bodybuilder of the 20th century, American Vince Gironde.

With this diet and exercise, he slimmed the stars of show business in a matter of weeks. His clients included Cher, Clint Eastwood, Kurt Russell and many others.

And for ordinary people who want but cannot lose weight, the keto diet was discovered at the beginning of zero by Swedish nutritionists.They were the first in the world to abandon the postulate that the main enemy of overweight people is fatty foods. Since 2008, the keto diet has been officially recognized as a wellness diet in Sweden. Its principles are used even in preschool and school meals.

Here’s what’s going on with you ..

The keto diet is a type of low-carb diet. At the same time, the calorie content of the diet remains the same, but the composition of the food changes.

Carbohydrates are almost completely excluded from it.

In the strictest version of the keto diet, the amount of carbohydrates is limited to 5-10 g.

In the most liberal – up to 50 g. For comparison: in 100 g of bread there are almost 50 g of carbohydrates, in 100 g of boiled buckwheat – 25 g.

Your task is to feed the body with the “right” calories that give energy, and are not stored in reserve in the form of fat.

The duration of the keto diet can be from 3 weeks to 6-12 months.

Many fans of the keto diet, however, claim that they get so used to this way of eating that they have been following it for years, arranging a carbohydrate “load” every three weeks to activate metabolism.

So what happens when we almost completely eliminate carbs?

After 4-5 days of a low-carb diet, the body begins to look for alternative sources of energy, extracting it from fat.

At the same time, fat breakdown products – ketone bodies – appear in the body. They are carried throughout the body by the blood stream. On the 5-7th day, a state of ketolipolysis, or ketosis, occurs: the body begins to consume fats. After 3 weeks, up to 93% of the energy will be recovered from fat.It is important not to overdo it with the amount of protein in the diet – it should be no more than 20%, more is an extra load on the kidneys.

The ideal keto diet is 5-10% carbohydrates, 20% protein, 80-85% fat.

Keto diet

Can

Fats

Olive and other types of vegetable oils (limit omega-6-rich sunflower oil) and nunu Lard. Poultry fat.Homemade mayonnaise (without starch and sugar).

Proteins

Beef. Pork. Mutton. Indian chicken (all parts). Bacon, jamon. Ham, sausages, nolbasy (if there is no starch and sugar in the composition). Eggs.

Fish and seafood

Any fish and seafood, caviar.

Dairy products

(fatty only) Cream. Sour cream. Cottage cheese. Cheese. Butter.

Vegetables

Asparagus.Zucchini and pumpkin. Hot peppers. Cucumbers. Cabbage (all types). Salads. Artichokes. Garlic. Onion.

Fruits and berries

Avocado. Blueberry. Raspberries. Strawberry. Cranberry. Mushrooms.

Sweets

Bitter chocolate (85% cocoa butter).

It is possible, but a little

Nuts .

Pastries using low-carb flour (almond, coconut, sesame).

Alcoholic : dry wines and alcohol-based drinks – vodka, cognac, whiskey, gin, rum, tequila.

It is possible, but just a little

Fruit (except for bananas and grapes).

Milk and kefir (they contain a lot of milk sugar – lactose).

Root crops (potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips).

Not allowed

Sugar and all confectionery.Sugar substitutes (worsen the intestinal microflora).

Honey. Sweet drinks (kvass, jelly, fruit drink, soda).

Bread and all flour , bread crumbs, nruppa, muesli, flakes, pasta.

Legumes. Ketchup and all sauces containing starch and sugar.

Margarine.

Beer and sweet alcohol.

Advantages of the keto diet

You can eat foods that are prohibited by most other diets.

Decreases appetite, cravings for sweets and other simple carbohydrates.

Muscle mass is retained. Only fat burns.

Weight is not just going down. The body consumes the most dangerous fat for health, which is not under the skin, but in the abdominal cavity.

The blood sugar level stabilizes, the insulin level decreases.

Cholesterol and lipid profiles are normalized.

Decreases the tendency to edema.

Improves the condition of the skin and hair.

A surge of strength appears.

The memory is being improved.

Reduces the risk of developing premature dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Aging slows down.

Reduces the level of chronic inflammation in the body, which is the prevention of cancer.

And its disadvantages

It is necessary to carefully select products. The keto diet will be ineffective if you eat meat and dairy products from agricultural holdings. There, the animals are not in natural grazing, but receive fodder grain.As a result, large-scale food products are fortified with carbohydrates and contain very few of the beneficial omega-3 PUFAs. Nutritionists advise buying game meat.

At the beginning of the diet, feeling unwell: dizziness, bad breath, weakness, constipation or diarrhea, tachycardia.

Loss of electrolytes – sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium. This is what leads to a deterioration in well-being at the beginning of the diet. This is because the body is actively removing excess water (you will notice that trips to the toilet will become more frequent).

Eating without carbohydrates seems unpalatable to many, there is a risk of breaking down.

When you switch to a normal diet, weight can return.

The cost of food is getting significantly higher.

The price of success

On the eve of the 1980 Olympics, the GDR national team, which won the second place in the team event (126 medals) after the USSR (195 medals), classified their training sessions from their “elder brother”. Recently, there have been reports that the secret of their phenomenal success is the use of a ketogenic diet.By the way, today it is often used by athletes involved in cyclic sports that require endurance, such as marathon, triathlon, cycling, rowing, swimming … Diet allows the body to burn fat more efficiently as a source of energy and thereby helps to save glycogen stores during prolonged exertion. …

Will help to fill the deficit

Sodium – Salt, bacon

Calcium – Cheese and fat cottage cheese, manganese, sesame, chia

Potassium – vegetables, dark vegetables , wild salmon

Magnesium – Pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, cocoa, wild salmon, leafy greens, 200-400 mg of magnesium as a dietary supplement

This is also keto…

– Atkins – Kim Protasov

– Kremlin

– Paleo-Dyukan

– Kwasniewski -LCHF

And what do the critics say?

Six months ago, the authoritative medical journal Lancet published the results of a study that lasted 25 years. It was attended by 90,018

15,428 respondents who at the beginning of the study were 45-64 years old. Their diet in terms of calorie content did not exceed the daily norm. Scientists counted all the deaths during this period and compared the mortality rates with the nature of the diet.It turned out that the lowest mortality was in those who received 50-55% of their daily energy from carbohydrates. And those who had> 70% carbohydrates or <40% carbohydrates in their diets were at the highest risk of mortality. It was also found that mortality was higher among those who replaced the missing carbohydrates with animal proteins and fats, and slightly lower among those who replaced the missing carbohydrates with proteins and vegetable fats.

Expert Opinion

– Having started to lose weight on the keto diet “over the Internet”, people make many mistakes.For example. begin to eat a lot of saturated animal fats to the detriment of vegetable, unsaturated ones. Or they are consuming too much animal protein. It is especially bad when at the same time sharply limit the consumption of vegetables and fruits. As a result, the body becomes intoxicated with the breakdown products of proteins and fats.

And with a lack of antioxidants and fiber, their excretion is difficult. Many on the keto diet “plant” the kidneys, liver, pancreas. Due to the violation of the intestinal microflora, immunity decreases, the risk of colorectal cancer sharply increases.The state of blood vessels is also deteriorating.

I was approached by a young man who was losing weight on a keto diet on his own.

He had little adipose tissue, excellent skin.

However, analyzes showed that the ratio of “bad” and “good” cholesterol was the same as that of an old man with atherosclerosis. The diet for a keto diet must be carefully calculated for a specific person, and losing weight on it only under the supervision of a doctor, passing tests and doing ultrasound of internal organs before and during the process of losing weight.

The main principles of the keto diet, 4 contraindications and health consequences: says the doctor

If you still can’t lose weight after the May holidays, it’s time to take on yourself. The main thing is that your diet is not like these.

1. Purification with juice

Rules: Eating without solid food. Instagram often offers detox programs that include six or so ready-to-drink fruit and vegetable juices throughout the day.There are many iterations of this diet, for example, Victoria’s Secret angel Adriana Lima says she follows an all-liquid diet before fashion shows. Nine days before an important event, she drinks protein shakes made from egg powder and water.

Promise: Because this ultra-low-calorie diet prohibits the solid foods you are accustomed to eating, you will eat fewer calories without having to follow many complicated rules. This creates a calorie deficit that promotes weight loss.

Reality: “The five kilos in three days that you will lose after a juice cleanse is usually the weight of water from your muscles, not fat,” explains Charlie Seltzer, MD, weight loss specialist in Philadelphia. , Pennsylvania. “After completing the program, your body will not be much different from what you saw before, and you will gain the same amount just by looking at the croissant,” he adds.

2. Purification with activated carbon

Rules: you are drinking juice containing activated charcoal.

Promise : Your body cannot absorb activated charcoal, so it passes through your digestive system intact. Because it clings to toxins in the body, it removes impurities such as pesticides and any harmful substances found in inorganic or processed foods. Diet aficionados say it improves skin health, digestion and organ function.

Reality: “You think you are flushing out toxins from your body, but charcoal does not travel through your entire body – only through your intestines, where it can bind to nutrients and suck them out,” Zeltser explains.“Our body processes toxins quite well, and your chances of dying from toxins in food are lower than your risk of dying from obesity. If you want to reduce the amount of toxins in your body, avoid unhealthy foods, ”he adds.

3. Shangri-La Diet

Source here and below: Pexels

Rules: You drink very light olive oil or unscented sugar water between meals.

Promise: Eating a variety of flavorful foods stimulates hunger and makes you gain weight. By consuming soft foods, you fight hunger, while you do not have cravings for food, so you end up eating less and losing weight.

Reality: “Not a bad idea,” says Dr. Seltzer. “For some people, a wide variety of foods stimulates their appetite. But if you eat the same food every day, you get bored and crave more varied foods.Success is likely to depend on the individual. But I would use whey protein instead of olive oil between meals because it will satisfy your appetite with fewer calories. ”

4. Diet based on baby food

Rules: This weight loss diet involves eating up to 16 cans of baby food a day in place of regular meals and snacks.

Promise: According to Tracey Anderson, personal trainer Gwyneth Paltrow, who is credited with creating the program, this creates a calorie deficit that promotes weight loss, detoxifies the body and helps break bad habits.

Reality: Although baby food is minimally cooked, Dr. Seltzer disapproves of it: “This is a gimmick. If you look at people with a healthy body, no one will tell you that they adhere to the children’s menu. This is ridiculous”.

5. Vision Diet

Rules: you eat everything with glasses with blue tones.

Promise: This diet, based on the idea that red and yellow foods are tastier (eg, meat, fries, ripe fruits), is designed to make your food less appetizing.In theory, this makes you eat less.

Reality: “It doesn’t seem right to me,” says Dr. Seltzer. “But if it makes people slimmer, there is no downside.” Except for the fact that in a restaurant, you will look a little strange.

6. Diet with a pinch of the nose while eating

Rules: Cover your nose so you don’t smell while eating.

Promise: This will dull your sense of taste and help you focus on your real appetite.That is, you will stop eating when you are full.

Reality: “The smell really stimulates the appetite, but how are you going to eat lunch every time you close your nose? No normal person will do this in the long run, ”says Dr. Seltser.

7. Diet based on ice cream

Rules: You eat two and a half special ice cream a day (diet ice cream is made with coconut cream and honey).

Promise: ice cream creates a calorie deficit that leads to weight loss. And you can eat ice cream all day.

Reality: “Any calorie deficit will lead to weight loss, but it can also cause nutritional deficiencies. However, you cannot eat ice cream for the rest of your life.

8. Diet based on maple syrup and cayenne pepper

Rules: you must drink lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper water throughout the day; laxative tea at night.

Promise: is an extremely low calorie diet with ingredients (like cayenne pepper) known to boost metabolism.

Reality: “I would rather you eat every day at McDonald’s than do it,” says Dr. Seltzer. “Forcing you to drink an ugly-tasting drink will not work in the long run as it will scare you away and detach you from reality.”

9. Diet on Coca-Cola

Rules: You drink six to nine cans of sugar-free cola a day.

Promise : sparkling water will give you a feeling of fullness, you will not be hungry.

Reality: “Anything that restricts calorie intake will lead to weight loss in the short term,” says Dr. Seltzer, “but anyone looking to lose weight by drinking a few cans of cola a day is in trouble.” This is because when you drastically cut your calorie intake, your metabolism slows down.When you return to the normal menu, you will gain weight again.

10. Diet with cotton balls

Rules: You eat up to five cotton balls (or the equivalent amount of tissue paper) dipped in orange juice, lemonade, or smoothies in one sitting.

Promise: you fill your stomach without consuming enough calories to gain weight.

Reality: “This sounds crazy to me,” says Dr. Seltzer.”I’m not a gastroenterologist, but I can’t imagine what will happen to your stomach or intestines after such a diet.”

90,000 What am I doing wrong?

This morning I got a call from a lady who introduced herself as a friend of my old client, asking: “What am I doing wrong?” It was as follows: my friends met for a bachelorette party on the eve of the New Year, before that they had not seen each other for six months, my client impressed everyone with her beautiful appearance, told how well she lost weight on the LCHF system and immediately gave everyone a “recipe for happiness”.Natalia (that is the caller’s name) was fired up with the idea and from the next day she decided to start, having lost 1.5 kg in the first three days, she was happy, but then the weight stopped giving in. Natalya believed that she understood the basic principles from the words of her friend, was upset that “the weight has been worth for a week already” and called me with the only question that I put in the title of the post, and was extremely surprised that, in order to understand her situation, it took us a three-hour conversation. Thanks to the conversation with Natalia, as well as your questions, I hasten to inform you that the first (and one of the planned) webinars will be dedicated to “beginners”, but it will also be interesting for “experienced adherents” of LCHF, in one word, everyone who wants to understand how to follow system.

Within the framework of this article, I will briefly provide answers to the questions that we will discuss.

1. So how does the LCHF nutritional system differ from many existing diets?

First of all, we will once again remember that there are diets, and there is a “healthy eating system”, and a system that has a scientific basis, which is for the first time detailed in Russian on our website. This eating style is fundamentally different from the Ducan diet (the presence of fat) and the classic recommendation “eat less and move more” (no need to cut calories), and you will finally understand why it works.Once again, we will discuss why no diet allows you to maintain weight in the long term, we will analyze all the factors that lead to excess weight or prevent it from losing weight (stress, lack of sleep, concomitant diseases).

2. How many kg will I lose in a month (by vacation or by March 8, etc.)?

To this question, dear readers, there is no and cannot be an unambiguous answer. The first kilograms, as a rule, lose everything easily (since it is water), then the pace slows down, weight loss occurs in waves with ups and downs, but with patience they lead to the desired results.On average, a good result is losing weight from 1 to 2 kg per month – this figure will depend on your gender, age and initial body weight (the more body weight, the faster the first kilograms go). For example, for young women with excess weight up to 10-12 kg, you can expect “minus one size” after 1.5 months of strict adherence to the system. Please note that if you are objectively underweight (despite the fact that you consider yourself “too fat”), the weight may increase slightly due to the restoration of muscle mass and the weight of internal organs (which suffered from wasting).As part of the webinar, you will understand how to calculate the optimal weight loss, which determines the speed of weight loss, and learn to set smart goals that lead to health.

3. If I buy a fitness club membership, will it increase my chances of losing weight?

The subscription will not affect the dynamics of your weight in any way. Physical education is indisputably important and strengthens the body, but, as we have written many times, practically does not affect the dynamics of weight. Moreover, if your BMI is over 28-30, you are not yet ready for physical education, since your muscles are in a state of metabolic stress (due to insulin resistance) and are not ready to carry the load.And if you have never been a sports fan, then the increased stress and cortisol levels will not give you an ounce of loss at all. At the webinar, you will receive more detailed information on the combination of sports and LCHF (for “non-athletes”!)

4. Why do gender and age matter when discussing an individual’s diet?

The metabolism of the male and female body has fundamental differences. So, if a man is overweight, which is difficult to correct even with proper nutrition, without determining the level of testosterone, the problem cannot be solved.And as for women, the dynamics of weight is influenced by a greater amount of hormones, as well as the phases of the female cycle. The following nuance also matters: were there pregnancy and childbirth and much more …

Young people, especially those who are losing weight for the first time, tend to show faster dynamics in weight loss. As for the older age group, especially women in the pre- and menopausal period, their goals for weight correction should be moderate, especially since a small excess of adipose tissue in a woman in adulthood gives her some hormonal advantages in prolonging youth.We will show you how to objectify your weight loss results, what tests may be required if you seriously decide to take care of yourself.

5. Why is the balance a useless tool in assessing the dynamics of weight?

Having made the decision to lose weight – buy a centimeter! Of greater importance is not weight or even BMI (which we will calculate and will make some predictions), but the size of the waist, hips, wrist and even neck! You will understand that weight never decreases linearly, and why you need to be patient and evaluate yourself no more than 1 time per week.You will find out what your body parameters are talking about.

6. Why can’t you just get a ready-made menu for a week and lose weight?

I find the idea of ​​a “prepared meal” useless and even harmful. After all, we are not talking about a week “on buckwheat” or “kefir”. LCHF is a healthy eating system that should be adhered to at all times. An individual diet will work only if it is developed personally for your needs, you live alone, you have a personal chef and you eat at home all the time.There are no universal schemes and sets of products that are suitable for a girl and a mother with many children, and even more so for a large man. If you learn to understand the principles of food selection and cooking, you will feel free in any situation. The main thing is not a list of recipes, but your taste habits, understanding of LCHF and desire to follow a new type of diet. During the webinar, you will understand why ready-made menus don’t work. Nevertheless, you have at your disposal recipes with the calculation of BZHUK on our website.

7. So is it necessary or not to count calories, fats, proteins and carbohydrates?

Calorie restriction on the LCHF system will not accelerate the rate of weight loss, on the contrary, it will lead you to a metabolic dead end.Therefore, you should not reduce the number of calories for women less than 1600 – 2000 kcal per day, and men less than 2000 – 2500 kcal per day. But with intense physical activity, these numbers can be significantly higher. The principle is simple – eat so much so that you don’t feel hungry, but not so much that you feel like “I can’t take it anymore”! There is no need to specially “fatten food” and overeat every day! As for the content of individual nutrients, let me remind you that the principles of LCHF are a normal amount of protein, a sufficient fat content from 60 to 80% of the daily individual calorie intake, the amount of carbohydrates – from 5 to 10% of calories, in grams, this is usually from 10 to 50 grams in all eaten food.We will calculate your diet.

8. Why do you need a food diary if you say that you can not count what you have eaten?

You won’t have to walk around with a pen and a notebook for the rest of your life, but for beginners, I highly recommend starting a food diary (for example, using free apps on your phone) and assessing calories and nutrient ratios at first. Without this, it is impossible to answer the main question of the post. At the initial stage, both calorie restriction and excess are bad.Sometimes, without tracking it yourself, you find yourself in a “gray zone”: when you added fat, but not enough, and reduced carbohydrates, but not too much, in this case the weight will stand or even increase.

Of course, in a couple of months you will be able to determine the calorie content and composition of any dish and estimate the portion size “by eye”. But in order for the results to please you, you should evaluate the benefits of a food diary, we will discuss how it is more correct and more convenient to keep it and what benefits it will bring.

9. At first I felt very bad on the LCHF system, does this mean that the system is not suitable for me?

In this question, you cannot predict in advance how your body will react to a new eating style. Some people readjust to the new system without any problems, and for the first time someone is worried about a condition that resembles the flu with all the signs (no fever). This is normal, do not be intimidated by this situation, just plan the transition to a new lifestyle, prepare in advance and the transition will go smoothly.We’ll figure out with you what keto adaptation is, how to avoid (or overcome) it.

10. I switched to a new power system, but for some reason I feel awkward, lost when people start asking me about the system.

Yes, the LCHF system is a revolution in dietetics, as it brought Atkins, the Kremlin diet, etc. into the pre-existing methods. scientific approach. The fear of fatty foods, especially of animal origin, the idealization of the benefits of fruits and many other myths that have flooded magazines and ingrained in the minds of doctors, prevent some people from reasoning logically and adopting a new style of eating.And this applies not only to amateurs – according to a study by Credit Suisse Bank, 70% of physicians and 40% of nutritionists give their patients outdated and scientifically refuted recommendations on blood cholesterol levels.

Healthy low-carb foods in our LCHF store

Read also:

Flaws in Dietetics Research and Misunderstandings LCHF

Personal experience: goodbye to the years of dieting – hello LCHF!

The myth about the danger LCHF – the answer to “Afisha”

15 Important Facts About Nutrition

Myths about nutrition.Part one

Myths about nutrition. Part two

@ na.keto Instagram profile with posts and stories

Everyone knows that the keto diet requires an increased intake of fat, but it is not always clear how this can be done. At first, this can be confusing for ordinary people who are not used to fatty foods.

No need to be afraid, no need to starve. You need to properly introduce healthy fats into your diet.How can this be done?

1️⃣ Start by consuming whole foods and remove all non-fat from your diet!
Only full fat cream, cottage cheese, natural yoghurt, cheeses. If you go for meat – only fatty pieces, no lean meat. Add more oily fish to your diet.

2️⃣ Cook with fat.
Stop trying to fry patties in water in non-stick cookware. Say NO to Dry Chicken Breasts! Cook with fats, fry meat, fish, eggs with the right natural fats.

3️⃣ Use different fats for different flavors.Fats can dramatically change the flavor of your dish. For example, a beef steak has a completely different taste if it is fried not just in coconut oil, but in lard and add butter at the end.

4️⃣ Search and try low-carb keto recipes.
There are many interesting recipes. There are a lot of interesting solutions on the Internet – there are recipes for low-carb bread, pizza, many different baked goods, desserts, etc.

In good recipes, the products are correctly selected and the cooking technology is well described and the calculation of the KBZHU is made, for example, on my website.5️⃣ Season all dishes and salads with oil.
There are tons of options for sauces and dressings, not just for salads, based on good fats with a minimum of carbs.

6️⃣ Add fatty foods to your diet.
Do not hesitate – fatty meat, fatty fish, cheese, avocados, olives, nuts, everything contains not just fat, but a lot of valuable vitamins and minerals. All this can be easily added to almost any dish.

7️⃣ Add fatty snacks to your diet.
There are tons of options and recipes – cheese, boiled eggs, nuts, seeds, flaxseed bread, etc.etc.

8️⃣ Add fat to drinks.
Butter + cream + coffee or tea, and maybe cocoa or chicory. Experimenting.

Please write what was the easiest way to add fat to your diet?

Be sure to write the answer in the comments👇

#keto #keto diet #ketosis #keto diet #ket food #ketomenu

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