And for some, this is generally the only way to win the battle with being overweight.
For the past three years, the keto diet has been actively discussed among the general public who want to get rid of those extra centimeters in the waist. Some claim that they lost an incredible amount of kilograms on it, improved the condition of their skin, hair and nails, while others claim that this type of nutrition did not bring them anything but anguish and disappointment.
The essence of the diet is to increase the percentage of vegetable and animal fats in the diet to 70 and reduce proteins and carbohydrates to 25 and 5 percent, respectively.
Despite the fact that some are still convinced that fat is a universal evil, advocates of a carbohydrate-free diet are growing. What’s the secret? Why does the ketogenic diet work where calorie counting, fragmentation, adherence to the classic BJU ratio did not work? The doctor answers.
Very often people who are very overweight complain that they cannot lose weight, even limiting themselves in calories. Everyone immediately rushes at them with sticks: “You cheat, you don’t write everything down, you miscalculated the deficit range,” and so on. In fact, from a medical point of view, not everything is so simple.
One of the important problems of excess weight is insulin resistance – an increased level of insulin in the blood, which is caused by a decrease in the sensitivity of cells to this hormone. Insulin blocks the process of losing weight, with a high amount of insulin, it is simply impossible to lose weight.
You can check the presence of IR yourself: if your waist circumference exceeds 80 cm for a woman and 94 for a man, it is very likely that you have an IR.
The horror is that any meal, especially carbohydrate, triggers the release of insulin. The only way to get rid of IRs is to reduce your carbohydrate intake as much as possible, that is, a carbohydrate-free diet.
In addition, as I already said, any meal provokes the release of insulin, therefore, eating often and a little bit is also not an option. People with IR are advised to eat two, maximum three times a day. And keto simply saves here, since fat is absorbed by the body for a very long time. You’ve probably heard surprised comments from people in ketosis:
Oh, I eat once a day and that’s enough for me.
They eat infrequently, therefore, their insulin levels are low during the day, and the feeling of fullness persists for a long time due to the high nutritional density of fats. By the way, while you understand the principles and peculiarities of the menu, I recommend that you join vitamin complexes: it is not always possible to make this type of food as rich as possible in all the necessary microelements.
It cannot be argued that the keto diet is a panacea. Of course, there are a number of contraindications for her and it is best to consult with your doctor to assess the possible risks. However, being overweight is certainly one of the biggest risks to your health, and the keto diet remains an effective, convenient and, importantly, delicious tool to combat it.