Eat Fats and Lose Weight with the Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet aims to recalibrate your metabolism, teaching it to burn all the fats you consume through food. The basic idea is that your body will adapt to using fat as its primary fuel, consuming it entirely instead of storing it. This principle could be described as "tricking" the metabolism, which gradually transforms into retraining it. However, it requires medical supervision and adherence to a series of rules, including the gradual reintroduction of grains, vegetables, and fruits as weight loss progresses. Ideally, it should be monitored by a specialist doctor.

What the Ketogenic Diet Involves

Initially, clinical research demonstrated that the ketogenic diet could significantly reduce seizures in children with epilepsy. Later, its principles became popular in the medical world and were successfully applied to adults, especially those with prediabetes and diabetes. Today, good results are also reported among patients with various conditions, such as neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, heart disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, and even cancer.

The recipe of the ketogenic diet is fairly simple: every day you consume 65% fats, 30% proteins, and 5% carbohydrates. However, when we say fats, we don’t mean fried foods or fast food, but rather healthy fats.

The keto diet substantially reduces the glycemic response triggered by dietary carbohydrates and improves baseline insulin resistance.

In some patients, such as those with prediabetes, diabetes, dyslipidemia, thyroid disorders, or cardiovascular risks, doctors correlate the recommended food intake with hypoglycemic medications, therapies aimed at lowering circulating lipids, triglycerides, and cholesterol, fiber-containing products, and certain vitamin supplements such as vitamin C or antioxidant-rich extracts.

In the first phase, you must eat at least 4 times a day, replacing the 3 main meals with 4, preferably at 8:00, 11:30, 15:00, and 18:30. Additionally, you will eat 500 fewer calories than in the maintenance phase because you need to force your body to burn as much as possible. In general, an intake of approximately 1500 calories for women and 2000 for men is recommended. The attack phase lasts a maximum of two weeks.

In the maintenance phase, you’ll keep 3–4 meals per day but increase your calorie intake—2000 for women and 2500 for men. You can add 1–2 slices of whole wheat bread per week, but all other menu rules remain unchanged. This stage lasts until you reach your desired weight, but no longer than one month.

Drink about 1.5 liters of plain water daily, and you may also include mineral water, green tea, black tea, and coffee in small amounts.

Don’t forget about exercise. Since the calorie intake is relatively high, the ketogenic diet is one of the few diets that allows more intense physical activity. Join an aerobics class, go jogging every day, or ride your bike for at least 30 minutes at a higher speed. If time or weather doesn’t allow, you can exercise at home or go up and down your building’s stairs several times in a row.

Foods Allowed on the Ketogenic Diet

Proteins from meat, dairy, and eggs

• Meat: chicken, pork, beef, lamb, goat, mutton, kid, fish, liver.
  Avoid cold cuts, sausages, smoked or industrially processed meat.

• Dairy: milk, butter, Greek yogurt, cream, aged cheese, hard cheese, French or Italian varieties—basically, whatever you like.
  It’s best to find a trustworthy source for dairy, so you can consume them as fresh and natural as possible.

• Eggs: preferably free-range or organic.

Fats from oils and seeds

• In addition to fats from protein-based foods, much of your daily intake should come from oils, seeds, and high-fat fruits.

• Allowed oils: flaxseed, coconut, hemp, wheat germ, avocado, walnut, pumpkin seed, olive, corn, and grape seed oils.

• Seeds and nuts: hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamia, pistachios, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, apricot kernels, sesame seeds.

• Other plant-based fats: avocado, coconut and coconut oil, olives, and olive oil.

Vegetables and fruits
To ensure your daily 5% carbohydrate intake and maintain nutritional balance, you may eat broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, green beans, cabbage, bell peppers, cucumber, tomato, carrot, onion, garlic, zucchini, eggplant, lettuce, radish, celery, berries, kiwi, pineapple, and apples. Quantities should be moderate, usually small side portions for lunch or dinner (half a cup).

Foods to Avoid

• Salt and sugar are strictly forbidden.

• Grains and grain-based products: bread, pasta, polenta.

• Alcohol, sodas, and sweetened drinks.

• Any kind of sweets.

Sample 7-Day Keto Menu

Day 1

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs with butter, salad, and a few avocado slices

• Snack: sunflower seeds

• Lunch: spinach salad with grilled salmon

• Snack: celery sticks with pepper and guacamole

• Dinner: pork chops with cauliflower mash

Day 2

• Breakfast: Bulletproof coffee (coffee with butter and coconut oil), boiled eggs

• Snack: a few macadamia or pecan nuts

• Lunch: green salad with tuna and tomatoes

• Snack: beef steak with a bit of cheese

• Dinner: zucchini patties with sour cream and dill sauce

Day 3

• Breakfast: omelet with cheese and vegetables

• Snack: Greek yogurt with pecans

• Lunch: tuna or salmon sashimi with miso soup

• Snack: smoothie with almond milk, greens, almond butter, and protein powder

• Dinner: chicken with asparagus and sautéed mushrooms

Day 4

• Breakfast: smoothie with almond milk, greens, almond butter, and protein powder

• Snack: two boiled eggs with a bit of Dijon mustard

• Lunch: Shanghai chicken with cucumber and goat cheese

• Snack: cheddar cheese with bell pepper

• Dinner: grilled shrimp with lemon butter sauce and sautéed asparagus

Day 5

• Breakfast: fried eggs with a teaspoon of butter and salad

• Snack: a handful of nuts with ¼ cup of berries

• Lunch: roasted duck leg or breast with avocado and green salad

• Snack: celery sticks with almond or coconut butter

• Dinner: baked tofu with cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, and peanut sauce

Day 6

• Breakfast: two eggs baked inside avocado halves

• Snack: a handful of nuts or hazelnuts

• Lunch: celery rolls wrapped in smoked salmon

• Snack: turkey strips pan-fried

• Dinner: grilled beef kebab wrapped in lettuce leaves with bell peppers, sautéed broccoli, and red onion rings

Day 7

• Breakfast: omelet with vegetables and mushrooms

• Snack: cottage cheese with a red bell pepper

• Lunch: green salad with sardines or canned tuna and avocado

• Snack: smoothie with almond milk, greens, coconut butter, and protein powder

• Dinner: pan-fried trout with a bit of butter and sautéed bok choy

Benefits of the Keto Diet

The ketogenic diet was originally developed as a tool for treating neurological disorders such as epilepsy. There is evidence that it reduces seizures in children, sometimes as effectively as medication. Due to these neuroprotective effects, researchers have explored potential benefits for other brain conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, sleep disorders, autism, and even brain cancer.

Weight loss, however, is the main reason people choose the ketogenic diet. Previous research shows evidence of faster weight loss when patients adopt a ketogenic or very low-carb diet compared to those following a traditional low-fat or even Mediterranean diet.

A ketogenic diet has been shown to improve blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes, at least in the short term. There is controversy regarding its effect on cholesterol levels—some studies report an initial rise in cholesterol, followed by a decrease after several months.

Other health benefits of ketosis:

• Epilepsy: significantly reduces seizure frequency in both children and adults.

• Cancer: by lowering blood glucose, it reduces insulin and insulin-like growth factor, both key factors in cancer cell proliferation.

• Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s: may help reduce symptoms and slow progression.

• Cardiovascular disease: by lowering risk factors such as body fat, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): may help reduce insulin resistance.

Risks of the Keto Diet

• Nutrient deficiencies: Without a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and grains, you may risk deficiencies in micronutrients such as selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamins B and C.

• Dehydration: Since the keto diet is low in water-rich foods, inadequate fluid intake may lead to dehydration. Symptoms include dry eyes, mouth, mucous membranes, skin, and sour-smelling breath and sweat.

• Liver problems: With so much fat to metabolize, the diet may worsen existing liver conditions, requiring prior medical checks such as fibroelastography and liver enzyme tests.

• Kidney problems: Kidneys help process protein, and keto may strain them. Healthy people usually don’t have issues, but those with pre-existing kidney disease (common in chronic diabetics and long-term smokers) need monitoring of renal clearance, creatinine levels, uric acid, and urine proteins. The recommended daily protein intake is about 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men.

• Constipation: Low fiber intake (since cereals and legumes are excluded) can slow digestion and disrupt gut microbiota. Speak with your doctor about fiber supplements or snacks like flaxseeds soaked in yogurt.

• Confusion and mood swings: The brain relies on glucose from healthy carbs for optimal function. Low-carb diets can cause confusion, dizziness, and irritability.

Tip: Make sure you consult a nutritionist before starting the ketogenic diet to determine whether it is suitable for you. They can also recommend the necessary medical tests to maximize the main benefit of keto: improved insulin sensitivity at the cellular level and better blood sugar regulation.