The ketogenic diet has high fat and low carb diet that shares different similarities with low carb and Atkins diets. It involves sudden lowering carbohydrate consumption and changing it with fat. This reduction in carbs keeps your body in a metabolic state named ketosis.
When this occurs, your body becomes incredibly helpful at fat burning for energy. It also changes fat into ketones in the liver, which can provide energy to the brain(Source).
Ketogenic diets can lead to a significant reduction the insulin and blood sugar levels. This along with the high ketones provide some health benefits 6Trusted.
Different Types Of Ketogenic Diets
Table of Contents
There are many versions of the ketogenic diet, that have:
The standard ketogenic diet (SKD):
It is a very low carb, high fat, and moderate protein diet. It typically consists of 70% fat, 10% carbs, and 20%protein (9Trusted Source).
The cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD):
This diet involves a time of higher-carb refeeds, like 5 ketogenic days followed by two high carb days.
The targeted ketogenic diet (TKD):
This diet helps you include carbs around workouts.
High protein ketogenic diet:
It is the same as a standard ketogenic diet but adds more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 5% carbs, 35% protein. However, only the high protein and standard ketogenic diets have been researched extensively. Targeted or cyclical ketogenic diets are more helpful methods and are basically used by athletes or bodybuilders.
Ketogenic Diet Plan: Week 1
Early Morning – (7:00 am)
Options:
Warm water and lemon
1 tablespoon Triphala powder and Warm waterÂ
Breakfast (8:30 am)
Options:
kale smoothie and 1 boiled egg
Coconut milk and chia pudding sprinkled with coconut and walnut
Smoothie made with milk, greens, almond, almond butter
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Lunch (12:30 pm)
Options:
lettuce salad, Mushroom with high-fat dressing
Vegetable soup
Chicken, green beans salad, carrot, bell pepper, with high-fat dressing
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Post Lunch (2:30 pm)
2 almonds and 1 cup Greek yogurt
Evening Snack (5:00 pm)
a dash of lemon and 1 cup green tea
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Dinner (7:30 pm)
Options:
steamed broccoli and Avocado with a drizzle of olive oil
Shrimp and zoodles
Cream soup and Mushroom
Why This Works
In the beginning week of the ketogenic diet, there is a high loss in weight as consuming a low-carb diet removes extra water from the body. Extra sodium is also removed from the liver. It causes rapid weight loss. The extra ketones created in the body are not stored but removed in the form of waste from urine. Eat 6 meals every day with lots of proteins and good fats to boost metabolism and burn fat.
You will be following a low-carb diet and taking micronutrients from fruits, veggies, and nuts. This diet plan for week-1 will stop your body from getting into starvation mode and you will get more energy to around and work.
Tips For Week 1
Join a gym to have the best results from the diet plan.
Precaution
Do not eat nuts, eggs, or shrimps if you are allergic to them.
Keto Diet Substitutes Week 1
Lemon – Apple cider vinegar
Kale – Spinach
Egg – Bacon
Swiss chard – Bok choy or spinach
Shrimp – Tuna, crab, and salmon
Chicken – Turkey, fish, legumes, or ground beef
Asparagus – Celery
Yogurt – Flavored yogurt
Herbal tea – Black tea
Ketogenic Diet Plan Week 2
Early Morning – (7:00 am)
Drink 1-tablespoon apple cider vinegar and warm water
Breakfast (8:30 am)
Options:
- Eat 1-cream cheese pancake, 1 cup bulletproof coffee, and organic maple syrup
- one glass of milk or soy milk or 1 whole boiled egg
- Crispy cauliflower fritters or 1 cup bulletproof coffee
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Lunch (12:30 pm)
Options:
- avocado, Lettuce tacos, and tomatoes
- stir-fried chicken (Asian style) and veggies
- broccoli, Grilled lean beef, and green beans with good high fat sauce
Lunch (12:30 pm)
Eat one small bowl of flavored yogurt
Evening Snack (5:00 pm)
spiced chai latte or drink 1-cup bulletproof coffee or 2-flaxseed crackers
Dinner (7:30 pm)
Options:
- Grilled fish with greens and carrots
- fresh cream and Butternut squash soup
- bottle gourd, cauliflower, and Lentil soup
Why This Works
Similar to week 1, you will consume 6 meals every day and eat bulletproof coffee two times a day. Bulletproof coffee is created by including coconut oil, butter, and cream in regular black coffee. It consists of medium-chain triglycerides that help to lower fat. These medium-chain fatty acids get changed into ketone bodies, which provide more energy. Ensure you get some proteins from legumes or meat. A lowered amount of carbohydrates is also needed, so do not avoid veggies completely as they will offer you helpful micronutrients.
Tips For Week 2
Keep yourself hydrated, consume more water, include a pinch of salt in a water bottle.
Also, take some time to drink the bulletproof coffee. Gulping it down at one go may cause sickness.
Avoid more than 6 macadamia nuts as they consist of some amount of carbs.
Keto Diet Substitutes – Week 2
Apple cider vinegar – ½ lime
Eggs – Bacon
Bulletproof coffee – herbal/Black tea
Pumpkin pancake – celery/Kale smoothie
Avocado – Cheddar cheese, goat cheese, cream cheese
Lettuce – Spinach, Chinese cabbage, kale, or bok choy.
Chicken – mackerel, Turkey bacon, tuna, shrimps,
Bamboo shoots – Celery
Chives – Spinach
Yogurt – ¼ cup ricotta cheese
Black tea – Bulletproof coffee or herbal tea
Macadamia nuts – 4 kernels of pistachios
Cucumber – Zucchini
Full-fat cream – coconut milk
Mackerel – Shrimp, scallops, haddock, or bass
Ketogenic Diet Plan Week 3
Early Morning – (7:00 am)
Drink warm water with one tablespoon organic honey and lemon
Breakfast (8:30 am)
Options:
- 1 boiled egg, 1 cup green tea spinach smoothie
- 3 pancakes with a plentiful amount of whipped cream, 1 cup of green tea, and organic honey
- vegetables cooked in ghee and 1 medium bowl of quinoa
Lunch (12:30 pm)
1 cup Greek yogurt or 2 almonds
Evening Snack (5:00 pm)
1 cup green tea
Dinner (7:30 pm)
Options:
- Grilled chicken salad with healthy fat dressing
- Soy chunk wrap with wheat flatbread
- grilled sweet potatoes and Ground beef (lean cut)
Why This Works
Week 3, though the same as the first 2 weeks, is very different based on the number of calories you consume. The post-lunch meal is skipped this week to help you digest and utilize the stored energy from a heavy breakfast. A dinner with high protein will help to fill up and add energy.
Tips For Week 3
You may feel fatigued and have headaches. It is the best news as these are the basic signs that ketosis has kicked in.
Drink enough water.
Precaution
Get chicken instead of crab if you get allergic to it.
Keto Diet Substitutes – Week 3
Green tea – Bulletproof coffee
Apple cider vinegar – ½ lime
Eggs – Bacon
Bulletproof coffee – Black tea
Spinach – Kale
Avocado – 4 macadamia nuts
Chicken – eggs or fish
Bacon – Tuna
Celery – Zucchini
Zucchini – celery or Cucumber
Crab – Mackerel
Ketogenic Diet Plan Week 4
Early Morning – (7:00 am)
Warm water with lime juice and flax seed powder
Breakfast (8:30 am)
1 cup green tea or black coffee
Lunch (12:30 pm)
1 apple or 1 glass of buttermilk
Dinner (7:30 pm)
Options:
Fruit custard and Chicken soup
garlic, sour cream, Mashed cauliflower with spinach flavored yogurt, parmesan
veggies, Smoked turkey bacon, and 1 medium-sized chocolate brownie
Why This Works
Week 4 needs you to consume good fat, low carb, and high protein meals. You will lower more weight during this time as ketosis will help to burn fat. It is the week when a complete workout will help the most.
Tips For Week 3
If you cannot follow a good diet plan for week-4 as it is, you may follow the week-3 diet plan.
Keep hydration, take rest and exercise. Take supplements only after talking with your nutritionist and doctor.
Precaution
You might experience weakness and wish to munch over unhealthy snacks. If you do not keep hydrated, you may feel hungry and consume high carbs snacks.
Keto Diet Substitutes – Week 4
Lime juice – Apple cider vinegar
Bulletproof coffee – Black tea
Green tea – bulletproof coffee/Black tea
Turkey bacon – eggs or chicken
Eggs – Boiled chicken
Yogurt – Sour cream
Cream cheese – Full-fat cream
Chicken liver – Turkey meat
Tuna salad – Shredded duck breast/swiss chard
Salmon – Tuna
Bok choy – Spinach
Duck – Chicken or fish
Broccoli – Celery or bok choy
Spinach – Asparagus
Avocado – 4 macadamia nuts
Ketogenic Diet Plan Week 5
Early Morning – (7:00 am)
Have black coffee or one cup of green tea with lime juice
Breakfast (8:30 am)
Options:
- 1 glass of milk, 1 banana, and Keto banana nut muffins
- 1 toast/sausage, Scrambled eggs, and egg breakfast bowl
- Stuffed cinnamon roll
Lunch (12:30 pm)
Options:
- tuna sandwich, tomato slices, Homemade chicken with lettuce
- pumpkin seed powder(roasted)
- Vegetable soup
- Chives, grilled salmon, 1 teaspoon butter, and garlic
Evening Snack (5:00 pm)
black coffee and 1 cup green tea
Dinner (7:30 pm)
Options:
- Chicken chilly or American beef
- cucumber, tomato in curd, and Spinach stuffed wheat bread
- Asian style stir-fried chicken
Why This Works
Week 5 will help the body to come out from the intermittent fasting phase. A good and heavy breakfast followed by a light lunch is the way to go when you reach the last week of this ketogenic diet. Eat a balanced quantity of protein and fat for dinner to get energized and develop muscle mass.
Tips For Week 3
Do one whole scrambled egg, egg yolk provides extra cholesterol and consists of important nutrients. If you wish to consume only egg whites, you may get a vitamin supplement.
Make your lunch the before night or use leftovers of lunch.
Precaution
The last week of the diet plan is stimulating as you have a lower weight. However, this can also induce carb cravings, and you may consume foods as a reward for lowering more weight. It is a trap and does not fall for it. You will get weight again you lost and weeks of persistence and patience will get drained. Keep motivated until the end of the 5th keto diet plan.
Keto Diet Substitutes – Week 5
Avocado – 2 almonds
Green tea or black coffee – Bulletproof coffee
Spinach – Kale
Macadamia nuts – hazelnuts or Almonds
Egg – Bacon
Chicken/Tuna – Eggs or duck breast
Cucumber -Zucchini
Chive – Rosemary
Spinach – Swiss chard
Mayonnaise – Full-fat cream
Celery – Bok choy
Ketogenic Diet – What To Buy
Before you buy the ketogenic diet plan, it is essential to know what to purchase at the supermarket to prevent high-carb food and attain your goals for weight loss in five weeks. Shop depending on your diet plan. Avoid purchasing things that will keep you off track. Here are some rules that you must follow during grocery shopping:
Always shop from the vegetable, grocery, and meat aisle.
Check the labels of the products to understand if they get any additives.
Avoid buying condiments as they consist of more preservatives and sugar.
Stop the carb isle completely
Skip fruits as they consist of carbs and fruit sugar, which you completely wish to skip on the ketogenic diet.
Ketogenic Diet Foods to Eat
Fats – Olive oil, coconut oil, coconut butter, soybean oil, canola oil, rice bran oil, butter, avocado oil, peanut butter, macadamia oil, ghee (clarified butter), MCT oil.
Protein – Salmon, trout, tuna, bacon, chicken breast, lamb, pork, veal, lean turkey, soy chunks, mackerel, sardines, shrimp, cod, eggs, mussels, crab, and liver.
Nuts & Seeds – Almond, walnut, hazelnut, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, pistachios, flaxseeds, peanut, hemp seeds, pecan nuts, sunflower seeds.
Dairy – Milk, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, sour cream, plain yogurt, probiotic drink, flavored yogurt, buttermilk.
Vegetables – Broccoli, asparagus, green beans, lettuce, greens, spinach, leek, cucumber, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, zucchini, arugula, celery, eggplant, and kale.
Fruits – avocado, blackberries, Tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, coconut, blueberries, lemon, and limes.
Herbs & Spices – basil, mint leaves, Coriander leaves, cloves, rosemary, thyme, fenugreek, oregano, fennel, cumin, turmeric, coriander powder, pepper, sage, parsley, salt (very less amount), and cayenne pepper.
Sweeteners – erythritol and Stevia.
Beverages – green tea, Bulletproof coffee, black coffee, and water.
Ketogenic Diet Foods To Avoid
Diet Soda
Diet soda consists of artificial sweeteners and might feel good for you to drink during you are on the ketogenic diet. Hold that difficult. Artificial sweeteners can also boost blood glucose levels and cause weight gain if consumed in unlimited quantities. Also, more carbonated drinks can cause bloating.
Fruits
Fruits consist of sugar, which can boost blood glucose levels. Since the idea of the ketogenic diet is to lower sugar consumption, it is good to get 2-3 servings of vegetables and keep yourself fed, rather than eating one fruit.
Spices To Avoid
Some spices consist of carbs and might wish to skip them. Skip garlic powder, onion powder, allspice, bay leaves, and cardamom.
Pepper
Though they have nutrition’s, skip eating red and yellow peppers while you are on the ketogenic diet as these peppers have more carbs than the green peppers.
Canned Food or Packaged Condiments
Packaged condiments such as tomato puree, ketchup, barbecue sauce, etc, consist of high sugar, color, carbs, artificial flavor, and preservatives. These are all warning flags when it comes to purchasing packaged canned foods or condiments. Skip purchasing these from the supermarkets. If you purchase, check the label. The lower the ingredients, the better.
Medicines
Most medicines, particularly syrups, consist of high sugar. Tablets are also sometimes covered with sugar. Antipsychotic antidepressants and drugs consist of chemicals that limit weight loss. Talk about your weight loss goals to your physician so that he or she can suggest another medicine that will not lower the weight loss.
The fourth week is difficult according to your diet plan. You will be mostly following a liquid diet. Hence, it is good to go for meditation, power yoga, walking, and stretching. However, if you feel enough energy, you may follow on with the week 3s workout plan. In week 5, you will work out for muscles and weight loss. Hence, choose running, spot jogging, strength training, and yoga.
Week 2 Exercises rope jumping, Warm-up, push-ups, squats, aerobics, scissor kicks
Week 3 Exercises Warm-up, push-ups, Staircase running, scissor kicks, cardio
Week 4 Exercises Warm-up, walking, yoga, meditation
Week 5 Exercises Warm-up, running, spot jogging, yoga, strength training
Keto Diet Supplements
Spirulina To Reduce LDL Cholesterol
Spirulina is an alga with green and blue color and there are 2 main species, called Arthrospira maxima and Arthrospira Patents. It can make this food from photosynthesis and is mostly created from proteins.
Low-density lipoprotein sends cholesterol produced by the liver and cells. LDL moves slower than HDL in the bloodstream and gets oxidized by the free radicals. The oxidized LDL settles on the walls of the arteries. This induces inflammation and anti-inflammatory response by the white blood cells. It has been discovered that taking supplements of spirulina significantly reduces the LDL cholesterol in the blood. Therefore, spirulina helps to lower the cardiovascular risk of disease and fatty liver of non-alcoholic.
Fish Oil to Lower Blood Triglyceride Levels
Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats that are discovered in the form of alpha-linolenic acid in foods like chia seeds, walnuts, and soybean oil and the form of doc eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid present in fatty fish and fish oil supplements. Because of poor food habits, you do not have sufficient omega-3 fatty acids that help to lower the blood triglyceride levels.
Potassium and Sodium Supplements
Potassium and sodium help to manage the blood pressure, acid-base pH, and growth of the body. It regulates water levels in the body. Since you will lower more while on the keto diet, you will also lower potassium and sodium from the body. It can cause depletion of insulin resistance, insulin, low metabolism rate, stalling growth. Therefore, it is necessary to take potassium and sodium supplements. Include salt in your water or other detox drink. You may opt for low sodium salt options also. Soups, meats, and eggs are high in sodium content. Ask your doctor before taking the potassium and sodium supplements.
Vitamin D Supplement
Vitamin D not only helps to manage bone density but also benefits magnesium absorption. It helps in the growth of muscle, helps weight loss, and improves immunity. Since the ketogenic diet is a moderate protein and low carb diet. It also has vitamin D supplements if you do not have 10 minutes of sun exposure every day. Consult your physician before consuming vitamin D supplements.
Magnesium Supplement
Magnesium acts as a nonprotein chemical for a reactions host. It normalizes blood pressure, manages nerve functions and muscles, manages blood sugar, and helps to synthesize proteins. Since the keto diet requires the dieters to be on a lower-carb diet, other magnesium consisting food is skipped by dieters. Low magnesium levels cause fatigue and muscle cramps. Therefore, vegetables that consist of fewer carbs like nuts, green leafy veggies, and seeds should not be skipped.
Also, consume magnesium supplements every day while you are following a keto diet. However, talk to your physician before taking any supplement.
Lifestyle Changes
Do Not Starve Yourself People often feel starving to lose weight. However, not everyone successful. The mystery lies in your body type, energy spread, metabolic rate. If you get an endomorphic body type and begin to eat low calories every day, your body will switch to starvation mode and store all types of fat. Therefore, eat healthily and on time to lower weight.
Grow Your Social Support
Social support is one of the most essential factors for you to lower your weight. If you are pursuing a weight loss plan, and people around you do not appreciate or encourage your mission, it is more likely that you will never reach the perfect weight. Hang out with people who are more into fitness and lead to a healthy lifestyle. Let your partner understand how critical weight loss is for you to help each other to consume healthily and exercise regularly.
Cook Your Food
Yes, this lifestyle change will help you eat healthily and provide mental satisfaction of creating tasty and healthy food. It will take some time and experimentation to understand what tastes good with which ingredients. However, the happiness of cooking good food and creating healthy cooking choices will give you positive emotions.
Join An Extracurricular Class
Emotional and stress eating are the primary reasons for weight gain. Doing what you like and involving in activities that make you happy will reduce stress levels and help to lower weight, particularly in the belly region. Join an extracurricular class, make new contacts and try things that you like.
Sleep
The best way to deal with tiredness is to get enough sleep for 7-8 hours every day. Sleep deprivation is one of the obesity causes. Low sleep also keeps you at risk of diabetes and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Workout Regularly
Exercise regularly to help your weight in check. Also, there are some health benefits of working, such as keeping active and fit, stopping heart disease, being more sensitive to insulin, lowering stress, anxiety, depression, and also stopping uncontrolled cell proliferation.
More HDL Levels
To get a healthy heart, it is essential to get a healthy HDL level. The HDL carries cholesterol from the rest of the body to the liver to remove. The ketogenic diet boost HDL level.
Treats Diabetes
The ketogenic diet is called to enhance the insulin and sugar levels in the body. The hormone insulin helps to store glucose in the cells. This increases type 2 diabetes. The ketogenic diet helps to treat and can change this kind of diabetes.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Different research tells that a low-carb diet lowers blood pressure. It helps to stop different kinds of ailments like heart problems, strokes, and kidney failure.
Lower The Blood LDL Levels
A high carbohydrate diet often causes LDL cholesterol to float in the bloodstream and save the heart.
Treat Brain Disorders
The ketogenic diet is best for different brain disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
Treat Epilepsy In Children
The ketogenic diet was formed to treat epileptic children. This diet is suggested for patients who are not responsive to other anti-seizure drugs or treatments.
Improves Cancer condition
The ketogenic diet also helps to improve cancer patients. Cancer cells utilized sugar as the primary energy source. A diet that has low carbs, high good fats, and moderate protein to improve the advanced cancer stage.
Keto Diet Side Effects
You may feel weak and dizzy initially.
You might experience a frequent urine urge.
You may feel sweating palms and chills in the feet at night.
You might feel confusion, mood swings, and poor brain function.
The diet mustn’t be followed for more time.
Following the diet for small-time claims to get around significant weight loss. Following it for a long time may cause vitamin and mineral deficiency.
Ketogenic Diet Tips
- Packaged and processed food is a complete no. To get the weight loss goal, consume home-cooked food, which is the key to lowering the weight on the ketogenic diet.
- Eat different color food that has complete nutrients and minerals.
- Eat a low number of sweet potatoes, broccoli, and berries. Skip consuming milk chocolates, cakes, and bread.
- Consume your meals early to follow your diet. It will also help to track the protein, fat, and carbohydrate which help in weight loss.
- The ketogenic diet gets you a lifestyle change. In place of walking into a coffee shop for sandwiches and coffee, make coffee and egg.
- A low-carb diet removes the extra water from the body.
- Hence, it is important to drink enough water 10-11 glasses.
Once following the diet plan, you need not weigh yourself every day. The weight loss may not livery. Water absorption and intake can be different on different days, and this may result in different weight loss degrees. Concentrating on health benefits and weight loss will happen.
The first few days of the diet can be difficult. You may feel cravings. A little distraction can help to prevent cravings. Slowly, the cravings will be lowered as the ketogenic diet work as an appetite suppressant.
The ketogenic diet benefit to lowering all that additional fat piled on in the whole year. It is easy to follow and requires you to be cautious around the things you eat. Therefore, you will lower your weight and feel healthier.