KETOGENIC DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS: 7-DAY KETO MEAL PLAN AND MENU

Keto 101

If you’re looking to slim down in a healthy way, the ketogenic diet plan for weight loss just might be for you! In case you’re not familiar with the plan, the keto diet is a low carb diet that forces your body into a metabolic state. It pretty much turns your body into a fat-burning machine! Ketosis is a natural process in the body that helps us survive when food intake is low. During ketosis we produce ketones in the liver to be used as energy and fuel throughout the body, including the brain.

Ketones are produced if you eat minimal carbs and very moderate amounts of protein. On the keto diet, your body is fuelled almost entirely on fat. Your insulin levels drop and fat burning escalates. Optimal ketone levels are beneficial for weight loss, health, and also offer mental and physical performance benefits. You’ll be less hungry and also have a steady supply of energy.

Ketogenic Diet Rules

Like any diet, you won’t be able to lose weight if your body is consuming more than it’s expending. On the ketogenic diet, you’ll naturally eat less because low-carb diets have appetite-suppressing effects. So it’s essential to understand the rules of what makes this diet effective.

You should be lowering your carb intake sufficiently, especially if your diet is regularly high in carbs. When you eat carbs, they’re broken down into glucose, which spikes blood sugar levels. This causes strong insulin levels to combat the spikes, resulting in fat storage and insulin resistance. With the keto diet, you should be getting about 10% of your energy from carbs, 15-25% from protein, and 70% or more from fat.

Increase your healthy fat intake with foods like avocados, cheese, fatty fish, chia seeds, nuts, olive oil, flaxseed, edamame and sunflower seeds. Not only do healthy fats support heart health, they benefit insulin and blood sugar levels and reduce LDL cholesterol.

List of foods you can eat on the keto diet

If you want to reach ketosis, the most important thing is to avoid eating most carbs. Keep your carb intake to around 20 to 50 grams per day for the diet to work most effectively. You’ll want to stock up on low carb foods, and be mindful of low carb veggies and fruit. Limit your intake of root vegetables like mushrooms and squash, berries and citrus fruits. Here’s a low carb food list for the keto diet.

1. Eggs
2. Beef
3. Cheese (especially hard cheese)
4. Olive Oil
5. Avocado Oil
6. Coconut Oil
7. Fish
8. Seafood
9. Bell peppers
10. Tomatoes
11. Broccoli
12. Zucchini
13. Cauliflower
14. Eggplant
15. Beef
16. Pork
17. Poultry
18. Macadamias
19. Almonds
20. Nut butter
21. Cabbage
22. Green beans
23. Avocados
24. Plain Greek Yogurt
25. Cottage Cheese

List of foods you can’t eat on the keto diet

There are some foods you should completely avoid while you’re on the ketogenic diet. Foods that are full of sugar and starch like bread, pasta and rice, are very high in carbs and make it much harder for you to lose weight and keep it off.

1. Pasta
2. Rice
3. Potatoes
4. Bananas
5. Bread
6. Soda/juice
7. Candy
8. Chips
9. Cookies
10. Chocolate
11. Artificial sweeteners
12. Milk
13. Alcoholic, sweet beverages
14. Quinoa
15. Wheat
16. Barley
17. Oats
18. Beans
19. Fruits high in sugar and carbs (mangos, apples, oranges, grapes, papaya, dried fruits)
20. Honey/maple syrup

7 Day Ketogenic Diet Weight Loss Plan

If you’re new to the ketogenic diet, try out this 7 day keto weight loss plan to see just how easy it is to make delicious meals with optimal ketone levels in mind. This has to be one of the best ketogenic diet plans out there!