A Ketogenic Diet to Lose Weight and Fight Metabolic Disease

Learn how the keto diet may help with weight loss and the prevention or management of metabolic disease

The ketogenic diet, which involves restricting carbohydrate intake to less than 40-45 grams a day, may be beneficial for people with obesity and metabolic disease.

Learn how the keto diet may help with weight loss and the prevention or management of metabolic disease.

What is the keto diet?

A typical keto diet focuses on high fat intake, moderate protein intake, and low carb intake:

Fat: 70% of daily calories
Protein: 10%-25% of daily calories
Carbs: 5% or less of daily calories

The goal of these eating plans is to achieve ketosis, which is a state in which your body uses fat for fuel.

How can the keto diet help fight obesity and metabolic disease?

Obesity

An increasing body of evidence suggests that ketogenic diets are more successful than low-fat diets for sustaining long-term weight reduction in people with obesity.

The ketogenic diet promotes fat loss by boosting fat oxidation efficiency (the process by which fat is burned for energy), suppressing hunger hormones, and supplying the body with sufficient satiating dietary fat and protein, and lowering total calorie consumption.

Metabolic syndrome

Over one-third of Americans suffer from metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome encompasses a group of problems that includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, extra abdominal fat, and high triglyceride and cholesterol levels, which raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Studies have shown that following a keto diet may reduce some of these risk factors, such as decreasing body fat percentage, body mass index, hemoglobin A1C levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure.

Weight loss associated with a keto diet is predominantly visceral fat, which is a type of fat located deep inside the abdominal cavity and responsible for insulin resistance and metabolic maladaptation.

Type II diabetes

Ketogenic diets are considerably more successful in controlling type II diabetes by helping to drastically lower blood sugar, hemoglobin A1C levels, waist circumference, and triglyceride levels.

7 types of keto diets

1. Standard keto diet

The standard keto diet involves consuming:

70% fat
20% protein
10% carbohydrates

2. Cyclical keto diet

Also called carb cycling, this type of keto diet Involves higher carb intake on 1-2 non-consecutive days each week.

If you find it difficult to stick to an extremely low-carb diet every day, especially for months on end, a carb cycling diet could be a better option for you.

3. Targeted keto diet

The targeted keto diet is a good option for people who engage in intense training and require more efficient post-workout recovery. The diet consists of

65%-70% fat
20% protein
10%-15% carbs

4. High-protein keto diet

This type of keto diet is often followed by people who want to preserve their muscle mass like bodybuilders and older people. It consists of:

60% fat
35% protein
5% carbs

5. Modified keto diet

This version of the diet consists of:

40% fat
30% protein
30% carbs

6. Dirty keto diet

This form of keto adheres to the same rigorous ratios (75%/20%/5% of fat/protein/carbs), but instead of focusing on good fats (coconut oil and salmon), it allows you to consume all non-keto-friendly foods, such as bacon, sausage, pork rinds, fast food, and diet soda. This diet is not recommended by doctors or researchers.

7. Lazy keto diet

The lazy keto diet does not necessarily track the percentage of fat, protein, or carbs consumed, but the goal is to keep net carbs under 20 grams a day.

What are keto-friendly foods?

Grass-fed beef, lamb, pork
Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck)
Olive oil, vegetable oil, salad dressings
Fish, seafood
Nuts and seeds
Whole eggs (whites and yolks)
Nut butter (except peanut)
Full-fat dairy products (cheese, cream, yogurt)
Vinegar, mustard
Garlic
Chili peppers
Leafy greens
Fermented vegetables
Avocado
Berries
Dark chocolate
Green tea
Coffee

Sample keto meal plans for weight loss and metabolic diseases

Sample meal plan 1

Breakfast
- 4 eggs
- ½ avocado
- 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
Lunch
- 4 oz baked salmon with 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ bunch asparagus with 1-2 tablespoons of butter
Dinner
- Steak
- 2 cups spinach with coconut oil
- 2 oz macadamia nuts

Sample meal plan 2

Breakfast
- Omelet with avocado, peppers, salsa, spices, and onions
Lunch
- Celery sticks and nuts with salsa and guacamole
Dinner
- Chicken stuffed with cream cheese and pesto and a side of grilled zucchini

Sample meal plan 3

Breakfast
- Scrambled eggs with bacon and avocado
Lunch
- Salad with salsa dressing, sour cream, and cheddar cheese
Dinner
- Baked fish served with salad
- Ranch dressing topped with avocado slices

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What are the possible benefits of the keto diet?

There is encouraging evidence demonstrating the favorable effects of this diet, particularly for metabolism and brain health. Current research suggests that the ketogenic diet can help with:

Weight loss
Blood sugar regulation and enhanced insulin sensitivity
Improved energy levels, oxygen capacity, and athletic performance
Migraine treatment
Inflammation management
Neuroprotective benefits in seizure disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, memory and cognitive function, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis
Mood stabilization in bipolar disorder
Ischemic stroke prevention

What are the possible drawbacks of the keto diet?

Since everyone reacts differently to different diets, physicians and nutritionists warn against following a keto diet without consulting a medical professional. Reasons for this include the following:

Unknown long-term safety
Nutritionally unbalanced
Could be dangerous for people with underlying medical conditions, such as kidney and heart disorders
Could be dangerous for people with undiagnosed metabolic disorders
Could raise low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
Could raise the risk of kidney or liver ailments
Common side effects include fatigue, headaches, nausea, and diarrhea

No one should begin a keto diet without first consulting a doctor.