Shed those Stubborn Pounds with a Ketogenic Diet

Nathan Wharton, a 36-year-old from Tampa, Florida embarked on a ketogenic diet in January 2016 after being hospitalised for high blood sugar. 16 months later, the food addict announced that he went from 380 pounds to 185 pounds – a total loss of almost 200 pounds! So, what is this ketogenic diet and how can you incorporate it into your life?

What is the Ketogenic Diet?

A new diet that is sweeping the nation, the ketogenic diet is a high-protein, low-fat diet proven to reduce weight and improve overall health problems. The average person gets 40-60 percent of their calories each day from carbohydrates and sugar. However, these cause many health problems such as diabetes, arthritis, and obesity.

On the ketogenic diet, people get more calories from healthy sources of fat and proteins while cutting down carb intake to only about 25-50 grams of daily net carbs.

This prevents poor blood sugar control and ultimately unwanted weight. The ultimate end goal of the ketogenic diet is to reach ketosis or the metabolic state in which your body becomes highly efficient at burning fat for energy. In this stage, the body will use your fat in replace of energy to power the brain, heart, and other organs. Therefore, you cut down on excess fat while improving other bodily functions.

So How Do You Get Started?

Ketosis is hard to obtain and requires extreme dedication. You will want to start your day right so that your momentum moves you throughout your other meals.

For some really good keto friendly recipe ideas check out this post on Fitness Crest.

Here are some easy ketogenic breakfast recipes that can help jumpstart your morning.

·        Keto Fry Up: The nice thing about the keto diet is that you don’t need to give up your fried foods. Instead, you simply need to choose keto-friendly ingredients for your meal. A good fried breakfast recipe involves frying avocado and bacon strips using coconut oil and adding some scrambled eggs with butter. It’s deliciously healthy and helps push you towards ketosis.

·        Ketogenic Pancakes: When you wake up on a Sunday morning all you want is pancakes. Well, cream cheese is the perfect substitute for making ketogenic pancakes that will complete your morning. Combine 2 ounces of cream cheese, 2 eggs, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of coconut flour, and ½ to 1 packet of Stevia. Beat these ingredients until smooth and cook with coconut oil on medium-high. You can even add lemon or raw cacao for flavour.

·        Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie: Sometimes you’re in a rush in the mornings and you simply want a smoothie-on-the-go. Blend 1 cup of almond milk, ½ cup of raspberries, 1 ounce of cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of sugar-free vanilla syrup together to create a delicious breakfast smoothie.

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day and it is important that you incorporate your high-fat and low-carb diet to help you reach ketosis throughout your day. With the right breakfast, you will be a ketosis master in no time.