Ketosis diets are usually designed for a 30-day period. During this period, a strictly low-carbohydrate diet is adhered to while all of your energy should come from protein and fat sources. Typically understood as a high-protein diet, fat plays just as important a role in the ketosis diet. Fat is used to fill you up and provide both enough calories and important nutrients to the body. Consult your doctor before starting any diet.
Ketosis
The human body produces ketones once the muscle tissue has exhausted all the glycogen reserves. This state is known as the state of ketosis. Ketones are produced in the mitochondria of liver cells. These ketones initiate the breakdown of fatty acids as a means of providing energy to the body. Carbohydrates inhibit this production of ketones as they restore glycogen levels to the muscles, giving the body an alternative source of energy.
Fat Loss
The body converts fat to energy when it has depleted its carbohydrate reserves and, unlike many other diets, the focus with the ketosis diet is to preserve muscle mass while burning fat. High amounts of protein intake preserve the muscle tissue causing the body to solely burn fat. For this reason, the ketosis diet is recognized as being one of the fastest fat-burning diets. A typical ketogenic diet last 30 days as prescribed by such authors as Lyle McDonald and Scot Standke.
Avoid Carbohydrate
Do not eat carbohydrates on the ketosis plan. The ketosis diet prohibits the consumption of more than 50grams of carbohydrates per day over the 30 day period. The only carbohydrates that are permitted are vegetables, and only as long as they do not exceed the daily maximum intake. Avoid starchy vegetables such as potatoes and do not eat fruit as it has high levels of fructose.
Consume Fat
Consume protein and fat as your two main sources of calories on the diet. Fat such as olive oil, cheese, dairy and cream. You will need to consume a lot of fat for most of your meals to meet your daily calorie requirements as protein alone will probably suffice. Carbohydrates typically have more calories per 100 g than protein does, so the absence of carbohydrate calories will need to filled by fat. Do not consume many saturated fats and stay away from trans fats that are found in processed foods such as fried food.
Consume Protein
Consume a lot of protein over the 30-day period. Acceptable foods are poultry, beef, seafood, pork, cheese, protein supplements such as shakes, eggs, nuts and peanut butter. You must also consume some non-starchy vegetables such as lettuces, cabbage, peppers, onions and cucumbers. Make sure you stay below 50 g of carbohydrates per day.
Typical Day
According to Scot Standke, author of the 30-Day Low Carb Diet "Ketosis Plan," a typical day on the 30-day ketosis diet would consist of a breakfast of eggs, cheese and heavy cream with spices for flavor; a lunch of a cheeseburger made from ground beef, an egg, cheddar cheese, mozarella cheese and bacon; and a dinner of a homemade quiche consisting of eggs, cheese, cream, pepperoni, tomato sauce and spices.
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