You can lose weight by going on a ketogenic diet plan for 30 days for free. If your diet contains less than 50 g of carbohydrate a day, you will likely enter ketosis, which is a normal metabolic state in which your body uses fat as its primary source of energy. You should first check with your doctor to ensure that a very low-carb diet is appropriate for you, especially if you are taking medications. Once you have your doctor's approval, you can start planning your 30-day diet.
Count Your Carbs
Counting carbs is the first thing you should do, even before getting started with your ketogenic diet plan. Borrow a book from your local library, use food labels or use a free online database to figure out the amount of carbs in the servings of food you eat. You can even download a free app for your smartphone or iPod Touch to help you track your carb intake. You will soon realize that to keep your carb below 50 g a day to induce ketosis, you will need to eliminate high-carb foods. These including sugar, grains, starchy vegetables, legumes, fruits, milk and yogurt. You can get between 20 g and up to 50 g of carbs a day mostly from nonstarchy vegetables like broccoli, leafy greens, cauliflower, onions and mushrooms. Aim for about 1 to 2 cups of these vegetables at each of your meals to get the fiber and nutrients your body requires.
Base Your Diet on Fat and Protein
To induce ketosis, you will need to restrict your carb intake to below 50 g a day. You will obtain most of your calories from fat and some from protein. Use 1 to 2 tbsp. of fat at each of your meals, such as olive oil, coconut oil, butter, cream or mayonnaise. Coconut oil is a good fat to include in your diet, to cook your vegetables or eggs for example, because it promotes ketosis. Combine with a serving of 4 to 6 oz. of protein from either fish, seafood, chicken, meat, eggs or cheese. Don't attempt to create a fat-free or low-fat version of the plan because a ketogenic diet needs to be high in fat. Whenever buying prepared foods that contain sauces, marinades or other enhancements, look at the nutrition facts table to ensure the carb content is suitable for your low-carb ketogenic diet.
30-Day Trial
Going on your own free low-carb ketogenic diet plan for 30 days is a good way to determine whether this type of diet helps you achieve your goals in terms of fat loss. For this period of time, rid your kitchen of all high-carb foods that could trigger any cravings. Put them in a box in a hard-to-reach location or give them away. Stock up on nonstarchy vegetables, protein and fats. Getting an analysis of your body fat percentage can be expensive, but you can simply take a picture of yourself in your swimsuit before getting started and at the end of the 30-day period to see your progress. You can also write down your weight and measurements for your chest, arms, waist, hips and thighs to assess the effectiveness of your diet.
Low-Carb Ketogenic Meals
To stay below 50 g of carbs a day, each of your meal should provide no more than 10 to 15 g of carbohydrates, mostly from nonstarchy vegetables. Each of your meals should be based on 1 to 2 cups of nonstarchy vegetables, 4 to 6 oz. of protein and 1 to 2 tbsp. of extra fat, although the amounts could vary depending on factors like your body composition and physical activity level. For example, you can have eggs, cheese, spinach, mushrooms and olive oil or smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber and avocado at breakfast. At lunch, leafy greens, tomatoes and green onions can be your nonstarchy vegetables accompanied with protein from either canned tuna, chicken or beef slices and fat from cheese, bacon, salad dressing, olive oil, avocado or nuts. At dinner, cook your nonstarchy vegetables in coconut oil or serve them with cream or butter, along with pork loin, shrimp or steak.
References
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Effects of a High-Protein Ketogenic Diet on Hunger,Appetite, and Weight Loss in Obese Men Feeding Ad Libitum; Alexandra M. Johnstone, et al.; January 2008
- Protein Power; Metabolism and Ketosis; Michael R. Eades; May 2007
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Chapter 2 - The Role of Carbohydrates in Maintenance of Health; 1998
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Nutrient Data Laboratory
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