The basis of the ketogenic diet sounds counter-intuitive as it is 75% fat, 15% protein and 10% carbohydrates. It is important to consult your family doctor before and during this type of dieting to address any pre-existing conditions and to make sure it does not interfere with any medications you are taking.
In the state of ketosis your body will obtain most of its nutrition from fat cells. This means if you are overweight you will lose weight predominately from your fat cells. Most people maintain or improve muscle mass with light exercise. Many bodybuilders use ketosis to lose their body fat so the muscles become more visible for competitions. There are supplemental ketones that can be used to help keep you into ketosis more quickly and put your back into ketosis if you happened to eat too much protein or too much carbohydrate in relationship to fat. You can monitor whether you are in ketosis by using urine test strips which most people buy online. I also recommend doing baseline body measurements like mid thigh circumference, bicep circumference, circumference at the bellybutton and circumference at the hips. We also do skinfold caliper measurements which help to measure your percent body fat. Then measure weight once a week because daily fluctuations due to fluid balance is common. We do skinfold measurements monthly.
Following the keto diet can be simple. For example, daily breakfast could be two eggs scrambled in 2 tablespoons of coconut or medium chain triglycerides oil which is available online, served over cooked spinach. Lunch could be tuna or hard-boiled eggs mixed with mayonnaise served on Romaine lettuce leaf or one slice of bread and supper could be 4 ounces of meat such as high fat steak, pork, fish or clams on a bed of spinach, half a potato, a large tossed salad with any kind of fatty dressing. Make sure the dressing does not have sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Beverages should be sugar free, including avoidance of cows milk. You should also avoid fruits because of the fruit sugars. Vegetables are OK because they are high in water and complex carbohydrates. Vegetables should be a vehicle to help you consume more fat. Don’t forget the hollandaise which is surprisingly easy to make. You can also use ghee, which is clarified butter. This can be made by melting butter and draining the clear part from the solids, or you can simply buy the ghee pre-made in the supermarket. There are plenty of keto friendly recipes you can get online if you’re interested. There are also keto friendly meals you can order for home delivery. Some restaurants are starting to offer keto friendly meals as well. Not hard to obtain a keto friendly meal if you remember the ratio of 75% fat like a salad with avocado olive oil or ranch, 15% protein like fish, lentils or beans and 5 to 10% carbs no more than two slices of bread per day. Have them bring extra fatty salad dressing on the side if you’re going out to eat.
Make sure you drink plenty of water while in ketosis and use additional salt on your food. Salt and potassium can be lost in urine when in ketosis. You can also use a product called No Salt seasoning which is potassium chloride to replace the potassium and can also help to lower your blood pressure if needed.
-Dr. Mike
