The keto diet, also known as the ketogenic diet, is a popular low carb diet. A recent study found that dieters on the plan lost over two stone in half a year. The diet also includes a lot of fat, which is essential for achieving a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state where the body burns fat for energy, instead of carbs.
A study on the diet from the Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at Kuwait University revealed that on average subjects lost 13.5kg, just over two stone.
In the space of six months the average weight fell from 101kg to 87.5kg.
What is more, the average BMI fell from 37.7 to 32.
That is falling from class II obesity to class I obesity.
Scientists found: “The present study shows the beneficial effects of a long-term ketogenic diet.
“It significantly reduced the body weight and body mass index of the patients.”
What foods can you eat on keto?
Keto foods include lots of animal products and fresh vegetables. This includes the likes of:
Seafood
Low-carb vegetables such as cauliflower
Cheese
Avocados
Meat
Eggs
Oils
Coffee
Clinical nutritionist Suzie Sawyer describes the keto diet as being “very effective for weight loss”.
Her ideal meal plan on the keto diet is: “Eggs and bacon for breakfast, sizzling beef for lunch and steamed fish with mixed vegetables for dinner, all fitting the bill.”
She added: “You can choose the rate at which you want to lose weight by closely monitoring the total number of calories you’re eating on a daily basis.
“For example, if you want to lose a kilo per week (a sensible approach), an averaged sized lady would need to eat around 1500 calories daily. Around 65 per cent of those calories would come from fat.”