When you are low on carbohydrates, your body needs an alternate source of energy to break down protein from muscle protein. By eating enough protein, you can prevent muscle breakdown and shift your body to burning fat.
That's the whole point of the ketogenic diet. This creates the illusion of starvation for the body, although in fact you get enough energy from protein and fat. This diet triggers ketosis, in which the body breaks down fat primarily as a source of energy.
There can be no definitive answer to the question of which diet is most effective for burning fat. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of a ketogenic diet.
Cons of the ketogenic diet
The main downside to the ketogenic diet is that it severely restricts nutrition. You will need to cut out all carbohydrates, including vegetables and fruits, for ketosis to start quickly and to last.
The disadvantages include the appearance of bad breath, due to the abundance of protein in the diet.
Benefits of a keto diet
On the ketogenic diet, you consume your usual calorie intake (or slightly less), so you're not hungry. Once ketosis kicks in, you can diversify your diet with fibrous vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and asparagus.
Additionally, super intense training is easier on the keto diet because the body has a store of fat ready to be broken down. This is useful when preparing for a competition.
Finally, the ketogenic diet produces results much faster than any other weight loss component.
Sample menu on a ketogenic diet
Before we jump to a sample menu for the day, let's define what you can and can't eat on a keto diet:
- You can: meats, fish, cheeses, eggs, oils, protein products with very low carbohydrate content;
- To avoid: sugar, grains, processed foods, fruits and vegetables, milk (because of lactose).
So now an example of a daily diet with a ketogenic diet:
Breakfast
- Baccon and eggs
- Late breakfast
- Cheddar cheese, ham
Having dinner
- Salmon, avocado (or chicken in mayonnaise)
Before training
- Whey protein, creatine, BCAAs, glutamine
Post workout
- Whey protein, creatine, BCAAs, glutamine
Having dinner
- Steak, spinach in olive oil
Second supper
- hard-boiled eggs, turkey breast (or casein protein)