When you're low on carbohydrates, your body needs an alternative source of energy to break down muscle protein. By eating enough protein, you can prevent muscle breakdown and lead your body to burn fat.
This is the whole point of the ketogenic diet. It creates the illusion of hunger for the body, even if you actually 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 the 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 drawback of the ketogenic diet is that it severely limits nutrition. You will need to cut out all carbohydrates, including fruits and vegetables, for ketosis to start quickly and last.
The disadvantages include the appearance of bad breath, due to the abundance of protein in the diet.
Pros of a keto diet
On a ketogenic diet, you consume your usual caloric intake (or slightly less), so you are not hungry. Once ketosis begins, you can diversify your diet with fibrous vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and asparagus.
Plus, super-intense training is easier on the ketogenic diet because the body has a reserve of fat ready to break down. This is useful when preparing for a competition.
Finally, the ketogenic diet produces results much faster than any other weight loss product.
Sample menu on a ketogenic diet
Before we move on to a sample menu for the day, let's define what you can and what you can't eat on a keto diet:
- You can: meat, fish, cheese, eggs, oils, very low carbohydrate protein products;
- Don't Do: Sugar, grains, processed foods, fruits and vegetables, milk (due to lactose).
So now for an example of a daily diet on a ketogenic diet:
Breakfast
- Eggs and bacon
- late breakfast
- Cheddar, ham
Dinner
- Salmon, avocado (or chicken with mayonnaise)
Before training
- Whey protein, creatine, BCAA, glutamine
After training
- Whey protein, creatine, BCAA, glutamine
Dinner
- Steak, spinach with olive oil
Second dinner
- Hard-boiled eggs, turkey breast (or casein protein)