Keto Diet and Recipes for Rapid Weight Loss
Jen the RN, here again, to give you more information about the keto diet for rapid weight loss.
Additionally, I’m providing a sample 7-day meal plan, several delicious recipes, keto-friendly restaurant choices, and ideas for successfully losing weight and maintaining health.
What is the Keto Diet?
The ketogenic (Keto) diet is when you eat high amounts of fat and small amounts of carbs to enter a state of ketosis.
In ketosis, your body burns ketones (instead of glucose) for energy, which provides numerous physical benefits for your body.
So, What Can I Have on the Keto Diet?
When buying foods, the general idea is to focus on eating good quality, low-carb, and minimally processed real food.
Like, eggs, fish, meat, vegetables, and natural fats (butter or olive oil).
It’s also a good idea to buy organic foods whenever you can.
Eating good-for-you high-fat and low-carb foods will help expedite your rapid weight loss on the keto diet.
Keto Diet Essential Foods to Eat:
Meat: beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork (including bacon), sausage
Tofu
Fatty fish and shellfish: salmon, trout, mackerel, shrimp, scallops
Eggs: ideal when cooked in fat
Berries: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries (in limited quantities)
Non-starchy vegetables: leafy greens, like spinach and kale, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumber
Nuts and seeds: macadamias, walnuts, pecans, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, flaxseeds, coconut, peanuts (a legume exception)
Nut and seed butters (with no added sugar): sun butter, almond butter, peanut butter
Full-fat dairy (in limited quantities): heavy whipping dairy, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese
Avocados
Fats and oils: butter, coconut oil, olive oil, hemp oil, flaxseed oil, almond oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, mayonnaise
Keto-approved Beverages
For your daily liquids, it’s best to stick with water, tea, coffee, unsweetened nut milk (almond, cashew), and the occasional glass of wine.
Additionally, you can add drops of unsweetened flavoring to your water for a punch of flavor.
Related: Keto Diet and Recipes for Beginners
I’m ready to get serious on this weight loss journey.
What foods should I throw away?
To be “all in” for a healthy diet, clean out your pantry and shelves by tossing the following:
Sugar in all forms
Candy, chocolate, cookies
Breakfast cereals and muffins
Potato chips, popcorn snacks, dried fruits
Crackers
Wheat flour, pasta, rice, potatoes
Bagels, bread, and beer
Beans and cans of soup
Soft drinks, fruit juices, applesauce, jams
Margarine, ketchup, bottled sauces
Ready-made spice mixes, salsas
Ice cream, sweet buns, cakes, freezer waffles/pancakes
DELICIOUS KETO DIET RECIPES
Top Lunch and Dinner Recipes in 20 minutes or less:
KETO-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS
It’s the weekend.
You don’t want to cook, but you do still want to continue your rapid weight loss goals.
Head on over to one of these restaurants that serves-up Keto-friendly fare:
Applebee’s – Try the Chicken Tortilla Soup with a side of Steamed Broccoli.
Bahama Breeze – Get the Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
Cracker Barrel– Go for the Grilled Sirloin Steak or Lemon Pepper Grilled Rainbow Trout.
Longhorn Steakhouse– Order the 7-Pepper Sirloin Salad or LongHorn Chili Bowl.
Olive Garden -The Chicken Piccata sounds delicious!
P.F. Chang’s – Get the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce or oil and garlic.
Red Lobster– Filet Mignon or a half-portion of the Salmon New Orleans.
Additional Tips to help you Succeed:
Eat a low-carb diet
Only eat when you are hungry
Avoid fruit, beer, and artificial sweeteners
Eat fewer nuts and dairy products
Sleep more, and try to stress less
Take vitamins and minerals
Exercise wisely, like walking
Achieve optimal ketosis
See your physician and get your hormones checked
Use intermittent fasting
Be persistent and you will see rapid weight loss results!
Ketogenic Diet Recipes – Top 10 Recipe Books
Other Ways to Improve your Health:
Daily stretching – Do a full-body stretch to help relieve tension in your back and shoulders.
Take a walk – walking allows you to enjoy a change of scenery, which can get you into a different frame of mind, and it helps you soak-up some Vitamin D.
Start a Journal– journaling is proven by research to bring several health benefits in addition to stress relief.
Breathing exercises – Breathe in through your nose, hold for a count of three, and breathe out through your mouth, all while envisioning your abdomen expanding and contracting with each breath. Just five of these breaths can relieve pent-up tension and anxiety
Listen to music – Creating playlists for various moods can help you to relieve stress and feel happy.
Learn to say “no”– Setting boundaries and refusing to overbook yourself eliminates a whole host of stressors you would have to otherwise manage.
Enjoy Aromatherapy – Using candles, diffusers with essential oils, and scented body lotions can help you to become energized, more relaxed, or more present. (Rosemary, lavender, lemon, and peppermint are a few good ones to use).
Before starting the Keto Diet
What is the Keto Flu and the symptoms
When starting the keto diet, it takes your brain and other organs time to adapt to using this new fuel.
Losing a lot of water and sodium is the reason some people have unpleasant symptoms of keto flu.
(Symptoms: nausea, muscle cramps, fatigue, headache, sugar cravings, irritability, dizziness, and brain fog).
An individual’s response to the keto transition varies widely from person to person.
Some people feel normal or just slightly fatigued.
Other people develop more intense symptoms for a few days.
Cure for the Keto Flu
Increase your salt and water intake (drink a glass of water with 1/2 teaspoon salt stirred in, twice a day if needed).
Add more healthy fat to your diet. You need enough fat so that you are not hungry after a meal, can go for several hours without eating, and have ample energy.
Slow down your transition to the keto diet by eating a few more carbs, such as following a more moderate low-carb diet.
Take it easy doing physical activity for the first few weeks and then slowly increase your exercise intensity.
Do not consciously restrict calories and food intake – in a few weeks your hunger will slow down.
Related articles:
Women’s Health: Simple Ways to Live Better,
Healthy Recipes for Faster Weight Loss
*Blanket Statement: It’s always best to check with your doctor before starting on this regimen. With that said, “the keto diet isn’t recommended for those with liver or kidney disease, or someone with a medical condition, such as a gastrointestinal issue, who can’t metabolize high amounts of dietary fat,” says Sarah Jadin, a registered dietitian. Also, if you’ve had your gallbladder removed, the keto diet may not be for you. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and people with certain rare genetic disorders shouldn’t try this diet.
RELATED LINKS:
Great information
on the keto diet. Thinking about trying it again.
Hi Rebekah, thank you! Yes, it is a good one, I think. Diabetes runs in my family and eating sugar really affects my triglyceride levels. This diet helps to keep that in check, as well as helping to lose weight. Thank you for your comment. : )
Thank you for including the information about keto friendly restaurants. That will make choosing where to eat much easier. Thanks.
Stacey
Hi Stacey, You are so welcome! Yes, it’s always good to know about a few Keto menu options for when you need a break from cooking, or for date night! : )
Great info but where are the recipes?
Hi Bev! And thank you!
The recipes are under “Delicious Keto Diet Recipes” with the ingredients and instructions. There are five recipes and they are about halfway through the post. These recipes can be made in 20 minutes or less.
Have a wonderful day!
from Jennifer @derbylanedreams