Super Quick Keto Meals - Lunch & Dinner Recipes - Diet Doctor (2024)

FAQs

What do drs say about the keto diet? ›

Keto diet risks

Top of the list: it's high in saturated fat. McManus recommends that you keep saturated fats to no more than 7% of your daily calories because of the link to heart disease. And indeed, the keto diet is associated with an increase in "bad" LDL cholesterol, which is also linked to heart disease.

The lazy keto diet is essentially another low-carb eating plan that helps with weight loss. The cardinal rule to lazy keto is to eat no more than 20 grams of carbs per day. Unlike the original keto diet, you do not have to track your calories. You also do not have to count other macronutrients: fat and protein.

Keto Egg Fast

Also known as a keto 3 day fast, this extreme diet is used by some to help kickstart ketosis. During this time, you'll eat only eggs (at least 6 whole eggs a day), cheese (1 ounce of full-fat cheese per egg consumed), and butter (1 tablespoon / 15 grams), or another healthy fat per egg consumed.

The ketogenic diet, or keto diet, is a medical or therapeutic diet — a diet designed to help manage or treat a medical condition. The keto diet is suggested for children with epilepsy that continues despite medication. The keto diet is high in fat, adequate in protein and very low in carbohydrates (carbs).

Keto diet and heart health

The “good” cholesterol, or HDL, will often increase somewhat depending on the level of fat consumption. Any diet that results in weight loss can help lower blood pressure. In total, ketogenic diets appear to be safe and can potentially help manage the risk factors that drive heart health.

Eating too much protein and not enough fats

Proteins as well can cause insulin spikes when over-consumed. The only macronutrient that doesn't spike insulin is pure fat. For this reason, you need to be adhering to very specific fat/carb/protein ratios when following a Keto Diet.

#1: Eating too much protein.

The body can convert the amino acids from excess protein into glucose, potentially sabotaging your weight loss efforts and keeping your body out of ketosis. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this translates to about 75g of protein at about 10-20% protein.

Without getting into true ketosis, dieters risk ingesting an enormous amount of fat—and potentially a lot of saturated fat, if you're eating animal meat—without any of the fat-burning effects of ketosis. “The fat is the thing that's problematic for a lot of people on keto,” Fung says.

Eggs are an incredibly affordable, keto-friendly food that you can use in a variety of meals to cut back on food costs. You can also save money by buying cooked whole chickens and using or freezing all parts, and getting cheaper cuts of meat like pork, beef sirloin, ground chuck, and chicken thighs.

If you do try a keto diet to jump-start weight reduction, choose healthier sources of fat and protein, such as olive oil, avocados, and nuts (almonds, walnuts). But after a few weeks, switch to a reduced-calorie Mediterranean-style diet and increase your physical activity.

How many pounds can I lose in 3 weeks on keto? ›

The rate of weight loss on the keto diet without exercise ranges from 1-2 pounds per week. Therefore, if you want to lose significant weight, reaching your goals may take a few months. Exercise is essential to any weight loss plan, as it helps burn calories, build muscle, and improve overall health.

2 Weeks - 3 Months

After the first week your weight loss will not continue at a pace of 2-10lbs per week! Instead you can expect to lose a steady amount of between 1-2lbs on average per week, which adds up to a huge amount over a period of 3 months.

By staying away from grains, sugary foods, high-carb fruits, and starchy vegetables, you set yourself up for a smoother transition into ketosis. Additionally, steer clear of processed foods, alcohol, and condiments that may contain hidden carbs.

While Keto is not recommended for the general weight loss goals or nutrition overhauls there are certain populations that can benefit from a Ketogenic diet. The Ketogenic Diet is beneficial to any person that is insulin resistant and/or trying to watch their blood sugar.

Research shows that a moderately low-carbohydrate diet can help the heart, as long as protein and fat selections come from healthy sources. More evidence of the heart benefits from a lower-carbohydrate approach comes from a randomized trial known as the Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial for Heart Health (OmniHeart).

Gulotta recommends staying on keto for six months max before reintroducing more carbs to your diet. And Scott Keatley, RDN, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy in New York City, agrees: “The science hasn't gotten to the point where I would be comfortable recommending it as a forever diet,” he says.

People over 50 may have success on the keto diet, because it has the potential to promote weight loss, control blood sugar, and possibly protect against heart disease. But this eating plan does have risks, and you should always check with your doctor or a licensed nutritionist before you start any new diet.