If you are someone who is constantly trying to find ways to lose weight then you must have come across the term ‘Ketogenic’ or ‘Keto’ diet. It has been one of the trendiest topics of discussion in the health and fitness sector. Many people are labeling it as the fastest way to lose weight. In fact, some have claimed to lose up to 10 kgs within a month. Now is that true or just a myth?

You first need to understand what keto diet really is. In keto diet the body uses a different channel to get energy. Normally, we consume carbohydrate for energy; but in keto diet we are going to get the energy from fat. In this diet you should consume 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbohydrates. Switching from our regular habit of intaking 50% - 60% carbohydrates to only 5% carbohydrates is not easy. At times you will feel that you are literally starving. Getting into keto means you will need to stop eating sugar, rice, bread, pasta, potato, carrot, lentils, and anything that has high amount of carbohydrate in it. There are restrictions on fruits as well; you can only eat berries and coconut.

Keto is good news for those who crave cheese and butter because in this diet you are allowed to have it in high amount. You no longer have to worry about gaining weight when you eat the fat-rich food. Now that you know what keto diet is, I’m going to share my journey of going through the ketogenic diet with you.

I started this diet along with my husband and the first few days were great. We had lavish breakfast which included two omelets filled with cheese, capsicum, tomato, cucumber, olive, chia seeds and fried with butter. It almost tasted like pizza, only without the bread. We also hand boiled vegetables fried with butter, extra virgin coconut oil or olive oil and two sausages. Instead of tea we had black coffee with one teaspoon ‘ghee’ and coconut oil. This was the hardest part as it tasted horrible. But after a few days we got used to it. The lunch and dinner seemed to be normal like every day except that we didn’t have any rice or chapati. After dinner we had natural yogurt. As mid-day or afternoon snack we had a handful of nuts and cottage cheese.

We learned from various articles that you might experience ‘Keto Flu’ in the beginning. Fortunately, we didn’t feel such thing. My husband got amazing result in the first week. He lost 2 kgs; but I didn’t notice much change in my weight. Actually, the rate at which you lose weight in keto varies from person to person. I’ve been into keto for almost a month now and I’ve lost more than 3 kgs. My husband lost more than 5 kgs. So, keto actually works!

The problem with keto diet is that in Asian countries like Bangladesh there are not many options for fat-rich food. You cannot also eat berries as these are not available here; still you can get some in the supermarkets at a high price.  So, snacking can be a problem; after all, chewing nuts all day will drive you totally nuts! You can eat dark chocolate as snack; but make sure that it contains 80% cocoa.

You can do keto diet for 28 days to 6 months; it’s entirely your choice. Usually, people set a weight goal they want to achieve and stop the diet once they reach their goal. After you stop this diet, consume carbohydrate slowly and maintain a low-carb diet. You should also do regular exercise; that way you won’t gain weight anymore.

To make most out of the keto diet you should do intermittent fasting in which you don’t eat anything solid for 16 hours; drinking water and other liquids like tea and coconut water is allowed. This method has proved to be very effective in fast weight loss. In Bangladesh, Dr. Jahangir Kabir has been an inspiration to people who want to try out the keto diet. You can watch his videos to learn more about this diet. Start your keto diet today and rediscover yourself in the mirror!