Keto diet burns fat and aids weight loss

Originality the ketogenic diet was used only to treat epilepsy. Now, thanks to advocacy from celebrities who've had surprisingly high weight loss with it, the ketogenic or keto diet is in vogue. The  keto diet a high fat, high-protein, low carb diet that burns fat. This puts your body in ketosis which aids weight loss. 

Some experts question whether ketosis is dangerous for the body. But it may actually be healthy. What's ketosis? It just means the body no longer gets many carbs and so doesn't depend on carbohydrates for energy. Needing fuel to burn, the body seeks out deep tissue fat that is buried in cells, around internal organs and in the belly, thighs, buttocks, hips and under the arms. 

With 2/3 of the U.S. overweight and obesity at 35-percent, it's time a lot of us start a weight loss program.  How is weight loss achieved eating a high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet? Eating keto  Well, forces the body to seek out stored fat for fuel.. This burns fat stuck in fat-prone places. 

Further, a high-protein diet curbs hunger, fills you up faster and keeps you full longer. Carbohydrates burn off very rapidly and you feel hungry more quickly. When I first began dieting in 2013, feeling constantly hungry was the worst part of diet. Avoiding diets that provide too little nutrients--the fad and crash diets--was part of how I lost 100 pounds.  

Also, and perhaps most important, interesting and ironic part of the keto diet is that good high-fat diets burn fat in the body. Eating good fats--MUFAS
(monounsaturated fatty acids), MCAs (medium chain triglycerides) and essential omega oils, also called CLA, GLA and ALA (conjugated linolenic acids, gamma linolenic acids and alpha linolenic acids)--all aid in breaking down bad fat stored from over consumption of carbohydrates, sugar, saturated fats and transfats. 

The ketogenic high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet reduces lipogenesis (manufacture of fat) and increases lipolysis (fat burning). It also increases gluconeogenesis (manufacture of blood sugar which has a thermic aka burning effect on proteins). The ketogenic diet isn't just a fad celebrity diet.  It's actually one of the most researched meals plans for safe and rapid weight loss. 

Eating keto aids in prevention and treatment of MS, seizures, Alzheimer's,cardiovascular disease and even some types of cancers. Doctors recommend that because the ketogenic diet is so specific, it achieves best weight loss under medical supervision. That may be even more true for obese, severely obese and morbidly obese patients. It's a whole new way of eating, that's for sure. Some ketogenic high-protein, high-fat, low-carb foods are: fish, nuts, Greek yogurt, avocados, coconut oil, almonds, nuts, seeds, flax seed, chia seeds and zucchini. High-fat, fiber-rich foods, like nuts and seeds, also help flush fat.

Diet isn't easy, but weight loss is simple

Riddle me this: what is both difficult and simple? Weight loss. Dieting, calorie cutting, food swaps, portion control, mindful eating are not easy. They take work, discipline and sacrifice. But despite the challenges, weight loss is simple, a simple formula, that is. 

And that's the good news, or part of the good news about losing weight. It's not rocket science, just simple biology. Eat less, lose weight. It's almost guaranteed. Even if you have other mitigating health conditions, weight loss is possible, with a few simple changes in diet. If fact, it's almost impossible to avoid losing weight. 

I'm not saying that you won't have times where you burn fat less efficiently. Hormonal cycles, sleep problems, illness, lifestyle change can impact weight loss. If you've been in a regimented diet, you will plateau occasionally. But it's still simple to keep going by just mixing it up a little (more on that later). 

Stay tuned for more on how I lost 100 pounds. (left picture is 2011 and right is this 2021). And if you're working to lose weight, good for you!! I'm so proud of you for taking that difficult step! May you find success. Love, Mar <3

Diet 24/7/365 for weight loss every day

A lot of people have kindly asked how I lost 100 lbs. I wish I could say that it was easy. But from the title of this post, you can probably guess that it's not. To shed obesity or even just 30 lbs, requires constant vigilance, all day, every day. 

I know, boo! That kinda sucks: every holiday, birthday, special occasion, every meal, to have to constantly think about calorie cutting. And, yes, I've also said that it's okay, maybe even essential, to take some breaks. But if I don't monitor my eating on a regular basis, I'll slip back into old pre weight loss habits of overeating. 

I don't really even overeat that much. I've just gotten lax about the chips and sweets. But even that has caused problems. I've steadily gained weight over the last year. Not that much. So I'm back to calorie counting. I did it before and I can do it again. And some really good news? It's easier the second time around (pause for cheering!) 

Maybe you have found other paths to weight loss. As long as the methods you use are safe and healthy, rock on! Eating mindfully, with portion control and calorie counting, is how I lost 100 lbs. That's me way overweight in the bottom picture and let me tell you I feel soooo much better now! 

Love, mar <3

Diet Food Swaps I Stopped Eating After Weight Loss and Healthy Tasty Food Swaps

I've been blogging for seven years about how I lost 100 lbs. (Left photo is 2014 and right is 2011). Now that I'm recovering from shoulder surgery, I find I've put some weight back on. So I'm back on my weight loss regimen I created to lose weight in 2014. Some of the diet food swaps were easy to make. I've incorporated them into my regular eating. weight. Others I won't touch ever again! Here's my list of hard-to-swallow (pun intended) diet foods. I've included less low-calorie, more palatable diet food swaps for a maintenance diet. Actually, second time around, I'm just using the maintenance diet food swaps. 

Diet salad dressing: Yuck and double yuck. I know, salad digest better with some healthy fats. And I like salad dressing. But most commercial reduced-fat dressings taste like a salty pipe wrench. I make my own with acai vinegar, ginger, lime juice, a little blue agave syrup and Bragg's Liquid Amino. 

Tofu and soy milk: I stopped eating these because the soy made menopause more difficult. Now I use avocado and high protein flax milk. 

Diet sweeteners, syrup and jelly: I nixed Splenda for its metallic flavor and because Dr. Oz says fake sugar ramps blood sugar just like real sugar. For sweetener, I eat 70% cacao dark chocolate, low sugar raspberry jam, blue agave syrup or pure maple syrup in small amounts. honey. Spices like cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander and cloves give food the impression of sweetness without the calories. Same with fruit. 

Weight loss protein powder and diet protein bars: I've tried every brand, every flavor and they all taste like wallpaper paste flavored with fruit lip gloss. For smoothies, I use flax milk with banana or berries for sweetener. I make my own diet protein bars with dates, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and natural peanut butter. 

So these are some of the not-so-great diet foods. But the happy news is that there are tons of great tasting diet food swaps and I'll be sharing lots more as I go! 

Diet Food Swaps I Still Eat After 100 lb Weight Loss

Eight years ago I began working a weight loss program that I created myself. I used ideas from many diets but configured them to fit my own needs. About halfway through, I wrote a post about Diet Food Swaps I'll Keep Eating After I Lose Weight. Here's an update on how I lost 100 lbs and which food swaps I still eat to maintain weight loss. 

* Tons of vegetables, all kinds. I try to eat half my food intake as produce, 

* Low calorie bread: I learned three things about bread that shocked me when I first began dieting. First, regular bread has 2-3 times as many calories as diet bread. Second, light bread, with 35-40 calories per slice, doesn't taste any different and it's just as filling. My preference is multi-grain or whole wheat. Third, less is more. Low calorie bread costs about a dollar more and isn't on sale as often. So I buy Aldi brand or several loaves of Aunt Millie's on sale and freeze them.

* Skim or 1% milk. I have also used high protein flax milk but it is very expensive. Plus, Dr. Oz recommends dairy at breakfast for weight loss. Now I'm accustomed to it, I prefer skim milk over 2-percent.

* Spray butter and olive oil butter with no transfat or hydrogenated fat. These varieties fewer calories than regular. I look for varieties higher in MUFAs (mono-unsaturated fatty acids and PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids because these burn or dissolve saturated fat. 

* Homemade dressings and mayonnaise. When I first wrote about diet food swaps, I suggested light mayo. I do still use it but far less than I used to. I've created some mayo substitute recipes that are healthier and contain good MUFAs and PUFAs. 

* Plain Greek yogurt. I swap full fat Greek yogurt for sour cream and cheese. Yogurt is super healthy, with antioxidants, probiotics and acidophilous. It's my dairy of choice. Commercial yogurts are often high in sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), fat and artificial colors. I originally used fat-free yogurt but now I use whole milk yogurt and eat a little less. I make fruit smoothies with frozen berries ($1 a bag at Dollar Tree), Emergen'C and spinach or spirulina. 

* Broth-based, reduced-sodium soup. I've always watered down canned soup to cut salt. The DASH diet advocates reducing sodium for weight loss. I'll be sharing recipes for low calorie healthy cream soups later. 

* Lowfat cheese: I eat low moisture mozzarella cheese and cut 65 percent of the calories. I can't taste the difference.

* Turkey, ham and chicken lunch meat. These cold cuts have half the calories as other lunch meats. Turkey hot dogs have 70 calories compared to 100-150 in regular franks. Chicken sausage links have 110 calories compared to 200-250 in regular brats.

* Boneless skinless chicken breast, canned tuna and frozen salmon. These meats have 22-26 grams of protein per serving for a mere 100 to 125 calories. 

These diet food swaps helped me lose 100 lbs and keep it off. I cut about 800 calories a day and sacrificed nothing in taste. 

Mind over Platter: How I lost 100 lbs, curb hunger with mental appetite suppressants

I put on a lot of weight after a series of difficult life events and have since lost 100 pounds. I slimmed down from size 18/20 to 3/4. You're probably not surprised to read that hardest part was constantly feeling hungry. Here are weight loss tips to curb hunger and "psych" yourself up to feel satisfied. I call these mental appetite suppressants my "mind over platter" regimen. 

1) Get used to feeling a little hungry all the time. There's no magic bean that to completely curb hunger. Caffeine products like green tea can be appetite suppressants but they can also make you hungrier. I would avoid chemical appetite suppressants (drugs) like Covid. The good news is that feeling a little hungry can actually help with weight loss. 

2) Think of hunger as an ally instead of enemy. Hunger is an alarm clock. Learn to decipher what it's signally. Are you working too hard and in need of a break? Perhaps some fresh air would take your mind off food, so go for a walk. Maybe you really do need to eat. Starving yourself doesn't make you lose weight. Food deprivation can actually make you gain weight because you "cheat on yourself" to compensate for feeling deprived. Maybe you're just thirsty (the body confuses hunger and thirst). You could also be lonely and "hungry" for companionship, love, human interaction or a hug.

3) Weight loss happens when you learn to be satisfied with less. The best appetite suppressants are new eating habits that put food in its proper place. Practice portion control--eat 3-4 ounce servings of meat, not 10-12. Fill at least half your plate with fruit and vegetables. Swap nuts and seeds for meat. Talk yourself out of eating junk, rather than convincing yourself you deserve it. Junk food is no treat if it makes you fat, sick and tired. Eat mindfully--don't eat till you are full, just satisfied. Weight loss happens when you stop eating when you are still a little hungry. Plus you'll feel fuller if you let your food settle.

4) Curb hunger by appreciating what you have. Maybe this sounds schmaltzy, but when you feel hungry, consider the many children who know real starvation. Keep their photos on the fridge and offer up your hunger as prayers (duas, kaddish, puja, incantation, good karma) for these children. Send money you saved eating less, to missions. During Lent, I'm trying to practice an attitude of gratitude for every mouthful, instead of mindlessly stuffing my face with food she don't need and feeling sorry for myself when I can't have more.

5) Understand why you eat. Many folks eat when they are sad, depressed, tired or lonely. And those comfort foods (which are really just junk food) lead to obesity

and make people more depressed. When you feel hungry, pause and ask yourself if you're really tired, bored, lonely, angry or sad. Are you filling your stomach and ignoring other gaps? Could you be satisfied with less food and "fill up on" other things, like quality time with family?

6) Distract yourself  from focusing on food. Curb hunger with active activity (not passive: no texting, video games or watching TV). You get hungrier staring at a screen and it's easier to mindlessly eat. Get outside, Garden. Volunteer, Walk the dog, kids and husband. Do housework. Make crafts with the children. Go out with friends for coffee. Romp with the kids in a pile of leaves. Take a nap or start a project. Run a tub of hot water and read. These are awesomely therapeutic appetite suppressants!

Are you seeing the mind over platter pattern here? Weight loss is 48 percent eating different, 50 percent thinking different and two percent hardcore chutzpah! It's not as simple as finding foods to fill you up. You have to change how you think about yourself, what you eat, how you eat and what role food fills in your life. And if obesity is a problem, don't despair. It's harder to curb hunger when your stomach is bigger and needs more to fill. As it shrinks, so will that ravenous appetite. Weight loss won't happen overnight, but it will happen. Mind over platter works if you work it--that's a guarantee! 

Best wishes with weight loss! 

Weight loss fail? Avoid diet discouragement by staying off the scale

Are you struggling with weight loss? Perhaps you were on the wagon but fell off. Or maybe you're having trouble just getting on the wagon? I've been where you are my brothers and sisters. Sometimes I can't even find that darn wagon! Regardless, I did manage to lose weight, in 2014. And now in 2021, I'm dieting again because after shoulder surgery, I'm putting on some weight. 

Here's how I lost 100 lbs and how I'm going to get the regained 20 lbs back off...by doing everything I can to avoid diet derailment. For me, that means staying positive as much as possible. Not constant Rosy Sunshine, mind. In my last post I ranted about how frustrating it is to gain weight after big weight loss. 

But I do need to remain upbeat or I'll get depressed and quit trying. One way I do that is by ignoring the scale. Checking constantly to see if I've made progress, only to find it hasn't moved, is just plain frustrating. When I go to the doctor I ask them not to announce what I weigh. I only weigh myself every month or so. And I don't set goals. This way, if I've shed 2-3 pounds,  I'm pleasantly surprised. More is a bonus. I just keep working my program and doing my best. And I celebrate successes and don't even use the word failure. More on that later.