Basic principles of the LCHF diet. List of permitted and prohibited products. Sample menu for a week. Dish recipes. Results and real feedback on the diet.
The LCHF diet is a nutritional system that involves the almost complete exclusion of carbohydrates from the diet and is aimed at consuming more fat and less protein. Losing weight in this way does not imply fasting and is given quite easily, and the body begins to vigorously break down fat cells.
Features of the LCHF diet
LCHF-diet or Low Carb High Fat ("low carbohydrates, high fat") is a modern system of weight loss, the main principle of which is the consumption of food rich in proteins and fats of plant or animal origin. According to the founders of the diet, carbohydrates are the most dangerous components of food, it is because of them that most of the extra pounds are deposited.
The LCHF diet was developed by Swedish nutritionists in 2000. Experts have come to the conclusion that natural fats are absolutely safe. Starch and carbohydrates negatively affect the condition of the skin. In addition, they are stored as body fat. Fat, on the other hand, is a source of energy and is converted by the liver to ketones.
Losing weight on the LCHF diet is based on a properly selected ratio of protein-fat-carbohydrates. 1 gram of fat is 2.25 times more calories than the same amount of carbohydrates and proteins.
Based on this calorie intake, there are 2 diet options:
- Strict … In this case, a losing weight person should consume no more than 20 g of carbohydrates throughout the day.
- Liberal … A maximum of 50 g of carbohydrates are allowed per day.
The LCHF diet is less restrictive than other weight loss methods. Its basic rules:
- 3 meals … At the same time, you can have a snack between them, but only with permitted products.
- Do not eat forcibly … In many diets, breakfast is considered a must. However, this method of losing weight suggests that you need to eat when you want, but preferably no more than 3 times a day. Moreover, if a person does not eat breakfast, he will not overeat during the day.
- Exclusion of fast food. Such food contains a large amount of carbohydrates, which, on the contrary, must be limited.
- Boiled or baked food … All meals should be steamed, boiled or baked. Frying food is strongly discouraged. It is desirable that the products are subjected to thermal processing as little as possible.
- Unlimited water balance … Diet developers recommend drinking a glass of water half an hour before meals. The rest of the time, you can drink as much liquid as you want, and you can not adhere to the well-known norm of "1.5 liters of water per day".
- Taking vitamins … Any diet restricts nutrient intake. Therefore, it is necessary to take individually selected vitamin complexes.
- Don't forget about fiber … Restriction of carbohydrate intake in most cases leads to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract. To prevent this, you need to take fiber.
Benefits of the LCHF Diet:
- You can eat when you really want to, and not when you need to.
- Weight goes away more slowly than with other stricter diets, but does not return later.
- The diet does not affect hormone levels in any way.
- The condition of the skin improves.
- The risk of oncological pathologies is reduced.
Disadvantages of the LCHF diet:
- Inevitable deficiency of essential nutrients.
- A complete rejection of carbohydrates, in particular sugar, is very difficult for many.
- Sometimes losing weight is more manifested in a decrease in volume than a decrease in weight, which is why some abandon weight loss, not seeing any changes on the scales.
Contraindications to the LCHF diet:
- Diseases of the digestive system (gastritis, peptic ulcer, pancreatitis, cholecystitis);
- Diabetes;
- An increase in the amount of cholesterol in the blood;
- The period of childbearing and breastfeeding;
- Mental disorders, in particular eating disorders.
Read also about the features of the kefir-apple diet.
Allowed foods on the LCHF diet
Foods for the LCHF diet should be saturated with vegetable and animal fats as much as possible. With this type of weight loss, you can eat foods that are prohibited by most other methods.
List of foods that are allowed on the LCHF diet:
- Meat and poultry … You can eat in unlimited quantities, since they are a source of large amounts of protein and animal fat.
- Meat products … This should include bacon, brisket, bacon, ham, various sausages and sausages. When choosing these products, be sure to read the composition. They should contain as little food additives as possible and be completely free of starch.
- Seafood and fish … These products contain a minimum of carbohydrates, but they have enough protein.
- Eggs … You can eat chicken, quail and duck.
- Dairy products … Of these, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream and cheese are recommended for use. They should be with the maximum percentage of fat. It is advisable to choose hard cheeses. From soft, you can buy brie cheese, gorgonzola, mozzarella.
- Mayonnaise … It is desirable that it is not a store, but a homemade one.
- Vegetables … It is allowed to eat absolutely all vegetables and any greens.
- Avocado … This is the only fruit that can be eaten without restrictions because it contains virtually no carbohydrates.
- Citrus … It is recommended to consume large quantities of lemon and lime, since they have the least amount of sugar.
- Butter … It is best to eat butter. From vegetable oils, you need to choose those oils that contain a small amount of omega-6 fatty acids (from rapeseed, coconut, olives, flax).
- Beverages … Carbonated, non-carbonated. One condition - no sugar in the composition.
- Mushrooms … It is a good source of protein, and to a lesser extent fat, but it also contains very few carbohydrates.
Note! When choosing foods for the LCHF diet, it is important to consider that the content of omega-3 fatty acids in them should be higher than omega-6.
Prohibited foods on the LCHF diet
On the LCHF diet, there are a number of foods that are allowed to be consumed in limited quantities and those that need to be completely eliminated. It all depends on the carbohydrate content. The higher the sugar level, the less of these foods should be present in the diet.
Partially Restricted Foods on the LCHF Diet:
- Berries;
- Pumpkin;
- Pasta;
- Flour products based on low carbohydrate flour (sesame, coconut, nut, almond, psyllium);
- Nuts;
- Alcohol;
- Natural sweeteners (stevia, erythritol);
- Dairy and fermented milk products;
- Beet;
- Polka dots;
- Sunflower, corn and soybean oil;
- Light beers.
Completely Banned Foods on the LCHF Diet:
- Sugar;
- Any sweets, incl. pastries, desserts, sweets, chocolate (cocoa content below 80%);
- Sugar drinks (packaged juices, lemonade);
- Kvass;
- Bread made from any flour;
- Rusks;
- Buckwheat, oatmeal, corn grits;
- Rice;
- Beans;
- Potato;
- Sauces, especially with sugar in the composition;
- Dried fruits;
- Yogurt and curds;
- Beans;
- Low fat dairy products;
- Products with added trans fats;
- Beer;
- Liqueur and fortified wine.
LCHF diet menu
The diet of a person losing weight using the LCHF diet should be as varied as possible. It is important to get enough fiber from food for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The menu is signed for 3 main meals.
Here is a sample LCHF diet menu for a week:
Monday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs, cottage cheese mixed with sour cream, salad with vegetables, cheese and paprika, coffee.
- Lunch: nuts, a few chopped hard cheeses, tea.
- Dinner: barbecue made from lamb or pork meat, grilled cheese, a glass of wine (preferably dry).
Tuesday
- Breakfast: salad of celery, herbs and suluguni, omelet with tomatoes and bacon, fat cottage cheese and cream.
- Lunch: soup made from avocado and zucchini, cheese platter.
- Dinner: chicken liver with sauce, salad of nuts, onions, tomatoes, celery and sour cream, black tea.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: cheesecake, coffee with cream.
- Lunch: vegetable salad with mayonnaise, grilled meat dressed with fat sauce, fried cauliflower.
- Dinner: cheese and tomato cake, black tea.
Thursday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs with boiled pork, vegetable salad, coffee with cream.
- Lunch: fried pork, seasoned with sauce, zucchini pancakes with sour cream.
- Dinner: sliced cheeses, bacon, vegetable salad, baked peppers, a glass of unsweetened soda.
Friday
- Breakfast: omelet with salami, boiled cauliflower, different types of cheese, coffee.
- Lunch: pumpkin puree, grilled chicken, black tea.
- Dinner: cold cuts, salad of any vegetables, seasoned with olive oil, dry wine.
Saturday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs, cold cuts with sausage and cheese, salad with fresh vegetables, coffee.
- Lunch: beef steak, fried cabbage, unsweetened soda.
- Dinner: grilled meat, salad with herbs and fresh vegetables, tea.
Sunday
- Breakfast: an omelet with fresh tomatoes, boiled sausages, salad of cheese, sausage and spinach with herbs, a handful of berries, coffee.
- Lunch: salad of eggs, mussels and shrimp, seasoned with lemon juice, salt and mustard, sliced different types of cheese, a glass of unsweetened soda.
- Dinner: baked fish, steamed vegetables, dry wine.
In between meals, you can snacks with a handful of nuts, vegetable salad, or sliced cheese.
For weight loss to be easy and enjoyable, it is important that dietary meals are really tasty. For example, take a note of the recipe for squash and avocado soup for the LCHF diet. Peel 2 cloves of garlic and cut into small pieces. Grind a few small zucchini into cubes. Fry everything in a skillet, then pour boiling water over. Grate 1 cream cheese separately. Wait until the whole mass boils, and keep on fire for another 2 minutes. Next, cut the avocado into 2 parts, remove the pit from it and peel. Cut the fruit into cubes and add to the nearly finished soup. All components must be passed through a blender or wiped using a sieve. For decoration, you can add parsley or a handful of nuts.
You can also make a salmon steak. Defrost 4 steaks, rub with lemon juice, salt and other spices as desired. Leave the fish for an hour to marinate. Next, peel 1 onion, chop it finely and fry in a pan until golden brown. After that, peel 0.5 kg of mushrooms, cut them into cubes and fry with the onions. Place the marinated steak with onions and mushrooms in a baking dish. Sprinkle all the ingredients with grated cheese and bake for half an hour.
LCHF diet results and feedback
The LCHF diet is a form of weight loss that requires patience and endurance. Weight does not start to go away immediately, but after about 2-3 weeks. On average, a person can lose weight by 1.5-2 kg per month.
It is important to understand that weight may stop dropping at some point. This is not a problem because, along with losing weight, people often exercise, and this leads to an increase in muscle mass. It is important to monitor not the kilograms, but the volumes. They will show the true result.
Reviews of the LCHF diet are quite varied. Some really managed to achieve the desired result, while others noted that excess weight goes away too slowly.
Anna, 32 years old
I have been overweight since adolescence. Losing weight turned out to be no more than a couple of kilograms. Over time, shortness of breath and headaches began to bother me, since it became difficult to move. On the advice of a nutritionist, I decided to try the LCHF diet. I am a big fan of sweets, and because of this, the first month had to be hard, but I did it. I have been following this diet for six months. It took as much as 10 kg! This is my best result.
Tatiana, 29 years old
I first encountered the problem of being overweight 5 years ago when I gave birth to my first child. I have never sat on any diets, so I decided to limit myself only to physical activity. But the weight didn't go away. I read about the LCHF diet on the internet and decided to give it a try. Since I have never been a big fan of sweets, such weight loss is easy for me, and I don't have to go hungry. For several months it took 3, 5 kg. I want to improve the result, so I plan to continue to lose weight on such a simple diet.
Irina, 23 years old
The LCHF diet is a real pleasure for me. I am a big fan of all meat dishes as well as vegetables. This diet was advised to me by a friend. Before, I just tried to eat little or starve altogether. But on the LCHF diet, I realized that losing weight can be delicious. In 4 months I got rid of 6 kg, and this is a good result for me. I recommend to everyone.
What is the LCHF diet - watch the video:
The LCHF diet is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to lose weight. It does not imply strict dietary restrictions, gives long-term results and does not require significant willpower.
