Keto, Arif’s Diet and Slimming

Today, dieting is a key part of our lifestyle. Everyone you know is following the fad, whether they like it or not!

It's just something you do to get conversations started. Trying to get fit by the hour has taken us to such lengths that we are constantly on the path to change our menu just to consume a little less or shed a little more of the unsolicited weight gain. And hence the emergence of many cult diets…

But when you dig a little deeper, you will notice people following these diets are not quite happy because they have to give up on many of their favourite consumable items — lards, grease, butters, and other fats!

As poetic as it may sound, but what is life without a little bit of indulgence into syrupy desserts and cheesy pizza?

Here's where the Keto diet comes in handy, with a completely different notion to the dieting trend. Fats are good, it claims. Too good to be true?

Well, the Keto diet certainly proves otherwise. 

To better understand the Keto diet, we decided to interview Arif Hafiz, a resilient devotee and spokesperson of the specified nutrition regime.

Hafiz, photographer by profession, used to suffer from Type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart complications for the longest time before indulging into the Keto diet.

His health was deteriorating and he suffered from severe depression, leading him to lose all hope, until he chanced upon the Keto diet and planned on giving it a final try.

"I never looked back after that day," admitted Hafiz. "The Keto regimen has been life changing, it helped in controlling my diabetes, reduced my bad cholesterol levels, all the while helping me lose 24 kgs of weight and that too on tasty food."

"It was certainly a miracle for me. Almost as if I was given a brand new life," said the fascinated Keto fan.

Hafiz, who never claims as being a professional nutritionist, expresses that getting a brand new life made him extremely interested in the process of ketosis, ultimately encouraging him to research intensively on the subject matter and assist others on their weight loss journey.

There's a lot of confusion regarding ketosis and the diet process. In order to make it clearer to the readers, here's a fleeting outlook to the conversation we had with Arif Hafiz.

Dieting has almost become a fad, and there are so many options available on the Internet. Why has Keto diet become all the rage at the moment?

For the longest time, fats in our food have been ostracised, when the real evil was sugar.

Thanks to intensive research done by some ethical doctors and scientists, we have eventually come to realise that for an optimum performance of the body, adequate amount of good fats is required. And this information is the very basis of the Ketogenic diet. No wonder it's all the rage now!

Just imagine all the people in the world realising that fats are actually good for them and that they can relax and enjoy good food while on a diet.

How long does one need to stay on the Keto diet in order to lose weight?

That depends on the purpose of adapting the diet in the first place; if the reason is to lose weight, then it should be continued until one achieves their target weight according his/her BMI suggested weight. A lot of people stick to this diet all the time, because it has other health benefits. Long term Ketogenic diet involves intermittent fasting; not only does it contribute to shredding stored fat but also autophagy, which is the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells in order to regenerate healthier cells.

Eating a little fruit, starchy vegetables, sugary foods, or whole grains can easily kick one out of ketosis. Can you specify a little bit on the theory?

When the body is in Ketosis, frequent consumption of the alleged foods sends signals to the body that there is a supply of glucose available and that it need not produce ketones anymore to source energy. Instead, it can easily convert glucose into energy, an easier source, causing an abrupt halt to the process of ketosis.

What is special about Arif's Diet?

At Arif's Diet, we calculate the calorie requirement of every client based on their gender, height, weight, physical activity level, etc. Then the calories are divided to fats, proteins and carbohydrates at 75 percent-20 percent-5 percent ratio. Once the client starts to experience changes or adds in physical activities to their lifestyle, they can update their data in their personal dashboard on our website or app, and the food portions are calculated automatically by the software, helping the kitchen to prepare accordingly so that the macros calculations are in sync with clients' daily progress.

Today, we are more tech oriented than we were before, this certainly reduces time consumption, especially in perplexing matters such the macros calculations, increases efficiency and gets closer to perfection.

A client can simply sit at home and do 'all this' conveniently, without making any calls or giving detailed descriptions of their lifestyle to strangers. Updates are available just at the tip of the finger.

So fats are actually good for the health? Isn't it?

By the way, when we say fat, it refers to good fats. Fats with simpler molecular structure are easier for the body to break down such as ghee, butter, coconut oil, olive oil etc.

What fruits are recommended with the Ketogenic diet?

Deshi fruits that are low in the glycaemic index such as kazi peyara, aamra, kamranga, jambura, etc. are allowed based on the diet requirements.

The thumb rule is as long as they are not sweet you can consume them guilt-free. When fruits are ripe that's when they have more fructose. You can safely include fruits that are sour.

How much protein can one consume on the Keto diet?

In a classic situation only 20 percent of calories should come from protein. For example, my personal calorie intake is 1590. To complete one day's intake, I need to get 125gms of net fat, 95g of net protein and 20g of net carbohydrate. For example, a 4-ounce chicken breast with skin will have 120 calories, 1.5g net fat and 25.9g of net protein. One boiled egg has 70 calories, 1g net carb, 5g net fat and 6g of net protein. So, all the food that I take during any day should fulfil my macros requirement of 125g fat, 95g of protein and 20g of carbohydrates in a combination. 

Finally, can you summarise the benefits of the Keto diet?

It's well established that there are immense health benefits of low-carb ketogenic diets. Not only can this diet improve cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure and blood sugar, but also help reduce appetite, boost weight loss and increase focus. The Keto diet miraculously helps reverse Type2 diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions and provide clearer skin and constant energy levels in the process.

Interview by Mehrin Mubdi Chowdhury

Photo: Collected

Disclaimer: Ketogenic diet must only be pursued after consultation and approval by a professional dietician. Star Lifestyle neither promotes or negates the specified regimen suggested in this article.