A Guide to the High Protein Keto Diet: Weight Loss and Muscle Health
Dieting. A phenomenal yet perplexing craft that leads us to the physical state we desire. There are so many different eating programs for you to engage in that’ll help you reach your fitness goals. Today we’ll be providing an in-depth discussion of the high protein keto diet (HPKD), which is potentially the most useful variant of the keto (low carb) diet.
In this article:
We’ll briefly outline the standard keto diet (SKD) and how it works for contextual purposes. We’ll then discuss all the features of a good high protein keto diet including what it is, how it works, why you should use it, benefits, limitations, and foods you should eat.
After reading this article, you’ll have all the information you’ll need to know whether the high protein keto diet is the right option for you. Remember, choosing the right diet is the first step towards reaching your fitness goals.
This eating plan’s primary purpose is to help you lose weight whilst aiming to build or preserve muscle mass. If you’re an ageing individual looking to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass, or a bodybuilder looking for a good cutting diet, you’re definitely in the right place. If you’re just researching, stick around, this information will guarantee to help you in the long run!
Now let’s get into it.
The standard keto diet
The SKD includes large proportions of fat and protein across its macronutrient balance, in comparison to a low carbohydrate intake, which only occupies a small fraction of the daily macronutrient balance.
The SKD’s macronutrient balance:
70% fat
20% protein
10% carbs
The standard diet maintains a stern focus on weight loss through burning fat, as it’s seen rapid growth in popularity over recent years, depicted through the following statistics (updated at the end of 2023):
30% of American adults are keen to try going keto
52% of American adults have heard of the keto diet
In 2019, a survey found that 78.5% of keto dieters were satisfied with the results of their eating plan
Keto became the 3rd most frequently searched diet on google in 2021
Later in the article, we’ll look at a nutritionist’s angle on the best standard keto diet for you to try, and the benefits of this, but for now let’s look at the focus of this article, the high protein keto diet.
What is a high protein keto diet?
The high protein keto diet still distributes the majority of your macronutrient intake between proteins and fats, with only a small proportion of the food you’re ingesting containing carbs. As you’ve seen in the SKD briefing, all keto diets involve eating a lot of fat to counter a drastic decrease in carbohydrate intake.
The difference between a HPKD and an SKD is the distribution of proteins and fats across the foods you’re eating, with your overall protein intake increasing when you engage in a HPKD. Here’s an easier breakdown of this information.
An SKD’s macronutrient balance:
70% fat
20% protein
10% carbs
A HPKD’s macronutrient balance:
60% fat
30% protein
10% carbs
Although it may not feel like a significant difference, that 10% is vital in helping you lose weight and build muscle simultaneously, taking your physique from mediocre and underwhelming to muscular and shredded, while still promising all of the health benefits enjoyed by users of the SKD.
Eggs, bacon, avocado, nuts, and vegetables are all great food options for this eating program
How to structure a HPKD
The best way to engage in a high protein keto diet is to implement more lean meats, poultry, and fish into your meals. These foods include:
Beef
Chicken
Fish
Lamb
Pork
Other great sources of protein that’ll help you structure your HPKD are:
Eggs
Nuts
Beans
Lentils
Yoghurt
The great thing about the high protein keto diet is that you’re still allowed to consume a good amount of fat, so avocado, olives, butter, and cheeses are still on the table (get it?), yet the increased protein intake is the difference maker in improving muscular benefits. We’ll expand on the HPKD’s benefits in the next section.
The carb intake still stays the same in comparison to the SKD, occupying 5 - 10% of your macronutrient balance. As much as cutting out foods like pasta, fruit, and sweets from your daily eating habits may be difficult, the health benefits are incomprehensible. Let’s expand on this now.
Why you should/shouldn’t engage in a HPKD
Benefits - Muscle Building and Preservation
As discussed previously, the high protein aspect of this eating plan is fantastically helpful in maintaining, and even developing muscle mass.
A study conducted by PubMed Central tested 48 male and female athletes who engaged in a high protein diet, eating approximately 3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (1.4 grams per pound). To simplify this, a 60kg individual would have been eating 180 grams of protein each day. A control group also existed, consisting of individuals who ate their regular everyday meals.
Both groups engaged in resistance training (weight training) five days a week for a number of weeks.
Despite eating 490 more calories than the control group, the athletes experienced a far greater increase in muscle mass, as well as a superior reduction in body fat due to the larger proportion of protein evident in their diet.
Benefits - Weight loss
One of protein’s many functions is to make you feel full. This is a game-changer for those trying to lose weight. Essentially, protein acts on hormones that make you feel fuller whilst limiting hunger hormones, diminishing your appetite and urge to eat.
This factor vitally contributes to putting you in a calorie deficit, which is where you’re burning more calories than you’re digesting - make sure you’re frequently exercising to burn those calories. Being in a calorie deficit is arguably the most important factor that determines the success of one’s weight loss efforts.
Benefits - Cardiovascular function
Engaging in a high protein keto diet may also benefit user’s cardiovascular systems. Cardiologist Neel Chokshi has suggested that using keto diets can increase insulin sensitivity (responsiveness to sugar ingestion), which allows our body to use glucose more effectively. This has countless health benefits, one of the most prominent being a decreased risk of developing diabetes.
Vegetables are a great source of micronutrients that’ll provide a multitude of health benefits
Limitations - High cholesterol
A limitation of the HPKD is its potential to raise cholesterol. We previously detailed how eating a good amount of fat was okay, however there can be implications of this. Meats containing a high fat content, along with dairy products and other fatty foods should be carefully consumed, although some studies have uncovered that long-term commitment to high protein diets actually decreased “bad” cholesterol levels.
Limitations - Kidney complication
Studies have found that engaging in a HPKD doesn’t necessarily inflict kidney problems, however anyone with pre-existing kidney issues should consult with their doctor prior to engaging in a HPKD.
Meal ideas for a HPKD
We previously listed some of the foods you could implement into your daily eating schedule, but we never discussed any meal ideas. Here are some tasty and nutritious feeds, perfect for weight loss and muscle health. These recipes are pretty brief, if they don’t provide you with enough information feel free to look up full recipes.
Breakfast - Delicious Egg Burrito
The only essential ingredient in this one is 4 eggs, fried on both sides in a pan (this imitates a tortilla, except there’s no carbs and 24 grams of protein!) From there, you’re free to add whichever low carb toppings you’d like. Here are some ideas:
Bacon
Cheese
Avocado
Vegetables (bell pepper, broccoli, onion)
Breakfast - Egg Stuffed Peppers
Get a couple of bell peppers and slice them in half, crack an egg into the middle of each before sprinkling some cheese and herbs on top. Put the stuffed peppers in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until the filling is cooked through.
Side-note: You can top the peppers with yoghurt afterwards to cool them down, making the meal more refreshing
Egg Stuffed Peppers
Lunch - Pesto Chicken Salad
Get yourself a chicken breast, and place it in a pan over heat until it’s cooked through. Cut the chicken up before then add 2 - 3 tablespoons of pesto paste, (you can usually buy this from the supermarket, or you can make it at home), as well as 2 - 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise (this is optional).
Mix with whatever salad greens you like, whether it’s spinach, lettuce, asparagus, or something else. You can also add some tomatoes in for some sweetness. And there you same a delicious, high protein, low carb lunch.
Lunch - Beef and Lettuce Wraps
Acquire your favourite cut of meat, my go to is the hangar steak (cheap but delicious). Place it in a pan over heat until cooked through, then cut it up. Get some nice big lettuce leaves and place them flat on your cooking surface. Add the beef, along with any toppings you’d like. This could include:
Tomato
Cucumber
Cheese
Hot sauce
Onion, sauerkraut
Pickles
Fold the lettuce over the toppings, and boom, now you have some delicious, nutritious wraps.
Pesto Chicken Salad
Dinner - Honey Glazed Salmon with Spinach
Get yourself 2 salmon fillets. Pat them dry before seasoning and set aside. For the glaze, add a couple of tablespoons of butter, as well as a dash of oil to a pan over a medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add 2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic, 3 heaped tablespoons of honey, a couple squirts of hot sauce, and a few dashes of soy sauce. Slightly turn down the heat and mix for a minute or so.
Lather the salmon you set aside with the glaze before putting in a pan over heat and cooking the meat through. Serve over a bed of spinach (you can blanch the spinach in boiling water if you want). There’s a fantastic dinner perfect for anyone engaged in a high protein keto diet.
Dinner - Herb, Mushroom and Sausage Frittata
Gather 2 pork sausages, a healthy bunch of tarragon, 200 - 250 grams of your chosen mushrooms, and a couple cloves of minced garlic. Cut up the sausages, or dispense them into the pan as nuggets by squeezing them out of their skin. Cook the ingredients in a pan over medium heat with olive oil until the sausage is done.
Whisk 3 eggs, a couple tablespoons of sour cream, and a dash of mustard in a bowl until combined. Add the mixture into the pan with the sausage and vegetables, cooking until the eggs wobble slightly when you shake the pan. There you have a delicious, nutritious, low carb, high protein dinner.
Honey Glazed Salmon
The best standard keto meal plan - a nutritionist’s angle
Lisa Richards is a Canadian author and nutritionist who created The Candida Diet over 20 years ago.
She’s kindly provided us with her opinion on the best keto diet out there: Everyday Health’s Seven Day Keto Menu.
Consider giving this a try if you don’t feel that the high protein keto diet is the right eating program for you, and want to direct sole focus towards weight loss as opposed to muscle preservation.
Here’s what Lisa said:
“Everyday Health's Seven Day Keto Recipe stands out as an ideal keto meal plan due to its comprehensive approach to ketogenic nutrition. The plan incorporates a diverse range of foods from their extensive ketogenic diet food list, ensuring a balanced intake of macronutrients while keeping carbohydrates low.
By including various sources of healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, and olive oil, along with high-quality proteins like fish, poultry, and eggs, the meal plan promotes satiety and supports ketosis effectively. Additionally, the plan offers a variety of flavourful recipes that are easy to prepare, making it convenient for individuals adhering to the ketogenic lifestyle.
With a focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods and careful attention to macronutrient ratios, Everyday Health's Seven Day Keto Recipe provides a practical and sustainable approach to achieving ketosis while enjoying delicious meals.”
You can view Lisa’s website by clicking here. Links to her socials are available on her “about us” page.
If you’re interested in viewing Everyday Health’s Seven Day Keto Menu, punch that underlined phrase into your search engine.
To Conclude
The high protein keto diet is a fantastic option for anyone looking to lose weight and build/preserve muscle. After briefly discussing the standard keto diet, we guided you through everything you need to know about the HPKD, including its benefits, limitations, and a number of meal ideas. We hope this article has provided you with the information you required to find the most suitable diet for you. Best of luck in your future fitness endeavours!