It’s frustrating that most diets don’t work out. Anyone who has lost weight on a diet gets excited but then later feels defeated when the weight piles back on. The reason why many diets don’t succeed isn’t due to not having a lack of willpower, but because people aren't on the right diet. That’s why we recommend going on the keto diet, and we talk about its many benefits in the Body Reboot book. Many people are finding success on the keto diet because it reduces hunger and expedites weight loss. Sound too good to be true? It’s not! Keep reading to learn why and how this diet works to keep the weight off for good. 

For starters, to give you a little bit more background about the keto diet, Perfect Keto outlines what differentiates ketosis versus traditional dieting:  

Ketosis Vs Traditional Dieting

Ketosis is achieved through either intermittent fasting, eating high-fat and very-low-carb, or a combination of both. It’s also importatnt to note that ketosis and intermittent fasting aren’t interchangeable. While the ketogenic diet has a structure to follow, there are some big differences between eating for ketosis and following a traditional diet plan.

Let’s start by talking about the traditional practice of calorie counting for weight loss and why it alone is ineffective.

Using Ketosis for Hunger Suppression

Eating a typical low-carb (like Paleo) has many benefits, but there’s something special about the ketogenic diet and ketosis when it comes to weight loss and hunger suppression. That’s because ketosis literally changes your metabolism so that the body begins breaking down fats for fuel instead of carbohydrates, producing ketone bodies as fatty acids are broken down.

When the body is in a state of ketosis, appetite is usually naturally reduced — and so are cravings for foods that typically lead to overeating, like sugar and carbs.

1. Eggs

Now that you have a greater understanding of how keto fights hunger, let’s learn about some of the foods that can suppress appetite and taste good too! For starters, Eat This, Not That says that eating eggs can keep you fuller for longer. Here’s why: 

Breakfast is no longer considered a nutritional make-or-break, but waking up to a protein-rich meal can set your fat-burning pace for your entire day. In a study of 21 men published in the journal Nutrition Research, half were fed a breakfast of bagels while half ate eggs. The egg group were observed to have a lower response to ghrelin, were less hungry three hours later and consumed fewer calories for the next 24 hours! Bonus: Egg yolks contain choline, a nutrient with powerful fat-burning properties that make for a delicious Zero Belly omelet.

2. Protein powder

Even though you need to eat more fat than protein to stay in ketosis (the state of when your body is burning fat and not glucose), Ruled.me recommends implementing protein powder in your diet. Figuring out a good protein powder that works well can keep you full and act as a healthy and filling supplement. 

Protein powder is technically not a “food,” but you can use it as a compliment to your meal as you would use any other high-protein meat. The best part about protein powder is that you can get all of the benefits of protein without any extra carbs, fat, or calories — as long as you pick a protein powder with no other additives.

Here are some examples of why protein powders (and the other high-protein foods on this list) serve as one of the ultimate fat burning foods for keto:

Protein reduces levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, while it boosts the appetite-reducing hormones GLP-1, peptide YY and cholecystokinin. This leads to a spontaneous reduction in calorie intake.

About 20-30% of protein’s calories are burned while the body is digesting and metabolizing the protein.

Increasing your protein intake can make you burn roughly 80-100 more calories per day.

High-protein diets are highly satiating, so they lead to reduced hunger and appetite compared to lower protein diets. This makes it much easier to restrict calories and lose weight.

Eating more protein can lead to significant reductions in cravings and the desire to snack during the day and night.

Eating more protein can help you gain or sustain your muscle mass, which will help you burn more calories and improve metabolic health.

Altogether, increasing your protein intake is one of the best ways to make losing fat much much easier. Just make sure you don’t have so much that you keep yourself from ketosis.

When it comes to purchasing the best protein powder, I recommend keeping it simple and finding something that has virtually no carbs or fat — and if it does have fat, make sure it is derived from MCTs. 100% grass-fed whey protein or casein protein are great options for anyone who isn’t sensitive or allergic to dairy protein. 100% grass-fed collagen powder is another excellent option if you want to reap some of the unique benefits that you will find in this article.

Moreover, if you are trying to cut down on animal protein for any reason, I recommend searching for a low-carb vegan protein powder like pea protein.

3. Halibut

What about fish? If you’re a fan of halibut then you’re in for a treat because according to Eat This, Not That, halibut is one of the most filling fish there is. 

Fish has a ton of flat-belly benefits—it’s high in omega-3 acids, which reduce inflammation throughout the body and allow leptin to communicate efficiently with the brain—and halibut is especially great. The Satiety Index of Common Foods ranks halibut the #2 most filling food (bested only by those boiled potatoes). The study’s authors attribute that to halibut’s high protein content and levels of tryptophan; the latter produces serotonin, one of the hormones that curbs hunger. Halibut is also one of the best sources for methionine, a nutrient that reverses the genes for insulin resistance and obesity.

4. Leafy greens 

You can’t go wrong with leafy greens, and it turns out that Dr. Axe says they’ll also keep you full. You should consistently eat greens while on the keto diet not only because they are healthy, but because they help keep the hunger at bay.  

All leafy greens, including dandelion or beet greens, collards, mustard, turnip, arugula, chicory, endive, escarole, fennel, radicchio, romaine, sorrel, spinach, kale, chard, etc. — range from 0.5–5 net carbs per 1 cup

Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower — 3–6 grams net carbs per 1 cup

Celery, cucumber, zucchini, chives and leeks — 2–4 grams net carbs per 1 cup

Certain fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, dairy or coconut kefir (also beneficial for gut health) — 1–2 grams net carbs per 1/2 cup

Fresh herbs — close to 0 grams net carbs per 1–2 tablespoons

Veggies that are slightly higher in carbs (but still low all things considered) include asparagus, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, bell pepper, sugar snap peas, water chestnuts, radishes, jicama, green beans, wax beans, tomatoes — 3–7 grams net carbs per 1 cup raw

5. Nuts and seeds

An excellent ketogenic diet snack to eat on the go are nuts and seeds. Dr. Axe recommends eating nuts and seeds not only because they’re full of vital nutrients, but also because they keep hunger away. 

Almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pistachios, chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc. — 1.5–4 grams net carbs per 1 ounce; cashews are the highest in carbs, around 7 net grams per ounce

Nut butters and seed butters — 4 net carbs per 2 tablespoons

Chia seeds and flaxseeds — around 1–2 grams net carbs per 2 tablespoons

We don’t know about you, but we love that there are plenty of foods to eat on the keto diet that will shut down hunger. That’s one of the main perks of being on the keto diet — being fuller longer helps keep the snacking away! We wrote the Body Reboot book to encourage people to take back their health. Help us cover shipping and visit this page to get yourself a free copy today!

Sources: Eat This, Not That, Perfect Keto, Ruled.me, Dr. Axe