Introduction
Keto is becoming the preferred diet of many. It’s a low carb, high fat way of eating that allows people to lose weight by forcing their bodies into ketosis quickly. The keto diet can be tough at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll find that it’s easier than ever before!
In this guide I will explain what Keto is and how it works. There are also some tips on how to start your own Keto diet or Low Carb Diet so that you can start losing weight today!
What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet, or keto for short, is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. This means that the majority of your calories will come from fat rather than from carbohydrates. When following the keto diet you consume as little as 5% of your total daily calories from carbohydrates with the remaining 95% coming from fat.
So how does this work? The secret to the ketogenic diet lies in its ability to force your body into a metabolic state called ketosis where stored body fat is used for energy instead of glucose (sugar) or glycogen (stored carbs).
[epcl_box type=”success”]Read About:How to Lose Fat Without Losing Muscle Full Guide[/epcl_box]
Understanding Ketosis
Ketosis is an altered metabolic state in which the body burns fat instead of carbohydrates. This process occurs naturally when we fast or deprive our bodies of carbs, and it’s actually a sign that your body has switched to burning fat for energy.
When you’re in ketosis, your body runs on ketones instead of glucose (carbs). Ketones are released into the bloodstream by the liver when there isn’t enough insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas) to regulate sugar levels in the blood. When this happens, your cells can’t use sugar as fuel anymore—but they can still use fat for energy!
Keto dieters eat lots of fatty foods while keeping their carb intake low enough to enter “nutritional ketosis” where their bodies burn more fat than normal without going into starvation mode like after fasting all day long without eating anything at all – because then we’d be relying mostly on glucose again like everybody else does without even knowing why–and thus avoiding feeling hungry most of time too 🙂
Start Your FREE 30-Day Keto Challenge!
You can’t start a Keto challenge unless you have a goal in mind. It might be to lose weight, or it might be something else entirely. Here’s how to set your goals and make them happen:
- Write down your goals. This is a very important step in making sure that you’re successful with starting your Keto diet. Make sure that you write down what exactly they are, so if you ever forget them, they’re right there on paper!
- Set a deadline for yourself so that you have someone keeping track of how much time has passed since the beginning of your diet (ex: “I will lose 5 pounds by June 1st”)!
- After writing down these things and setting deadlines, it’s now time for planning! What do I mean by planning? Well…
[epcl_box type=”success”]How To Success in Ketogenic Diet [/epcl_box]
What Foods Can You Eat On a Keto Diet?
To get started on the keto diet, you’ll need to eat high-fat, low-carb foods. There are plenty of foods out there that will help you reach your goals. Here are some examples of good keto food choices:
- Fatty meats like steak, bacon and sausage (check for added sugar)
- Eggs (make sure no yolks!)
- Dairy products like cheese, sour cream and heavy cream (use sparingly)
- Vegetables with low-carb veggies such as kale, spinach or broccoli
What Is a Typical Day on a Keto Meal Plan Like?
While there are no strict meal plans to follow, you will find that following a ketogenic diet is not as restrictive as it may seem. The most important thing to remember is keeping your daily carbohydrate intake below 30 grams per day. While you can eat more calories than this if you wish, the goal is to keep your carb intake under control so that your body stays in ketosis.
Here’s what a typical day on a keto meal plan looks like:
- Breakfast – eggs with bacon and sausage (or ham) or avocado toast (with guacamole)
- Lunch – salad with chicken breast meatballs or grilled fish
- Dinner – steak with broccoli and cauliflower mash
How to Start a Keto Diet or Low Carb Diet
A ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein and high-fat diet that causes weight loss and leads to numerous health benefits. The combination of eating lots of fat with very few carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called “ketosis.” While in this state, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy, meaning you can lose weight without sacrificing muscle mass or energy.
How to Start a Keto Diet: Calculate Your Macros
Ketosis occurs when your body enters into an alternative fuel source known as ketone bodies instead of using glucose (aka sugar). This process results in the release of water and electrolytes from the liver (ketosis is the reason why you pee more on a keto diet). To know whether or not you’re truly in ketosis, track these signs:
- Increased urination (this happens because carbs make your kidneys hold onto sodium) * Decreased appetite * Reduced cravings for sweets * Increased mental clarity * Faster recovery times following exercise
Step 1 – Find Out Your Why
The first step to starting the keto diet is to find out what your why is. Why do you want to try it? Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to feel better and have more energy? What are your goals, priorities, values and beliefs regarding health and wellness?
Ketogenic diets are not for everyone because not everyone can tolerate them well. If this is something that interests you but at the same time scares or offends you, then take a step back for a moment and ask yourself why this diet makes sense for your body.
For example, if after years of eating processed foods every day (and eating way too much of them), then maybe a lower-carb lifestyle would be right up your alley because all those carbs were making it harder for your body to burn fat effectively on an everyday basis – which means less energy than before!
Step 2 – Calculate Your Ideal Macros
To figure out your ideal macronutrient intake, you’ll need to calculate your daily calorie and macronutrient needs.
For example, if you want to lose weight with the keto diet, then you need a negative caloric balance (more calories burned than consumed). If you want to gain weight without gaining fat, then also create a negative caloric balance but this time from eating more calories than burned.
While it may seem challenging at first, calculating your ideal macronutrient ratios is actually pretty straightforward once you break down each step in the process.
Step 3 – Clean Out the Kitchen & Get Motivated!
Now that you’ve decided to go keto, it’s time to clean out the kitchen and get rid of all the unhealthy food in your house.
Throw away any potato chips that are left over from last night’s movie marathon. Throw away all the candy bars you’ve been hiding from yourself. Throw away soda bottles under your bed. Anything that is not a healthy food will be going out with today’s trash—including ice cream, cookies and pizza!
You’ll also want to re-evaluate what foods are allowed on your new diet plan: pasta? No way! Bread? Good luck finding any! Rice? Only if it’s cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles!
Step 4 – Stock Up on Keto Food Basics and Snacks!
Now that you know the basics of what to eat on the keto diet, let’s get started stocking your kitchen with the foods you’ll be eating. There are plenty of keto essentials and snacks to choose from so try to fill in most of your pantry with them.
First, let’s talk about stocking up on keto foods:
- Meat – beef, chicken thighs, ground turkey/chicken (or other similar meats) and bacon are all good options for protein sources when following an LCHF diet plan like Keto. You don’t have to use 100% grass-fed meat but it is recommended since they contain higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids which have been shown to help improve mental clarity among other benefits.”
The keto diet is a low carb, high fat way of eating that allows people to lose weight by forcing their bodies into ketosis quickly.
The keto diet is a low carb, high fat way of eating that allows people to lose weight by forcing their bodies into ketosis quickly.
Ketosis is a natural process that your body goes through to burn fat for energy. When you eat carbohydrates, your body releases insulin to lower your blood sugar levels and store the excess glucose as glycogen in muscles and liver.
When you consume no carbs at all (or very few), insulin levels drop and fatty acids are released from fat cells into the bloodstream where they’re used as fuel instead of glucose. This is called “ketosis,” which means that your body burns fat instead of storing it!
Conclusion
We hope we’ve been able to answer all of your questions about the keto diet. We know that this can be a confusing topic, especially if you’re not too familiar with how it works (and what foods are keto-friendly!). If you have any concerns or need further assistance with getting started on keto, please feel free to contact us and we will help you every step of the way!