How to Start Keto (My Top Tips)
Hey guys!
I know with the beginning of the New Year, many of you have been curious about starting on this new Keto diet journey! Just a quick background info, I have been low carb for over the last 10 years and keto the last 6 years resulting in a 135 lb weight loss. I wanted to give you some tips that I have shared with friends and family over the years that have been extremely helpful! Not only do these tips help you jump into ketosis faster but it helps maintain your success as well. So lets just jump right in!
1. Clear out the junk!
This is probably my top tip to start out with. With any diet, you need to remove the bad junk right away! Throw it out! Yes those Cheetos and pop tarts have to take a hike! Trust me, not having processed and heavy carb/sugar filled treats readily available will only help you NOT SLIP in the beginning. These items not only contribute to weight gain but overall bad health. There's no place to cheat if you toss that temptation in the trash.
2. Track your Macros.
Macros!? Is that like short for macaroni and cheese? I wish! Macros is really super simple! It is your MACROnutrients (calories, carbs, protein, and fat) that you need to track to see how you're eating. You will want to have a balanced diet of these categories! Healthy fats are crucial, delicious protein, and I love to get most of my carbs from green veggies. The reason that this is important -especially in the beginning- is to see how you're eating according to your weight/height/exercise regimen. For a ketogenic lifestyle, it is recommended to stay around 20g net carbs. Calculating net carbs might sound tricky but all you need to do is.
Look at the total carborhydrate count
Subtract the dietary fiber and sugar alcohol (if any)
and BOOM = Net carbs! Simple right?!
Pretty easy right? Once you have this down, you’re more than halfway there! You can use trackers like Carb Manager and My Fitness pal to keep a food log of what you are having on the daily.
3. Meal Prep can set you up for the week.
Okay, now that we have cleared out the bad stuff in our pantry and possibly the fridge, what can we fill it up with? Well, thats where food prep comes in! I don’t know about you, but if I'm craving something and its not readily available, I will grab snacks or even consider fast food. By having meals already portioned out and fully keto or low carb, there’s no excuse to stay consistent right? Set aside a Sunday morning or afternoon, pull up a few of my Youtube videos and have a fun day with it! Hint hint, have you discovered the KFC chicken one recipe I have yet!? Game CHANGER FOR SURE!
Here are a few meal prep recipes that you can make:
4. find snacks that work for you.
I used to be obsessed with snacking, and still have tons of snacks now (just not as often). If I do it now, I'm grabbing much better options than a typical candy bar or french fries. The cool thing about the keto community now versus when I first started is that they have so many great and delicious options! I personally like to keep a bag of white chocolate chips from ChocZero ready to go for some snacks here and there! That or a Love Good fats chocolate granola bar! Literally so delicious and who needs real sugar when you have these options!
5. Yes you can still have Dessert!
The one thing I love about being Keto is that you can really enjoy all the benefits while cutting back on all the bad junk. We can enjoy cream, a little butter here and there, some yummy fat. And isn’t that essential for an amazing dessert?! I like to think of myself as a sweets expert and knew I didn't want to give it up. So I made it work for me! Mug cakes, we have dump cakes, regular cakes, tres leches, you name it we got it. And yes with macros of course!
6. Keto-fy all your favorite comfort foods.
Just because you're eating healthier doesn't mean you cant indulge in some good ole comfort food! This is probably my favorite part in my journey, being able to get creative and play with recipes of my childhood. You want hamburger helper? That can be ketofied! Oh you miss tamales? Guess what, ketofied! The possibilities are endless but whatever the meal is, you most likely can google a ketofied version. All the flavor without the guilt and bloat these heavy dishes can usually bring.
7. Keto isn’t black and white.
We are human. We don't do things completely perfect, we just do it PERFECTLY FOR US. Some people might discover in this lifestyle that they might be more sensitive to dairy, some might be super successful eating only meats and fats, and some might be able to be dirty keto as it goes and have no issues. And also, it can be tough.. and sometimes we want to cheat here and there and thats okay! Just get back on the horse and try again.
8. Keep it simple.
Keto really isn’t difficult. It might feel tough at first but its all an adjustment. Once you get the swing of things its not hard at all. Keeping it simple or back to basics as I like to call it helps you stay on track. Focus on the yummy healthy food at your fingertips like eggs, bacon, meats, fish, salads and all the delicious green veggies and you're good to go! Simplicity is key when first starting this lifestyle, don't over complicate it okay!
9. Take TONS of pictures.
Trust me I wish I had kept all of photos! When I losing weight, I had burned and ripped up all my pictures from my past because I wanted to forget about that time in my life. But now I realize how essential they could have been for my journey! The scale is one thing but being able to see the difference in pictures is EVERYTHING. Imagine all the side by side pictures you can have too! Witnessing your progress in this way is my top tip to keep you motivated to stay on the keto track.