Keto - Where do I start?
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Congratulations! You have completed the first step. You made the decision to get healthy. Your first step can be the hardest. Today is your Day 1 and it's the best step you've ever taken.
Remove the Carbage from your life. Remove the treats and snacks from the counter. Remove the flours and the sugars and the holiday baking supplies from the pantry. Remove the CARBAGE!
Weigh or measure yourself and take pics. They are nice to have for comparison when you make goal.
Eat a low carb breakfast- fasting or intermittent fasting can come later. Until you are fat adapted, go ahead and eat breakfast if you are hungry. You can eat something other than the traditional Keto breakfast of eggs and bacon as long as it's zero- to low carbs.
Download a carb tracking app and enter in your height, weight, activity level and goals. The app will calculate for you. Set your macros for 20g carbs. The app may track this as total carbs, not net carbs. Net carbs can be tricky and continue to feed the carb addiction. Whether to use net carbs or total carbs is up to you.
It is recommended to set your deficit to 5%-10%. You do not want to eat an extreme calorie restrictive diet. You want the calories. Trust the process, you will still lose weight even if you eat 1400 - 1800 calories for women, 1800 - 2200 calories for men.
You do not need a fancy app to calculate your macros or track your carbs. You can use pen and paper.
Make protein a priority as you set your macros and plan your meals. Now that your macros are calculated enter breakfast and see where you are. Going forward enter what you eat before you eat.
Eat your next meal when you are hungry. You do not need to eat just because the clock says it's time. If you are not hungry at lunch you do not need to eat just because the clock says it's lunch time. Stop eating after dinner and do not snack. Your body needs time to rest and repair.
Click here for a detailed food list.
Either in pill form or mixed into a drink. Keto and low carb diets are natriuretic and diuretic. This process may trigger symptoms many refer to as the keto flu. Many of us find we need to supplement sodium, potassium and magnesium. Click here for a great homemade recipe.
You made it! You completed your first full day of your new Way of Eating. Yesterday was awesome and you used the full excitement of starting a new diet to steer around temptation. Let's keep that momentum going!!!
By changing our mindset that this is not a Diet!
You should never be hungry.
Don't be afraid to eat all of your macros.
Restricting your calories is "Old Diet Brain".
Eating enough fat and protein to feel full and satiated is "New Diet Brain", but replace 'diet' in your thinking with way of eating or eating plan. Do not set yourself up to fail before you start.
Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, unsweetened green tea, our own ketorade recipe or any unsweetened clear beverage. This will keep you full and hydrated. Coffee is great to drink but count the macros if you add cream or MCT oil, or butter.
If you didn't join an online community on Day One or before Day One, find a place on Day Two to call home with friends that can share your journey.
We are fond of these groups on Facebook:
keto and more for Ladies over 50 only!
Diabetic Friendly Recipes and Diabetic Nutrition Info
We follow many accounts on Twitter. These are a sample of the accounts we follow:
- Dr. David Diamond
- Dr. Joan Ifland
- Dr. Jay Wrigley
- Maria Emmerich
- Robert Lufkin MD
- Dave Jackson
- Sam Apple
- Dr. Roth
- Disco Stew
- Nick Norwitz
- Dr. Tro
- Elie Jarrouge, MD
Continue to track what you eat, tracking before you eat to avoid hidden carbs. Make sure you are eating all of your macros if you are hungry or find yourself craving sweets. Fat and Protein are satiating and satisfying.
Close the kitchen after dinner. Your liver needs a rest from the snacking.
This is typically the time frame where your body switches over from burning glucose (sugar) to burning fat for fuel. Avoid keto flu by taking enough electrolytes and drinking enough water.
Day 3-5 is where we can settle in and create good routines and habits. If you are not hungry, you can start skipping breakfast.
- Prep your lunch and dinner.
- Track your macros.
- Get a full night's rest.
- Avoid sugar and carbs.
You made it one full week. While you may have noticed some initial weight loss, not everyone loses the same. This way of eating is for your health and weight loss is just a bonus. A really nice bonus that keeps us going.
This is where you really hit your stride. Somewhere in the first month you usually will transition to be fully fat adapted. Your body is a Fat Burning Machine. You may notice you are no longer hungry and can skip breakfast. You may notice increased mental acuity, or less inflammation. Your cells are thriving on the fuel they are getting.
Keep Going!!! Now that you are full fat adapted you may start experimenting with shorter eating windows. You may even extend your fast to over 24hrs.
Add exercise at this time to build muscle tone.
Keto, very low carb diets and Insulin Resistance Reversing diets are a long-term lifestyle. They are sustainable for life. They are a way of eating. Whether you started this w.o.e. to lose weight or to offset health concerns, you are now one of the very few who have changed not only the way they look at food as fuel, but how their body uses that fuel.
Written by Joy Sypher
Published October 9th, 2021
