Table of Contents
You’d have to be living under a rock to have not heard about the ketogenic diet. After decades of believing that a low-fat diet was the best for weight loss and heart health, people are beginning to realize that dietary fat is actually essential if you want to feel and look your very best.
The Ultimate Guide To Starting a Ketogenic Diet
Starting a keto lifestyle can have life-changing benefits, especially for overweight people who are looking to get to a healthy weight. However, jumping into a keto diet blindly isn’t a good idea. You need to know what to expect and how to handle some of the common bumps in the road that are common for keto newbies.
To help you take control of your weight and your life, here’s the ultimate guide to starting a ketogenic diet.
Toss and Shop
If you want to fully commit to a ketogenic lifestyle, then it’s essential that you get rid of the foods in your home that contain carbs and sugar. This means that it’s time to toss or donate all of your breads, pastas and sugary snacks. While this won’t be possible if you share a home with someone who isn’t on a ketogenic plan, it’s ideal if you live alone and only need to stock food for yourself.
After you’ve purged carbohydrate- and sugar-rich foods from your home, it’s time to stock up on keto-friendly groceries. There’s a whole host of foods that you can have on a ketogenic diet, but the staple items will be meat, cheese, vegetables and fats.
When you go to the grocery store to shop, try to forget everything you’ve ever heard about dietary fat. It’s time to bring butter, olive oil and animal fats back into your life. Instead of opting for lean cuts of meat, choose fattier cuts that will help to satiate you and provide the energy that you’ll need now that carbohydrates are no longer a part of your life.
Prepare For The Flu
If you’ve been reading up on ketogenic diets, you’ll probably notice a lot of people talking about the dreaded “keto flu.” The keto flu isn’t actually a “flu,” but it does present the same symptoms that we associate with influenza. During your first week or so on the keto diet, you might find yourself feeling sluggish, lightheaded and generally worn down. This happens because your body is adapting to your new way of eating and no longer getting the carbs and sugar it used to rely on for a cheap energy boost.
One of the best ways to combat the keto flu is by keeping the right products in your dietary arsenal. It’s important that you drink a ton of water and it’s a good idea to keep a water bottle with you at all times. You also want to make sure that you’re getting enough electrolytes, which can be achieved through the regular consumption of salty broths and sugar-free sports drinks.
You should keep a few keto-friendly products on hand for whenever you’re feeling lifeless or drained. Keto Living products are great for anyone who wants a quick pick-me-up in the afternoon. If you’re a fan of caffeine, you can rest easy knowing that coffee and green tea are both perfectly acceptable on a ketogenic diet. Just stick to heavy cream instead of milk and sugar-free sweeteners instead of traditional table sugar.
Be Disciplined and Steadfast
The physical symptoms aren’t the only thing that can make the first few weeks of keto challenging. As you move forward on a ketogenic plan, you’ll notice how many social events are centered around carbohydrate- and sugar-heavy foods. Office parties are centered around cake and nights out with friends seem to always cultivate in getting a pizza.
In the first few weeks of keto, you’ll need to exercise a lot of discipline and self-control. It’s important to learn how to say “no” and to remember that no indulgent snack is worth sacrificing your weight loss and health goals. It might seem torturous at first, but just keep in mind that it gets easier over time. After a few months or years on a ketogenic plan, saying “no” to these toxic foods will seem like a walk in the park.
