5 Things You Need To Do BEFORE You Start Your KETO Diet.

ByJulia

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Are you looking into doing the Keto Diet this year to lose weight and get healthier?

Just to be clear, I am not a certified nutritionalest or physician. I am just a mom who is tryin gt be healthy and is currently doing the KETO diet. Before I started I did a lot of research which has helped me a lot on this diet journey. the following is what I feel everyone should know before they start on this diet to be successful.

The ketogenic diet (or keto diet, for short) is basically a low carb, high-fat diet that helps you get your body into a metabolic state called ketosis which causes your body to burn fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain.

The Keto diet has been promoted by many big names and celebrities as the key to how they lost lots of weight and got into fit shape. Additionally, it has a lot of benefits for people suffering from diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease

As many of you who follow me on Instagram know I am trying out the KETO Diet in January (maybe longer) to jump-start my body in my health goals for 2021, including losing 68lbs.

If you are thinking of taking the KETO diet as well here are 5 things you need to do before you start if you want to be successful:

1. Do your Research

Before you start the KETO diet it is important to really understand not just what it is supposed to do, but how it actually works.

It is also important to understand the rules you need to abide by on the diet (including what foods you can and cannot eat as well as how much.)

If you want to know what foods you can and cannot eat on the KETO diet check out my post -->HERE<--

The key to the KETO diet is getting your body into the state of ketosis. This occurs when you drastically cut your carb intake which limits your body's supply of glucose (sugar) which is your standard source of energy for cells. When this happens it causes your body to burn fat for energy instead...

The easiest way to reach ketosis is by doing the KETO diet where you generally limit your carbs and fill up on fats like fish, meat, eggs, nuts, and healthy oils.

There are different KETO diets. I am doing the Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This diet is a low carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet. Basically 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs 

As you can see this diet is not a high protein diet. In fact, it is important to moderate your protein consumption while on the KETO diet. The reason behind this is that protein can be converted into glucose if consumed in high amounts.

2. Make a Plan

Before you start any venture, especial something that will effect your day t day life like a diet, you need to have a solid plan in place.

Ask yourself, Are you going to be doing the KETO diet alone or will you be doing it as a household?

As a note: It can be hard to stick to your diet when you are the only one doing it and your home is filled with food you cannot eat but still have to prepare for others.

Are you planning on cooking all your own food from scratch? Will you be utilizing a premade food service where the food is delivered to your door ready to enjoy? Will you be buying KETO food and snacks online or at your local grocery store? Or will you do a mixture of all the above.

Recommended KETO Cookbooks

The Following KETO Cookbooks are highly reviewed Best Sellers on Amazon!

If cooking KETO is overwhelming to you, then you can always order premade KETO meals and to-go snacks from Eat to Evolve. every week they make fresh healthy meals that they ship to your door. They have meals specifically for KETO and they are Delicious! Use code JULIA20 to save 20% off your order. -->HERE<--

Whether you are buying premade meals and snacks or making your own, a good idea for staying on diet is to plan what you will eat in advance with a menu.

You might also consider bring with yu a few small KETO snacks or even a meal when visiting family/friends. Doing so will make it easier to keep t your diet without making extra work for your host/hostess.

3. Buy a Keto Testing Kit

Ketosis Testing Products

The Following KETO Tests (for testing if your body has reached Ketosis) are highly reviewed Best Sellers on Amazon!

The goal of the KETO diet is to get your body into Ketosis. The only way to know that you have achieved ketosis is to take a test. There are 3 different ways to test if your body has entered ketosis: Urine, Blood & Breath.

Since I don't like the idea od getting pee on my hands or having to regularly poke myself for blood, my prefered method is using a KETO Breathalyzer. However, any of these options will work just fine to track your body's Ketone levels.

4. Get Magnesium Electrolyte Supplements

A common side effect of the Keto diet is commonly referred to as the KETO Flu. It's not really the flu, you aren't contagious or anything. However, you can become pretty miserable. Symptoms include:

  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Irritability
  • Difficulty focusing (“brain fog”)
  • Lack of motivation
  • Dizziness
  • Sugar cravings
  • Nausea
  • Muscle cramps

Most people experience 1 or 2 of the above symptoms in the first week or two of doing the Keto Diet when their bodies transition from burning glucose (or sugar) to burning mainly far for their energy needs.

This transition is vital for the goal of reaching ketosis but can be rough if you aren't prepared. Keeping up your Electrolytes AKA your magnesium is key to minimizing and shortening the effects of the "Keto Flu"

There are different ways to keep your electrolytes (magnesium) levels up. However, the easiest way I have found to do so is by drinking Calm: Magnesium Citrate Supplement. It's basically magnesium carbonate powder you add to water and drink making the magnesium observable. It tastes like Rasperry Lemonade with a bit of carbonation (not bad at all) and it works great. As an added benefit it is an anti-stress drink since magnesium helps you relax.

5. Have Healthy Snacks Available

Your diet is more psychological than you would think. One of the main reasons many diets fail is that you begin fixating on everything you can't eat instead of what you can eat. This is easy to do with a strict diet like KETO that has a list of foods to avoid that are commonly loved.

Sticking to your diet can become even more difficult if you are doing the diet alone and are constantly surrounded by food that you love, but cannot have.

Preparing healthy snacks in advance doesn't take long, and can make a huge difference. When you see others enjoying high carb or sugary treats that you love but can't have, or you get a craving, you can enjoy a handful of nuts, or cheese, some berries, a bit of dark chocolate or even a fat bomb treat which all are delicious and satisfying.

Starting a new diet is a big endeavor but it can have the power to transform your life. I hope you enjoy yourself while on the Keto diet and have tremendous success with your health goals as you do so!

I have only been doing the KETO diet for a short while but am already seeing a big difference. I originally was only going to do it for a month as a health reset but the way things are going I may choose to keep doing it for a lot longer...

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