Tips for Going on the Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet combines the power of calorie restriction with the benefits of ketosis. It lets people lose weight quickly and improve their overall health.
For all of its popularity, there are many misconceptions about what the diet is and why it causes you to lose weight. These misconceptions can lead to confusion and frustration when the weight is not coming off. The following are five important tips to help you be successful on the keto diet.
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1. Know Where to Direct Your Focus
Why does keto work so well? There are many contradictory opinions out there. Should you focus on limiting carbs, increasing exercise, or intermittent fasting? After sorting through the research, it becomes clear that people lose weight on keto because they eat fewer calories than they did before. The key to burning fat is to be calorie deficient.
2. Only Eat Keto Foods
Keto foods are extremely low in carbs. Healthy foods, like certain fruits and vegetables, have sugar and carbs and can put you near your carbohydrate limit with just one serving. Do not despair. There are a number of enjoyable meals you can eat on the ketogenic diet.
Foods that you can eat include:
- Meats- Beef, poultry, etc.
- Sweeteners– Stevia or monk fruit
- Low-carb vegetables- Cauliflower, spinach, broccoli, kale, etc.
- Nuts and seeds
- High-fat dairy- Cream, butter, hard cheeses, etc.
Stay away from fruit, sugar, grains, and tubers.
3. Do Not Let Keto Break the Bank
Grocery stores are full of fancy and expensive keto-friendly foods. Even natural foods on the keto diet, like meats, cheeses, butter, and seeds, are quite expensive.
Thankfully, money-savvy keto dieters have come up with tips for dieting on a budget when doing keto. These include:
- Skip packaged keto diet foods. One additional benefit of keto is that it gets you away from packaged food, so you are able to eat whole foods, which are less expensive.
- Focus on eating non-starchy veggies. These include squash, cauliflower, and broccoli. They add fiber to your diet, they make feel fuller, and a little bit goes a long way. Stay away from pre-cut bagged vegetables. Instead, buy them in their whole form and then chop them up like a professional.
- Choose your meat cuts wisely. Instead of buying a ribeye, get a chuck roast. Instead of buying pork chops, get a cheaper pork shoulder roast.
- Include eggs in your diet. They are cost-effective and work completely in harmony with keto. Scramble them up with dark leafy greens and hard cheese for a delicious omelet or frittata.
4. Keep Track of Your Macros
As we mentioned, keto success revolves around calorie deficiency. There’s a lot of data that suggests that we underestimate the number of calories we eat.
In fact, on keto, you will have low-calorie days and you lose weight. Subconsciously, your brain will encourage you to eat more the next day. This is why you will either gain weight or hit a plateau that you just cannot break. It’s not that keto is not working. It’s just that you need to take an objective look at how much you are really eating. Once you start to accurately track your food consumption while on keto, you are all but guaranteed to start seeing the results you want.
5. Keep Stress to a Minimum
Stress prevents your body from entering ketosis. Cortisol elevates blood sugar levels. This stops your body from burning fats for energy because you have too much sugar in your blood. Take steps to reduce stress in your life by getting sufficient sleep, exercising regularly, and taking the time to do the things you enjoy.
A ketogenic diet is a powerful tool that has helped many to reach and maintain their weight loss goals. By following some of the above-mentioned tips, you can improve your chances of having success when using keto.
