Thinking of starting Keto? Confused by how to begin?
This blog-post is intended to eliminate the confusion and make it simple to follow and understand.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I am not a health care professional. I never went to medical school. It is highly recommended that you consult with your own treating physician/family practitioner before beginning any change in nutrition and/or exercise.
Now, if you want to give Keto a try and don't know where to begin, here is a simple approach to help you kick off your very first week of Keto - and no better time to start, as we begin 2020.
1: Why
Keto is based on a metabolic process called “ketosis,” which happens when your body does not have enough glucose for energy, so it burns fat instead.
During ketosis, chemical molecules called “ketones” are produced in the liver when fat is burned, and they are sent into your bloodstream to be used as fuel for the brain, muscles, and tissues.
Keto deliberately reduces carbohydrate intake to encourage the body to burn fat instead of carbs/sugar/glucose.
2: Ideal Macros
Keto is a low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat plan, which usually breaks down into the following daily percentages (for most people):
60 to 75% of daily calories from fat
15 to 30% of daily calories from protein
5 to 10% of daily calories from carbs
Every meal does not have to be completely in balance with this, but the proportions should be close to these at the end of the day.
3: Swap sugar for fat
(a.k.a. "making the switch")
If you're considering Keto, most definitely, you will have to cut out high glycemic foods like bread, pasta, and rice. When you eat these, you are telling your body to burn carbs/sugar/glucose for energy and not fat.
The reason Keto is called the Never Go Hungry diet, is that by substituting these high glycemic foods with good fat foods, you won't get hungry.
Keto highly encourages lots of non-starchy veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, and green leafy vegetables. Proteins should be moderate, with 15 to 30% of your total intake coming from healthy proteins like chicken, beef, fish or tofu. Fats will make up the rest of the daily intake and these should come good fats like nuts/nut butters, olive oil, avocados, and cheese. Yes cheese!
4: It's Keto Time | Week One
For your week one of Keto, keep it very simple. Your goal is to simply "make the switch." That is, you'll want to get your body used to running without that constant intake of carbs. Don't overthink this! Don't worry about calories, portion sizes or whether you're in ketosis or not. This first week is just about "making the switch." This is the week to primarily focus on training yourself to avoid consuming high glycemic foods, starches and sugars and in turn, training your body to switch its operating system so that it now begins to burn fat for energy rather than carbs/sugar/glucose.
5: Tips for Week One
Here are simple steps to start week one of your Keto journey:
Abstain completely from potatoes, pasta, bread, rice, grains, beans, and sugar . . . and don't eat too many fruits. Start looking for the hidden sugars in many of the things we often eat like jellies, pasta sauce, salad dressing, peanut butter, etc. If you would like to eat fruit, try to stick to low glycemic varieties like berries.
Eat meats, eggs, vegetables, cheese, nuts, avocados, and fats. Cheese sticks wrapped in turkey or ham, salami or pepperoni, nuts, and avocados are all great items to keep on hand.
Salt your meals moderately with Himalaya Sea Salt (pink salt.) This helps with the elimination of fat cells from your body.
6: Final Word for Week One
Do not get discouraged.
Remember, this is a major change for you and for your body as you are breaking a life-long cycle of habits closely connected to the addiction to carbs. That said, it could get uncomfortable, at times, as your body reacts both physically and mentally to this big change.
Be strong.
You will likely feel sluggish at first, but please keep in mind that means it is working. That sluggish feeling is a strong indication that your body is "making the swich" from using one form of fuel (carbs/sugar) to another (fat.)
Final tip: Be sure to take your "before" pic on day one, because you're about to amazing yourself.
KETO 2020 is a short blog series featured on www.iloveureka.com where we explore how to start KETO, the benefits of KETO nutrition and shifting to KETO living (not dieting.) Eating ketogenically is a very low-carb, high-fat diet approach. It involves reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with good fats. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. In this 4-part series, we will talk all things KETO.
Once again, please be sure to speak with your Doctor to make sure KETO is ideal for you.