How To Start The Keto Diet To Achieve Fast Results
A ketogenic diet is great for those looking to improve their health or reduce their overall body fat. Here’s how to start the keto diet.
The keto diet will not only help you lose weight but will also improve your overall health, energy levels, and brain function.
However, sticking to the diet to start your keto cycle is one challenging task. That is why you need to know how to start the keto diet and stick to it.
Here are some practical tips for you if you can’t seem to start the ketogenic diet! But let us first learn about a keto diet.
What Is A Ketogenic Diet And Why Is It Gaining Popularity?
A keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that is effective for weight loss because it puts your body into a fat-burning process.
In a ketogenic diet, you cut down your carbohydrate intake in order to burn fat for energy.
This diet is highly beneficial to people looking to lose body fat without following starvation diets. This is precisely why it gained popularity amongst fitness freaks that can’t follow intermittent fasting or diets that limit food intake.
How Does A Keto Diet Work?
When you start to consume fewer carbs, your body starts burning fat. This puts your body into a metabolic state known as ketosis.
In ketosis, your liver starts burning fat molecules into energy packets called ketones. Ketones provide energy to your body to perform various functions.
A keto diet also helps lower your insulin levels.
How To Start A Keto Diet?
If you wish to start your keto diet safely and achieve results in a short time, here are some tips to get you started:
1. Familiarize Yourself With Food Groups
Research is crucial for you before you start following a diet because you need to learn more about the food groups and the basic principles. For example, you need to know about low-carb, high-fat foods for a ketogenic diet.
The keto diet will eliminate food groups such as whole grains, refined grains, fruits, baked food, starchy vegetables, and sweet beverages.
Instead, here are some of the foods you should eat:
- Meats: fish, poultry, beef, lamb;
- Low-carb vegetables: cauliflower, leafy greens, broccoli;
- High-fat dairy: cheese, cream, butter, full cream milk;
- Nuts and seeds: walnuts, sunflower seeds;
- Avocado;
- Berries: blackberries, raspberries;
- Coconut oil.
Here are some foods you should avoid on a keto diet:
- Whole grains such as wheat, rice, corn, cereals;
- Refined grains;
- Sugar;
- Honey;
- Sweetened beverages and syrups;
- Fruits such as apples, oranges, bananas;
- Tubers such as potatoes and yams.
Read more about the complete list of keto foods in this article.
2. Create A Plan
Once you learn about the various food groups, what you can eat, and what you must avoid, you should start strategizing your diet.
Next, you need to purchase foods that you can include in your meals.
If you only have low-carb, high-fat foods at home, it will help you stay on track as you’re less likely to eat cheat food.
Moreover, you should go through meals you can order at restaurants. Researching menus before going to a cafe works best if you wish to stay on a diet for longer.
3. Start Slow
Gradually decrease your carbohydrate intake. It can be challenging to jumpstart a diet when you’re used to consuming certain food groups.
For example, if you eat cereal for breakfast, it may take a week until you switch to low-carb, high-fat foods.
Start by trying one carb-free meal per day. Then, switch to two until you can say goodbye to carbs altogether!
4. Count Calories
Many people believe that you don’t need to count calories on a keto diet. Well, since you’re burning fat for fuel, it makes sense. But remember that if you eat more calories than you burn, you’ll not see effective results.
Once you identify your fitness goals, it’s crucial to calculate your calorie intake in order to see changes.
Learn how many calories you’re burning and how many calories you need to consume to estimate your calorie needs.
5. Plan Your Keto Menu
Planning your keto menu is one of the best tips for beginners looking to stick to the diet. If you plan your snacks and meals, you’re more likely to follow the diet plan.
It saves you from munching on high-carb snacks as you don’t immediately grab anything you see in front of yourself when you’re hungry.
When you plan your meals, remember to choose nutrient-dense food to ensure that the diet keeps you healthy. You can also sign up on the keto cycle for personalized meal plans.
Most keto apps promise that they help you shed body fat faster by providing you with highly personalized plans and delicious recipes. It also includes information on managing your activities and maintaining overall health.
Bottomline
If you wish to manage your weight, you need to think long-term. So choose a version of the keto diet that can help you stay on track.
Then create an action plan and start slowly to familiarize yourself with the keto diet rules.
Always count calories to check your progress and adjust your keto menu if needed.
The ketogenic diet is a great way to lose weight without feeling hungry all the time.
Just keep in mind that weight loss is a long shot. So knowing how to start the keto diet and stick to it is the most important part of the process.
