The keto diet is a well-known low-carb diet in which the body produces ketones in the liver to use as energy.But switching to a low-carb, high-fat diet can be challenging in itself.
No doubt about it – this is a limited meal plan.In addition to eliminating all refined carbohydrates, you should avoid starchy vegetables, grains, sauces, fruit juices, and limit fruit consumption.
Before you begin, determine your fitness goal
Before committing to any diet, the first thing should always be the "why" or main goal.This will determine your dietary needs and guide you.There are four main reasons why someone might consider changing their diet, and not all of them are keto-friendly:
Weight loss
Weight loss or fat loss is the most common reason people decide to try keto.If this is your goal, then maintaining a calorie deficit is your main concern.Progress itself can be measured by a number falling on a scale or a change in body composition, which can be assessed with any body fat analysis tool.
Increased muscle mass
Gaining muscle mass is essentially weight gain and is not always ideal for everyone.Moreover, the ketogenic diet may not be the best diet for gaining muscle mass, given the beneficial role of carbohydrates in training and muscle recovery.But that doesn't stop everyone, and some people see results.To build muscle, you need to focus on extra calories, exercise, and macronutrient balance.And to accurately measure your progress, you need a body composition test.
Improved performance
Fat can be an abundant and valuable energy source used by many athletes.That is why the keto diet is suitable for endurance athletes and those who do not require frequent, high-intensity training to increase performance.The primary goal of this goal is the timing of nutrient intake and proper nutrition, and performance progress can be measured by assessing metabolic efficiency.
Improved health
Improving health is not always the primary goal of keto dieters, unless health is improved as a result of weight loss.This is because the keto diet is quite restrictive and getting plenty of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) can be challenging.
If you want to improve your keto diet, the first thing you need to think about is your food choices.Progress towards this goal can be measured through biometric testing.However, new research continues to investigate the potential benefits of low-carb and keto diets for people with diabetes.
How to get into ketosis
Ways to get into ketosis:
- Increasing physical activity.
- Significant reduction in carbohydrate intake.
- Check your ketone levels
- Eating protein.
How to Switch to the Keto Diet on Your Own
Once you've determined your primary health and fitness goal, the next step is to calculate the number of calories you need to eat per day to lose, gain, or maintain your weight.The easiest way to do this is to use an online calorie calculator or download a fitness app that asks your age, height, weight, gender and fitness level to estimate your daily needs.While calorie control has the biggest impact on your weight, understanding keto macros is still essential for continued success.Hitting your daily carb goal is critical, especially if you're trying to get into ketosis.The keto diet is designed with strict macronutrient requirements, including high fat intake and extremely low carbohydrate intake.
For most people, the requirements look something like this:
- 70% of calories from fat
- 25% of calories from protein
- 5% of calories from carbohydrates
However, the exact ideal macronutrient ratio may depend on an individual's fitness level, metabolic efficiency, and other factors.Now you're ready to design the keto menu of your dreams.But before you start eating bacon and cheese, there are a few things you should consider.Nutrition and the quality of the foods you eat remain important to your overall health and well-being.Additionally, choosing more nutritious foods can improve your energy levels and mood, which in turn motivates you to stick with the ketogenic diet for longer.Some foods should contain a healthy carbohydrate substitute.Products that are excellent for this: cauliflower, rice, portobello mushroom buns, spaghetti squash.
How to follow the keto diet correctly
Planning your keto menu is only half the battle;your progress is the result of consistency.This means that you will need to stick to the diet for more than a few weeks.But sticking to a diet is not just about willpower, it's about building healthy habits and daily routines that allow you to achieve success.You don't have to be perfect on the keto diet to be effective either.It's possible to get off track and still see progress if you stay consistent with your calorie goals and keep working towards them.Use the following strategies to follow the keto diet:
- Read labels carefully.
Anything in a package, including high-calorie drinks and common medications like cough medicine, can be loaded with hidden carbs.Make sure the label does not list ingredients such as maltodextrin, dextrose, sugar, cane syrup or starch.Because these substances can increase blood sugar levels and impair the production of ketones.
- Use sweeteners and flour substitutes.
It is difficult to completely eliminate sugar and flour from your diet, but it is possible if you know what to replace them with.Whatever diet you choose, make sure it allows you to maintain your health, well-being and positive results.