Most weight loss meal plans require you to cut out fats. The keto diet flips the script and encourages you to eat more, making it a popular method of weight control for millions of people.
This diet is the answer to our nutritional prayers for those of us who love to eat things like nuts, cheese, and butter. But even though you can load up on fats, it’s still a restrictive lifestyle change, and it’s possible to over-or under keto.
Ready to learn how to turn fats into weight loss and enjoy the success many others have had with keto? Learn these four tips and use them on your meal-planning journey.
1. Understand How Keto Works
No, it’s not a magic pill or a miracle diet fad. There’s a substantial amount of science behind keto that involves a process called ketosis (not to be confused with the dangerous health condition ketoacidosis).
The goal of the keto diet is to get your body into ketosis. At this stage, ketosis decreases hunger symptoms. At the same time, it increases muscle growth and retention and promotes weight loss.
If you’re healthy already, ketosis typically starts after three or four days of eating low carbs. The carb limit varies for everyone, but it’s about 50 grams or fewer per day on average.
2. Learn How to Break Your Food Down Each Day
Keto isn’t solely focused on carb-cutting behavior changes. It’s a big part of the diet, but if that’s the only thing you adjust to, you may have a hard time reaching your goal.
The first part of your new dietary lifestyle is going to involve learning what’s in the food you eat. To get into ketosis, you’ll be balancing carbs, fat, and protein. Going without carbs altogether can be dangerous.
Carb-laden foods such as grains, fruits, beans, and starchy veggies are off the plate for now. The key is to replace them with the right types of carbs (preferably non-starchy veggies and some leafy greens) as 5% of your daily nutritional intake.
Next, load up on protein, making sure it accounts for about 20% of your meals. Healthy meats, eggs, and cheese are excellent sources of protein.
The final 75% of the day’s food and beverage selection should be fatty items such as unprocessed nuts, oils, and butter.
3. Prepare for Success
There is a significant element of preparation with every diet that can make or break your success. For example, if you plan on losing weight by eating healthier, but you stock up on cookies instead of vegetables, you’re not setting yourself up to succeed.
This preparation involves choosing food with a proper fat/carb/protein ratio with the keto diet. It’s okay to have almost any type of food high in fats, carbs, and protein, as long as it’s low in carbs and sugar and you’re measuring your intake to match the percentages listed above.
Have some of your favorite keto-friendly snacks on hand to stave off cravings for junk food. Avocado is a healthy fat that works well as an addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
If your concern is hunger pains, look into natural options to reduce your appetite, like medical marijuana. Be careful about the strain you use. Some encourage the munchies, while others are recommended for appetite suppression.
4. Start Simple
You want to do your keto journey right, and there are hundreds of tips out there to help you along this path. While you’re just starting out, though, it’s important to keep it simple.
Sure, there are charts to help you record your macros, recipes for all kinds of complicated meals, and other “must-have” keto essentials.
You know yourself best. If it seems like something you won’t do on a regular basis, skip it.
Stick with learning about each type of food you like and how it compares to the 5/25/75 percentage plan. Then, start to develop your own recipes that include your favorite acceptable ingredients.
When you’re ready, you can add more complicated factors to your keto lifestyle. Until then, make it something you can be successful at without giving
up because it’s too difficult.
Conclusion
The keto lifestyle has many advantages that could change your nutrition and health for the better. With these four tips, your success is only a meal plan and ketosis away.
