Keto Diet for Beginners: A Free Guide on Everything You Need to Know To Get Started
If you're looking for a way to lose weight, improve your health, and enjoy delicious food, you might want to try the keto diet. The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that puts your body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs. In this blog, I'll share with you how to begin the keto diet and what to expect from it.
What is the keto diet?
The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and low-carb diets. It involves drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain.
The keto diet can help you lose weight and improve your health in many ways. Some of the benefits of the keto diet include:
- Lowering your blood sugar and insulin levels
- Reducing your appetite and cravings
- Enhancing your mental clarity and focus
- Improving your cholesterol and blood pressure levels
- Protecting against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease
How to begin the keto diet?
The keto diet is not hard to follow, but it does require some planning and preparation. Here are some tips about keto diet for beginners:
- Calculate your macros. Macros are the percentages of calories that come from fat, protein, and carbs. The standard keto diet typically contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbs. You can use an online calculator to find out how much of each macronutrient you need based on your age, weight, height, activity level, and goals.
- Choose your foods. The keto diet is based on eating real, whole foods that are low in carbs and high in fat and protein. Some of the foods you can enjoy on the keto diet are:
- Meat, poultry, fish, and eggs
- Cheese, butter, cream, and yogurt
- Nuts, seeds, and nut butters
- Avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, and MCT oil
- Leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and other low-carb vegetables
- Berries, lemon, lime, and other low-carb fruits
- Dark chocolate (at least 85% cocoa), stevia, erythritol, and other keto-friendly sweeteners
Some of the foods you should avoid on the keto diet are:
- Bread, pasta, rice, cereal, and other grains
- Potatoes, corn, peas, beans, and other starchy vegetables
- Bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, and other high-carb fruits
- Sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, and other added sugars
- Milk, ice cream, cake, cookies, candy, and other sugary desserts
- Beer, wine, juice, soda, and other sugary drinks
- Plan your meals. To make sure you stay on track with your keto diet goals, you should plan your meals ahead of time. You can use a meal planner app or a notebook to write down what you're going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner,and snacks each day. You can also prepare some meals in advance and store them in the fridge or freezer for convenience.
- Track your progress. To see how well you're doing on the keto diet,
you should track your progress regularly.
You can use a scale, a tape measure, a ketone meter, or a keto app to monitor your weight, body fat percentage, ketone levels, and other health markers. You should also take note of how you feel physically and mentally on the keto diet.
What to expect from the keto diet?
The keto diet can be very rewarding,
but it also comes with some challenges. Here are some things to expect from the keto diet:
- The keto flu. The keto flu is a common side effect of starting the keto diet. It's caused by your body adapting to using fat instead of carbs for energy.
The symptoms may include:
headache,
fatigue,
nausea,
dizziness,
irritability,
and muscle cramps.
The keto flu usually lasts for a few days or weeks, and can be alleviated by drinking plenty of water, eating more salt, and taking electrolyte supplements.
- Keto breath. Keto breath is another side effect of being in ketosis. It's caused by the excess ketones in your breath,
which may smell fruity or metallic. Keto breath is not harmful,
and usually goes away after a while. You can mask it by brushing your teeth, chewing sugar-free gum, or using mouthwash.
- Keto adaptation. Keto adaptation is the process of your body becoming more efficient at using fat and ketones for energy. It may take several weeks or months for your body to fully adapt to the keto diet. During this time, you may experience some fluctuations in your energy, mood, and performance. You may also notice some changes in your appetite, sleep, and digestion. These are normal and temporary, and will improve as you become more keto-adapted.
Conclusion
The keto diet is a great way to lose weight and improve your health. It's not hard to follow, but it does require some planning and preparation. By following the steps above, you can start the keto diet and enjoy its benefits.
If you want to learn more about the keto diet and how it can help you, check out these resources:
(1) A Keto Diet for Beginners: The #1 Ketogenic Guide - Diet Doctor. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto.
(2) The Ketogenic Diet: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide to Keto - Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101.
(3) Keto Diet: A Beginner's Guide - WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/diet/keto-diet-for-beginners.
Check out the other blog page where I have compiled the best keto cookbooks from breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and desserts, and the Ultimate Keto Diet Guide
I hope this blog was helpful and informative for you. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. And if you liked this blog, please share it with your friends and family who might be interested in the keto diet. Thank you for reading!
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