The keto diet is well known as a low carb diet where the body produces ketones in the liver to use as energy.But switching to a low-carb, high-fat diet at the same time can be challenging.
There's no doubt about it - it's a restricted eating plan.In addition to eliminating all refined carbohydrates, you should avoid starchy vegetables, grains, sauces, juices, and limit your fruit intake.
Before you start, determine your fitness goal
Before committing to any diet, the first thing should always be your “why” or main goal.This will determine your nutritional needs and guide you further.There are four main reasons someone might consider changing their diet, and not all of them are keto-friendly:
Weight loss
Losing weight or fat is the most common reason people decide to try keto.If this is your goal, maintaining a caloric deficit is your main idea.Progress can be measured by seeing a decrease in numbers or changes in body composition, which can be assessed using any body fat analysis tool.
Increased muscle mass
Gaining muscle essentially means gaining weight, and that's not always ideal for everyone.Also, the ketogenic diet may not be the best diet for building 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'll need to focus on extra calories, training, and macronutrient balance.And to accurately measure your progress, you need a body composition test.
Improved performance
Fat can be an abundant and valuable source of energy used by many athletes.Therefore, the keto diet is suitable for increasing the performance of endurance athletes and those who do not need frequent high-intensity training.The timing of nutrient intake and adequate nutrition is the primary focus of this goal, and performance progress can be measured by measuring metabolic efficiency.
Improved health
Improving health isn't necessarily the main goal for those on a keto diet, unless the health benefits come from weight loss.This is because the keto diet is quite restrictive and getting plenty of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) can be difficult.
If you want to improve your keto diet, the first thing you need to think about is your food choices.Achievement of this goal can be measured using biometric tests.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 enter ketosis:
- Increasing physical activity.
- Significant reduction in carbohydrate consumption.
- Ketone level test
- Eating protein.
How to switch to a 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 will ask 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 to continued success.Meeting your daily carb goal is very important, especially if you are trying to achieve 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 your individual fitness level, metabolic efficiency, and other factors.Now you're ready to start planning the keto diet of your dreams.But before you start eating bacon and cheese, there are a few things to consider.Nutrition and the quality of the foods you eat are still important to your overall health and well-being.Plus, choosing more nutritious foods can help improve your energy levels and mood, which in turn will motivate you to stay on the keto diet for longer.Some foods should include healthy carbohydrate substitutes.Great products for this purpose are: cauliflower, rice, portobello mushroom rolls, spaghetti squash.
How to properly follow the keto diet
Keto meal planning is only half the battle;your progress is a result of consistency.This means that you have to follow the diet plan for more than a few weeks.However, following a diet is not only about willpower, but also about building healthy habits and daily routines that will allow you to succeed.You don't have to be perfect for the Keto diet to be effective.It is possible to go off track and still see progress as long as you stick to 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 all high-calorie drinks and common medications like cough medicine, can be loaded with hidden carbs.Make sure the label does not contain ingredients such as maltodextrin, dextrose, sugar, cane syrup or starch.Because these substances can raise blood sugar levels and worsen ketone production.
- Use sweeteners and flour substitutes.
Sugar and flour can be difficult to completely eliminate from your diet, but it is possible if you know what to replace them with.Whatever nutritional approach you choose, make sure it allows you to maintain your health, well-being and positive results.