There are so many different diets out there that people try in an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle.
One of these diets is the keto diet. What is this you may ask? Well, the keto diet isn’t about cutting down how much you eat, it is more about changing what types of food you eat. It’s all about trying to eat food that is high in protein, low in carbs, and high in fat.
Many people who have tried out this diet have seen amazing results, especially with weight loss. The reason why the diet is so good for losing weight is that, by eating a lot of protein and not lots of carbs, your body goes into a state called ketosis. This is where the body burns fat for energy instead of glucose, it’s a normal choice of fuel.
If you’re thinking of starting a keto diet in the hope of getting into shape, then this is the article for you. Below are 93 surprising tips and tricks that you need to know if you’re a keto diet beginner. And what’s even better? These tips are from people who have tried out the diet themselves!
1 Don’t keep the foods you need to avoid in the house – if they’re not there, you can’t be tempted!
2 Meal Prep for the week ahead – if you have the food already made, then there’s no excuse not to eat it!
3 Substitute, substitute, substitute!!! – you don’t have to go without your favorite meals and snacks. There are loads of keto-friendly alternatives to lots of different foods, so you can just substitute your favorite for something suitable for the keto diet.
4 Keep things simple – you don’t need to overcomplicate things and make fancy, complex meals. Keep things nice and simple as this will make you more likely to stick to the diet.
5 Eat a specific amount of protein each day – with a keto diet it’s important you set yourself a protein goal. Try to stick to this as closely as you can, and make sure you don’t have too much protein as this can cause ketosis to stop
6 Start gradual – don’t try and go crazy by changing all your food and cutting down your calories immediately. Start out your new keto diet gradually, as this will make you more likely to stick to it.
7 Plan out what you’re going to eat every day – you can plan for either the week ahead or for the next day, but having a schedule of what you’re going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner will stop you from straying from your keto diet and choosing to eat something else out of ease.
8 Write a shopping list – before you do your weekly food shop, make sure to write a list of what you need to buy. This prevents you from buying any unhealthy or other non-keto foods.
9 Keep portion sizes small – whatever is on your plate you are likely to eat, so keep your portion size small. It’s better to be hungry and go up for seconds than to eat more than you need to.
10 Eat on a small plate – this will help you with the tip above. Serving your food on a small plate makes keeping to small portions easier. The plate will seem fuller and so you will feel like you are eating more.
11 Only eat when you are hungry – don’t eat for the sake of it.
12 Avoid the keto flu – you can do this by making sure you are getting enough magnesium, potassium, and sodium.
13 Drink lots of water – this is important for avoiding headaches which can be common when starting the keto diet.
14 Do it with a friend – this can help to motivate you and have someone you know to talk to about it.
15 Keep your fridge stocked with healthy, keto-friendly food – then you’re never tempted to go to the shop and get any unhealthy snacks
16 Set a limit of carbs – a keto diet should be very low-carbs, so set yourself a daily limit to help prevent you from eating too much
17 Know about the diet – you can’t go into a new diet blindly. You need to know how the diet should be followed and what foods are or aren’t keto-friendly.
18 Track your macros – this is different from counting calories, and instead means taking note of how much protein, fat, and carbs you eat.
19 Only eat the food you track – make sure to track everything you eat. Things such as oil can be easy to not think of, but this needs to be taken note of too.
20 Make sure the keto diet is the right choice for you – if you have any other health issues then you need to consult a doctor or research whether the keto diet is still suitable for you.
21 Eat home-cooked keto meals – this is the healthiest way to eat, rather than getting pre-made or other types of packaged keto meals as it’s not always clear what’s in them.
22 Track your process – so that you know what works for you and what doesn’t, and to gage if you’re getting your portion sizes correct, make sure to weigh and measure yourself regularly.
23 Get plenty of sleep – this helps to ensure your body is rested and can function how it needs to. This includes being able to digest food and carry out ketosis the way it should.
24 It’s a process – there will be times where it is difficult, but it is an ongoing process and it will become easier.
25 Join a keto community – this can help not only motivate you but also give your ideas of keto-friendly meals you
26 Your palette will adjust – you’ll soon find yourself not craving sweet things as much
27 You will notice more mental clarity and focus
28 Muscle weighs more than fat so don’t be discouraged if the number on the scale doesn’t change
29 You will find new foods you love
30 It’s not something to stress about
31 Don’t worry if you go stray slightly one day – you can easily get back on track, the important thing is to not let the whole thing go over one mistake
32 If you fast too then you can actually trigger ketosis quicker – just make sure you are fasting healthily
33 You’ll find yourself being less ‘hangry’
34 The keto diet can help to treat and prevent diabetes
35 It’s never too late to start, it’s suitable for any age!
36 Use social media for recipe inspiration
37 Try not to cheat at all in the first few weeks – this will make it much harder to stick to the diet in the long term
38 In time you won’t have to track macros all the time – it is just something to help you stay disciplined at the start of the diet
39 Keto dessert recipes are great for making guilt-free treats
40 Women might notice the first place they lose far is their breasts
41 Check the contents of all your food – there are sneaky carbs in lots of food
42 Having a little extra salt can help deal with keto brain fog
43 The keto diet is good for preventing and treating arthritis
44 Almost everyone hit a ‘keto stall’ – this is where progress halts for a bit, but you just have to keep going and you will push past it
45 Reducing carbs slowly is sometimes easier – cutting down too quickly can make you feel very fatigued and sluggish
46 The weight loss will be quick at first and then slow down
47 The first weight you lose will be water weight – keep going and that’s when you will start to see that fat loss
48 Start simple and then you can start trying to push the boat out as you get more used to the diet
49 You will find your sleep will be significantly improved
50 Your appetite will decrease when on keto – this will mean you will eat less and therefore lose weight
51 Supplement electrolytes – these are lacking in a keto diet so it’s important you are still getting your recommended daily dosage
52 There is such a thing as low carb bread which is easy to make yourself
53 The simpler you eat, the easier it is to count macros
54 The food you eat on keto is very satisfying and you won’t find yourself feeling hungry or like your restricted in any way
55 It’s a good idea to keep your doctor informed – this is especially important if you have any health conditions, as sometimes keto can have such amazing effects that it ends up getting rid of your need to be on medication (for example this can happen with diabetes)
56 You may experience changes in your bowel movements such as diarrhea and constipation – but supplementing electrolytes as mentioned above can help to sort this
57 Your cholesterol can rise when on a keto diet, although this is more due to an increase in good cholesterol, and so it shouldn’t be any cause for concern
58 Women may experience changes in their menstrual cycle
59 You won’t really feel hungry at all!
60 You will still get cravings, so it’s important to find ways to try and resist temptation
61 You can be successful whilst being lazy because there are keto meals which are so easy to make
62 There are different types of keto, so there is something there to suit everyone
Check out these cool tips by Ally:
63 It’s not only for losing weight – there are lots of other health improvements with the keto diet
64 Cheat days, especially when they involve more carbs, will most likely actually make you feel a lot worse
65 You will be pleased to know there are certain types of chocolate that you can eat whilst on the keto diet
66 If you struggle with eating plain water than you can try adding some lemon or salt – this then aids in helping to supplement your electrolytes
67 There are studies that show the keto diet can help to treat seizures
68 The keto diet can make you have bad breath – just make sure you are practicing good oral hygiene and in time this side effect will pass
69 It is best to avoid fruit if you can as they aren’t very keto-friendly
70 The keto diet can actually increase your libido
71 Tiredness is common at the start of the keto diet – but this will soon subside, it is just your body getting used to the new food
72 You will realize that you can find something to satisfy your hungry wherever you are
73 You’ll be surprised at how much there is which is suitable for the keto diet
74 Don’t get caught up on keto strips – they usually don’t work very well and can make the whole process more stressful than it needs to be
75 The ideal daily intake of carbs is 20 grams
76 Pasta, rice, and potatoes should be avoided
77 You can still have the occasional glass of wine whilst on a keto diet
78 Coffee is okay but avoids milky ones such as lattes!
79 You can drink tea on the keto diet as long as you don’t use lots of sugar or any artificial sweeteners
80 Try to decrease factors of stress in your life – lots of external stress can make it more difficult to stick to diets
81 Make sure you exercise regularly whilst on the keto diet – this can help to boost ketone levels and get rid of glucose quickly so that your body will go into ketosis
82 Fizzy drinks and soda need to be avoided – this includes diet ones too; they still have a huge amount of sugar even though they say 0 calories
83 Cook large meals and then freeze them so you have plenty of food ready to go to eat when you need something quick
84 The keto diet helps to greatly improve your gut microbiome
85 Investing in a good set of scales is a great way to help control your portion sizes and ensure that you are following the keto diet as best as you can
86 Your confidence will skyrocket!
87 You can take ketone supplements to help start off your journey on this new diet
88 Always carry around keto snacks to prevent you from cheating if you suddenly get hungry on the go!
89 You might find it a bit trickier choosing what to eat at restaurants, so try to go prepared and look at the menu beforehand
90 Make a budget to stop you from buying more food than you need to
91 Get the whole family involved so you can all support and motivate each other!
92 If you’re going to do the diet at all, you may as well do it properly – cheating or straying from it will only make you feel guilty and cause you to lose any progress you have made
93 Have fun with it!