So you have decided to try Keto — now what?

Keto is not like a light switch, you cannot just turn it on and expect it to run.  It is YOUR body and you need to do a bit of research in order to fuel it properly.

Thankfully, the popularity of Keto has made it so there are TONS of resources and many of them are free 🙂

So here is where we think your should start to make the most of your keto journey………….

STEP ONE — Download a great macro tracking app.  There are several, we like Carb Manager because it is super easy.  You can use it online or on your phone or tablet.  It is free (there is a premium upgrade if you want to hook it up to your fitbit or if you want recipes because they have zillions of them)  I have never found that I need that many recipes but it is a pretty good deal if you do, so check it out in the app store for your phone or the google play store or at carbmanager.com       There are other apps that do the same job and whatever one you choose be sure to go to the settings and set it for you so with your height and weight and macros.

***** if you hate tracking your food, try this for a week because when I am online or on Facebook, I see a lot of people complaining about not wanting to track and then wanting to know if they ate properly – who knows – track it for a little while and you will know.

STEP TWO – RESEARCH and LEARN   Don’t expect to go on a facebook group and be like “tell me what to do”.  People are as busy as you are.  They don’t know what you like to eat or where you live to know where you shop or how much money you have to know if you need a budget or if you are a bit spendy.   And really, this and step one are YOU TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOU.  So it is super easy actually because lots of people have come before you.   Go to our “Keto on the Web” page and watch all of the beginner videos.  There are some great experts on YouTube like Dr Berg and Dr Jason Fung and some super fun people like Keto connect who will help you learn all about it.

STEP THREE – GROCERY SHOPPING  (and maybe cupboard cleaning)  So every diet wants you to start by throwing out all your food and starting over.  I am a parent and I have a spouse so I can’t just do that and maybe you can or maybe you cannot so personal choice on the cupboard cleaning but you will need to do some grocery shopping.   Go to our Grocery Shopping Page for some staples and ideas as well as some other great ideas.

STEP FOUR — COOK SOMETHING  Keto eating does not need to be fancy recipes.  A steak, a salad, a fatty, keto friendly salad dressing like blue cheese that you have checked has no (or very little) carbs and you have dinner.   A couple of fried eggs, a half an avocado and a couple of slices of bacon and you have breakfast.   There are tons of recipes to make it more fun and you will get to those and want to try those but be sure to get the basics down or it will feel overwhelming.   Go to our KETO TEMPLATE page to see how your plate should look for each meal.

STEP FIVE – DRINK UP You need to drink a ton of water on Keto and you may need to drink more than just water.  Your body will let go of a lot of electrolytes when you stop eating carbs so you may need an electrolyte supplement. You can get a lot of the electrolytes you need from healthy food such as avocado, sea salt, fresh vegetables. But a lot of people on Keto find that they need more especially if you are just getting started or if you work out. Dr. Berg makes a really good one (tastes yummy and no weird ingredients) so if you are looking for one, that is a good one.

STEP SIX – SETTLE DOWN, BE PATIENT and GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY – This is not an overnight process. You didn’t get out of shape or overweight in a day so settle down and let yourself have some time. Focus on your health. Don’t rage into keto trying to get thin for a holiday and then be all upset when that doesn’t happen. Weight loss takes time and done the healthy way, it can sometimes take a bit longer and have some ups and downs so relax, follow and enjoy the process. So there is the patience part, now let’s talk about getting out of your own way. By that I mean self-sabotage. This is things like drinking booze or eating junk food or going out for a dinner without doing research before you go. There are strategies for eating out but you can’t just wing it and when you go back and forth between your old life and keto, you are setting yourself up for failure. You are not allowing your body to get used to good ingredients. It is like putting crappy old gas into your engine, it won’t run right. Now, your car will just die and quit. Your body is more protective of life so it will keep running but it will act up with things like poor digestion and poor cognition and weight gain. And yes, you can be on keto and gain weight and the easiest way to do that is by having too many “cheat” days so just learn to love your new way of eating and skip the cheat days.