Everything You Need to Know to Start a Ketogenic Diet Today

I shared my journey into keto in my last post where I promised to share my getting started resource list. Here is that promised list wiht a Q&A. Here goes!

What is a ketogenic diet?

A ketogenic diet is one that forces the body into ketosis which prioritizes the burning of fats in place of carbohydrates. It is a low carb, high fat diet which, for many, results in weight loss, increased and more stable energy and improved executive function. It is used to manage Type 2 Diabetes and Epilepsy, the latter in children. Basically, it can be a gateway to look, feel and think better, but it's not for every body. For example, poor thyroid function or no gall bladder can be a contraindication. As with any way of eating, it comes with its own risks as well as benefits.

Some reasons I keto

I no longer experience blood sugar crashes or the accompanying dizziness and faintness.

My asthma recovery is shockingly quick.

I have more and consistent energy throughout the day.

I sleep better.

My palate has changed. In fact, I now love brussels sprouts--a result I never considered.

I experience lessened anxiety. Not less. Just not as intense while I feel it.

I have fewer stomach aches and digestive issues.

I have no desire to starve myself. Eating to satiety and feeling physically well means the shame that drives anorexia is largely resolved.

I also shared some progress pics in my last post. You can find it here!

What will I eat?

The most common question I get when people find out I eat a high fat, low carb diet is what I eat. Lots of people have the misconception that I eat a lot of meat. I don't. Keto is a moderate protein diet. I do eat meat, but I actually eat less than I did before I started paying attention to fats versus carbs. Now I focus on fats from sources like butter, oils, nuts and seeds, and cheese. I manage to get in plenty of leafy greens, berries and other green veg daily. Those make up the bulk of my carbs. My proteins come from eggs and the usual animal sources, but also protein powder because I like to mix my calories into my coffee. Bulletproof mochas all day!

If you are thinking about keto and want to get some ideas, check out this keto kickstart meal plan from I Breathe I'm Hungry. It's a great way to get going.

How do I know how much to eat?

Calculating your macronutritional needs is the first step. Macros are your carb/protein/fat breakdown. Your daily nutritional needs are determined by your health and fitness goals and your current body composition. There are plenty of keto calculators you can use to plug in your data to figure out your macros. I really like this one from Keto Diet App.

How do I track my macros?

I use MyFitnessPal to keep track of what I eat daily. You can pay in to get super specific with your daily goals, but I use the basic, free features to eat to my goals. Some things I like are the ability to scan your food instead of programming it in, make a frequent set of foods a meal, and the ability to sync up a FitBit or other activity tracker to keep me on task.

There are a couple of tricks to getting set up on MyFitnessPal for keto. Caveman Keto has a very helpful configuring guide and you can find it here.

What the f*** is happening to my body?

The hardest part of keto is the first week. Entering ketosis is no ball game. Even though I didn't eat many carbs prior to this dietary shift, I experienced a raging case of keto flu not once, but twice. Keto flu is essentially flu-like symptoms as your body learns to burn fat in place of carbs. It's really unpleasant and can last a long time, but it doesn't have to. My favorite trick is drinking 1-2 cups of broth first thing in the morning.

Your body tends to be low on salt when in ketosis. Pickle juice also helps. You have to keep up with potassium and magnesium, so I also take a magnesium supplement. Once I figured out what my body needed, symptoms resolved overnight. The worst were days 2 and 3 of entering ketosis. I had a raging headache and dry mouth. But that was followed by an extreme uptick in energy and good feels that lasted two weeks before I normalized. I consider it a fair trade.

For help troubleshooting, reddit is your best bet. Here are some tips for long term keto success.

I still have questions about what to eat.

No problem! These resources will help:

Helpful food list with carb breakdowns from Keto Diet App.

A few sample menus for even more dining ideas via The Ketogenic Diet

Fat bombs are a tasty and great way to meet your fat intake goals. Here are some from Prevention, and here are more from Keto Diet App.

Hands down, Aldi is the best place to shop keto. By the way, it isn't really any more expensive to eat this way than carb-heavy. For me, it's less since I am unable to eat gluten and now I'm not replacing breads or bars. I eat less overall which means I spend less overall.

If you have resources to share, please link below! And feel free to AMA. I'm happy to chat.

All images are from pixabay.com