When I decided to give the Keto Diet a try I did not prepare well, I just jumped right in and decided to learn as I go.
For the first two weeks, I winged it, sticking to the same types of foods and not overcomplicating the already tough challenge of finding Keto approved foods that fit into what my family is eating.
I am officially six weeks into Keto, and I feel a lot more comfortable in my new lifestyle, I know for the most part what I can and can’t eat on a diet.
To read about why I started the keto diet; check out this post HERE.
I want to share with you seven easy Keto Diet tips that I have found the most helpful in my new lifestyle. There has been much trial and error but following these tips have consistently helped me reach and stay in Ketosis.
Track Your Meals
Keeping track of your meals is probably the most important tip I can give you, by doing so you can pin down which foods help you achieve Keto and the amount you are consuming.
One of the biggest mistakes I find people make on the Keto Diet is overeating, calories should be counted, and there are a lot of hidden carbs and sugar in foods.
I was using food charts like this one HERE found on Pinterest to decide what I can eat on Keto, but it wasn’t until after the second week that I download the KetoDiet app, it made choosing my meals and counting my carbs, fats, and calories so much easier.
It also helps you keep count of your water intake and the calories you burnt with exercise or even just cleaning the house. The free version allows you to count five foods a day.
Set A Morning Routine
Begin every morning with a routine that works for you, everyone is different, but I find that by doing the same steps every morning I can stay consistent and start the day on a positive note.
I start my morning with hot water and lemon tea, meditate for 5 minutes and then make my coffee or tea, I add a scoop of Perfect Keto Exogenous Ketone Base.
The Perfect Keto Exogenous Ketone Base is loaded with MCTs, a vital source of energy for anyone even if you are not doing the Keto diet.
MCT a medium-chain triglyceride creates energy in the form of ketones almost instantly; they help your body absorb base and reach Ketosis faster.
Exogenous Ketone Base has become one of my favorite supplements and an excellent tool for raising my Ketone levels without having to consume extra calories.
I workout and then have a healthy and balanced breakfast, my typical go to is an egg omelet with spinach, bacon, and cheese with a scoop of homemade guacamole.
Drink Up!
One of the most important things you can do in any diet is to drink lots of water, but you must pay extra attention when starting out on the ketogenic diet. This is because your body excretes more water from your body when carbohydrates aren’t present.
Aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water at the minimum.
Be sure to drink more on days where you are sweating more often such as hot summer days or after intense workouts.
Go Heavier On Salt
When you adopt a low carb high-fat diet like the keto diet, insulin levels are much lower, and your body secretes more salt since there are no carbohydrates present in your body to spike insulin and hold onto the sodium.
When you’re in ketosis, add an extra three to five grams of sodium in your diet. The healthiest ways to get more salt in your diet include:
- Adding Himalayan sea salt (or pink salt), which contains natural trace minerals, to your water throughout the day
- Drinking organic bone broth
- Sprinkling pink salt on each one of your meals
- Eating low carb foods that naturally contain sodium like cucumbers and celery
- Eating salted macadamia nuts
Adding more salts will help you avoid electrolyte imbalances.
Exercise
To get into ketosis, your body first needs to get rid of glucose; exercise uses different types of energy for fuel including carbohydrates, amino acids, and fats.
The more frequent and intense your workouts the quicker your body depletes its glycogen stores and starts to seek out other forms of fuel and will turn to fat for energy through ketosis.
Regular exercise can boost your ketone levels and help you transition into a low carb, high-fat lifestyle much quicker than without exercise.
My workout regimen includes both high-intensity exercises in conjunction with low-intensity steady-state activities like jogging.
Exercise will help you balance your blood sugar and aids your body in entering ketosis.
Limit Sugar Substitutes
My biggest challenge on the Keto Diet has been fighting the sugar cravings.
After fighting the craving for some time, I decided to try a recipe for a peanut butter cookie that I found on Pinterest that required Stevia.
I had never used Stevia or any sugar substitutes before, so I had no expectations, even so, I only used 1/2 the amount on the recipe. Even then the cookie was way too sweet and unenjoyable to me. I also felt sick.
I started to do some research and found so many articles and studies that have shown the body may react to sugar substitutes as it does to sugar. Which might explain why I felt nauseous and ill after consuming only a few bites of the cookie.
Another reason for avoiding sugar substitutes is because you are only going to increase your cravings for sweet foods and drinks and bombard one of the significant benefits of a keto diet which is that you re-calibrate your taste buds and stop craving sweets.
Snacks Are Your Bff
Having keto-friendly snacks are not only convenient but come in handy for when time is a huge factor.
Because most of your meals will be homemade an excellent remedy for the number of meals you prepare is to have a list of fast and healthy snacks.
My favorites are Avocadoes, Almonds, Hard Boiled Eggs, Pork Rinds, and Salami & Cheese rollup.
There you have my 7 Easy Keto Tips; I hope that you find them helpful and that it helps you reach your Keto Diet goals faster and more efficiently. Please let me know in the comment section if you would conceder the Keto Diet or if you already are doing it.
