The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Starting Keto Right

How to Start Keto the Right Way for Beginners

Welcome! Today, we’re diving into how to start the keto diet correctly, especially if you’re a beginner. The goal of keto is to switch your body’s fuel source from sugar to fat. This shift is driven by a hormone called insulin. To burn fat, you need to keep insulin levels low. Here’s how you can do it.

Step 1: Lower Your Carbs and Eat Less Frequently

To burn fat, you need to lower your carbohydrate intake and eat less often. This doesn’t mean eating fewer calories, but rather spreading your meals out more. The reason? Every time you eat, especially carbs, your body releases insulin. To keep insulin levels low, you should eat less frequently.

What to Eat on Keto

Low-Carb Foods: Cut out sugars like honey, agave nectar, and all other forms of sugar. You can use sugar substitutes, like sugar alcohols, for sweetening.

Avoid High-Carb Foods: Steer clear of grains (like wheat, bread, pasta) and starches (like potatoes). But don’t worry! There are great alternatives like almond flour for baking and cauliflower for making low-carb dishes.

Eat Lots of Vegetables: You can have as many non-starchy vegetables as you like—aim for at least seven cups a day. Veggies like bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and tomatoes are excellent choices.

Step 2: Focus on Protein

Moderate Protein Intake: Unlike the Atkins diet, keto focuses on moderate protein. Depending on your size and activity level, this might be between 3 to 8 ounces of protein per meal.

Choose the Right Protein: Include meats, fish, chicken, seafood, eggs, and cheese in your diet. It’s best to opt for fattier cuts of meat, as lean protein can spike insulin more than fattier options.

Step 3: Increase Healthy Fats (continued)

Fat Sources: Since fats are essential on keto, you’ll want to include healthy sources like avocados, butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. These fats help keep you full and support the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins from your vegetables.

Combining Fats with Meals: It’s a good idea to add fats directly to your meals. For example, drizzle olive oil on your salad or melt butter over your vegetables. This not only makes your meal more satisfying but also helps your body absorb the nutrients in your food more effectively.

Avoid Unhealthy Fats: Stay away from processed vegetable oils like soy, corn, canola, and cottonseed oil. These oils are highly inflammatory and can disrupt the benefits of the keto diet. Instead, opt for natural fats from nuts, seeds, avocados, and fatty fish.

Step 4: Implement Intermittent Fasting

Why Intermittent Fasting?: Combining keto with intermittent fasting (IF) enhances the benefits of the diet by further lowering insulin levels and increasing fat burning. The basic idea is to extend the period of time your body is fasting, typically by skipping breakfast and eating your meals within a shorter window, such as 6 to 8 hours.

Starting Out: If you’re new to fasting, start by gradually pushing your breakfast later each day until you’re comfortable skipping it altogether. You might find that a cup of coffee with a tablespoon of butter or MCT oil in the morning helps you stay full until your first meal at noon.

No Snacking: One of the most important rules is to avoid snacking between meals. Snacking, even on low-carb foods, can stimulate hunger and increase insulin levels. Instead, ensure your meals are filling by including enough healthy fats, which will help you go longer without eating.

Step 5: Structuring Your Day

Meal Timing: For many people on keto, a common eating pattern is having the first meal around noon and the second meal around 6 PM. This gives you an 18-hour fasting window, which is excellent for lowering insulin and promoting fat loss.

Don’t Count Calories: At this stage, don’t worry about counting calories. Focus on eating the right foods at the right times. As your body adapts to burning fat, you’ll naturally feel more satisfied with less food.

Additional Tips for Success

Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day, and feel free to enjoy tea or coffee (without sugar) as well. Staying hydrated is crucial, especially since your body might release more water as it burns through glycogen stores.

Monitor Nutrient Intake: Pay attention to getting enough electrolytes—especially potassium, magnesium, and sodium. These nutrients are important for maintaining energy levels and preventing “keto flu,” a common side effect when starting keto.

Be Patient: Transitioning into ketosis can take a few days to a week. You might experience temporary symptoms like fatigue or irritability as your body adjusts, but this is normal. Stay the course, and you’ll soon experience the benefits of ketosis, including increased energy and mental clarity.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, starting keto the right way involves lowering your carb intake, eating more healthy fats, and incorporating intermittent fasting. Focus on whole foods, avoid processed carbs and unhealthy fats, and listen to your body as you adjust to this new way of eating. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to success on the keto diet