The keto diet is known as a low-carb diet where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy.But switching to a low-carb, high-fat diet on your own can be difficult.
There is no doubt that this is a limited nutrition plan.In addition to eliminating all refined carbohydrates, you should also avoid starchy vegetables, grains, sauces, juices, and limit fruit intake.
Set your fitness goal before you start
The first thing to do before starting any diet should always be your “why” or main goal.This will determine your nutritional needs and give you further guidance.There are four main reasons why someone might consider changing their diet, and not all of them are keto-friendly:
weight loss
Losing weight or losing fat is the most common reason people decide to try keto.If that's your goal, maintaining a calorie deficit is your main idea.Progress itself can be measured by decreasing a number on the scale or changing your body composition;this can be assessed using any body fat analysis tool.
increased muscle mass
Gaining muscle mass actually means gaining weight, and it's not always ideal for everyone.Moreover, given the beneficial role of carbohydrates in training and muscle recovery, the ketogenic diet may not be the best diet for building muscle mass.But that doesn't stop everyone, and some people are seeing results.To build muscle, you need to focus on extra calories, training, and macronutrient balance.You need a body composition test to accurately measure your progress.
Improved performance
Fat can be an abundant and valuable source of energy used by many athletes.Therefore, the keto diet is suitable for improving performance in endurance athletes and those who do not need frequent high-intensity training.Timing of food intake and adequate nutrition are the primary focus of this goal, and improvement in performance can be measured by assessing metabolic efficiency.
Improved health
Unless health improves as a result of weight loss, improving health is not always the primary goal of those following the keto diet.This is because the keto diet is quite restrictive and getting plenty of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) can be challenging.
If you want to improve your keto diet, the first thing you need to think about is your food choices.Progress towards this goal can be measured through biometric testing.But new research continues to explore the potential benefits of low-carb and ketogenic diets for people with diabetes.
How to enter ketosis?
Ways to enter ketosis:
- Increasing physical activity.
- Significant reduction in carbohydrate intake.
- Checking your ketone levels
- Eating protein.
How to switch to the keto diet on your own?
Once you determine your basic health and fitness goal, the next step is to calculate the number of calories you need to eat per day to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight.The easiest way to do this is to use an online calorie calculator or download a fitness app that will ask your age, height, weight, gender and fitness level to estimate your daily needs.While calorie control has the biggest impact on your weight, understanding keto macros is still essential to continued success.Reaching your daily carbohydrate goal is crucial, especially if you're trying to reach ketosis.The keto diet is designed with strict macronutrient requirements, including high fat intake and extremely low carbohydrate intake.
For most people, the requirements look like this:
- 70% of calories come from fat
- 25% of calories from protein
- 5% calories from carbohydrates
But the macronutrient ratio that's ideal for you may depend on your individual fitness level, metabolic efficiency, and other factors.Now you're ready to start planning the keto menu of your dreams.But before you start eating bacon and cheese, there are a few things to consider.Nutrition and the quality of the foods you eat continue to be important to your overall health and well-being.Additionally, choosing more nutritious foods can help energy levels and mood, which will motivate you to continue the ketogenic diet for longer.Some foods need to contain healthy carbohydrate substitutes.Products that are perfect for this are: cauliflower, rice, portobello mushroom rolls, spaghetti squash.
How to follow the keto diet correctly?
Planning your keto menu is only half the battle;Your progress is the result of consistency.This means you need to stick to your diet plan for more than a few weeks.But following the diet relies not only on willpower, but also on developing healthy habits and daily routines that will set you up for success.You also don't have to be perfect on the keto diet for it to be effective.As long as you stay consistent with your calorie goals and continue to work towards them, it's possible to stay off track and still see progress.Use the following strategies to follow the keto diet:
- Read labels carefully.
Everything that comes in the package, including high-calorie drinks and common medications like cough medicine, can be filled with hidden carbohydrates.Make sure the label does not contain ingredients such as maltodextrin, dextrose, sugar, cane syrup or starch.Because these substances can increase blood sugar levels and disrupt ketone production.
- Use sweeteners and flour substitutes.
It's difficult to completely eliminate sugar and flour from your diet, but it's possible if you know what to replace them with.Whatever nutritional approach you choose, make sure it allows you to maintain your health, well-being and positive results.