Keto Diet For Beginners: How To Start in 9 Steps

A keto diet is no longer considered exotic. It’s quite popular lately. And yet, many still argue about its benefits and doubt whether it is suitable for a healthy weight loss.
The truth is that, as with most other eating patterns, a keto diet works when we work hard and consistently on ourselves. In this article, we will tell you how exactly to get into the state of ketosis.
For starters, while this article will also cover the downsides, there are three benefits to a ketogenic diet that are different from other meal plans.

• Fat burning is easy and simple. Food fat and body fat are used as energy sources.
• You don’t have to worry too much about calories since fat is the most energy-intensive macronutrient — 1 gram provides 9 kcal while carbs give only 4 kcal. However, fats take longer to digest than other macronutrients and keep you feeling full longer.
• It is easy to see results in a short time. The goal of any diet is to reduce body fat. A ketogenic diet is a method that is often effective in as little as 3 months, depending on the goal.

1. Find out what to eat – beginner keto diet foods

The basis of this diet is to maintain a balance of PFC (protein, fat and carbohydrates). As long as you stay within your daily macronutrient and calorie intake, the fats forming ketone bodies will provide the most benefit. However, carbs can throw your ketosis out of balance. So, it’s essential to stick to a limit of around 50 g of carbs per day.

Keto diet food list for beginners:

1. Meat and eggs: beef, pork, venison, chicken, lamb, etc.
2. Fish and shellfish: salmon, tuna, octopus, oysters, squids, shrimps, etc.
3. Vegetables: cauliflower, celery, cucumber, spinach, zucchini, lettuce, etc.
4. Healthy fats, oils and other foods: homemade mayonnaise, avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, walnut oil, etc.
5. FEW nuts, seeds, and low-carb fruits (avocados, lemons, limes, etc.).

2. Reboot your relationship with fatty foods – rule #2 of a keto diet for beginners

As we’ve repeatedly stressed, the key to a full ketogenesis that will work towards your goals is consuming plenty of healthy fats. They should make up 70-80% of calories consumed.

For a person just starting to observe such a regimen, you need to change the principles of nutrition radically. While seemingly effortless, changing eating habits requires willpower, perseverance, and a period of adaptation until the body begins to enter the state of ketosis.

• To be successful, you need to focus on your fat intake.
• It is believed that insufficient fat intake is a significant factor in the failure of the ketogenic diet.

Follow the basic principles of nutrition, and your body will not accumulate excess fat, but will burn it.

3. Control your protein intake

Striving for less than 25-50 g of carbs per day is only some of what you need to focus on when you’re on a keto diet. High-protein diets are suitable for people who want to build muscle but are not the best option for a keto lifestyle.

Things to remember while starting a keto diet:

• The recommended amount of protein is 10-20% of the total daily calories.
• Some amino acids found in proteins can, at least in part, convert to glucose and thus raise blood sugar levels.
• According to many nutritionists, it may take longer to reach ketosis if you are on a high-protein diet.

4. How to start a keto diet – say no to high-carb processed foods

Don’t sacrifice your health or risk your weight loss program for convenience and old habits. What you eat each day and your daily activity level determine whether you will gain, lose, or maintain your weight.

A good diet is a healthy diet. Give your body what it needs:

• Do not eat finished and processed foods that are high in carbs, salt, sugar, and unhealthy fat.
• Buy the freshest foods.
• Cook more meals at home. This allows you to control the quality of foods and the number of calories and macronutrients.
• Read labels. It is crucial to know what you buy and eat. Some manufacturers hide harmful ingredients under different names, even in foods that are advertised as healthy.

The goal of a keto diet is to consume foods that contain fat (lipids) while at the same time reducing the carbohydrate intake to starve the cells of sugar and induce ketosis. The main danger of high-carb processed foods is primarily because their use will not provide the conditions for ketosis.

Remember that high-carb foods and a regular increase in blood sugar are associated with fat deposition and weight gain, a rapid drop in energy and tone after eating, and the risk of diseases such as diabetes.

It is challenging to cook many healthy meals daily, especially if you cook for the whole family. Do you want to dine out but without changing your refusal of fast carbs? Find local keto cafés and keto restaurants catering to your new lifestyle.

Also, see additional information about a keto diet for beginners in Australia in third-party sources.

5. Share your new habits with your relatives

Meal time is often a meeting time for parents and their children, family members, friends and colleagues. Following nutritional advice during this time can be difficult, especially during holidays.

Many questions may arise in your head, for example, when someone invites you to a holiday table or offers sweets:

• What will I eat?
• Should I go to the table to which I was invited?
• Will they understand that I’m on a diet?
• What to do if someone offers sweets?
• How can I refuse when they offer me an undesirable dish?
• How can I be polite without offending anyone but not eating junk food?
• How will I appear in the eyes of others?
• Will they comment on me?
• Will they call me weird?

Tell your friends, family and colleagues that you are on a keto diet and need their support to prevent such thoughts from stressing and scaring you. For example, you can ask your partner not to bring sweets home or put them in the open. You can ask your friends and colleagues not to offer sweets or to offer food that suits you.

You can also seek individual or group support. The more help and advice you get, the better your chances of success. Develop new skills and behavior patterns. Try to distract yourself from the desire to eat carbs. Try to find like-minded people. A keto diet is quite popular.

Many don’t like such questions as “How to do a keto diet?”, “How much weight have you lost this week?”, “Do you get stressed?”. So, you can ask them not to ask you such questions or simply ignore them.

6. Be careful of the side effects of a keto diet

Dietary patterns based on ketogenesis are a hot topic these days. This style of eating is generally considered safe and beneficial when done correctly. On the other hand, many people complain about side effects, and keto flu is the main of these.

Keto flu often begins 1-2 days after the start of carb restriction and can last from a few days to two weeks, up to a month. Its symptoms vary greatly from person to person. And it is said that the more carbs you had in your meals before the diet, the more severe the symptoms.

Keto flu symptoms include:

• Drowsiness.
• Headache.
• Chills.
• Dizziness.
• Bad sleep.

In other words, when you have keto flu, you can feel bad about it, just like with the regular flu.

When sugar levels are low, and the body turns to stored fat for its energy needs, many changes occur in the body. So, switching from a typical moderate-to-high-carb diet to a low-carb diet may cause other side effects, such as:

• Thirst.
• Prostration.
• Lethargy.
• Mood swings.
• Constipation.
• Diarrhea.

A ketogenic diet is generally more expensive than a regular diet is. And sometimes, this is reported as a side effect. Since protein foods (meat, fish, eggs, etc.) and some vegetables are more expensive than carbs, they can put pressure on your family budget.

7. Learn how to avoid or reduce side effects

How to do a keto diet correctly to avoid side effects? It’s easier than it seems at first glance.

Gastrointestinal side effects are due to changes in fiber and fat intake. Walking fast after eating improves blood circulation, which helps with constipation. Increasing your fiber intake with keto-friendly foods like cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, flax seeds, etc., can significantly improve gut health.

During ketogenesis, the body rapidly loses water, which can lead to fluid deficiency and dehydration. It is believed that this is related to a change in glycogen metabolism and the diuretic effect of ketones.

In other words, drink more water while lowering your carb intake. It’s vital to stay hydrated if you develop diarrhea (one of the symptoms of keto flu) as you lose fluid quickly.

Due to the diuretic effect of ketogenesis, not only water but also minerals such as salt excrete from the body. Make up for the lack of trace elements your body needs for normal functioning. For example, you can use vitamin and mineral complexes to do it.

8. Stop the diet if you find it’s not for you

When you are in the state of ketosis, fat is burned efficiently, which is why the effect of the diet is so remarkable. However, situations may arise when you should stop or suspend the diet. This can happen for the following reasons:

• A ketogenic diet is effective, and you’ve reached your target weight.
• You can’t go on a strict low-carb diet. It’s too hard.
• Ketosis doesn’t work as expected, for example, causing unpleasant side effects.

Tips on how to get out of the ketogenic diet without negative consequences:

• Avoid suddenly eating the same amount of simple carbs (sugar) as you used to before dieting.
• Gradually reduce your fat and protein intake.
• Eat low-glycemic foods.
• Maintain your level of exercise or slightly increase it.

After you finish a diet, your body is usually under stress. It means that you can put on a few kilos again. But there is nothing to worry about. Now your goal is to eat healthy and balanced food to support the results achieved.

9. Prepare plan B

Generally, keto dietary patterns are not meant for long-term use. However, some modifications of these patterns may help you lose or maintain weight for a long time.

Considering that not everyone can achieve the ultimate goal of weight loss after a keto diet, you should consider continuing to make lifestyle changes. Alternatively, you can choose other meal plans that will work well in the long run:

• LCHF diet.
• DASH diet.
• FODMAP diet.
• Low cholesterol diet.
• Mediterranean diet.
• Vegetarian diet.

Here’s what to look for when choosing the right meal plan:

• Consider your personal needs.

• Consider your personal needs.
• A diet should not make a hole in the budget.
• Include favorite foods in your diet.
• A diet should not bother and take you off balance.

Before selecting and starting a diet, you should consult a doctor or nutritionist. He can assess your health and give important advice, especially if you have a disease, an allergic reaction to any food groups or other health problems.

Relevant article

What Is Keto Diet: Complete Weight Loss Guide