Tips for Keto Diet Success
The ketogenic diet is a diet like no other. It combines the power of calorie restriction with the unique benefits of nutritional ketosis to provide people with an effective way to lose weight and improve overall health.
As I look deeper into the keto diet, however, there is a huge discrepancy between what people think they need to do versus what the science says is best for most people. Some common myths like “carbs and insulin are the only reason why we get fat”, “you will lose weight as long as you are in ketosis”, and “calories don’t matter” are perpetuated on a daily basis by low carb diet enthusiasts, but these falsehoods only cause more confusion and frustration — especially if you are new to this way of eating.
Keto Egg Recipes
http://www.ketogasmic.com/top-10-keto-egg-recipes-for-breakfast
This is why we decided to put together an article with the ten most important tips for ketogenic diet success. With each tip, we hope to clear up common misconceptions and give you practical strategies so you can finally get the results you want.
1. Know What You Should Focus On
Do calories matter on keto? What exactly should you eat? Why does the keto diet work so well?
Depending on who you ask, you may get a completely different answer. Even some research papers will propose one hypothesis while other data clearly suggests that it’s not true (like the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis for obesity).
With all of the contradicting beliefs in the keto diet world, it is hard to know what is actually true — and without the truth how are you supposed to know what to do if things don’t go as you initially hoped?
Do you focus on limiting carbs more? What about exercising? Should you intermittent fast?
After digging through the research, It becomes clear that people lose weight on keto because of one thing — the fact that keto dieters tend to eat much fewer calories than they did before without noticing.
keto budget meal plan
http://www.ketogasmic.com/keto-budget-meal-plan-a-handy-guide-for-beginners
It doesn’t matter how much you restrict your carbs and how many grams of fat you eat. The key to burning off your own fat is being in a calorie deficit.
If you can find a diet that allows you to eat fewer calories than before without battling against cravings and hunger (like keto dieting does for most people), then you’ve found one of the most sustainable ways to lose weight.
The best way to create a diet like this is by following these two principles:
Eating mostly protein-dense and fiber-rich foods because of how satiating they are.
Eliminating all calorically-dense processed foods from your diet because of how easy it is to binge on them.
The primary reason why the keto diet is so effective for weight loss is that it follows these two principles better than almost every other popular diet. As a result, people who are following the keto diet feel more satisfied than ever before on fewer calories and start burning off excess body fat.
To learn more about how to lose weight on keto, check out this article.
To sum up this tip more succinctly: Eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its weight (not carb restriction) is the key to weight loss. If you are not getting results you want, it’s best to adjust your lifestyle and way of eating that allows you to be in a calorie deficit. One of the best ways to do this is by eating keto foods, which you will learn about in tip #2.
2. Only Consume Keto Foods and Ingredients
Keto foods are foods and ingredients that are very low in carbs. What “very low in carbs” means exactly will depend on your daily carb limit. For example, we recommend keeping total carbs below 35g and net carbs below 25g (ideally, below 20g) so that you can reap the benefits of eating highly satiating foods and ketosis. (To figure out your net carb consumption, simply subtract total fiber intake from total carbs.)
More facts: http://www.ketogasmic.com
To have such a small amount of carbs, you must be vigilant about your food choices. You may find that many of your favorite foods will put you near your carbohydrate limit for the day with just one serving. Even healthier foods like fruits and vegetables are packed with sugar and carbs, but don’t get discouraged — there is plenty of delicious food you can eat on the ketogenic diet.
For example, you can have a Bacon Breakfast Bagel for breakfast, a Thai BBQ Pork Salad for lunch, and a Keto BBQ Chicken Pizza for dinner. All of them are delicious and relatively low in carbs.
Check out this list for some more ideas of what you should and should not eat on the ketogenic diet:
Do Eat
Meats – fish, beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, etc.
Low carb vegetables – spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and other keto-friendly vegetables >
High fat dairy – hard cheeses, high fat cream, butter, etc.
Nuts and seeds – macadamias, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
Avocado and berries – raspberries, blackberries, and other low glycemic impact berries
Sweeteners – stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, and other low-carb sweeteners >
Other fats – coconut oil, high-fat salad dressing, saturated fats, etc.
Do Not Eat
Tubers – potato, yams, etc.
Fruit – apples, bananas, oranges, etc.
Sugar – honey, agave, maple syrup, etc.
Grains – wheat, corn, rice, cereal, etc.
To see more specific advice on what (and what not) to eat, click here.
For more ideas on what you can eat, check out our recipe page and our low carb cheat sheet.
You can also make plenty of keto-friendly baked goods and fried foods with keto flour like almond flour, coconut flour, and the other keto-friendly baking ingredients that you will find in this article.
However, eating these foods and making these keto recipes will not guarantee you the results you want. Once again, the key to weight loss is eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its weight. Even if your diet consists of absolutely no carbs, you can still gain weight. This is why it is so helpful to be aware of how many calories and grams of carbs, fat, and protein you are consuming on a daily basis.
3. Track Your Macros
The current research data suggests that we tend to underestimate how many calories we eat. At times, the difference between estimated calorie intake and actual calorie intake is so profound that you may think you are eating much less than before but you are still gaining weight.
In fact, many of us will have plenty of low-calorie days where we do lose a bit of weight, but then our subconscious weight-regulating mechanisms will kick in to motivate us to eat more the following day. This will cause you to either gain more weight or hit a weight loss plateau that you just can’t seem to break.
The worst part is that we are typically never aware that this is happening, and we start to blame ourselves or the diet when the truth is that we just need to take an objective look at how much we are eating.
3. Track Your Macros
One of the best ways to track what you are eating is by using a calorie tracking app and a scale. By using both, you will be much more accurate in knowing what you are consuming and have all the info you need to start losing weight consistently again.
When it comes to tracking calories, I prefer to use MyFitnessPal (for general macro tracking) and Cronometer (for more specific macro and micronutrient tracking). If you’d like to get started with tracking your calories using these apps, check out our guide on the topic — It has everything you need to know so that you can set up MyFitnessPal and Cronometer for your specific macronutrient needs.
To find out what your calorie and macronutrient needs are, plug your info into our keto calculator. It will tell you exactly how many calories and grams of fat, protein, and carbs you need to eat on a daily basis to get the results you want.
Another way to increase the accuracy of your calorie tracking is by using a food scale. Most people measure the amount of food they eat by guesstimating – which typically causes you to eat more calories than you intend.
There are certain things I look for when buying a scale, and most importantly include:
Having a conversion button. Most calorie tracking apps and websites use a mixture of units. Having a conversion button on your scale can make it much easier for you to measure your food. A gram to ounce and ounce to gram conversion button is the one that I most commonly use.
Automatic Shutoff. Make sure you research the scale you are buying. If the scales have an automatic shutoff, it can be troublesome to properly measure your food. Try to find scales that allow you to program the automatic shutoff or require you to manually turn it off.
Tare Function. Being able to place bowls, plates, and utensils on your scale makes it a lot easier to weight things out. Make sure that your scale has a tare option, which will allow you to place an item on the scale and revert back to 0.
Removable Plate. Cleaning scales can be a huge hassle when dealing with messy foods. Double check that the scale you are buying has a removable plate for easy cleaning.
Once you start tracking you food consumption more precisely, you can almost guarantee that you will get the results you want.
As I look deeper into the keto diet, however, there is a huge discrepancy between what people think they need to do versus what the science says is best for most people. Some common myths like “carbs and insulin are the only reason why we get fat”, “you will lose weight as long as you are in ketosis”, and “calories don’t matter” are perpetuated on a daily basis by low carb diet enthusiasts, but these falsehoods only cause more confusion and frustration — especially if you are new to this way of eating.
Keto Egg Recipes
http://www.ketogasmic.com/top-10-keto-egg-recipes-for-breakfast
This is why we decided to put together an article with the ten most important tips for ketogenic diet success. With each tip, we hope to clear up common misconceptions and give you practical strategies so you can finally get the results you want.
1. Know What You Should Focus On
Do calories matter on keto? What exactly should you eat? Why does the keto diet work so well?
Depending on who you ask, you may get a completely different answer. Even some research papers will propose one hypothesis while other data clearly suggests that it’s not true (like the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis for obesity).
With all of the contradicting beliefs in the keto diet world, it is hard to know what is actually true — and without the truth how are you supposed to know what to do if things don’t go as you initially hoped?
Do you focus on limiting carbs more? What about exercising? Should you intermittent fast?
After digging through the research, It becomes clear that people lose weight on keto because of one thing — the fact that keto dieters tend to eat much fewer calories than they did before without noticing.
keto budget meal plan
http://www.ketogasmic.com/keto-budget-meal-plan-a-handy-guide-for-beginners
It doesn’t matter how much you restrict your carbs and how many grams of fat you eat. The key to burning off your own fat is being in a calorie deficit.
If you can find a diet that allows you to eat fewer calories than before without battling against cravings and hunger (like keto dieting does for most people), then you’ve found one of the most sustainable ways to lose weight.
The best way to create a diet like this is by following these two principles:
Eating mostly protein-dense and fiber-rich foods because of how satiating they are.
Eliminating all calorically-dense processed foods from your diet because of how easy it is to binge on them.
The primary reason why the keto diet is so effective for weight loss is that it follows these two principles better than almost every other popular diet. As a result, people who are following the keto diet feel more satisfied than ever before on fewer calories and start burning off excess body fat.
To learn more about how to lose weight on keto, check out this article.
To sum up this tip more succinctly: Eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its weight (not carb restriction) is the key to weight loss. If you are not getting results you want, it’s best to adjust your lifestyle and way of eating that allows you to be in a calorie deficit. One of the best ways to do this is by eating keto foods, which you will learn about in tip #2.
2. Only Consume Keto Foods and Ingredients
Keto foods are foods and ingredients that are very low in carbs. What “very low in carbs” means exactly will depend on your daily carb limit. For example, we recommend keeping total carbs below 35g and net carbs below 25g (ideally, below 20g) so that you can reap the benefits of eating highly satiating foods and ketosis. (To figure out your net carb consumption, simply subtract total fiber intake from total carbs.)
More facts: http://www.ketogasmic.com
To have such a small amount of carbs, you must be vigilant about your food choices. You may find that many of your favorite foods will put you near your carbohydrate limit for the day with just one serving. Even healthier foods like fruits and vegetables are packed with sugar and carbs, but don’t get discouraged — there is plenty of delicious food you can eat on the ketogenic diet.
For example, you can have a Bacon Breakfast Bagel for breakfast, a Thai BBQ Pork Salad for lunch, and a Keto BBQ Chicken Pizza for dinner. All of them are delicious and relatively low in carbs.
Check out this list for some more ideas of what you should and should not eat on the ketogenic diet:
Do Eat
Meats – fish, beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, etc.
Low carb vegetables – spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and other keto-friendly vegetables >
High fat dairy – hard cheeses, high fat cream, butter, etc.
Nuts and seeds – macadamias, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
Avocado and berries – raspberries, blackberries, and other low glycemic impact berries
Sweeteners – stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, and other low-carb sweeteners >
Other fats – coconut oil, high-fat salad dressing, saturated fats, etc.
Do Not Eat
Tubers – potato, yams, etc.
Fruit – apples, bananas, oranges, etc.
Sugar – honey, agave, maple syrup, etc.
Grains – wheat, corn, rice, cereal, etc.
To see more specific advice on what (and what not) to eat, click here.
For more ideas on what you can eat, check out our recipe page and our low carb cheat sheet.
You can also make plenty of keto-friendly baked goods and fried foods with keto flour like almond flour, coconut flour, and the other keto-friendly baking ingredients that you will find in this article.
However, eating these foods and making these keto recipes will not guarantee you the results you want. Once again, the key to weight loss is eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its weight. Even if your diet consists of absolutely no carbs, you can still gain weight. This is why it is so helpful to be aware of how many calories and grams of carbs, fat, and protein you are consuming on a daily basis.
3. Track Your Macros
The current research data suggests that we tend to underestimate how many calories we eat. At times, the difference between estimated calorie intake and actual calorie intake is so profound that you may think you are eating much less than before but you are still gaining weight.
In fact, many of us will have plenty of low-calorie days where we do lose a bit of weight, but then our subconscious weight-regulating mechanisms will kick in to motivate us to eat more the following day. This will cause you to either gain more weight or hit a weight loss plateau that you just can’t seem to break.
The worst part is that we are typically never aware that this is happening, and we start to blame ourselves or the diet when the truth is that we just need to take an objective look at how much we are eating.
3. Track Your Macros
One of the best ways to track what you are eating is by using a calorie tracking app and a scale. By using both, you will be much more accurate in knowing what you are consuming and have all the info you need to start losing weight consistently again.
When it comes to tracking calories, I prefer to use MyFitnessPal (for general macro tracking) and Cronometer (for more specific macro and micronutrient tracking). If you’d like to get started with tracking your calories using these apps, check out our guide on the topic — It has everything you need to know so that you can set up MyFitnessPal and Cronometer for your specific macronutrient needs.
To find out what your calorie and macronutrient needs are, plug your info into our keto calculator. It will tell you exactly how many calories and grams of fat, protein, and carbs you need to eat on a daily basis to get the results you want.
Another way to increase the accuracy of your calorie tracking is by using a food scale. Most people measure the amount of food they eat by guesstimating – which typically causes you to eat more calories than you intend.
There are certain things I look for when buying a scale, and most importantly include:
Having a conversion button. Most calorie tracking apps and websites use a mixture of units. Having a conversion button on your scale can make it much easier for you to measure your food. A gram to ounce and ounce to gram conversion button is the one that I most commonly use.
Automatic Shutoff. Make sure you research the scale you are buying. If the scales have an automatic shutoff, it can be troublesome to properly measure your food. Try to find scales that allow you to program the automatic shutoff or require you to manually turn it off.
Tare Function. Being able to place bowls, plates, and utensils on your scale makes it a lot easier to weight things out. Make sure that your scale has a tare option, which will allow you to place an item on the scale and revert back to 0.
Removable Plate. Cleaning scales can be a huge hassle when dealing with messy foods. Double check that the scale you are buying has a removable plate for easy cleaning.
Once you start tracking you food consumption more precisely, you can almost guarantee that you will get the results you want.
Comments
Post a Comment