Keto Lifestyle 8 Tips Before You Start

All you need to know before you adopt a Keto Lifestyle.

A keto diet is well known for being a low carb diet, where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy. All the media and internet are talking about this. Even books are being written about keto lifestyle.

Some of thecookingworld team members adopt the keto lifestyle, as a result, they decide to share there experience and tips with you. So that you do not have to make the same mistakes they made.

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1. Prep your pantry before starting keto

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This is probably one of the most important tips on this list. Unless you already cook for someone that already adopted the keto lifestyle, do yourself a favor and get rid of all the carbs in your kitchen. Just get a nice big box and get ’em out. If you don’t have it – great- you don’t need it as well! Many of the quick snack foods are carb-heavy, and if you come home hungry that’s what you’re going to reach for. To know more about what you should buy go check our Top 10 foods you should be eating.

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2. Tracking is very important

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All about the numbers! To really want to follow a keto lifestyle you will need to be meticulous in your macros. It’s important to be sure that your intake of carbs, fat, protein, and calories are in the right ratio (your macros) and especially in the beginning you really need to meticulously track that. Some people take the spreadsheet route, some jot things down in a notebook, others use one of the many apps out there. Either way, you must track everything, at least until you are very experienced with keto.

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3. Read all the labels, all the time

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Carbs are sneaky little devils and show up everywhere and in the most unlikely places. To really enter in a keto diet you must read the labels on everything you buy. And don’t forget to become familiar with the carb counts of things that aren’t labeled, such as meats, vegetables, and restaurant food. Believe us, when we say that is very easy to pass your daily carb count if you paint attention to the labels.

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4. Drink more water than you think

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Drink a lot of water is very important in any lifestyle. Maintaining your body hydrated it not only helps regulate many vital body functions, but it also helps control hunger levels. If you adopted a keto lifestyle you will probably notice that your water consumption will increase. A good amount of water on a keto diet should be around 3.5L (1 gallon) of water a day. Make sure that you’re hydrating and, and don’t forget to be consistent with the amount of water you drink.

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5. You don’t have to eat like a frat boy

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Keto lifestyle or keto diet are the new trends in the food world. If you google “keto recipes” you’ll probably find your screen full of gooey, cheesy, bacony, meaty images. And to a certain point, this is true get it — all that stuff previously forbidden on calorie- and fat-focused diets are suddenly OK and it’s hard to not think “Hurray! This diet is great because it’s all bacon, cheese and chocolate (dark one – sorry!) all the time, baby.”

But things are not always what they seem. Yes, bacon, cheese, chocolate is allowed in keto diets, actually they are good keto foods, but eating your leafy greens is just as important — maybe even more so. And second, all this “good stuff” will get old very quickly. If you don’t eat with moderation, when you get week three in your diet, you will be full of this foods.

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6. Prepare your meals

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Having a keto lifestyle especially if you have a busy life could be something difficult. Imagine that you come home after a long day and you’re starving, and there’s nothing to eat because all the quick, grabbable food (chips, pretzels, crackers) are forbidden. Even fruit like apples or bananas are out of the list due to their high sugar count.

The easiest solution to this problem is to prepare in advance your meals. Cook up large batches of dishes appropriate for your macros on a Sunday and then portion it out for the week. This way there’s always something available to quickly heat up when you’re famished. Boiling up a dozen eggs is helpful, too, as a hard-boiled egg drizzled with spicy mayo or salsa verde makes a good, quick snack.

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7. Don’t forget the vegetables

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Vegetables are not only for vegetarians! In a keto lifestyle, you will need to eat many vegetables (see here witch vegetables are better for keto diets). But attention, certain items are forbidden, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, and other vegetables like tomatoes and beets need to be strictly monitored as their sugar count can add up. But in general, it’s not that hard to eat a vegetable-focused diet while in keto. In fact, it’s the best way to go!

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8. Get your restaurants lined up

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Adopting a keto lifestyle could be difficult when it comes to night outs. Is it really that difficult? Imagine dinner with your friends. They suggested hamburgers. Can’t do hamburgers. Pasta? Can’t do pasta. Chinese? Probably difficult. Some category of foods are just easier to keto diets than others. A nice steakhouse is always a nice keto-friendly restaurant. A nice steak, a burger without the bun, or a cobb salad are classic dishes that are not difficult to find. If you think a litter you can probably create something keto-friendly at some of your favorite spots. For instance, maybe you can get by on a salad and salumi plate at your favorite Italian restaurant. Either way, be sure to have three or four restaurants in mind for the next time your friends say “Where do you want to meet up for dinner?”