The keto diet has a bad rap for its limiting carbs, smothering everything in cheese and bacon, and melting the weight off of anyone that follows the “diet” correctly.
Of course, for the ones that have done their research, keto can be a Godsend and cure so many ailments while also helping with weightloss.
I have done my research and if done correctly (not smother everything in bacon and cheese) it is actually a very healthy and satisfying way to eat.
This post may contain Amazon affiliate, and related, links which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link! You can find my full Disclaimer here.
What is Keto?
When someone hears “keto” they most likely already have an idea in their head of what it is based on common misconceptions.
Keto is short for ketosis – this is putting your body into a state of ketosis by limiting carbs and sugar while upping your fat intake. Once you limit carbs and sugar, your body will begin to use fat to burn for energy instead of carbs and sugar.
When you your body depletes the fat you are consuming, it turns to the fat stored in your body. This is how people are able to lose weight quickly with keto.
Most times, the weight that comes off quickly – the first 10 to 15 pounds – is water weight, leaving people feel less bloated. Once the water weight is gone, the real weight comes off at a much slower pace.
Net Carbs
When you do keto, you want to track your carbs but most people will track their net carbs. Net carbs are your total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols.
Carb manager is a great app to use to help you track your net carbs and takes out all the guess work.
Sugar Alcohols
When you are on keto you are supposed to cut out most carbs and sugars, however, there are sugar alcohols that are approved for keto. Erythritol, Isomalt, Maltitol, Sorbitol, and Xylitol are a few sugars that are in your keto treats. You don’t need to count these sugars because they don’t affect blood sugar levels like normal sugars.
Healthy Keto is NOT Butter, Bacon, and Cheese.
There are different types of keto and you should follow the one that best suits you and your doctors recommendations. The ones I know well are Strict, Lazy, and Dirty.
Strict: Strict keto is when you follow a low carb/high fat diet to a T. You keep your carbs under 20 net carbs a day, up your fat in eat the healthiest veggies, quality of cheese, cuts of meat. This is probably the most drastic and hardest way to do keto. But, this will also allow you to get into ketosis the quickest and melt the fat right off leaving you feel the absolute best.
Lazy: All this implies is that you don’t track what you are eating and you don’t always stick to the 20 net carbs per day. This may be considered more of a low carb route by limiting processed foods, fast food, noodles, potatoes, breads and not tracking your macros. However, you can allow certain processed foods and alter some fast foods to fit into the keto category if you’re on the go.
Dirty: I believe this is where keto got its bad rap. Dirty keto is just that – dirty. This is where you don’t track your macros, you eat more processed foods, fast food, lots of cheese, bacon, and butter to get your fat in. This route can help with weightloss but it is not the healthiest by any means. It is dirty because the ingredients are not clean or always healthy.
With that said, you want to choose the right keto for your body and talk it over with your doctor.
What To Expect
Keto isn’t hard to do but it may be hard at first.
If you have a diet high in sugar, carbs, junk, fast food, processed foods – this is going to be a major shock to your body and it is going to take some willpower to get through the first week. I’m not going to sugar coat this (see what I did there?) but changing your diet to anything other than what you are used to is going to be tough.
Keto Flu
It is very possible to catch the keto flu. This isn’t a virus and it’s not contagious so don’t worry. This is simply your body adjusting to your new way of eating and processing foods. As I said previously, ketosis forces your body to burn fat instead of sugar and carbs, which your body is used to. So for the first week, you may have body aches, fatigue, brain fog, and headaches.
Don’t worry, I have help for you to stay away from the keto flu below.
Quick Weightloss
Depending on how much weight you need to lose, the first few weeks you can lose on average about 10 – 15 pounds of water weight and inflammation. This is that bloated, yucky feeling you have from eating too much processed foods, carbs, and sugar.
Your actual weightloss starts after this initial drop of “water”. This will be more slow and steady so it is important to stick to it to see real results.
What Can You Eat
The easiest way to make a plate with keto is to at every meal have a protein, a healthy fat, and a veggie. Honestly, that sounds daunting but I promise it’s not. There are so many recipes and ways to make up a meal for keto that you won’t get bored.
The following is just a fraction of all the yummy foods you can eat on keto. Utilize Pinterest to find all the amazing keto recipes out there.
Protein: You can eat most meats on keto for easy protein. My favorite are chicken thighs.
- Chicken
- Steak
- Shrimp
- Pork
- Fish
- Lamb
- Perfect Keto Protein
- Eggs
Try to stay away from processed meats like hot dogs. Always read ingredient labels to check for fillers and sneaky sugars.
Vegetables: You can eat most veggies.
- Brussel Sprouts
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Green Beans
- Celery
- Turnips
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Kale
- Arugula
- Cabbage
- Zucchini
- Spaghetti Squash
- Summer Squash
You can eat most veggies on keto. Veggies in all forms are good for you and should be eaten. If you are worried about carb count you can do a quick google search. Carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes are higher in carbs but are still good, healthy options.
Fats: When it comes to fats, cheese and butter are an easy go to, be sure to use good quality brands.
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Butter
- Avocado
- Cheese
- MCT Oil
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Sour Cream
- Cream Cheese
- Greek Yogurt
Sugar Alternatives
On keto you can not have normal sugar but there are sugar alternatives that you can cook and bake with.
- Erythritol
- Allulose
- Monkfruit
- Stevia
Some good brands to use are Swerve and Lakanto.
Fruit
A common misconception with keto is that you can’t have fruit and this just isn’t true.
Berries of all kinds are great for keto and are low in carbs and natural sugars, and are encouraged to consume. Bananas, apples, citrus, and grapes are all higher in natural sugars and carbs and should be consumed in moderation but are still great for fiber and essential vitamins.
Keto Brands and Tools
With keto you really want to eat mostly whole foods but it isn’t always possible. Here’s some brands that are great for keto.
- KetoKrate – Monthly keto snack box straight to your door! You can get a free krate when you use this link!
- Perfect Keto – All things keto
- Thrive Market – You can search for food based on the keto diet. Use this link to get 25% off your first order
- eMeals – Use eMeals to have your keto meals planned and grocery lists made for you. All you have to do is pick up your groceries with Walmart Pickup.
- Kiss My Keto – Super delicious keto brand. They have the best chocolates!! You can save 10% with my code ORGANIZEDCHAOS 🙂
- Lilys Chocolate – great for baking recipes!
Some tools to help you track your meals and check your ketosis levels
- Keto For Beginners – the book I read when I started keto in 2018
- Carb Manager – The easiest app to help track your macros
- Perfect Keto Test Strips – Test to check ketosis levels
- Electrolytes – Helps with keto flu and hydration
Keto doesn’t have to be difficult, time consuming, or messy. With the right tips, tools, and support system you can easily get back to feeling good and healthy. All you have to do is make a plan and start.
Hopefully this post helps you on your keto journey! You can check out some of my keto recipes here. Good luck!
Until next time,
