Preparing for Keto: Adapting To The Fat

Getting ready to start your keto lifestyle is far more than simply watching a few YouTube videos online and stocking up on cheese and bacon. On the contrary, what you do before you actually get into ketosis is nearly as important as what you do once you’re in it.

In this article, we’ll take a look at 5 critical bases you need to have covered before embarking on your keto journey.

The first thing you need to do is knuckle down and learn a bit about ketosis, your body, and nutrition. You don’t need to be able to give a TED talk about it, just gain an understanding of how you can best support your body as it adjusts to the new fatty fuel source you will be giving it on keto.

The internet is a vast and dense expanse of knowledge, opinions, and unfortunately, some half-truths. Find yourself a reliable source of information from which you can enrich your understanding.

Always make sure that scientific claims are backed up with data or have citations accompanying them. This allows you to be sure that you are enriching your knowledge and not hanging on to empty promises or dubious advice.

One way to know you are getting the facts is by reading our regular KetoXpert articles on all things keto. Not only are we dedicated to building all our content from sturdy scientific evidence, but we are also doing the keto “diet” along with you, wrestling with ideas head-on and testing their validity.

One of the challenges every keto-er inevitably faces is the difficulty of integrating the ketogenic lifestyle with the “outside world”. Although this becomes remarkably easier after a few weeks of getting used to eating keto, it can be the number 1 downfall of many beginners.

The best way to ease yourself into the right eating habits happily and healthily is in a controlled environment, with as little sugary temptation around you as possible. If you were to start keto just before a vacation or as your family is getting together for the holidays, you are bound to get stuck saying “no” to festive drinks and lovingly prepared but high-carb treats.

After a few months in keto, you’ll have learned how to make social times like these easy, keto-friendly and fun, but in the beginning it’s for the best to pick out a starting date when you are likely to be at home in your normal routine for a good two weeks thereafter to give yourself the best chance of not falling off the wagon.

Avoid going out to restaurants or ordering fast food during the first two weeks. You still need time to get to grips with the dos and don’ts of cooking ketogenic foods for yourself, and only after you’ve become comfortable with what you should and should not be eating can you confidently carry over your expertise to eating out.

That’s not to say that you can’t eat at restaurants or even order take-out on keto, you certainly can! Just ease into the challenge bit by bit and make sure you know what is in whatever you are ordering.

This is arguably the most important point on our list. Being prepared in the kitchen imperative if you want to get into ketosis happily and healthily.

If you live alone or are doing keto with your whole family, make sure that there is no lurking pasta, bread, starchy veggies or sugary drinks left in the pantry by the time you start keto. Keep your kitchen a carb-free zone.

Then, it’s time to talk about grocery shopping. Make sure your kitchen is fully stocked with a beautiful variety of delicious keto-friendly foods (preferably unprocessed whole-foods) to encourage you to really engage with your food.

Below is a list of delicious keto foods to try in your first few weeks of keto! Although this list is by no means comprehensive, it does contain some of the best sources of polyunsaturated fat, insoluble fiber and nourishing protein that will help you get the best out of your food.

Remember to go easy on dairy – it is very high in calories and can cause inflammation if eaten in excess!

Avocados

Walnuts, macadamia nuts, almonds

Flax, almond or coconut flour

Chia, flax and sesame seeds

Olive oil, grass-fed butter or ghee

Eggs

Herbs and natural spices

Bacon or prosciutto

Bulgarian/Greek plain yogurt

Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries

Chicken breasts, grass-fed steak, lamb cutlets

Cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms

Feta, blue cheese, emmenthaler, goats cheese

Dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, and arugula

Broccoli, cauliflower and spaghetti squash

Refrigerated section pickles

Garlic

Finally, find yourself a community of people, be it a friend or two or an online space where other keto-warriors you can relate to share stories, discuss techniques, provide guidance and debunk myths together.

Join our keto family! We’d love nothing more than for you to be a part of our own community, right here on FooledByFat. As Alex and I traverse the wild and wonderful terrains of the ketogenic lifestyle, we want to be there for you and help you every step of the way. Sign up, leave a comment and let’s do this thing together.

Run through this quick checklist of all the most important things to do before you start day 1 of your keto journey, to see how ready you are.

Remember, these are just guidelines, and can definitely be improved upon! Leave a comment and tell us what you think we’ve overlooked so e can learn and succeed together!

• I’ve learned about ketosis and understand what it is (not yet? click here!)
• I know what foods should be avoided
• I know what foods to eat (see our yummy grocery list)
• I’ve planned to be in a controlled environment for the first 2 weeks or so
• I’ve discussed my diet change with my general practitioner
• I’ve cleared out any stray carbs or sugary things from the pantry
• I’ve gone on a mindful shopping mission using my keto grocery list
• I’ve lined up yummy keto recipes to try out using my keto ingredients
• I’ve listed my goals and taken measurements and/or photos if I’m into that
• I’ve sought out a welcoming and healthy community of like-minded people to help and support me (you can go ahead and tick this off straight away once you’ve joined our KetoXpert family!)

Once you have all your proverbial ducks in a row, the last thing to do is take a deep breath and relax. Going keto is not meant to be foreboding or stressful, it’s a joy-filled adventure filled with ups and downs that could make you enjoy your body and your life so much more if you give it your best.