Thinking of starting on the ketogenic diet? Here are 10 thinks I wish I had known before I started.
A few days ago I posted a progress photo of myself on my Instagram. In just 2.5 months on the keto diet, I’m feeling so much better and have lost 26lbs. A lot of my PCOS symptoms have disappeared and my hormones are slowly returning to normal levels instead of being out of whack from the PCOS. It’s super exciting to be seeing this progress in my own body! In case you missed it, here’s that photo! (And sorry about the big watermark, but I don’t want to end up on a sketchy ad anywhere.) Isn’t it crazy how much difference a few lbs makes?
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1. Definitely go read the FAQ over on Reddit at r/keto.
They have a ton of great advice and many people there have been doing this diet for quite a while. It’s actually where my doctor sent me to find out more info. Reddit is an interesting online community – sometimes scary, sometimes crazy – but the keto community over there is the most welcoming and supportive that you’ll ever find. They have daily “check-in” threads too that really help keep you on track.
2. Be sure and use the keto calculator here to figure out your macros.
“Macros” which is short for macronutrients, are the amounts of fat, carbs, and protein your individual body needs. The calculator will make sure you’re getting the right amounts. When you use the calculator: Set your daily carbs at 20g, your activity level at sedentary (you can always adjust later if you’re starving), and make sure you choose at least .8g protein per pound of lean body mass. Most people recommend a 20-30% deficit if you’re trying to lose weight, but no more than that.
3. For your macros: the number of carbs and calories are an upper limit, your protein is a goal, and you should eat fat until you’re full.
So don’t feel like you have to get the absolute perfect number of each macro each day. (I made this mistake at first.) You just want to make sure you have enough daily protein that you don’t lose muscle mass, and you don’t want to go over on carbs or you’ll get kicked out of ketosis. If you’re hungry, eat a bit more fat, but don’t scarf down fat bombs just to meet a number. Your body has plenty of body fat it can consume if it needs to, and fat loss is usually the goal of keto anyways.
4. Electrolytes on keto are key to success and not feeling like crap, especially in the first few weeks.
Keto is an anti-inflammatory and diuretic diet, so you’ll lose a lot of water, especially in the first few weeks. If you aren’t replacing lost electrolytes, you can end up feeling really crappy (the dreaded “keto flu”). A supplement called LyteShow available on Amazon is our favorite because it has all of them in one product. I drink 1-2 doses a day and feel great. You can also find potassium and magnesium in supplements, Powerade Zero, or something called “lite salt” that’s potassium chloride (sold by the salt in the grocery). Drinking a bouillon cube soup is another good way to replenish electrolytes. You’ll know if you need electrolytes because you’ll get a headache, feel tired, and/or possibly have leg cramps. Note that too many electrolytes can also cause an imbalance, so don’t go too crazy.
Side note for women: We usually need fewer electrolytes on average than men do, but we also need to increase our consumption a bit around the time of PMS and periods. It will help cut down food cravings and help with cramps.
5. Drink your water.
You are changing up your body chemistry and the way it processes foods. Your liver will be working hard to make the ketones your brain needs to function and to process the foods that are coming in. Water helps all of this along and drinking plenty will help keep things flushing through your systems like they should. Grab a fun water bottle to make it easy to track your intake. Herbal tea, lemon, Dasani drops, Mio, and various other zero calorie water add-ins are great if you don’t like plain water.
6. Making a plan is key for success.
Almost all of the “convenience” foods out there are full of carbs, so you’ll want to plan to cook, and batch cooking and crockpot meals have been working well for us. Some simple things are: Bacon and eggs; Chicken and steamed broccoli; salad with cheese, olives, a protein, and ranch; boiled eggs; tuna and avocado; sausages; etc.
7. It’s recommended to avoid artificial sugars for the initial adjustment period just to help your body get over the sugar addiction.
This really helped me, but Hubby totally ignored this advice and he’s been fine. Truvia (but not the baking blend with sugar), Swerve, Stevia, and Erythritol are the low-carb recommendations that won’t have gastric side effects. Avoid sweets with Malitol or Xylitol unless you want diarrhea. (Trust me on this one!)
8. Weighing and tracking everything you eat is highly recommended.
As you get used to what macros each food has and understand what you’re eating, you may be able to stop tracking so carefully, but it’s easy to get carried away and eat way too much if you’re not watching serving sizes. Here’s a great post on how to set up My Fitness Pal which is my preferred food tracking app. Note that you can scan barcodes to easily find your foods to log, just double check the MFP nutrition against the label.
9. Take progress photos and measurements.
Weight loss is a funny thing. There are so many variables that go into your day to day weight like how much water you’ve consumed, food still in your digestive system, women hold water certain times of the month, stress, your reaction to specific foods, etc. It’s entirely possible to be losing inches from your body while your scale measurement has stayed the same. So take some “before” photos, weekly progress photos, and take some weekly measurements (I like to use centimeters instead of inches so you can see the progress is faster.) You’ll be surprised to look back at them later on and be able to see the changes taking place even if you don’t see it day to day in the mirror.
10. Keep Calm and Keto On (KCKO)!
This is a popular saying over in the Reddit sub. Things happen – stress, life, getting sidetracked, accidental carbs, social pressure, cheats, progress stalls, etc – but the important thing is to keep calm and continue sticking to keto because it works. Weight loss won’t be linear, but the overall progress should continue to be downwards if you keep making the right choices. You got this!
Edit December 2018: It has recently come to my attention that someone pinned this post on Instagram and linked it with progress photos belonging to someone else. I am not affiliated with her in any way, and I had nothing to do with those pins being created. I have no control over who pins my links on Pinterest on their own Pinterest accounts. I have been in contact with Pinterest support, and there is nothing I can do on my end about having those images detached from my link because I am not the copyright holder of the image. The original content creator is the only one who is able to request they are taken down and I have let her know this information.
You’ve got this, Stephanie! So proud of you.
Hi there Steph,
I absolutely love this diet and your post as well. Nice tips! specially the part of tracking evrything I eat and watching serving sizes.
Cheers.
Thank you! I find it’s so much easier when I track things and know what I need to meet my goals.
Hello! Great post! I tried the keto diet for a few days and lost 8 lbs. I got lazy and fell back to my normal routine, but plan to start again soon. I noticed this post is from 2016, do you have current photos of your success with the keto diet? Would love to see for inspiration. I am going to go check out reddit now. Thanks for a great post!!
I do have some more recent photos on my Instagram (and more daily meals/daily keto life posts), and I’m working on a 2.5 year update post for the new year!
My insta is here: https://www.instagram.com/powerstephy
I have been 4 months on keto, now I have low platelets and anemia. Did you have issues with blood work? If u did, how did u correct them?
I’m sorry, I’m not able to offer you any medical advice. I practice keto under the care of my physician and haven’t personally had any issues with blood work – only improvements. I suggest you talk with your doctor to see what they recommend for you.
You are doing awesome! You are so beautiful! Way to go!
You look GREAT!!
Thank you so much ! This was very helpful ! Started 3 days ago feeling like crap now and having painful diarrhea but lost 3 pounds already!
Hang in there. It gets better. When your clothes start getting baggy you will get an adrenalin rush like never before. I have gone from XL tops and size 14 pants to medium tops and size 8 pants in 2 months. I am the “Keto Kid” in my family.
This is encouraging.I have tried so hard over the last year and the scale barely moved.Im ready to commit to this!!!!!
My scale didn’t move for over a month and a half! I felt like I was doing something wrong- I just stuck with it and it finally did but slower than molasses in winter! I stopped worrying about all the counting and measuring and macro whatever and just listened to my body- I didn’t eat when I wasn’t hungry and ate when I was and remembered to stay within the Keto parameters. It must have broken my insulin resistance or something cause I stared losing weight and have ever since.
I have been on the diet for about two months haven’t lost much maybe 6 pounds still always tired. Our use the urine strips and I am totally in ketosis so I’m not understanding what’s going on I eat mostly bacon and eggs cheese and I eat salad, broccoli in Califlower. I feel like I’m doing everything right but I’m getting very frustrated any suggestions?
Just so you know, the urine strips aren’t accurate to tell you if you’re in ketosis. They don’t test for nutritional ketones, just the ketones that are dangerous for diabetics. You’ll need a blood meter if you want to accurately test nutritional ketones, though it’s usually unnecessary if you’re tracking your daily carbs and calories. Are you weighing, measuring, and logging everything you eat to see if you have too many net carbs each day? Or hidden excess calories that could be prohibiting weight loss?
I too have tried so many different ways of eating over the years. Keto is the only thing that worked! I hope your journey is going well!
I’m having a hard time to get back on track😵 I did the 7 days to loose 10lbs I lost 7 but I’m really emtional right now help
The low carb/keto group at My Fitness Pal has an amazing amount of information and a minimum of craziness. Friendly, nonjudgmental and helpful.
Thanks for the tip! I haven’t checked out any my fitness pal groups lately.
Unsolicited and I don’t work for them – check out the “Diet Doctor” site. Lots of good information, recipes and input from keto-oriented medical professionals.
Thanks for this. My hubby and I are researching this diet. I am looking for all the info I can before we start. This will be for a “long haul”. Ha ha.
Great job glad it’s working for you would to talk to you more about your pcos my daughter has it message me
Love
This is all really sound advice. Good job.
Thank you!
Great job!!! You look awesome and good call on the watermark!
Thanks! Watermarks are a must these days with scammy companies stealing images. I hate that they will do that. 🙁
Wow! You are doing well! About 5 weeks into Keto, wishing I had found this post before I started.
Down 13# this morning, so I’m happy. Tkx for sharing 😎
Thank you! Congrats on 13lbs down! That’s awesome!
Thank you so much for this information. I am posting to Pinterest. Thanks again.
Thanks for pinning Sharon!
I just start the diet I am 240 lbs will see what happened
I’m proud of you for taking the first step! How is going so far?
Thanks for the post with so much helpful – and practical, information. You look great, and I’m sure you feel better, too. I like the benefit of losing weight, but I love feeling healthier. Bless you!
Thank you! Feeling healthier is definitely my #1 goal!
Watch those bottles you add drops to your water from. I started reading labels and found sucrose and other sugar cousins hiding in there!
The ones I’ve seen usually have sucralose, not sucrose. Sucralose is a zero-carb, low glycemic impact sweetener that’s safe for keto in the liquid form. But it’s always a great practice to read every product label and make sure it fits your goals.
This article from ruled.me has a great breakdown of keto-safe sweeteners: https://www.ruled.me/keto-diet-plan-best-and-worst-sweeteners/
I’m on Keto too… I’m not perfect , but try… thx for all the reminders … I’ve lost about 50, but decided this diet I’m not weighing myself numbers give me stress and anxiety… GOOD LUCK TO YOU🍀🍀🍀🍀
It’s so hard not to focus on the scale sometimes. I’m so proud of you for losing 50lbs! That’s incredible! Best of luck with your journey.
Good job and thank you from us beginners!
Thanks! Glad I could help save someone else from my mistakes!
I am the ketogenic diet too, lost 30 pounds looking forward to losing more and by the way the post was really informative, thanks
Congratulations! 30lbs is awesome!
thank you so much for the information. I also have PCOS and have been thinking of KETO but havent started yet. I am so tired of taking medication for sugar and is all related to the PCOS. thank you again.
I wish every one of my PCOS friends knew how awesome keto is for us! I just got news this week from my endocrinologist that I don’t have to take medication again and all my hormones are back to normal levels. It’s like a miracle!
My husband and I have been on this Keto lifestyle since late May 2018 and have lost about 70 lbs between the both of us. When we get to our ideal weight we will add back a few carbs to maintain.
Congratulations!! That’s pretty incredible for 6 months time. I’m getting closer and closer to maintenance and plan to add in a few more net carbs/day too once I get there.
I’ve been on and of Keto for months but I’m going to be serious about now. I started again last Monday and plan to go until Thanksgiving and then again till Christmas. I also highly recommend intermittent fasting! I’m now on the 3rd day of serious One Meal A Day “OMAD!” It’s amazing got into Ketosis in 24 hrs. I have also found MCT Brain Brew Oil it’s unbelievably helpful especially first few days for needed energy in my coffee with Stevia and Heavy Whipping Cream emulsified with a $10 milk frother. I eat at 6pm but allow myself a double cup of Bulletproof coffee with the MCT oil and cream at noon. It gets easier after 3 days. Or you can watch Dr. Bergs Intermittent Fasting videos on UTube and do 3 days 3 meals per day, 3 days 2 meals a day and 3 days 1 meal a day and go from there. Trick is to have a narrow feeding window of between 1-4 hours. You can consume a whole days food allowance in that window of time. I swear it gets to where you’re not even hungry and the health benefits are huge and the weight loss is astounding after 3 weeks. Good luck!!
I really enjoy intermittent fasting/OMAD myself too! It makes things so much easier on busy weekdays. Good luck on your re-start of keto. How is it going so far?
Wow. I’m too hyper right now to continue reading the whole post right now, but I was eviscerated at reddit and will never go there for anything. It was on the low carb “keto” topic too. The mod was just as awful which was what made me walk away.
I get too much protein and don’t lose weight. Excess protein turns into glucose. I am always hungry once I eat my first meal. I am even more hungry about a hour after eating my first meal than when I had my first meal. I don’t eat when I’m not hungry. I’m baffled people have to be told not to eat if not hungry.
This comment isn’t meant to be hostile, nor is it directed at Steph. I’m just reporting my experiences and frustration.
I applaud that the before, during and after images Steph is wearing the same thing and has the same posture.
Congratulations on all your hard work and good results and improved health.
I hope to continue reading this post later and will plan on directing people here but as of yet, I just can’t stick to a diet. I’ve been trying this particular diet since 2004. I just don’t get how people can suddenly control themselves once they are told what to eat.
I’m so sorry to hear you had such a bad experience on Reddit! The r/keto community really exploded in popularity in the last couple years since I wrote this post and I know the mods really struggled to catch everything and keep it supportive. They’ve added several new mods over the last few months and it’s starting to get better, but I understand not wanting to participate there if you had such a bad experience. I think the FAQ is definitely still super helpful though as a resource, even if people don’t participate.
Regarding too much protein: Are you possibly diabetic? Have you been tested? Typically diabetics are the ones who have the biggest issue with excess protein and insulin response due to a metabolic process called gluconeogenesis. This article from Ketovangelist does a great job of explaining it further: https://www.ketovangelist.com/gluconeogenesis-chocolate-cake-straw-man-fallacy/
Regarding sticking with it: I’m now about 2.5 years into my keto journey and going strong. It really suits me well and has fixed my PCOS symptoms which makes it easier to stick with. If you’ve been struggling with it since 2004, maybe it’s time to consider a different way of eating that’s better for you? Is there a reason you’ve stuck with keto for so long if it isn’t working?
Fantastic website. Keto newbies like me need all the encouragement we can get! The most frustrating issue for me is I’m having a difficult time completely giving up sweets. Unfortunately, I can’t tolerate any sugar substitutes because every one of them causes diarrhea. I had a severe reaction to erythritol, especially, and it seems to be in almost all the sugar replacements. Not only did it cause severe diarrhea, but intense itching all over my body from head to toe! Very scary and miserable experience!
Oh no! That sounds awful. 🙁 Erythritol is the only one that doesn’t cause issues for me, but I’ve heard of allergies to it before. Have you checked out all of the suggested ones on this list from Ruled.me?
https://www.ruled.me/keto-diet-plan-best-and-worst-sweeteners/
Thanks for all the tips Steph! I started the Keto lifestyle in May 2018 and by August had lost 33 lbs. Went from a size 14 to an 8/10. I gained about 3 Lbs. While on vacation in October and can’t seem to lose it. Over Christmas I have been eating sweets (I am a self confirmed addict!) and am having trouble getting back on Keto. Determined tho. Want to lose 5-7 more lbs. and feel great again! BTW, my blood work after the initial 3 months was fantastic! My doc was super pleased! Gonna check out Reddit and My Fitness Pal!
Question – Why is Keto in Canada’s photo being used as the ‘Cover” photo which is why I clicked on it. I’ve followed her for two years, and it doesn’t seem right to use HER photo, and results for your benefit..
Hi Eva, If you notice the update at the bottom of my post, you’ll see that the issue lies with Pinterest, and I have no control over what images are pinned on other people’s Pinterest accounts. I have only ever pinned my own images with my links. Pinterest has told me there is nothing I can do about it on my end, and Keto in Canada will have to take it up with Pinterest if she would like her images removed from their site. I apologize for any inconvenience their error may have caused.
I don’t cook so, I would like to buy food already cooked.
How will I do that and where will I buy that.
A reply would be appreciated.
Best Regards,
Clairma Matherne
Hi Clairma,
There aren’t many options out there for pre-made keto meals, though a lot of us eat basic stuff like a protein + a vegetable side that is pretty easy to get from the freezer section (frozen grilled chicken breast + frozen broccoli for example.) Or things like hard boiled eggs, almonds, and cheese for snacks.
Atkins brand has some good frozen meals you can find at local grocery stores. Real Good is another brand that has low-carb frozen meals. I have also heard about https://www.ketofridge.com for mail-order meals, though I have not used it myself and can’t speak to their quality.
I hope that helps!
Hello! I really appreciate this post. I am in my first week of doing the keto diet. Have you found that it is a must to track calories? I’ve only been tracking carbs and protein. Also, what is the difference between net carbs and carbs? Thanks!
Great questions! As far as counting calories goes, it depends. If you have a large amount of weight to lose, you can often get by with just tracking carbs and listening to your body for hunger cues. As you get closer to your ideal body weight, you may find you need to track calories to continue losing. I personally found that my portion control was not intuitive and I needed to track calories to keep losing. That is likely related to my PCOS which makes weight loss slow and difficult. If it’s working for you, then keep doing what you’re doing and you can re-evaluate if it stops working.
Net carbs vs carbs: On US nutrition labels, you’ll notice there’s a total carbohydrate section with a sub category below it of fiber and sugar. Fiber does not typically affect insulin levels because it passes straight through the digestive system, so it’s able to be subtracted out of total carbohydrates for keto. (Since our goal on keto is effectively consistent insulin levels.)
Net carbs = Total Carbohydrates – Fiber
On a ketogenic diet, most people try to stick to 20g net carbs per day. So subtracting fiber leaves you able to eat more great things like vegetables! Fiber is also great for digestive health, so I try and fit in as much as I can.
Good luck on your journey!
Thank you for your reply! Very helpful! Just out of curiosity, I tallied up the calories I had yesterday and it came in at just under 1500. I think I’m on the right track with counting carbs and protein and following my hunger cues. Thanks for your information on the net carbs! I appreciate it!
Thanks so much for helping us beginners!!! Good luck!!
I am starting Keto on Monday, January 28, 2019. I will probably be checking in here alot. I love the support and the questions that others ask.
Welcome to the keto club! I look forward to hearing about your progress!
Wow I am so blessed to have stumbled upon this blog. I have been praying to God to help me in my weightloss journey and I have to praise him that this is an answered prayer. I have discovered in one website that popular restaurants in US do low carb. Is it good to eat out?
It’s not bad to eat out on the keto diet, especially every now and then, but do note that the designation of “low-carb” can mean anything lower carb than the standard American diet and not always keto. Often those specialized dishes don’t meet my macro needs. So just look up nutrition info before you go if you can.