Some of the best support and information there is comes from Reddit, as well as being full of freaks and weirdos there are many many very well educated caring people who are willing to share their knowledge. That in mind here is the beginner summary from /r/keto…
(Specially for K8, Nugget, Grak, Ab and Beamhole)
Beginner’s tips
- Focus on getting used to no/low carb first.
- Eat if you’re hungry.
- To complicate this a bit, keep an eye on your calories.
- A loss of appetite is normal; usually it comes back – although not with the intensity you’re familiar with from carbs.
- Some folks seem to lose a significant portion of their appetite and try to subsist on a fraction of necessary calories – for example, 300 to 400 calories per day.
- I don’t care how much weight you need to lose, your body still needs protein to function.
- Keep keto-approved snacks on hand when you get hungry
Start drinking water. A lot of water. Keep your electrolytes up – you’ll need more sodium, potassium, and magnesium than you think.
- Once the cravings start to die down, usually about two weeks, then worry about macros and calories.
- Weight loss is erratic, non-linear, and varies by individual. DO NOT set your expectations by others.
- Keto is not a crash diet.
- Keto is not a quick fix.
- Figure out if you want to do “casual keto” or “strict keto”
- Casual keto only tracks carbs – stay under 20 ~ 25 grams of net carbs daily
- Strict keto tracks all three macros, and calories -Â https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/33pdyh/lazy_keto_vs_normal_keto/
- Fasting is optional. I don’t fast on keto, and have no first-hand advice to offer. If you want to fast, IÂ strongly recommend doing further research:
- Keto sticks (pee sticks) are a waste of time and money.
- Test strips are a waste of time and money.
- A number of factors can influence the level of ketones in your urine, none of which have anything to do with whether or not you’re in ketosis.
- Keep your daily net carbs under 20 ~ 25 grams and you’ll be in ketosis in 24 to 48 hours.
- Short of a blood test, there isn’t a reliable diagnostic available for determining whether you are, or are not, in ketosis.
- Keep Calm, Trust the Process, and Keto On.
- Electrolytes are important! They will prevent, or reduce the effects of, “keto flu”
- Yeah, I know this is a lot. Take a deep breath. Keto isn’t a race. It’s an investment in your health, and worth the time to understand what you’re doing and why.
A quick word on macros:
- Protein is a goal, hit it as often as you can. You can go under, or over, and it isn’t the end of the world, or ketosis.
- Carbs are a hard limit (20 ~ 25 grams of net carbs). Your carb limit determines whether you are, or aren’t, in ketosis.
- Fat is a soft limit – eat until you’re full, but stay under the macro. If you finish the day, not hungry and under your fat macro, you’re doing good.
- In the macro calculator, in the fat section, you will see a little “plus” sign. This will tell you your minimum fat intake per day.
- This is a non-issue for most people, particularly if you selected “mostly sedentary” under your activity level.
- If you picked a higher activity level, you may need to be more aware of your minimum fat intake.
- You may also want to check out /r/ketogains for athletes on keto.
- You need to be mindful of your calories – you still need to eat under your calorie allotment if you’re trying to lose weight.
Recipes
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