For many people, navigating the range of diets on the marketplace is a daunting proposition. Even for those who have made a diet choice, achieving a good measure of success while staying motivated is the next big hurdle.
With many people turning to the keto diet plan, here are some handy pointers to fine tune your diet program for success.
And for those who are not on a keto diet – read on! You can apply these steps to other diets and pick up some handy and relevant pointers about carbs and fats along the way.
For those seeking a little more background information on keto, a basic diet plan for beginners can be found here.
Think high fat – moderate protein – low carbohydrate
The keto diet relies on switching the body to a “fat burning” mode, forcing it to burn body fat rather than carbohydrates. To trigger the body’s fat burning process (“ketosis”), carb intake is minimized and offset by a higher ratio of dietary fats and proteins.
Minimizing foodstuffs such as grains, sugars and processed foods helps to reduce carb intake. Substituting foods high in good fats like nuts, seeds and high fat dairy products increases the ratio of fat to carbs.
However, some nut products such as peanut butter prove to be a trap – whilst high in fats, they are also high in carbs. Keep to the ratios and be “carb smart” with your food choices. Click here to learn more about how acceptable peanut butter is on a keto diet
Find your carbohydrate limit
What level of carb intake is enough? Like any diet, there is no hard limit – intake varies from person to person dependent upon factors like age, body mass and activity level. Remember that no two people respond to a diet in exactly the same way. Listen to your body and make adjustments to your food intake as necessary.
Adjust your diet plan slowly
When it comes to making adjustments – slow and steady wins the race. Everybody wants to see results, and when those results don’t meet expectations, motivation levels drop and the tendency to make radical changes, or to fall back into old habits looms large.
Make small adjustments and monitor progress, little by little.
Plan your weekly food shop
Until you find yourself in a comfortable routine, plan out your food purchases. Go back to the good old hand written shopping list if necessary. There is a psychological trick here – seeing something ‘physical’ like a shopping list reinforces our commitment to a diet plan while ensuring we don’t impulsively.
Plan out your meals and keep ‘diet friendly’ snacks and foodstuffs in the house.
Keep yourself motivated!
Once again, find a system that works for you. Having friends and work colleagues who are also following a diet helps to keep motivation levels high, especially in those times when you are not seeing big changes in your body. Remember also that others will often see changes to your body shape and demeanor before you do.
Consider joining an on-line keto community. Keep yourself inspired by hearing from others on a similar journey and pick up some recipe and dietary tips along the way.
Reward yourself for success
Remember, your diet should be a joy, not a chore! Reward yourself for success and remember that a little indulgence should be part and parcel of any well-balanced diet plan.
