Starting a Keto Diet can be a very daunting endeavor when you are a beginner. There is so much information out there that it can be hard to sort through. This post is not a all encompassing how to. This is just a short motivational piece to help get you started.
If someone told me a year ago, before I started Keto, that I would be writing a blog post on how to be healthier I would have laughed at them.
Seriously! I was over 40, 5’5 and weighed 220 lbs! Well, I am still over 40..
Now I weigh 160 lbs. I am healthier and I am living a happier life. It was not an easy journey. It took a lot of effort and willpower. There are no easy paths to losing weight. You didn’t gain it in a week, and you will not lose it in a week.
It was a great feeling to have people come to and ask, “What are you doing to lose weight?” What I didn’t realize at the time was that they were asking how they could have the same results.
They saw what I was doing and thought there was no way I could do that. My mistake was that I didn’t tell them what it was like when I first started. This is my attempt to correct that and help as many people as I can to reach their weight and (more importantly) their health goals!
No matter what you are doing in life you can never look at someone and think that you can be the same the next day. This is will be your biggest mistake. The secret to lasting success is starting small.
FROM TOTAL BEGINNER TO PRO
1. Start small.
When starting the Keto Diet, I would recommend not going all in. For the first few days start with these:
Now let’s start looking at some of the things that you can’t have while on the Keto Diet. This is not a comprehensive list. Those will come in the future.
Sugar.
This should go without saying, but sugar is the number one thing you should cut out. Don’t worry if you fail now and then. It will be OK. Just know that Rome was not built in a day! Pick yourself up and keep going.
Pasta.
This was one of the hardest things for me to stop eating. I LOVE pasta. Just ask yourself: Is this worth it?
Bread.
When you start on Keto you will notice that bread is EVERYWHERE. This will be the hardest thing to cut. The reason is that is permeating almost all the food that you are probably currently eating.
Rice.
This falls into the same category as pasta as it is very dense in carbohydrates.
2. Schedule your cutbacks.
This goes hand and hand with number one. Write it down! Commit on paper! I failed at weight loss most of my life. I was consistently losing and gaining weight (usually more weight than I had lost). It seemed like an endless cycle.
When starting the Keto Diet, most people go all in. They think it is everything or nothing. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Every journey starts with one step.
The goal of the first week is to focus on cutting one category out. Maybe start with the thing you feel you will not miss at all. You actually may be surprised to find that even this little thing was difficult at the beginning.
Next week add another category. This is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.
3. Commit.
People will not understand what you are doing. They will criticize you. They will even say this Keto thing is crazy. This is their problem, not yours. It tells more about them than you.
These attitudes from other people are more of a projection of their fears. It has nothing to do with you. It is your life, not theirs.
4. Self-evaluate your biggest weaknesses.
Be brutally honest with yourself. No one knows you better than you. Make a list of the biggest challenges that you think will give you the most problems on your journey.
By being honest and knowing what the challenges will be a key staying on track. If we can game obstacles, then when we met them, we will be better prepared to meet them head-on. Remember that this is how we will improve. The key to success while starting a Keto meal plan is to be consistent.
5. Start moving!
Changing your eating habits is a key part of success, especially with Keto, but there is no magic pill when it comes to getting healthy. If you have been sitting on the couch in front of the television, or like me, playing video games on the computer – just get up.
The same philosophy of small steps that goes with the food also applies here. If you have been walking, why would you try to start running a 5K this week? You may be able to do it, but if you have not built the habit it will not last.
In the end, you will fail, so let’s just start with a 10-20% increase in your steps. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Know yourself and start where you are!
LET’S DO THIS!
You can do this! All it takes is one step at a time. It’s the little things that will get you to the goals you want. This applies to weight loss and getting healthy as much as it does to anything else.
I want to help set you up for success in the long term. I am not interested in quick fixes. Can you lose 10-15 pounds in a month? Yes, you can, but ask the question. Is it sustainable? I think not.
We will take the journey together step by step and mile by mile. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones. Now get up at the start. You can do it!