Starting a new diet is always a challenge. First, you have to choose the diet you think you can keep up with, then you have to adjust your eating and lifestyle habits accordingly.
It’s a lot! It helps, though, when you understand the diet you’re taking on and the potential effects it could have on your body. A surface-level understanding of a new diet is typically a bad thing, as you aren’t as patient toward the results or knowledgeable about why you’re feeling the way you are.
The keto diet is one that has given results to a lot of people, and we’re going to take a look at it today. So, if you’re wondering “how do I start the keto diet,” we’ve got the answers for you.
Table of Contents
How Do I Start the Keto Diet?
The keto diet is rooted in the idea that reducing our carb intake and increasing healthy fat intake will force the body to lose weight.
In general, people on the keto diet consume roughly 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbs. Slight variations on those numbers won’t have too much of an effect, but the idea is that you stick to those proportions.
After roughly a week of this diet, your body will enter into something referred to as “ketosis.” This is where the keto diet gets its name.
Ketosis occurs when your body runs out of carbohydrates to use in order to generate energy. In order to understand why this helps you lose fat, let’s quickly look at how our body normally stores and uses energy.
Why the Keto Diet Burns Fat
Most people live in an abundance of food options. We can eat as much as we want if we have the money. If we don’t have much money, we can still consume enough calories to get us by.
We evolved to store calories in different places of the body to use during a famine. Calories are first stored in the muscles and liver. When these areas are full of storage calories, all extra material goes into our fat stores.
By eating mostly fat, a little protein, and few carbs in the keto diet, our body falls on a limited intake of glucose to use as energy. As a result, ketones are produced from fatty acids to use as energy.
In other words, taking carbs out of the equation forces your body to use your fat stores to produce energy.
Getting Started
The “keto diet” doesn’t consist of any particular foods. If you want to take on the diet, you have a wealth of options to choose from. You can take a peek at some options from Lean & Tasty for more ideas on what you’re able to eat.
The main idea is simply to stick to the diet. You’ll start to see and feel results after your body has been in regular states of ketosis for a week or so.
Want to Learn More?
Are you still thinking “how do I start the keto diet?” It’s understandable to want to know as much as you can before you get started.
If you’re looking for a little more information, explore the rest of our site for a deeper understanding.
