Keto Calendar: Your Guide To Weight Loss Success

The ketogenic, or keto, diet is a high-fat, low-carb, and moderate-protein diet that has become a popular method for weight loss. The diet involves putting your body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of glucose. To achieve this, keto dieters must restrict their carbohydrate intake to less than 20 grams of net carbs per day. This typically results in weight loss, as the body begins to burn fat for fuel.

Planning meals is essential when following the keto diet to ensure you adhere to the correct macronutrient ratios, meet fibre goals, and prevent hunger. This involves structuring meals around keto-friendly foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and non-starchy vegetables, while avoiding high-carb foods like bread, pasta, rice, and sugar.

To create a keto calendar for weight loss, it is recommended to plan meals up to a week ahead, source ingredients, and batch prep meals. Starting with existing keto favourites and stocking up on keto staples can make the transition easier. It is also important to drink plenty of fluids, supplement with electrolytes, and be mindful of nutritional deficiencies.

Understanding the basics of keto

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that shares similarities with Atkins and low-carb diets. It involves drastically reducing your carb intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of glucose.

When following a keto diet, it's important to monitor your protein intake as well. While you can eat some carbs, too many can prevent your body from entering ketosis. Generally, your diet should consist of approximately 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs.

To achieve ketosis, you should limit your carb consumption to around 20 to 50 grams per day. This can be done by eating meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and healthy oils. It's important to note that the type of fat you consume matters; healthy unsaturated fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, and olive oil are recommended, but saturated fats like oils, lard, butter, and cocoa butter should be consumed in high amounts.

The keto diet has many potential health benefits, including weight loss, improved metabolic health, and reduced risk of certain diseases like diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's. It can also help lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.

However, there are some potential risks and side effects associated with the keto diet. It is high in saturated fat, which has been linked to heart disease. It may also lead to nutrient deficiencies, liver and kidney problems, constipation, and fuzzy thinking. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor and a registered dietitian before starting a keto diet.

Planning meals and snacks

• Focus on reducing carbs and increasing the consumption of healthy fats and proteins.
• Meals and snacks should include foods like eggs, poultry, fatty fish, meat, full-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, nut butter, healthy oils (olive, avocado, sesame), avocados, non-starchy vegetables, and condiments like salt, pepper, vinegar, and herbs.
• Limit or avoid high-carb foods such as bread, sweets, sugary drinks, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, beans, fruit, and high-carb sauces.
• Plan your meals ahead of time and cook in batches to save time and effort.
• Include a variety of keto-friendly snacks to help moderate hunger, such as almonds and cheddar cheese, guacamole with low-carb veggies, berries with heavy whipping cream, and keto smoothies.
• Drink plenty of fluids, especially during the initial "keto flu" phase, and ensure adequate electrolyte intake.
• Use online tools and calculators to help plan your meals and track your macronutrient intake.
• Consider your individual dietary needs and preferences when planning your meals and snacks.
• Consult with a healthcare professional or nutritionist to ensure that your keto meal plan is safe and suitable for you.

Stocking up on keto-friendly foods

Pantry Staples:

• Nuts: Almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and pecans are great choices due to their lower carb counts.
• Seeds: Chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds are excellent sources of fiber.
• Canned Goods: Opt for canned fish like sardines, tuna, salmon, mackerel, anchovies, and herring.
• Starch Substitutes: Use frozen cauliflower rice instead of rice and shirataki noodles as a low-carb alternative.
• Oils: Prioritize heart-healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and nut oils such as almond oil.
• Snacks: Try salted peanuts, pumpkin seeds, or cheese bars.
• Dessert: Frozen berries and unsweetened cocoa can satisfy your sweet tooth.

Fridge Essentials:

• Dairy: Opt for low-carb, high-fat options like YQ yogurt, unsweetened plant-based milk alternatives, and full-fat cheeses like cheddar, cream cheese, and goat cheese.
• Fruit: Stock up on lemons, frozen berries (especially raspberries), blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, plums, peaches, cantaloupe, and clementine oranges.
• Vegetables: Focus on anti-inflammatory options like spinach, celery, lettuce, arugula, Swiss chard, avocado, asparagus, mushrooms, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, cauliflower, kale, and peppers.
• Meat: Lean beef and lamb are excellent sources of protein and contain beneficial conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs).
• Fish: Fill your freezer with oily fish like salmon, mackerel, trout, walleye, sea bass, Barramundi, and halibut for their omega-3 fats.
• Condiments: Choose probiotic-rich options like miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, sour pickles, and soft cheeses like crème fraîche, mascarpone, and fromage blanc.

Other Keto-Friendly Foods:

• Eggs: Scrambled, boiled, poached, or fried, eggs are a great source of fat and protein.
• Avocados: Enjoy them as a side or add them to salads, baked goods, or breakfast dishes.
• Cauliflower: Use it as a substitute for starchy foods like mashed potatoes or rice.
• Mushrooms: Their meaty texture makes them a satisfying and low-carb option.
• Coconut Oil: Use it for cooking or in salad dressings.
• Bacon: Enjoy in moderation, as it is high in saturated fat.
• Ground Beef: Opt for grass-fed beef for a higher concentration of nutrients.
• Olive Oil: A heart-healthy choice that is abundant in monounsaturated fat and vitamin E.
• Tomatoes: A lycopene-rich fruit that is an exception to the fruit restriction on keto.
• Ghee: A form of clarified butter used in Indian cuisine, providing fat-soluble vitamins.
• Brussels Sprouts: A nutrient-dense vegetable rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and phosphorus.
• Asparagus: A low-carb vegetable containing glutathione, a compound with cancer-fighting benefits.
• Coffee: Caffeine is allowed on keto, but avoid milk and sugar. Try bulletproof coffee with butter and coconut oil instead.

Preparing meals in advance

• Cook double portions for dinner and refrigerate half to enjoy for lunch the next day. This saves time and effort, and ensures you always have a keto-friendly meal on hand.
• Opt for simple, no-cook meals that can be quickly assembled from ingredients like hard-boiled eggs, canned fish, cheese, cold cuts, and pre-chopped veggies.
• Use a slow cooker or instant pot to prepare large batches of keto meals that can be frozen and reheated as needed.
• Invest in some good-quality storage containers to keep your prepared meals fresh and ready to go.
• Plan your meals for the week ahead and create a detailed shopping list to ensure you have all the necessary ingredients.
• Involve your family or roommates in the meal preparation process so that everyone's needs are considered.
• Make use of online resources and keto recipe books to find a variety of tasty and nutritious keto meal ideas.
• Consider preparing and freezing individual portions of meals to make it easier to grab a meal and go.
• Always read the labels of the ingredients you use to ensure they are keto-friendly and do not contain hidden carbohydrates.
• Be mindful of your macronutrient ratios when preparing meals in advance, ensuring you are getting enough healthy fats and proteins while limiting carbohydrates.

Staying hydrated and maintaining electrolyte balance

When you start a keto diet, your body will initially use up the glycogen stored in your liver and muscles as its primary fuel source. Once the glycogen is depleted, your body will switch to burning fat as its primary fuel source, and you will enter a state called nutritional ketosis. This can be a huge change for your body, and it may take some time to adjust.

During this transition, it is common to experience the "keto flu", which includes symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, headaches, weakness, insomnia, and muscle cramps. These symptoms can often be relieved by ensuring you are taking in enough electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and magnesium) and staying well hydrated.

Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electric charge in the body. They are important for nerve cell communication and allow us to think, move, and maintain a healthy heartbeat. Electrolytes also regulate water distribution inside and outside your cells, which is known as fluid balance, and this is synonymous with healthy hydration.

When you restrict carbohydrates on the keto diet, you lose more sodium and potassium through urine. Whole foods tend to be lower in certain electrolytes, and it can be challenging to get enough of these minerals through diet alone. Additionally, when you restrict carbs, insulin levels remain low, which signals your kidneys to activate "diuretic mode", leading to increased water loss and the loss of sodium and potassium through urine.

To combat these issues, it is important to increase your intake of electrolytes and fluids. Here are some ways to do this:

• Drink plenty of water. Aim for light yellow urine, which indicates adequate hydration.
• Consume electrolyte-rich foods such as coconut water, avocados, beef, chicken, eggs, spinach, clams, salmon, lettuce, tomatoes, yogurt, and almonds.
• Use salt liberally on your food.
• Consider taking electrolyte supplements or drinking electrolyte-infused water.
• Drink mineral water, which can be a good source of magnesium and calcium.
• Be mindful of your medication. Certain medications, such as antibiotics, corticosteroids, and insulin, can affect your electrolyte levels. Always consult your doctor before starting the keto diet if you are taking any medications.

By staying hydrated and maintaining electrolyte balance, you can help your body adjust to the keto diet and potentially reduce the severity of the "keto flu" symptoms.

Frequently asked questions