The ketogenic diet can be confusing.  Most people on this diet are always learning something new about it.  So do not worry if it feels hard at first.  As with any kind of learning you need to practice the task.  Did you learn to walk or read in one day?  Patience is very much rewarded in the keto diet.

1.  Do I really need to track my macros?  Every DAY? 

 YES !  This prevents you from overeating carbs and proteins and not enough healthy fats. Use the Carb Manager app or My Fitness Pal app or any apps for keto you feel comfortable using.  Try out a few.

2.  Do I really need to check the ingredients?  Not unless you want to eat hidden sugars.  This is especially important to do if the product claims to be sugar free, fat free or “diet”.  Companies have become masters of deception on food labels.  You will never achieve ketosis if you don’t understand what you’re eating.  You also need to know how many carbs and protein there are.

3.  What’s the difference between net carbs and total carbs?  TOTAL carbs are ALL the carbohydrates contained in the food like sugars, grains, starches, added carbs, white and wheat flour, cornmeal, and fiber.  NET carbs are total carbs minus the fiber.  Most people on keto use net carbs because most fiber isn’t digested and is passed out of the body.  Fiber is good for your intestines because it acts as little brushes to clean your colon.  If you’ve ever eaten too many prunes then you know exactly how that works!

4.  Do I need to weigh myself?  Yes, as a starting point of reference for much, much later.  You’ll be most able to tell if you’re losing weight by how your clothes start to fit.  You can also take measurements before you start your diet and then weekly thereafter if you want to be a little more sure.  BUT STAY OFF THE SCALES!

5.  Can I cheat or have a cheat weekend? Or maybe just a bite of dessert?   NO!  Not unless you love starting from scratch because you sure won’t be in ketosis or losing any longer!  And you could have terrible headaches and generally feel awful.  But life can throw a curveball and you may inadvertently eat something at a social gathering ,a meeting or just don’t want to feel like you’re being mean or rude to someone and that could throw you out of ketosis. Don’t worry.  Just be kind to yourself and start the keto diet again.

6.  How much water should I drink?   At least 10 cups a day.  This will flush out toxins and unneeded carbs.

7.  Do I Need to Plan Meals?  Yes so that you’re sure to get enough of your daily macros.  Doing this incorrectly will toss you out of ketosis and you’ll wonder why you’re not losing inches.  Make out a meal plan for each meal and snack you’ll need for a week.  Then make a shopping list.  This way you should have everything you need and will be less tempted to cheat.  Also plan for days you’ll be away from home.  Doing this will take time in the beginning, but will become easier as you go along.   And planning meals will be the beginning of keto as a lifestyle and not a diet.

8.  What if I Get Stuck?  It happens so don’t get discouraged.  Instead, make sure you’re drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, calculating your macros correctly.  Are you eating no more than 20 grams of carbs per day?  Did you check the labels for prohibited and unhealthy ingredients?  Are you aware if any milk is in your food?  Or are you eating too much dairy like too much cheese or yogurt?  Check to see if your portion sizes are too much.  You might need to cut dairy out for a short time or decrease your carbs even lower and use total carbs rather than net carbs.Usually by just tweaking one of these will work for you.

For more help click here and ask to join the group so other members can help you also. https://www.facebook.com/groups/smartbeginnersketo/?source_id=453473405413554

As ALWAYS, get a physical exam by your doctor BEFORE starting any diet or exercise program.  Not doing this can endanger your life !!  There can be any number of hidden medical conditions unknown to you and it can be extremely dangerous to diet or exercise.  Some of these are listed below.

• Pregnancy.  Pregnancy changes your body in so many ways each week that anything medically with you or the fetus can endanger both your lives. Pregnant women should never diet. 

• Type I diabetes mellitus also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent  diabetes.  While the keto diet is great for people with type II diabetes,  it can be dangerous to people with type I.  On a strict keto diet your carb intake is reduced to 20 grams and your fats are increased accordingly for your weight.   This forces your body to use ketones to burn stored fat for energy instead of burning carbs that you eat in excess.  This is called nutritional ketosis.  

A type I diabetic can be in a state of metabolism called ketoacidosis which is a medical emergency.  This is a result of their body being unable to produce insulin or not administering too little of a dose of insulin.  This can also happen in undiagnosed type I diabetes.  Without insulin,  sugar is not properly transported into the body’s cells causing sugar and ketones to rapidly increase to excess causing ketoacidosis, a metabolic life-threatening chemical imbalance. 

• Active cancer treatment.
  
  
• A disorder of fat metabolism.  Such as pancreatitis, fat malabsorption, cystic fibrosis, gallbladder disorders, gallstones and any other fat metabolism disorders.  If the body cannot properly digest fats, the high fat intake keto diet is not for you.

• Chronic kidney disease.   Radically changing your body chemistry is usually tolerated by healthy kidneys but never by unhealthy kidneys.  

• A history of eating disorders.  Such as bulimia, anorexia, pica or binge-eating disorder.

• Porphyria.  A group of diseases in which there is a  build up of porphyrins causing issues with your skin or nervous system.  Most porphyrin disorders are inherited.

• Familial hyperlipidemia.  This is an inherited defect which causes a very high LDL (bad cholesterol) level and a very low HDL ( good cholesterol)

Bulletproof coffee was created by Dave Asprey in 2004 who also created the Bulletproof diet.  It began trending with people on the Paleo diet.  Asprey contends that for those people who do intermittent fasting or the Keto diet, bulletproof coffee can help them feel “satiated, alert and focused” because it contains exogenous ketones. Coffee is also high in antioxidants, has caffeine for alertness, and boosts your metabolism so you can burn body fat.

The main reason this coffee is amazing for the keto diet is that it is to be consumed first thing in the morning because it contains ketones.  Ketones are the energy source of the keto diet.

Another reason this coffee is popular with keto dieters is due to its lack of protein and carbs and is high in calories all coming from healthy fats.  This allows one not to become hungry during morning hours.  It is a substitute for breakfast in the keto diet because this coffee gives one elevated energy while burning the bad fats in the body.

Consuming high healthy fats are the cornerstone of the keto diet.  While bulletproof coffee offers little  in the way of nutrition, it’s purpose is to be used intermittent fasting.  Intermittent fasting is not eating or drinking anything but water and having bulletproof coffee for 12 hours.  Then for lunch, dinner and snacks you consume the remainder of your daily macros. 

So what’s in bulletproof coffee?   The basic recipe is 1 cup of brewed coffee, 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon MCT oil, and 1-2 tablespoons grass fed butter, then blended in a blender until frothy.

What is MCT oil?  A supplement which is a saturated fat containing medium-chain triglycerides which have shorter and more chains compared to long-chain triglycerides.

The MCTs are more easily and efficiently broken down by your body and are easily used for energy rather than being stored in your body as fat you do not need.  MCT oil can also boost brain function allowing for sharper and more clearness of thinking.  Gets rid of brain fog so to say.  MCTs can also help control blood sugar.  

The preferable MCT oil to use is Brain Octane MCT oil.  It is a high quality MCT oil derived 100% from coconuts and is flavorless and odorless, unlike some MCT oils.

Brain Octane MCT oil is 4 times more effective than plain coconut oil by giving you plenty of clean burning energy for hours.  This is due to MCT oil raising your ketone levels much higher to better burn body fat and not need to run on sugars. 

Be careful with MCT oil when first starting the keto diet.  Some people can have diarrhea or an upset stomach at first.  It’s recommended to begin with 1 teaspoon and every 2 weeks add on another teaspoon until you gradually work up to 1 tablespoon per day.

Grass fed butter is a higher quality butter that gives you quality fats to keep you feeling full and also makes your coffee creamy.  If you don’t care for butter, an acceptable substitute is 2 teaspoons of heavy cream. 

For taste you can add some stevia.

If you hate coffee you can substitute tea or turmeric tea and add the other ingredients listed above.