Keto diets require most of your calories to come from fat (with low protein intake and even fewer carbs), which trains the body to utilize fat for energy rather than carbohydrates.
Everyone’s ketosis-inducing carb levels will be different. But there are common ways to prepare for a keto diet, including setting realistic expectations. First, be aware that you may take a while to become fat adapted, which means possibly seven days to several weeks in a transitional state or possibly in keto flu.
Second, be prepared for the mental challenge of the cravings you may experience, says Mark Bell, a champion powerlifter, owner of Super Training Gym, and author of The War on Carbs. “Specifically with trying to train yourself to not eat carbohydrates, the single most important thing is to get the foods correct,” Bell explains. “And this process can take you almost an entire month, sometimes two months, just to get the rhythm and timing down, knowing when to eat and how much to eat; and knowing what to do when a sugar craving pops up.” You’ll need to be able to get past this adjustment phase to see benefits.
All recipes excerpted from The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen, by Carolyn Ketchum. Copyright 2017. Used with permission of the publisher, Victory Belt Publishing.
