By now, you have come across plenty of evidence backing the effectiveness of a Low Carb High Fat lifestyle. You know the weight you can lose, the way that it eliminates hunger, and the energy and stamina that you can gain.
Knowing that it works doesn’t make the switch any less daunting. You aren’t just changing your way of eating. You are changing your entire perspective on food, learning the skill of finally listening to your body’s signals, and altering a lifetime of bad information that has worn you down and made you feel like a failure. Anyone would be nervous about taking such a massive plunge.
Don’t worry! Your first steps to The Newer You are much simpler than you might fear. Here are ten ways you can get started on the path right away.
1 – Do A Kitchen Audit
The first few days of eliminating carbohydrates and sugar are difficult. Not only because you will be experiencing unpleasant symptoms due to a change in diet, but because of sugar cravings. Your body will be wanting its fix, and resisting temptation is next to impossible when you are surrounded by the very foods you have chosen to cut from your life.
Do an audit of your fridge and cupboard. Get rid of those items that don’t fit into your new lifestyle. Bread, sugar, ice cream, potatoes…if it isn’t there, you won’t be risking a relapse so early on in the game.
2 – Use Our Quick Start Guide As A Shopping List
Once you have your cupboards and fridge emptied, it is time to fill it up again! In our Complete Guide To Keto – Becoming The Newer You we have provided a list of Low Carb High Fat foods that you can enjoy as part of your new, delicious way of eating. Use it to make a shopping list.
Don’t keep yourself restricted to those items. But make sure you double check to make sure anything you put into your cart isn’t hiding sneaky carbohydrates or sugar. You will also want to avoid most prepackaged foods whenever possible. These often have hidden sugars under names like dextrose, fructose, lactose or maltose.
3 – Download A Nutrition App
The transition to low carb is going to be a lot easier if you can keep track of your intake in the beginning. Seeing exactly what you are eating while still losing weight will be healing for your psyche. But no one wants to have to hunt down that info from a dozen different sources, or remember what they ate later on.
Download an app that allows you to quickly find and track foods. MyFitnessPal (iOS, Android), Sparkpeople (iOS, Android) or Fooducate (iOS, Android) are some good options.
4 – Establish Your Goals
What is it you hope to accomplish with this lifestyle change? Maybe you want to lose weight, or drop fat. You could be hoping to gain more lean muscle. Perhaps you just want to be healthier, and know what so many experts have always said, that sugar is the real culprit behind various diseases and overall bad health.
Have a clear set of goals going in, so you can watch your progress. These goals may change over time, but it is a good place to start. Try to be realistic, and avoid the mistake of trying to achieve too much too fast. Yes, it would be amazing to lose twenty pounds in a month, and maybe you will. But aiming for five is more manageable.
Better yet, make your goals more about health and how you feel than the number on the scale.
5 – Ascertain Your Ideal Macros
You have probably seen the word “macro” bandied about on Low Carb High Fat community pages and blogs. But what does it mean? This is the approximate percentage of each macronutrient you will eat when following this eating style.
Most following a ketogenic plan will be at a standard 75% Fat / 20% Protein / 5% Carbs. That is a good starting point, and it can be tweaked to fit your needs as your body adjusts. Some may be able to tolerate more carbs while remaining in nutritional ketosis. Some may require more protein due to the physical demands of their job or workout routine.
This ketogenic calculator will factor in your current weight, your goals, and your activity level to give you a personalized set of macros.
Customization is an important part of success, If you are new to Low Carb High Fat, you may want to ask one of our coaches to help you. The Newer You offers both Keto Coaching, and Low Carb Coaching Services. What is the difference? Contact us to find out!
6 – Look For Low Carb High Fat Recipes Online
Getting bored with food is not an option with this lifestyle. The internet is a goldmine for incredible, delicious recipes that are sugar free and low carb. Maria Emmerich has more than 800 on her blog, many of them replacements for comfort food favorites such as noodles and baked goods. Ruled.me and Caveman Keto both frequently release fun, easy recipes that up fat content as high as possible, and keep carbohydrates sometimes as low as zero.
The Newer You on Pinterest is another great resource, with recipes from all across the web. Our Instagram is full of examples of our coaches’ own meals.
7 – Join A Supportive Community
There has always been a decent sized Low Carb High Fat community out there on the web. But as study after study show the the benefits of this way of eating, more communities are opening up where followers the world over can join together and support one another.
From forums, to Twitter accounts, to Reddit communities like r/Keto and r/XXKeto, you can find thousands of like minded individuals and share in their experiences. We have both a Twitter and Facebook account where you can take part in the discussion.
8 – Make A List Of Your “Trigger Foods”
We all have a food or two that we just can’t help but fall victim to. Pizza, french fries, ice cream, cake, sugar laden coffee drinks piled with whipped cream. There is no shame in it; our bodies are wired to crave certain substances, It is just a part of our biology,
That doesn’t mean we can’t remain in control of ourselves. The first step is in recognizing what foods set us off, so we can begin to avoid them. Having a list is a great way to find replacements that are friendly to your new lifestyle. There are alternatives to any food you could possibly name, and many of them very easy to make ahead of time and keep in the freezer for emergencies.
I Breath, I’m Hungry, All Day I Dream About Food, and Peace, Love & Low Carb are some of our favorite blogs for Low Carb High Fat alternatives to common craving foods.
9 – Check Out Some Free Resources For Information
Educating yourself is the best way to ensure success. There are many free resources that can teach you anything you could possibly want to know about why this lifestyle works. We even have a free, downloadable Low Carb High Fat pamphlet that can help keep you on track.
Check our YouTube, social media groups, and free ebooks sites, and you will be amazed at how much you can learn without spending a penny.
10 – Just Get Started!
Finally, the tenth way to get started is just to do it! Every day you wait is a day where you are further from your ultimate goal. Make the conscious decision to change your life right now, and become The Newer You!