Getting on keto might be the hardest thing you have to do because you have to say goodbye to your favorite fruits and comfort carbs like potato crisps or that fancy restaurant meal you allow yourself on Sundays. The keto diet is a high-fat and low-carb diet, so yes, you can continue eating your chicken and beef daily, even if you can. A slow and steady diet plan is, of course, a healthy way to achieve your weight loss goals and is overall sustainable as well. You won’t be able to see overnight results, but in the long term, your bodily metabolism functions will improve and lose its dependence on sugar as well.
Which brings me to an important point: sugar. Sugar is the subtle necessary evil that has led to an increase in the global disease trend now. The average sugar intake has gone from a few singular digit units to an average of 47-55 pounds per year. Subconsciously, you are not even aware that sugar has become like a drug in your daily lifestyle, and its omnipresence in virtually anything store-bought.
For this reason, I have listed out various challenges people have encountered in their journey of ketosis:
- Making a lifestyle change. Cutting off sugar entirely, of course, as I have already mentioned. The body essentially uses glucose burnt from carbs to energize and power us throughout the day. So, now that you are taking on the keto diet, your liver will turn to producing ketones from all the fats stored in your body. If not anything else, the water weight you shed off will be the first thing people notice.
- Finding the appropriate foods can be a problem when you begin because you don’t know what to eat and which foods are keto-friendly. For this reason, acquaint yourself with a few keto recipes before starting, and if possible, learn to cook a delicious steak that you can eat often.
- The infamous keto-flu that will probably be the reason you don’t want to do keto. This is where you read up on the flu and what exactly it is and how just having enough electrolytes to prevent dehydration is sufficient to handle it.
- Take your vitamins. Vitamins are vital micronutrients that often get overlooked because your meals have only been comprising macros (fats, carbs, and proteins). It is very essential to unpack all the potassium, magnesium, and sodium-rich foods & fluids you can find because the first week of keto is particularly groggy.
- Asking waiters if a dish has a certain carb ingredient and watching them die inside. But it’s okay, you’ll get used to it. You’ll pray lettuce didn’t exist because now salads will become your go-to meal. This again will make holidays excruciating for you if you have already commenced the keto diet.
- DO NOT let your frustration get to you and go back and forth on and off keto. Your body has put in a lot of effort to go off sugar and sustain itself. All that work will have been for nothing, and you might even end up gaining even more weight than before.
Getting rid of old habits can be a hassle, but that is okay because you are taking the initiative to work on yourself and build a healthier lifestyle with so much patience and resistance. Which, again, is very commendable. So, pat yourself on the back for making yourself so disciplined and keep pushing on. You can do it!