ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Easing Into the Ketogenic Diet Plan

Updated on August 23, 2018

Getting started on the Keto diet plan.

Making the decision to go low carb/high fat is a difficult one to make, but one that I am glad I did. I've lost over 100 lbs, mostly on keto. You can too! And you'll be able to do it while eating bacon, eggs, steak, and sour cream. I know this, because the majority of my diet over the last few years have been those exact things, along with chicken thighs and cheese.

During my years on this diet, I have learned to substitute different things to satisfy my cravings. For example, I really love corn chips and guacamole or salsa. Instead I use pork rings for that satisfying crunch. It isn't exactly the same, but it it does satisfy that craving for me.

Eliminate all fructose (especially High Fructose Corn Syrup)

Yes, this means fruit has to go first thing, as well as regular soda/pop. The reasoning is quite simple. Fructose is almost entirely metabolized in the liver. It is either stored as glycogen or turned into fat. Being that (until now) the majority of you reading have been eating carbohydrates regularly, your liver is replete with glycogen (stored sugar) and unable to handle the extra fructose.

What happens to fructose if there is no room in the liver to store it? By and large, it gets turned into fat. Glucose and other carbohydrates can be absorbed or burned other ways, but fructose MUST go through the liver.

Get rid of the rest of the sugars

While getting rid of fructose will help just by itself, the rest of the sugars will have to go if you ever want to successfully transition to a full keto diet. Things like sports drinks will have to go. There are a myriad other options that are sugar free (like Powerade zero, sugar free jello).

Try checking out the diabetic section of your local supermarket. Beware of sugar-alcohols! They do count, just not quite as much as a normal carbohydrate. Sometimes they can cause some GI distress and bloating as well. I usually count them at about half the grams of carbohydrates than is listed, but it really depends on the exact sugar alcohol.

When counting carbohydrates, remember that fiber doesn't really count.

Photo by Ben Frantzdale

Eliminate Grains, starches, and grain-like seeds

This includes pseudocereals (like Quinoa and Amaranth)

This is going to be the hardest part for most people. Grains make up a large part of almost everyone's diet. The are everywhere and very convenient. A donut and coffee on the go seems to be half of America's breakfast. Keep the coffee (use splenda!) but ditch the donut for bacon and eggs! The calorie count will be about the same, but here is the kicker: Once you reach the office you won't be hungry again.

Image: Niedereschbach

Eliminate Milk

And other high carb dairy (like yogurt)

Not all dairy, just the dairy with lactose and other sweeteners. I have heavy cream or half and half with my coffee daily. I definitely eat sour cream with just about everything (try a dollop in chili or even scrambled eggs).

I also eat cheese on just about everything, or even just break chunks of it off the brick to snack on.

And butter! Butter on everything!

Yogurt is mostly off the table, along with milk.

Photo: Janine Chedid

Eliminate Beans

...and limit carrots, beets, and other higher carbohydrate vegetables.

Beans, unfortunately, will also have to go, or at least very limited quantities occasionally. Baked beans with molasses are, of course, no longer a good choice, at all. But plain or seasoned pinto, black, and other unsweetened beans can still be eaten occasionally. I do enjoy a chipotle burrito bowl with black beans from time to time.

But make sure eating beans and legumes are the exception, not the rule. Peanuts are also acceptable from time to time, but large servings will start racking up the carbohydrates.

Picture: Hugo Wolf

I've lost over 100 lbs since my heaviest, most of which was on the ketogenic diet. It is the easiest diet for me to adhere to and I experienced a lot of other benefits other than weight loss.

What is your experience?

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)