The Ketogenic Diet: What Is It, and How Can It Improve My Life?

My guess is you have found yourself here, in the pages of this book, because you have become unsatisfied with a part of your life – the part that involves your health, your weight, and your energy level. Be assured, you are not alone. You stand among many who want to change how they look, and how they feel. Each and every one of us has followed our own path here, and have our own causes for feeling low and unhealthy. Some of it is stress, some of it is being too busy, some of it is laziness, some of it is hereditary, and some of it might be illness, just to name a few possibilities. But what each of us has in common is that our current state of health is, first and foremost, our own personal responsibility. Taking responsibility isn’t always easy, but once you do, the most amazing thing happens: you realize you have the capability and the power to make change. It is this realization and the desire to make that change that has brought you here, to the place where it can finally happen.

Unless you have been totally unaware of the diet industry for the past couple of decades, chances are you are familiar with low-carb diets. You have probably heard of the positive results and the supposed negative side effects. The fact is, low-carbohydrate diets are successful for the majority of people who follow them. However, the typical low-carb diet is difficult to sustain in the long term, and often people who follow the diet burn out quickly. This burnout was the reason that more and more people began looking at a new type of low-carb diet – the ketogenic diet.

The ketogenic diet shares some characteristics with a typical low-carb diet; in the initial phases you reduce your carbohydrate intake to a point where you are able to enter and maintain a state of ketosis, you don’t worry about counting calories unless you want to, and you lose weight very quickly.

So, what is it that makes this plan different? A ketogenic diet is also different in a few ways. To begin with, a ketogenic diet teaches you how to eat a modest amount of carbohydrates for life, rather than in stages. Most people also feel that a ketogenic diet is less costly than the other common low-carb diets.

A ketogenic diet focuses on a higher ratio of fat. This ratio is approximately 70 percent of your calories from fat, with 20 percent coming from protein sources and about 10 percent coming from carbohydrates. Most people are a little shocked when they read that. Seventy percent from fat, are you kidding me? We are not kidding at all. This is an eating strategy that was actually developed decades ago to help reduce the occurrence and severity of seizures in epileptic children, and it has numerous health benefits.

Here is the thing – fat has received an undeserved negative reputation. First of all, you want your focus to be on healthy fats like those found in olive oil and fatty fish (which are incredibly good for your health) while limiting bad fats. Your body, including your brain, needs fat to function. Fat is a source of energy, it contains essential fatty acids, it is necessary for nerve function, it helps to maintain healthy skin, and it is absolutely essential for the transportation of fat soluble vitamins like vitamin A, E, D, and K. When you have this knowledge, you can begin to see how the focus on low-fat diets has actually been a detriment to our health. Protein is great, but if you eat too much of it, it can actually increase blood sugar levels temporarily, sabotaging your low-carb diet efforts. This is why the ketogenic diet is heavier in fats and less so in protein. Now that we know this, let’s talk a little bit about carbohydrates.

The Good and the Bad of Carbohydrates

In the typical diet of the western world, carbohydrates take center stage. This seems to be true whether your diet is low fat and natural or highly processed. Think for a moment about what the health and diet industry has been telling us for years. Keep it low fat, eat lots of healthy grains and indulge in fresh fruits and vegetables. Sounds reasonable, and for the most part it is. However, we have taken the grain aspect of it and gone too far astray. Let’s say you have been trying to eat well. For breakfast you have oatmeal and fruit, lunch consists of a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, a snack might be some low calorie crackers and produce and then dinner has pasta, rice, potatoes, or other starchy vegetables. Any one of these things in a standalone category is fine. However, we bombard our bodies with an abundance of carbohydrates throughout the day, every day. Carbohydrates are not all bad. They are a source of energy for your body and can help regulate your blood sugar. Many nutritious foods that are high in carbohydrates, such as certain fruits and vegetables, are also excellent sources of fiber and valuable nutrients. The problem is the amount and quality of carbohydrates that you consume can actually damage your health, rather than heal it.

Recent studies show that it is sugar, and not necessarily fat, that is contributing to an overall increase in serious, chronic illness. Excess carbohydrates, especially those found in processed foods, contribute to an inflamed state in the body. Your body will recover from this, but then it happens again the next day, and the day after that. Soon, your body loses some of its ability to recover and heal and you find yourself chronically inflamed and suffering from pain and disease. Chronic inflammation has been shown to be a contributor in conditions such as cardiac diseases, diabetes, fibromyalgia, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and even cancer. Meanwhile, we are finding that moderate amounts of healthy fats actually combat these conditions. Knowing this, we have to ask ourselves how to approach eating on a daily basis in a way that will help keep extra weight off and keep chronic illness away. There may be more than one answer to this, but the answer I would like to offer to you now is the ketogenic diet.

The ketogenic diet is formulated to supply your body with the amount of fats and proteins it needs to thrive, while reducing the amount of inflammation-causing carbohydrates. To begin this diet you will limit yourself to somewhere between 20 and 60 grams of carbohydrates per day in order to enter a nutritional state known as ketosis. This is the point when your body begins using its fat stores (rather than carbohydrates) as fuel. This means that as you burn energy, you burn fat, even the stubborn fat that hasn’t wanted to budge for years. It is important to note that you will eat carbohydrates, just not as many of them, and you will become picky about the ones you consume. We will go in depth about what foods to enjoy and which ones to avoid a little later in the book, however what you have to look forward to is a rich and nutritious diet full of healthy fats, proteins, gorgeous green vegetables and juicy berries, just to name a few of the delights. The ketogenic diet is healthy, weight loss promoting, and completely satisfying.

How Is This Healthy? Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet.

You know you will lose weight with the ketogenic diet, but your mind might be flooded with questions about how this can be good for you, so many calories, so few grains, how will this enrich my life and not just please my taste buds? The truth is, there are many ways in which the ketogenic lifestyle will benefit your health, with a reduction in weight being just the tip of the iceberg. Here is a list of the many wonderful benefits that are within your reach when you decided to eat ketogenically.

You gain a healthy relationship with your appetite. It might seem that the ketogenic diet is all about overindulgence, and it is true that you might overindulge, especially during the initial weeks when you just can’t believe you can have all you want of so many delicious and decadent foods. However, after the first couple of weeks you will find that your appetite is actually suppressed, you have fewer cravings and you focus less on what your next meal or snack is going to be. If you are like so many others, you have found yourself in the position of being overweight by participating in an unhealthy relationship with food. Maybe you have become too busy to focus on nutrition and lost your focus on your health, maybe food is emotional for you, whatever has brought you here, ketosis will help you regain a balance and give you the opportunity to recognize not only when you are full, but what your body truly needs to thrive.

You will have improved mental clarity and focus. In the simplest terms possible, fat is good for your brain and limited carbohydrates will prevent energy crashes as your body begins to rely on the ever present fat sources for energy. After the first week or so, most people who eat ketogenically report having more energy and greater focus and clarity in their thinking. Some even claim they experience fewer depressive symptoms than before they started the diet.

Your path to a healthier lifestyle doesn’t stop at the end of ketosis. Maybe you will eat ketogenically for the rest of your life, maybe you will discover that it just isn’t for you. Either way, you are training your body to reset your metabolism and help you maintain a healthy weight going forward. As mentioned earlier, you will develop a healthier relationship with food, but you will also experience metabolic changes. You know about metabolism. A fast metabolism is a blessing that some people receive, while others do not. There is nothing magical about metabolism, but our bodies do metabolize food in their own way. This is part of your unique physiology that you were born with. However, just because you were born with a slow metabolism, doesn’t mean you have to accept it. The ketogenic diet will help reset your metabolism so it is more efficient at burning your energy stores and helping you maintain a healthy weight.

It is hard to get discouraged while on the ketogenic diet. Weight comes off quickly and with little effort in the beginning. All you have to do is make the commitment.

You will improve your health. People who eat ketogenically have a lower occurrence of obesity, lower blood pressure, triglyceride levels, and HDL cholesterol levels.

You lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and if you are already diabetic, you can help reduce the severity of your condition. Ketogenic eating helps to relieve insulin sensitivity. Some diabetics who follow the ketogenic diet while under a physician’s supervision were able to actually remove the need for medication.

The list of diseases that you reduce your risk of doesn’t stop at diabetes. When you adopt a ketogenic lifestyle you reduce or eliminate your risk of the following conditions:

heart disease
high blood pressure
stroke
inflammatory health conditions
skin ailments
obesity related health conditions

This is only the beginning of the many ways your health and your life will improve with the ketogenic diet. There is so much more than what can fit within the confines of any book. Each person will have their own experience and each person will discover for themselves how empowering the ketogenic diet can be.

Starting the Ketogenic Diet: What You Need To Know

The Rules

The ketogenic diet isn’t actually meant to be a diet, as much as it is meant to be a dietary lifestyle. The first two weeks are a little more restrictive and require a bit more diligence; however, in the long term, the ketogenic diet is easy to maintain. I honestly dislike the idea of giving you a set of rules to follow because I know firsthand how difficult it can be to maintain a dietary mindset when you feel overburdened with a list of rules. For this reason, the list of “rules” is actually quite short. The ketogenic diet is simple in its approach, and you need to keep only a few things in mind as you set out to take charge of your life with this new way of fueling your body.

You have heard it before, but talk to your doctor.

Every diet or exercise plan, at least every reputable one, is going to recommend that you seek out the advice of a physician before you start. The reason this is the number one rule is not because I have to put it here, but because I honestly mean it. The ketogenic diet will work wonderfully for the majority of people. However, during the diet you will enter a state of ketosis, which can actually cause more harm than good in people with certain health conditions. There is a lot that happens physiologically in ketosis, and while safe for most people, your doctor should still know about your dietary lifestyle in case you encounter any health problems along the way. Besides that, it is good to have a full checkup and blood work done so you know your starting point and can see for yourself through regular checkups the improvement you are making in your life.

Don’t worry about the calories.

Yes, your primary reason for wanting to eat ketogenically is probably to lose weight, but that doesn’t mean you need to be in a restrictive state of mind. You do not need to worry about restricting calories for a couple of reasons. The first is that as you enter ketosis, your body burns excess fat stores and you lose water weight no matter how many calories you consume. It is possible to consume 2000, or more, calories in a day and lose weight. You will continue to burn fat, regardless of calorie intake during the time you are in ketosis. Second, your metabolism will be reset through the process and your body will re-learn to burn fat and calories more effectively, meaning you don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight. Finally, ketosis is actually an appetite suppressant. After the initial phase of the diet you will find you are hungry less often and when you do eat, you naturally desire fewer calories to feel satisfied. So unless you have a specific reason for limiting your calories, or your doctor has recommended that you keep within a range, then don’t even let calorie count cross your mind. You have far better things to spend your time thinking about.

Know the ratio, but be flexible.

While eating ketogenically, you will limit your carbohydrates to anywhere between 20 and 60 grams per day. This is a wide range of variance because it accounts for a wider range of physiologies. I suggest starting at around 30 grams of carbohydrates per day, and adjusting up and down. For example, if you find that you enter ketosis easily at 30 grams, then you may want to try adding carbohydrates five grams at a time to determine your limit. If you are having trouble entering ketosis at 30 grams, then you might want to decrease your intake by five grams until you reach your ketosis threshold. It is not recommended that you go below 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. The general ratio for the ketogenic diet is 70-20-10. This means you should get 70 percent of your calories from fats, 20 percent of your calories from protein and 10 percent from carbohydrates. Do not get obsessive about this. If you end up at 65-25-10 or 70-22-8 or anything close, it is fine. Just keep the majority of your calories from fat and keep your grams of carbohydrates in check.

Move a little.

This ketogenic diet doesn’t come with an exercise program, however a little dedication to daily movement is a good thing. First of all, you do not need to exercise in order to lose weight while on the ketogenic diet, but it will help boost your results. Secondly, if you eat ketogenically for a long period of time, you will need to do a little weight resistance training to help keep your muscles strong and not lose any muscle mass and finally, some of the foods on the approved list, combined with limited carbohydrate and fiber intake, can lead to constipation. Daily exercise can help keep your bowels working properly.

Keep hydrated.

This is true whether you are on a diet or not, but during ketosis you are going to be losing water weight as well as fat. This means you have to take extra care to replenish your body with fluids throughout the day. Adequate water intake will also prevent some of the potential side effects of ketosis.

Keep an open mind.

When you start any diet there will be highs and lows. Days when you are excited and enthused and days when you just want to cave in. the ketogenic diet has the advantage of offering you as much to eat as you want, and encourages you to stay satisfied, however there will be days when you really just want a big piece of cake, or a slice of pizza. When this happens, think of what you can do and have, rather than what you can’t. For example, if you are craving pizza why not make yourself a snack stacker with all of the pizza ingredients, except the crust. Even heat it up to make the cheese nice and melty. You might not be able to indulge in cake, but what about a chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut milk shake? Do not deprive yourself, but be open to the many ketogenic possibilities.

Calculating Percentages

As mentioned before, your ketogenic daily diet does not need to strictly adhere to the 70 fat/20 protein/10 carb rule, but it does need to be close. Most of the time this can be achieved just through being observant and aware of what you eat. However, you might like more of a feeling of control and structure. For that reason, I am including a brief explanation of how to calculate percentages.

If you want to take a look at the food you are about to eat, or have already eaten, and figure out the percentage of calories from fat, protein and carbohydrates, you need to know the following numbers:

1 gram of fat has 9 calories
1 gram of protein has 4 calories
1 gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories

As you can see, gram for gram fat has more than twice the caloric count of protein and carbohydrates.

If you eat something with 500 total calories, you might see a breakdown like this:

38 g of fat
5 g of protein
12 g of carbohydrates

Each gram of fat has 9 calories, so 38 g x 9 calories = 342 fat calories

Each gram of protein has 4 calories, so 27.5 g x 4 calories = 110 protein calories

Each gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories, so 12 g x 4 calories = 48 carbohydrate calories.

We end up with a calorie total of 500, broken down into 342/110/48

To calculate percentages we divide the calorie category by the total number of calories:

342 calories/500 calories x 100 = 68% fat calories
110 calories/500 calories x 100 = 22% protein calories

These ratios are not exact to 70 and 20, but they are close and they leave the remaining carbohydrate calories at approximately 10%.

You can also use this formula to set a specific number of calories you plan to consume and break down how many fat, protein, and carbohydrate grams you will need. For example:

2,000 daily calories

70% of 2000 = 1400 fat calories
20% of 2000 = 400 protein calories
10% of 2000 = 200 carbohydrate calories

Now we take the information about calories per gram from above to figure out how many grams of each you need.

1400 fat calories / 9 calories per gram = 155.5 g of fat
400 protein calories / 4 calories per gram = 100 g of protein
200 carbohydrate calories / 4 calories per gram = 50 g of carbohydrate

These calculations are simple once you get used to them, however, remember that you do not need to do these calculations on the ketogenic diet. These instructions are only here in case you choose to do so.

Foods to Have and Foods to Avoid

Here is the section you have been looking for; what exactly can you eat while on the ketogenic eating plan? This diet is actually quite intuitive if you just remember to focus on healthy fats and steer away from carbohydrates. Fruits are limited to berries in this initial portion of the diet, after that, small amounts of other fruits can be added. Vegetable consumption is encouraged as long as you avoid starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, carrots, and yams. Green is best when it comes to ketogenic vegetables. To make your meal planning and shopping simpler, here is a list of some of the best ketogenic foods and the biggest ones to avoid.

Yes foods

Heart-healthy, fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and trout

Most meats, including some with higher fat content. Just remember that you can eat any meat you want, but keep healthy proteins in your diet and not just super fatty ones.
Heart-healthy oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil
Avocados
Olives
Eggs
Butter
Heavy cream (preferable to milk which has a higher carbohydrate content)
Full fat sour cream, cream cheese, crème fraiche, cottage cheese, and other cheeses
Unsweetened coconut milk and almond or other nut kinds of milk
Low carbohydrate vegetables such as spinach, kale, leek, fennel, broccoli, salad greens, and tomatoes. Stay away from starchy and sweet vegetables.
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in small portions
Walnuts, almonds, and other nuts
Chia and flax seeds
Herbs and most spices
Unsweetened beverages including some caffeine
Lots of water

Foods to avoid

Grains, including bread, pasta, rice, and cereals
Fruits, except for the noted berries
Beans and legumes
Starchy vegetables
Low-fat dairy products
Sweetened dairy products
Sweetened beverages
Alcohol
Processed foods
Baked goods, candies, and other sweets
Unhealthy cooking oils

Initial Side Effects and Precautions

If you have ever been on a diet before, then you know there are almost always some minor side effects as your body adjusts and accepts your new style of eating. Some common side effects, which almost always fade after the first week, include:

Headaches
Fatigue
Sleep disturbances
Frequent urination
Lightheadedness
Constipation
Muscle cramps
Keto flu (flu-like symptoms)

These symptoms are mostly proof that your body is entering and adjusting to ketosis. There are a couple of things you can do to reduce or eliminate these effects. Most importantly, keep yourself hydrated; secondly, make sure you are taking in enough sodium. As you enter ketosis, your body will eliminate excess sodium so you might have to compensate. You might also want to consider a solid nutritional supplement, and if your symptoms are severe try adding an extra five grams of carbohydrates per day until your symptoms lessen.

Some people should not restrict the amount of carbohydrate calories they consume for medical reasons. If you have any of the following health conditions, please consult a physician before attempting this dietary lifestyle.

Diabetes
Liver disease
Kidney disease
Pancreatic disease
Gall bladder disease
Gastric bypass surgery
Poor nutritional status
Pregnancy
Lactation

Any chronic condition should be addressed before beginning this diet.

Ketosis

Ketosis is the backbone of any low carbohydrate diet, including the ketogenic plan. Ketosis is the state your body is in when you limit the amount of carbohydrates you consume, and thus force your body to use its fat stores to burn energy. When this happens, your body releases something called ketones, which will be present in your blood and urine. The reason some people are advised to avoid low carbohydrate diets is that ketosis can be hard on people with certain health conditions, where the kidneys and liver are already compromised. In otherwise healthy people, ketosis poses no health risk.

It will take two to three days of reduced carbohydrate intake for your body to enter ketosis. You might be able to tell that this has occurred, just by an increase in urination, an almost instant reduction in weight, and other changes in how you feel. Otherwise, you can purchase something called Ketostix®, which are used to measure the amount of ketones in your urine. There is an indicator which will show you when you are at peak ketone level, and where a lower maintenance level is. If you are having trouble reaching ketosis, you can reduce the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming. If you are releasing too many ketones, you can add more carbohydrates into your daily diet. You will want to stay in a peak ketosis state for optimal results

You may have heard of a dangerous condition called ketoacidosis. This is not the same thing as ketosis. It is instead a condition that is usually related to severe diabetes and can be life-threatening. If you find yourself suffering from more extreme side effects, or symptoms not listed, you should seek medical counsel to rule out the possibility of an underlying medical condition that might be contraindicated with ketosis.