You've already jumped over one of the biggest hurdles with any diet or lifestyle out there. That's deciding which way you want to improve your health, add years to your life, lose weight, etc. Congratulations! I want to let you know that I can testify that the Ketogenic/ Low-Carb High Fat Lifestyle is very rewarding! When I first began, I didn't know that it would have so many benefits in so many different areas of my life aside from just weight-loss! But, as I think back on my beginnings with this lifestyle, I can't overlook how overwhelmed I felt at times. As I continued to research about this woe, the more and more I kept seeing things about tracking macros and percentages and...boy!It wasn't the life for me, I salute each of you who can track your calculations on a daily basis. I chose to keep up with my carbs, fats, and proteins the old fashioned way.......by reading the nutrition facts and keeping a journal. It worked and is still working. But what really helped me was something that I had to learn from experience. My hubby quotes a lot of quotes, but this one applies to what I'm about to tell you. He says" The best way to prevent something, is to avoid it!"If you surround yourself with keto-friendly foods vs foods loaded with carbs, chances are, you will be more successful on your journey. We all know eventually the moment of truth and decision will come one day on our journeys to cheat (splurge) and here are 5 tips that will help you resist the temptation!
Tip #1:KEEP WATER CLOSE BY!
Oh the benefits of good ol' fashion H2O! One of the benefits is that it keeps you fuller! According toAuthority Nutrition, water helps maximize physical performance, improve energy levels, prevent headaches, and improve regularity. Now I know some of you think that, water is boring, tasteless, and down right hard to fit into your meal planning because it lacks luster. Well there are so many ways you can spice it up! Sometimes all it takes is a cute water bottle or jug, I mean what's more irresistible than a cup with pink and orange butterflies filled with ice to entice you to get another sip of water. Or, you can try infused water recipes. There are many different flavors and combinations that you can choose from that will keep you looking forward to drinking your water. As you increase your water, you will see that at times you thought you were hungry, you were just thirsty. That in itself will help you be more successful on your weight-loss journey!
Tip #2:STOCK UP ON KETO-FRIENDLY FOODS
Don't you just love when that commercial ad comes on with the hot pizza, or fried chicken and it's already pretty late at night. So what do you do instead, go for the bag of chips, or a few cookies or candy. Anything to satisfy that craving that was just stirred up in you by watching that advertisement. But what would you have reached for had you not had the chips, cookies, or candies there? What you stock your house up with canmake or breakyour weight-loss journey! When you buy something that you know you shouldn't have on this lifestyle, you are sabotaging yourself. Stock your shelves and refrigerator with low-carb foods, that will allow you to make alternatives to what you used to crave. If you are craving cheesecake, make sure you keep cream Cheese and a sugar alternative in stock, so you can make a low-carb version of cream cheese. If you like chips, keep pork rinds, or almonds or pecans around, or any other alternative to chips. There are many out there. If you are craving Cake, make sure you have some ingredients to make a mug cake or fat bomb on hand. Get rid of the white and wheat flour, high-carb fruits, breads, pasta, rice, and fruit juices. Replace them with low-carb fruits (berries), avocado, almond or coconut flour, butter, or bacon. Try substituting zucchini noodles for pasta and see how you like it! I know some of you are saying, "Well, I have 3 other people in my household and I'm the only one doing keto!" I completely understand you. I'm the only one in my family who eats this way. What helped me, was that I made sure I had my alternative, or the ingredients to make an alternative. Thank God until this day, I have not had a cheat day since I began this journey and I plan to keep it going. Because all in all, this is a lifestyle!
Tip #3:BE PREPARED FOR FAMILY EVENTS
The holidays will be here before we know it and all of our old favorites will still be looking at us in our face, for many of us. On top of that, how do you handle someone who doesn't understand your ketogenic lifestyle? How do you go about not offending someone because you no longer want their lemon-glaze pound cake? As if the holidays aren't stressful enough, there are a few things to keep in mind in preparation for family events. Just know that many people will not understand what your doing. They may actually put it down or speak negatively about it or you because they aremisunderstoodabout this. You'd be surprised how many people confuse ketoacidosis for nutritional ketosis. Many people are misinformed about it, therefore being very judgemental about your endeavors. As for your Aunt Leona who makes the best Lemon-Glazed Pound Cake, I understand you don't want to hurt her feelings. Especially since she might not even be aware that you are on a diet/lifestyle, but she made it just for you. If your family loves you, then once you explain to them why you won't be eating their cake, they should be understanding and even be proud of you that you are taking control of your health. They might even start working on a new low-carb recipe just for you that you can enjoy alongside everyone else. Most of all, be prepared. If you know they are having a carb laden meal, bring your own dishes. Let's take a general example of a thanksgiving feast (turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, ham, yams, collard greens, cakes and pies) Well you can have the turkey and depending on the glaze, you probably can have the ham too. As for the others, there is an alternative for each. You can make your own low-carb cranberry sauce and stuffing. You can substitute mac and cheese for cauliflower mac n cheese. You can also substitute mashed potatoes for cauliflower mash. I would bring another vegetable to substitute for the yams and I would bring my own low-carb dessert creation. That way, you can celebrate the holidays in peace knowing that you remained in keto and are still losing weight when many people are packing it on! Woohoo!
TIP #4:BE RESTAURANT OR VACATION READY
Say you've been driving for a few hours and you see a restaurant you've been meaning to try at the next exit. It's probably a good idea to stop. Besides, it's a once in a lifetime chance right? Not really, but that's what you tell yourself. You finally get to lay eyes on the menu and it seems everything on the menu has either pasta, or is deep-fried, breaded, smothered, or has rice as a side dish. We all know how that goes. But what works is to be prepared. Do your research! If you have an idea of which restaurant you may be interested in,Googleit ! Look up their menu items and most restaurants have their nutrition facts so you can see the exact amount of carbs per item. MFP has a lot of restaurants in their database as well if you use that app. That way you won't use that as an excuse to continue on the path of " Well I might as well since I already had that slice of cake". You are not going to be happy if you go down that path. Another thing you can do is have an emergency keto pack with things that you can eat, if the place you go to doesn't have anything at all that you can eat. Thank God most places have steak, chicken, and salads! But in case you want something a bit different, it's good to keep some snacks on board. Some snacks like, almonds, nuts, pork rinds, quest bars, or something similar. If you have a cooler, bring along some cheese sticks, berries, fat bombs, cucumbers and ranch dip. There are so many possibilities with that! But if you are prepared, chances are you will be more successful on your journey!
TIP #5:READ THE NUTRITION LABEL CAREFULLY
By doing this alone, I know I have saved myself from giving up. So many times we can be misinformed by word of mouth instead of double checking ourselves. It's amazing. You can google cucumber, and come up with at least 3 different carb amounts in your search, if not more. So what do you do, you go back to what we learned in elementary school. You add all 3 up and divide by 3 to get the average, so that you will have a general idea. As for products that come with a label, make sure you are looking at the serving size as well. Keep that in mind, while you are fixing your plate. Sometimes, we are a littleheavyhanded and what we think is 1 serving, is actually 4 servings. It's easy, I do that with cheese all the time! The information is there, we just need to take the time to read it. When I first started this journey, I was surprised by the amount of carbs that were in supposedly "healthy" food! Oatmeal, yogurt, trail mix, protein bars, veggie chips, etc. All of that had to stop for me. So try your best to make it a habit, to read your nutritional facts before you eat!
Ihope these tips will help you as much as they have helped me stay on my Keto journey! This lifestyle has been so rewarding and I don't want to take any steps back. I've heard stories of those who have a cheat day, and it turns into a cheat week, then a cheat month. Before you know it, you've gained 30 lbs back and we don't want that to happen. So if you are trying to figure out a way to put an end to cheat days, try these 5 tips and see if they can help you out! I pray much continued success on your journeys! Keto On!
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
