Food Freedom Friday Edition 242 - Staying The Keto Course
There are many lifestyle tips when it comes to long term, sustained weight loss.
“Short-term dieting isn’t sustainable, you need to make it a lifestyle”
“The key is to turn your diet into a lifestyle.”
This is all true.
While a short-term keto or low carbohydrate diet can help you reap multiple benefits including as reduced body fat and increased energy, unfortunately, you can quickly fall back into bad habits and reverse all of your progress. If and when this happens, it can sometimes be even harder to get back into your healthy routine.
The real transformation happens when you commit to staying in ketosis for the long-term.
Even if you understand that keto in not a short-term solution, the question of what it takes to transition into a keto lifestyle still remains. The good news is that there are a few foundational changes you can make to train your brain — and your body — to stick to your nutrition plan.
Have a Reason Besides Weight Loss
Weight loss is an important goal, but the truth is, you can lose weight on any diet.
High-carb, low-fat diets, as well as low-calorie diets, lead to weight loss. You can even lose weight on a low-carb diet or low-carb, high-fat (or LCHF) diet that is not technically keto. However, the common thread with each of these diets, is that they all eventually fail.
There are two major reasons for this.
1. These types of diets and eating programs do not support balancing your hormones, which is an essential part of managing your hunger. If you are always hungry, sticking to your plan can feel like a daily battle, which, ultimately, is no way to live.
2. Once you reach your goal, you lose your motivating factor. Research shows that outward appearance, and the way others perceive and accept you based on your looks, is usually insufficient to keep you on track and motivated
It would be safe to assume that once you lose the weight, you would want to maintain that weight loss. The problem is, however, that once you reach your goal, it becomes easier to fall into bad habits or veer off track.
This is why one of the most important ways you can sustain a keto lifestyle is by having motivating factors that extend beyond weight loss. This is where learning about the keto diet becomes even more important.
Educate Yourself
On the surface, the keto diet may seem like a weight loss plan, which it can, of course, be. Once you meet your aesthetic goals, the thing that will keep you on track with a keto lifestyle is knowing how and why it works, and the long-term health benefits of keeping your ketone levels up and your blood sugar stable.
When you are in the metabolic state of ketosis, your body is using ketone bodies (or ketones) as a source of energy. While this promotes fat loss, it also helps balance your hormones, increase your energy, and improve your cholesterol levels and blood pressure without the side effects of common medications.
The keto diet has also been linked to:
· Reduced appetite
· Reduced inflammation, which is the underlying cause of many chronic health problems
· Improved glucose levels
· Reduced risk factors for heart disease
· Increased ability to concentrate
Saturated fats have gotten a bad rap over the last couple of decades, but a well formulated, balanced high-fat diet that includes high-quality saturated fats has enormous health benefits.
As further benefit, educating yourself about your eating habits gives you the ability to confidently share scientifically-backed information with people who might oppose your keto lifestyle or try to sabotage your efforts.
Make It, Don’t Miss It
It is totally unrealistic to think that you will never eat a slice of pizza, indulge in a brownie or have an ice cream cone again. Stocking your kitchen with an assortment of keto foods, instead of carbohydrate-filled, sugar-laden processed foods, will make a significant difference in how easy it is to turn a ketogenic diet into a lifestyle.
You can further work on turning your diet into a keto lifestyle by making simple, permanent swaps in your household. For example, swapping out sugar-filled ketchup, dressings, and sauces for keto-friendly versions is an easy change that you can make and stick to. The internet is packed with whole-food, low carbohydrate and keto recipes to keep you eating your favorite treats without reverting to your old carbohydrate-filled ways
Get Support
Support is the cornerstone of any major lifestyle change. Research shows that people who are surrounded by supportive people, or those with similar goals, are more likely to stick to their goals and maintain their commitment than people who go at it alone. Surrounding yourself with supportive people can also reduce stress levels, which increases self-control.
Alternatively, if you find yourself facing a lot of opposition from the people you are closest you will generally have a more challenging time turning changes into a permanent lifestyle. Furthermore, if your partner is not involved in what you are doing, you are, unfortunately, more likely to quit or give up.
Try to involve your spouse or life partner in what you are doing and your diet and lifestyle changes. Tell your friends about your goals and ask them to support, or at the very least respect, your decisions and your keto lifestyle.
If you fail to get support at home from your family or significant other, look elsewhere. Join a gym or take nutrition or exercise classes that coincide with your goals. Search for accountability groups or support groups online. Social media makes connecting with like-minded people even easier.
Plan Your Keto
Along with having a supportive social network, having a keto meal plan will help you turn your diet into a lifestyle.
Having a meal plan associated with better overall diet quality and a higher intake of nutrients. Planning your meals is also linked to having and maintaining a healthier body weight. Meal planning also helps you control portion sizes and reduces the amount of food you waste, which can save you money and prevent over-eating not to ‘waste’ food.
Although meal planning takes a little forethought and requires more time upfront, it also saves you time in the long-run, especially if you incorporate meal prep.
Your keto nutrition plan does not need to be complicated. Find your favorite 5-7 keto recipes and cycle through them every week. Write out a list of all of the ingredients you need and organize them by categories based on where you can find them in the grocery store.
To meal prep, roast a bunch of veggies in olive oil and combine those veggies with some high-quality proteins and healthy fats, like avocado and coconut oil. Those few simple steps will give you an easy, portable meal that requires little time or effort.
To Sum It all Up…
The key to sticking to any life changes and reaping long-term health benefits is turning whatever choices you are making in the short term into a permanent lifestyle.
After educating yourself on how the metabolic state of ketosis works and what the health benefits are, you will find yourself having an easier time with your keto lifestyle.
By making simple swaps in your everyday food choices, finding accountability groups or people who support you, and making a meal plan (and possibly adding in some meal prep), you will find it simpler and more do-able to stay on track.