What is the Ketogenic Diet? A beginner's primer

If you’re looking to lose weight and/or improve your health, there are millions of diets and fitness plans out there to choose from. But it’s essential that you do some research and educate yourself before jumping headfirst into the shallow waters of the diet and fitness world. Just because a diet worked for someone you know or trust, doesn’t mean it will work for you. And more important, it doesn’t mean that diet is SAFE for you.

The ketogenic diet (or the keto diet) is the latest craze that has people making radical health changes in search of a thinner, more fit body. If you’re looking to shed some weight to improve your health, the keto diet has produced some impressive results and has some scientific backing to it. If you’re thinking about getting on the keto diet bandwagon, then you probably have more questions than answers about it. So with that in mind, here is some basic information and tips about the keto diet.  

1. What is the keto diet? First, understand that this is a major lifestyle change that is very complicated and isn’t meant for everyone. In a nutshell, the keto diet is a low-carb, high fat, medium protein plan that basically tricks the body into thinking it’s starving in order to burn off fat instead of carbohydrates. It’s similar to the Atkins Diet, but requires a lot more discipline and monitoring in order to force your body to get its fuel from fat. The keto diet has several variations to it as well, appealing to newbies, hardcore fitness fans and everything in between.
2. How do I get started on the keto diet? The first thing you should do if you’re considering this major life change is to talk to your physician. For many people, making a radical change like this can have serious health consequences, especially if you have other medical issues, conditions or diseases. If your doctor gives you the all clear, your next step is to do some reading, a lot of reading, to fully understand what you can and can’t eat. It’s also important to select reputable sources of information. Everyone thinks they’re an expert these days, so look for information from actual doctors and dieticians. The good news is that you can eat lots of proteins like beef, chicken, eggs and fish along with non-starchy vegetables like cucumbers and broccoli as well as healthy fats like nuts, olive oil and grass-fed butter. The bad news is that you have to say goodbye to wheat, rice, corn, anything with flour and, of course, most sugars and sweets.
3. Does it work? The keto diet does work for many people, but only if they follow the strict regimen to the tee. It’s also beneficial to find information that’s geared toward your sex/age/body type, etc. This isn’t a diet you can jump in and out of, you have to stay disciplined and you’ll probably deal with quite a bit of discomfort and bodily changes with minimal results over the first few weeks. But, if you stick with it and follow the instructions, you’ll likely see some impressive results.
4. Are there keto supplements that can help? There are tons of supplements designed specifically for the keto diet. One word of advice though, read the fine print on the ingredients. Be wary of anything that has sugar or sweeteners, such as maltodextrin, maltose, dextran, dextrose and sucrose. Some of the better keto products include: BCAA recovery matrix Myokem's mTor Pro. Energy/stamina boosters like Ketosports Ketocana and Quest MCT Oil; keto fat burner Keto Weight Loss from BPI; pre workout formula BPI Best Pre Workout and the very essential Finaflex Ketone Strips to track your keto levels. 

Check out one of our favorite ketogenic diet combos. We have combined the BPI Keto Bomb coffee creamer and Quest MCT Oil at a discounted price for one of the best Keto combos on the market.