Kickstart your Keto lifestyle with these 10 tips and tricks

Monday at 8:00 am: Alright today is the day. Today I start my diet. I will not be tempted any “bad” foods, my fridge will look like a garden, and I will not eat the Oreos that are hiding in my pantry on the second shelf to the right…. 9:00 pm: Eat all the things, why did I grocery shop earlier like a healthy person, and where the heck are those Oreos?!

Repeat this all week until you make it to Friday, give up for the weekend because the week was already shot anyways and I might as well start on the next Monday. Then Monday comes again and guess what, you are still not ready and the vicious cycle begins all over again. And again. And again until its summer time and you’ve decided that maybe you really don’t want that two-piece bikini anyways.

Any of this sound familiar? Did you feel like I was speaking to you personally except it was a snickers bar in your car’s glove box or a sneaked bowl of your kid’s sugary cereal? Starting a new lifestyle is never easy and that is why it is takes about a month of consistent dedicated behavior to create a new habit. Even then it can be a constant battle, which is why choosing a sustainable lifestyle is so important.

Over the holidays I went off plan, WAY off plan and I have been struggling to get myself back on track. Why am I struggling? Because I was not preparing myself for success and so I continued to fail and fall off the wagon. Well I looked at the calendar recently and realized that there is less than 3 months till Summer starts. Oh my where did the time go?! Also I have a wedding to go to in June that just so happens to be on my 5 year wedding anniversary. If that’s not highly motivating then I don’t know what is!

Whenever I go off plan and I’m trying to get my mindset back on track, I have a list of tips and tricks that I follow that help get me back into the groove of things. They are my tried and true methods for getting myself rebooted and motivated to lose weight. I have noticed over the years that if I do not follow these concepts, I struggle to get started and I quit much easier. Below are my top 10 tips and tricks, some you might know about and others maybe not but this is what works for me and has helped me lose weight for years. Not everything will work for everyone so please take that into consideration when developing your goals, remember to be flexible, and enjoy starting your new lifestyle!

**Also I want you to remember that I am not a doctor and that you should talk to your physician before making changes to your diet especially if you have any health conditions. Be safe and make smart decisions.

1. Consider doing a detox

Consider doing a detox, especially for the first week. When I’m starting back up with my keto lifestyle, I always do a candida cleanse, colon cleanse, and a detox water. Doing all of these help flush the toxins out of my body, decrease my munchies and carb cravings, and drop some of that extra body bloat weight. Nothing like starting with some positive reinforcement with a drop on the scale and your jeans fitting better. Also a weird side effect that I get when I eat massive amounts of sugar is severe generalized itching from my candida overgrowth. When I do the cleanse and eliminate the sugars my body reacts by decreasing my cravings and my itching disappears, totally weird but definitely a motivator for me to kick the carbs.

There are tons of different cleanses you can choose from out there, so choose one that has good reviews and I prefer that my candida cleanse works on the enzyme. I don’t recommend starting these cleanses and straying to far from a restroom as well. Unless you have done a colon or candida cleanse before, you don’t know how your body is going to react and it’s better to be safe rather than sorry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. A great and simple detox water that you can do is add sliced lemons, cucumber, fresh mint, and ginger to a purified water and let it sit over night. If you prefer a different recipe there are tons of detox water recipes on Pinterest that you can check out.

2. Clean out your fridge, pantry, etc. of trigger items

This is an essential step because leaving those trigger items in your house will make it even harder for you to get started. I don’t care how you get rid of it, just make it all disappear. Take it to work, throw it out, donate it to a skinny friend, just don’t make it disappear by eating it. I always like to clean my fridge and pantry then go shopping for all my keto meals and snacks. After I’m done with that, I like to stare at my “healthy” fridge and get myself inspired. Always makes me feel like “Dang, maybe I can DO this!”

3. Meal Prep is key

You have to meal prep if you want to succeed in changing your lifestyle, even if it’s only for a couple days at a time. Meal prepping helps you stay prepared and not fall into the “Oops I forgot that we were going to eat dinner tonight, take-out Chinese anyone??”. I usually plan out my dinners for 3-5 days minimum so that I know what I need to buy at the store and I can plan accordingly. I also use freezer meals to help out on the days that Hubby is home with the kids while I’m working. This helps him prepare dinner and I know that I’m getting a keto-friendly meal. Win win! This is my favorite meal prepping pad that I use to write out my week and keep me on track with what I’m making. Also make sure to have plenty of go-to snacks ready and available. It’s going to take about a week for your munchies to go away so you don’t want to derail because you weren’t prepared. I personally love hard boiled eggs, deli meat, avocados, pickles, cheese and nuts for grab and go snacks when the munchies hit me hard. Keeps me on track and much less binge eating.

4. Hydrate hydrate hydrate… then hydrate some more

You have to drink water if you want your body to lose weight. No exceptions. Some people say you have to drink half your body weight in ounces but I like to recommend drinking about 100 ounces a day. Personally, as a mom and a nurse, I know how hard it can be to reach that amount every single day. But without drinking your water, your body will start stalling with your weight loss and no one wants that. To help you get to that goal, try having little reminders through out the day. This will help keep you on schedule so that at 4pm you aren’t trying to guzzle 85 ounces of water before you go to bed. No one wants to be up all night peeing, so space it out and make sure to get it all in. Also, especially in the first week or two, don’t forget to add electrolytes to your water. When you cut out the carbs your body flushes out all your excess water weight which is awesome for your bloat but it depletes a lot of your electrolytes like Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium, and Sodium. I like to drink at least 1L of an electrolyte water a day especially in the beginning to help combat Keto Flu and keep my headaches to a minimum. Still have a Keto Flu headache after that? Drink some pickle juice, works for me every time.

5. Measurements, before pictures & an accurate weight

This needs to be done on day 1 when you are starting and please don’t skip it! Weigh yourself in the morning, after your morning pee and before you eat or drink anything, with nothing on but your birthday suit. This will be your most accurate weight and the best one to reference to as you continue your journey. Now the scale is not always your friend, so don’t base your success by the numbers that you see on it. Your best judge of weight loss is going to be your measurements and how your clothes are fitting. If you start a new exercise program then you aren’t going to probably lose on the scale for the first 2-3 weeks due to inflammation and water retention. If the scale is making you lose your motivation, don’t get on it and use your loosening clothes as a guideline for your success. You want to look and feel better, not just get a great number on the scale.

6. Realistic and obtainable goals

Come up with reasonable goals that are obtainable and work towards them every day. It can be extremely overwhelming if you have 50+ or even 100+ pounds to lose and you feel like there is no way you will ever reach your goal. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Set mini goals and make sure that they are obtainable within a couple of months. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure and get discouraged when you don’t reach an impossible goal. I never ever aim to drop more than MAX 10 lbs a month and normally I aim for 6-7 lbs. Remember slow and steady will win the race, you don’t want a quick fix. This is the rest of your life and you want to change your habits consistently over time so that they become second nature.

7. Step outside of your comfort zone

Don’t be afraid of trying new recipes or new flavors. This is where you can grow and experience new things and maybe discover something that you never knew you would enjoy. I recommend trying 1-2 new recipes a week into your meal prepping so that you don’t get bored with this new lifestyle. Also if you are having a craving, don’t fight it, work with it! A lot of times if I am craving something specific I will make a Keto-version of it to help satisfy my cravings. This helps keep you on track and motivated without making you feel deprived. On the flip side of that though, don’t be afraid of keeping it simple at times as well. Don’t overwhelm your plate, you have enough to do already.

8. Educate yourself because knowledge is power

Before you start any lifestyle change, you should always do your research and fully understand what Keto is all about. When you educate yourself on the Keto lifestyle, it helps you understand the rationale behind why you are eating the way you are. There are several amazing Keto books that are out there that are easy to understand and they come with some fantastic recipes! Also they have lists of Keto friendly foods you can eat and what you should be doing when you get started. I highly recommend buying a Keto book because it’s an excellent resource to have in the house and it’s a worth while investment into your journey. Some of my favorite beginner Keto books are “Simply Keto” by Suzanne Ryan and “Keto For Life” by Mellissa Sevigny. Both have excellent recipes, their information is spot on, and they have great meal plans that are easy to follow. If you aren’t quite ready to take the plunge on purchasing a book, then there is a ton of information available on Pinterest. Just make sure you are reading a credible source with accurate information.

9. If you fall off the wagon, don’t set it on fire

If you indulge, cheat, fall off the wagon, or whatever you want to call it, don’t let it completely derail you. Whether it was one meal or the whole day, just get yourself back on track with the next meal. Life happens, brush yourself off and buckle down again because this is a marathon not a sprint. If I gave up after every time I went off plan I would have never been successful and gained back all the weight I have lost. Normally what I do when I want something not Keto is I plan an indulgence meal so that I’m prepared for it and I know that the next meal will be back on track. I might eat very strict and clean all day, enjoy my indulgence, and then eat strict and clean the next day as well. This helps me still enjoy life without letting it control me. Just remember to stay dedicated, recall why you are losing weight, and keep those goals in front of you.

10. Surround yourself with a support system

Surround yourself with a great support system and bonus points if you can get your household on board. Involve them with the meals, explain why it’s so important for everyone to become healthier, and make them food that you know they will still enjoy but will keep you on track. Making separate meals all the time is a sure way to guarantee that you will quit because it will become too overwhelming. No one has time for that nonsense. Make a meal that you want and you can always add sides that your non-keto family can enjoy if they are more resistant to the keto life. Pro-tip: don’t choose your favorite carb sides for your family that you can’t eat. You don’t need the temptation and if you can’t have it then they can’t either. Now if your family won’t be supportive to your new lifestyle then reach out to a close friend, relative or even join a support group. I have a Keto Support group on Facebook that I welcome you to join, the more the merrier! Just remember that the more you surround yourself with like minded people, the easier your journey will be.

Consistency doesn’t mean never messing up, it means never giving up.

http://www.theShapewithin.com

I hope that this post assists you with your journey and that it helps you reach your goals. I will be starting strict Keto again tomorrow on March 1, 2021 so that I can finally drop the last remainder of my baby weight once and for all. My goal is to lose about 15-20 lbs and get back to my wedding weight of 147lbs for my 5 year anniversary on June 18, 2021. I know it won’t be easy but having all of you for support helps so much and I’m so grateful for all the love that everyone gives me everyday. As always, stay #ketostrong my friends, surround yourself with positive energy, and if you ever need support just know that I am here for you as well. Please feel free to join my Facebook Support Group at Exhausted Keto Momma and my Instagram @exhaustedketomomma and let my journey inspire you to reach for the stars and make your weight loss dreams come true!