Keto is a great lifestyle. You can probably ketofy just about anything (just look at my site’s collection). However, you have to get to a point in this lifestyle transition where you can easily and effortlessly turn down carbs, including during vacations, holidays, and parties (yes! It can be done! I am living proof. I used to live for parties/vacations/holidays simply because I was excited about all the junk food I got to eat. But keto sets you free from this weight-gain prison!). Once you no longer have cravings, you can make any ketofied comfort foods and likely not worry about it triggering a desire for real carbs.

When you are “fat adapted” your body is efficient at burning fat and prefers fat over glucose (carbs) for fuel. You have to build up the enzymes in your system to do this though. For years you have probably been a sugar-burner and suppressed your body’s natural ability to use your fat as fuel (this is how you are born – a fat burner, but you lose this by eating copious amounts of grains and sugar over the years). It can take a few weeks and up to a few months for some to become fat-adapted after starting keto. You’ll know when you are. You’ll feel great all the time and you really won’t crave carbs. If you’re already thinking about your next cheat, you’re probably not fat adapted. Cheating will continuously set you back from becoming fat adapted. People think you can “eat in moderation” and “it’s okay just have one slice of pie” but that is the last thing you want to do. You will never reap the real benefits of the actual keto diet if you cheat, especially within the fat-adaption transition. This is why some people think keto is unsuccessful. They cheat every couple of weeks and wonder why they aren’t getting results. Let me help you get to the point of never craving carbs again…

As a fat-burner, your body actually starts to crave keto food when you are actually hungry (not mentally hungry). Food it knows it can use as fuel. Carby food just doesn’t appeal to you anymore. Thus, it is ridiculously easy to turn down carbage throughout social events and life in general.

Let me tell you – I am literally the cake cutter at my job for the monthly birthday celebration. Not once since being on keto have I had the urge to lick my fingers or grab a plate of cake, which is right in front of my face. Cake no longer appeals to me. I can be around everyone eating it and honestly not care or think twice about it. I don’t miss it.

What’s the point of all of this? Well its because I want you to get through the transition period. This is the period between the start of keto and up to the point where you become fat adapted. You need to do the following things during transition to stay successful on keto:

  • Eat a lot of salt (salt, pickle juice, bone broth, anything salty!). Specifically, pink himalayan sea salt as it’s not stripped of essential minerals you need like normal table salt is. Your kidneys will be dumping salt like crazy. When you eat carbs your kidneys hold on to salt. But not on Keto. You can salt everything and have great tasting food. If you do not eat salt, you will get light-headed and feel like crap
  • Keep keto simple! Eat meat, cheese, eggs, green veggies (if you want but you don’t have to), avocado, butter, coconut oil, nuts (not peanuts or cashews), seeds, heavy cream, sour cream, & cream cheese. Choose fatty cuts of meat. Keep the skin on, and bone in! For best recipes during keto transition, see below.
  • Just count your carbs. Do not count calories. Just carbs. Stay under 20g net carbs a day (carbs minus those carbs from fiber). If your transition period seems to be taking awhile, cut out the veggies too and stay under 20g of total carbs.
  • Do not fear fat. Put fat on everything. This is how you get satiated and not go over your protein limit (read FAQs for more info).
  • Do not have any sort of sugar substitute. This includes diet soda.
  • Do not feed cravings. If you want a brownie, eat something really fatty instead. You will be surprised how well this works. Do not feed cravings even with keto food. Patience! You will get there. You will be able to eat keto-brownies, but NOT YET.
  • EAT when you are hungry. STOP when you are full, even if that means putting some food left on your plate into the fridge for later, or even in the trash. If you are physically hungry, eat. If not, you will cave in and have something non-keto and have to start all over again. EAT! Do not try to do something crazy like starve yourself at 1200 calories a day. After you transition to being fat-adapted your caloric intake will naturally decrease and everything will balance out.
  • Test your ketones. You want to show some pink on urine strips. If not, you may be doing something wrong. Revisit the FAQs. Start weighing or measuring your food and research everything you put in your mouth (maybe mints or medicine have hidden sugars).
    • Alternatively you can more accurately test your ketones with a blood meter. The easy and cheap one that I use with cheap test strips can be purchased from here.
  • Try to pick a transition period (~28 days but not everyone is the same) where there are no events or holidays for that month. If you must attend an event, go prepared. Prep some food and take a cooler, or ask the host what they are serving.
  • DO.NOT.CHEAT! As said above you will never become fat-adapted if you keep cheating and you will never experience the true benefits of real Keto. Commit to yourself and to your health. That piece of cake at your kid’s birthday isn’t worth it. Really, it’s not.

My Top Keto Recipes for transitioning to being Fat-Adapted:

Keto Meal Plan?

Just make some of the recipes above and use this as your Keto Meal Plan for the first month. Casseroles are great for prep-ahead and easy leftover meals. Eat when hungry. Stop when full. Eat Keto food. You don’t need a specific breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks meal plan. Just eat any keto food you want and stay under your carbs, and eat fat!! You can eat any food for any meal. You don’t have to eat eggs at breakfast. Eat a steak if you want. You can eat eggs at dinner time. You can even skip meals! Whatever you want. Meal plans are stupid because they assume everyone likes the same thing and eats the same amount of meals and calories a day. Just be keto.

Ready to start?