How to Start a Keto Diet Right
- Dianne Orwig
- Mar 1, 2022
- 18 min read
Updated: Jan 19, 2023
If you're considering a keto diet but don't know where to start, you're in the right place, because today I'm sharing my 14-Day Keto Jumpstart Series complete with everything you need to cut through the noise and start losing weight like a boss.
Jumpstart begins with a unique 2-week PREP & PRACTICE protocol guaranteed to put you on the smooth road to keto success without all the confusion, struggle, and inevitable diet dropout you’ve likely experienced in the past.
Think of it as your insurance policy against keto diet failure because that's precisely what it is.
In reality, the steps laid out in the 14-Day Jumpstart plan are the exact steps most people skip in their rush to cut carbs and clean out their kitchens.
The outcome of skipping these powerful pre-diet tasks is almost always the same. In your hurry to jump on the diet bandwagon “first thing tomorrow morning,” you may start out strong and even lose a few pounds, but you’ll most likely crash and burn a week or two later, feeling foggy-brained and fatigued.
Don't be that person.
Instead, take the next 2 weeks and prepare to succeed in a way you never have before. When you do, you'll join an elite 6% of the population who knows how to start a diet right and stick with it (which explains the 94% drop-out rate for most dieters who think it's all about willpower and discipline.)
As you move through each perfectly timed step in the 14-Day Jumpstart plan you'll gain a solid understanding of how keto works. You’ll also learn which foods to choose for maximum results — all while building a foundation of supportive tracking tools and built-in accountability practices that will keep you focused, motivated, and happily on track.
While we refer to these actions as “pre-diet” steps, the best news is the majority of my private clients who complete this protocol lose 4 to 7 pounds on average, even before their official "start date."
After years of developing this program and watching it help thousands of clients reach their weight-loss goals and beyond, the Jumpstart program has proven to be the missing link between diet success and failure, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
So, if you're ready, let's begin.
"Starting a diet without the right preparation is like trying to run a marathon in your flip-flops. You'll struggle the whole way and invariably quit."
Step #1: Kickstart Your Keto IQ
WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY: FAT FICTION
Because the keto diet is literally the polar opposite of what we’ve been programed to view as healthy eating, it's not enough to simply jump in with a list of foods and a few tips and count tomorrow as your first day.
To achieve outstanding effortless results, it's crucial to understand the “why” behind it all, if for no other reason than to quiet the voice in your head (and warnings from well-intentioned friends) that “eating so much fat will make you fat,” or “cutting carbs will only leave you tired and cranky.” It's even more empowering to learn exactly how the current Standard American Diet (SAD) came to be, and why we've been eating so wrong for so long.
Luckily, you don't have to spend hours sifting through mountains of clinical studies, medical journals, books, and videos as I did. There's a faster all-inclusive way to learn everything you need to know about keto, in just one sitting, by watching the documentary film Fat Fiction.
This 90-minute exposé is so compelling, I believe it's the most important first step you can take before attempting any other step. It's so important, in fact, that I won't schedule a first call with my private clients until they've watched this movie from start to finish!
When you do make the time to watch this powerful documentary film (you'll need about an hour and 45 minutes) I encourage you to REALLY watch it, fully engaged, preferably without interruption, and make sure to share it with anyone who will be going on this journey with you.
It's also handy, when faced with nay-sayers, to send them a link to the movie as well. Whenever someone expressed doubt about how I am eating or wants to suggest that keto is a temporary fix that will ruin my health, I ask them watch Fat Fiction first and then get back to me if they're still concerned.
This amazing documentary is entertaining, powerful, and one of the most life-altering documentaries I have ever watched. It's guaranteed to set the stage for absolute focus and clarity going forward and it's the perfect way to kickstart your keto IQ . (HINT: Many of my most successful clients watch this documentary more than once.)
Step #2: Get App Adapted
Once you've completed Step #1 you may feel an urgent need to throw out half the stuff in your kitchen and make a beeline to the grocery store for some real food.
While it's fine to clear out the biggest offenders immediately (sugar, seed oils, and starchy foods like canned corn and instant oatmeal) before you get rid of everything let's look at a few preemptive strategies you'll want to enlist.
Download the Jumpstart Keto Food List
To receive a free download of my food guide click here. Hang a copy of this food list on your refrigerator and save one to your phone for trips to the grocery store. Take this week to become aquatinted with the food list without putting too much pressure on yourself to begin eating full-on keto.
To familiarize yourself with the keto foods that provide the best results (those which appear in the GREEN and YELLOW sections) use a highlighter to mark all of the foods you like most in these two areas. While this single sheet is not a complete list of all keto foods, it will give you a good start in discovering the wide variety of rich and delicious foods available to you when following a ketogenic lifestyle.
Next, check your kitchen for foods in the RED zone. Read labels, check expiration dates, and try taking a whiff of that "heart healthy" vegetable oil that’s been sitting in your pantry. When you do, you'll know exactly what to do and in the garbage it will go.
Add Good Foods First Then Clear Out The Bad Stuff
When you first clear out your kitchen it's best to start with just the foods you eat and leave your family's favorites alone for now.
As you begin preparing more whole foods and keto-friendly recipes, your family may surprise you and transition to better choices without even noticing. For now, however, your goal is to work on just the foods you eat.
Restock your kitchen by gradually buying items from the GREEN and YELLOW sections (both are completely keto-friendly) and steer clear of any foods in the RED zone. Use the food list as you go through your refrigerator and pantry to decide what to keep and what to pitch. You can also check out some of my favorite keto food products by scrolling through My Favorite Things.
When it comes to packaged foods, scour ingredient lists for hidden sugars and seed oils, and avoid eating foods that contain 5 or more ingredients not typically available for sale on their own (for example, you won't find a bag of maltodextrin on the shelves of your local grocery store.)
Trash or give away foods that contain multiple ingredients that are difficult to pronounce or identify. Even foods labeled "keto-friendly" often contain sketchy ingredients and hidden sugar. Keep in mind that sugar can be labeled under 60+ different names, so Google ingredients when you're not sure. There is hidden sugars and seed oils in nearly every food that comes from a box, bag, wrapper, or restaurant.
NOTE: Don't be too concerned about the word CURB in the YELLOW food zone. It's not meant to imply that you should restrict these keto-friendly foods, in fact, the differences are so subtle, it really comes down to "Super Clean" vs. "Very Clean." Rest assured, you can comfortably consume foods from both the GREEN and YELLOW zones and achieve outstanding results!
Begin Using a Food Tracking App
As you become familiar with the food list, this is also the time to begin establishing the habit of logging everything you currently eat and drink into a food tracking app like MyPlate.
This is the #1 way to keep your macros in check and continue losing weight quickly and effortlessly, so this task should not be skipped. More on the importance of macros in a moment.
Keep in mind we are still in PREP Week and the goal is not necessarily to change what you're eating just yet, but rather to:
Establish a solid baseline of your current macros (before officially beginning keto)
Create the habit of logging everything you eat and drink (this serves multiple purposes)
Create the habit of scanning foods and reading labels, especially ingredient lists
Work through any kinks you may encounter when using the app
As you will learn in the next section, Manage Macros Not Calories, tracking everything you consume with an app like MyPlate (the one I strongly recommend for this program) will become a critical component of achieving rapid weight-loss.
When following keto, losing weight fast always boils down to knowing your numbers. Unlike the traditional calories in, calories out approach, we will focus mainly on your ratios of Fats/Carbs/Proteins, otherwise referred to as macros (macronutrients).
While this may feel a bit excessive at first, logging everything you consume will provide you with invaluable information, especially when you begin following keto full-on. You'll be able to assess your macros throughout the day and easily adjust future meals before straying too far off track.
With keto, especially in the first 4 months, it's important never to use guesswork when making food choices. Starting this habit now by logging everything you consume BEFORE you actually eat it will help you make confident decisions and achieve phenomenal results.
"You want to get the weight off for your image, your parents, your kids, your spouse, your career, your self-esteem...unfortunately, the only thing that works is if you want to lose weight and get healthy for yourself."
With just a little practice and patience you will become an expert at quickly assessing and adjusting your plan, all with very little effort and jaw-dropping results.
Here are several other sound reasons to begin logging your food, even before you begin following keto full throttle. It will help you:
Start building a list of "recently selected" items making it faster and easier to add meals
Save the most accurate listings of foods you frequently eat (not all entries are correct)
Learn to "test" foods by entering them before you eat to see how they affect your numbers
Why Use The MyPlate App?
Although there are many food tracking apps specifically designed for low-carb and keto diets, I strongly suggest using the MyPlate, app.
Using this app will reduce confusion when referring to the examples provided in the next section (all were created using the MyPlate app iOS.) More importantly, MyPlate offers an essential feature critical to your success - Macro Percentages - something most other apps charge an annual fee to access.
Step #3: Manage Macros Not Calories
Can you lose weight by restricting calories? The answer of course is yes, which is why many people find the keto diet so confusing. How can cutting a few carbs and eating all that fat possibly help you lose weight?
Having watched the movie Fat Fiction, you may already have a good idea of how the keto diet works. If not, here is a brief comparison of what happens when you cut your carb intake rather than calories and why managing your macronutrients is the fastest, most sustainable, and dare I say enjoyable way to lose weight.
What Happens When You Cut Calories?
When you restrict calories and begin losing weight your body gradually begins lower its calorie expenditure, inevitably forcing you over time to cut even more calories just to maintain the weight you’ve already lost. Much worse, if you wish to continue losing weight, you’ll need to cut calories even more as time goes on.
Still, no matter how much you cut, your results will eventually stall, largely because this method of weight loss literally trains your body to hang on for dear life to whatever body fat is left.
Adding exercise, which is traditionally thought to "unstick" a stalled-out scale, often backfires by creating an even deeper calorie deficit and, depending on your choice of exercise, higher fight-or-flight hormones that are counter-productive to weight loss.
The "add exercise" solution can also lead to a higher weight gain once your diet ends, especially since most people who quit dieting also drop their exercise routines as well.
Both scientific and anecdotal evidence supports a solid 94% fail rate among those who follow a low calorie diet (check out The Biggest Losers 6 Years Later,) confirming that nearly every single person who chooses this method of losing weight is guaranteed to quit, gain all the weight back, and add on a few bonus pounds as well.
The Energy Switch - Why Keto Works So Well
In stark contrast to the low-calorie outcome, limiting your intake of starchy vegetables and refined carbs like sugar, flour, grains, and legumes (see RED zone foods) ignites a positive hormonal shift in the body.
Over a period of 4 to 8 weeks, if you consistently keep your daily percentage of carbohydrates at or below 10% it will train your internal energy system (mitochondria) to switch from using carbs as fuel to using ketones and fat as its primary source of energy.
This golden moment, known as "fat adaptation," happens once your body dumps the majority of stored carbohydrates (glycogen) from your muscles and liver. In the absence of dietary carbs and glycogen, your body has no choice but to turn to an alternate energy source, namely ketones and fat. This metabolic process is also referred to as ketosis.
Avoiding The Keto Flu
In the first 4 weeks of ketosis, weight loss is more rapid because with every gram of glycogen you lose, you will also lose 2 to 3 grams of water. This may cause the scale to drop 4 to 8 pounds in the first few weeks and, if it does, it's imperative not only to drink more water, but to replenish electrolytes on a daily basis.
Dehydration during this phase is thought to be the most likely cause of "keto flu" (not a real illness although it feels like one.) Staying hydrated AND using a high-quality electrolyte like LMNT is a must.
Once this metabolic switch is made AND you continue to keep your intake of good fats at or above the 70% mark while consistently keeping your carbs below 10%, the scale will continue to drop and so will your body fat.
That's how simple keto really is! High in the good fats, low in veggie-based carbs, and moderate in pasture-raised proteins. It's doable, sustainable, and very satisfying to the body, brain, and appetite in addition to many other far-reaching benefits:
Mental clarity
Reduced cravings
Increased energy
Better sleep
Less afternoon slump
Metabolic flexibility (meaning you can go on vacation, eat carbs, and bounce right back.)
One last word on calories since it’s so ingrained in our minds that counting them is the #1 way to lose weight.
As you begin eating more healthy fats and making them the largest part of your total calorie intake, something miraculous happens — you stop feeling hungry all of the time.
So, even if you still feel inclined to watch your calories, you’re likely to find that trading satisfying satiating fats for ultra-processed insulin-spiking carbs not only balances out your cravings, over time you'll just naturally require less calories overall.
Macros and Meals — Putting It All Together
If you've made it this far, congratulations! You're headed into PRACTICE week with a solid foundation of understanding, knowledge, and the specific commitments needed to make a smooth and seamless transition to keto.
Here is an overview of what we've accomplished so far:
Dispelled any myths or misinformation about keto by watching the documentary Fat Fiction
Committed to using the MyPlate app to track all food (preferably before it's consumed)
Discovered the importance of macronutrient balance (ratios of fats/carbs/proteins)
With that behind us, it's time to PRACTICE what you've learned in real time.
What's The Magic Number?
If you tracked your normal food during PREP Week, you may recognize the SAD MACRO percentages that appear on the left side of the chart below.
Going into PRACTICE week, your goal is to hit a range that looks more like the KETO MACROS that appear on the right.
As stated above, ideal ratios can vary in range from 70/10/20 to 75/5/20. These numbers represent the percentages of fats/carbs/proteins from total calories.
For a clearer picture of the wide variety of acceptable ranges, scroll through the example food selections in Day 1 through Day 4 below. Note that while ratios for each day are different, the primary focus is on keeping fats high, carbs low, and proteins comparatively moderate.
Striking the ideal macro range can be tricky at first, so here are a few tips to help you along the way:
Choose foods from the GREEN and YELLOW sections of the food list and steer clear of any foods in the RED zone.
When tempted to eat a RED zone food, try entering or scanning it into your app first for a clearer picture of how it will affect your overall numbers. Sometimes just seeing how a certain food might blow your otherwise perfect macros can make it much easier to say, "No thank you." On the other hand, you may discover that it has little or no effect, in which case you can enjoy it stress-free and guilt-free!
On occasion, consider using the app to plan out your meals for the next day. This can help you decide what to pack the next morning and even what you'll cook for dinner the following day.
Choosing a blank day in the app and trying out different meals and food combinations is a great way to explore ideal options ahead of time. This is a great practice when preparing for difficult occasions like dinner out with friend, a road trip, birthday celebrations, or challenging events like holidays and vacations.
Keep exploring and discovering creative ways to add food that will keep your ratios in check and you will achieve phenomenal results.
Adjust Macros Throughout The Day
In the beginning you may find that your macros look a bit lopsided, either too high or too low, particularly on the fat and carb end. If this happens, especially early in the day, there are a few easy ways to add foods that can quickly put your numbers back into ideal keto range.
Here is a real example of how one of my clients took a not-so-perfect day and turned it around:
This is a great demonstration of how logging food before it's eaten can really save the day. By "testing" a meal first to see how it will affect your macros, adjustments can be made on what you actually decide to eat before it's too late. LOG FOOD FIRST / THEN EAT can keep you from making a mistake that can't be fixed.
Following The 80/20 Rule
The example above also uncovers another important point that should not be missed. When following a clean keto lifestyle, holding yourself to perfection is a formula for certain disaster.
It goes without saying that no one can follow any plan 100% of the time. Life just doesn’t work that way.
The good news is perfection isn’t needed to achieve great results. Consistency and persistence are the keys to making positive change, meaning, to stay in the game and have the lean healthy body you're looking for, you only have to eat clean 80% of the time. Does this mean you can follow keto all day and then have a cookies and cake in the afternoon? No, of course not.
The point is, there will always be food choices that aren’t perfect. Consider my client’s choice for dinner in the example we just covered: Taylor Farms Southwestern Chopped Salad. While this salad kit is just slightly outside keto range (65/24/11), for the purposes of keeping her total ratios balanced, it worked just fine. Still, it does contain inflammatory soy oil, sugar, and a few other ingredients that put this choice in the 20% category.
It’s not a bad meal on occasion and in the big scheme of things eating it will have little impact in the mix of 80% super-clean eating.
It's worth noting that the salad kit could easily transform into a clean meal by skipping the crispy tortilla chips and replacing the kit's salad dressing packet with one that contains healthier fats and no sugar. Make these swaps, and your delicious salad instantly moves into the 80% super-clean category.
This solution might feel a bit rigid and impractical at first, but as you become more in tuned with eating keto, not just for weight loss but for a healthier body and mind, your choices will become more evident and much easier to make. Over time it will become second nature to study and scrutinize what's actually in the foods you eat and this will make a world of difference in the way you think, look, and feel.
Step #4: Gather Your Tools
Here are a few items you'll want to have handy as you move into PRACTICE Week. All are designed to help you set perfect goals and put some simple but powerful habits into place.
Step #5: The First 4 C's:
*Celebrate*
Of all the action steps you’ll take in the 14-Day Jumpstart plan, the next 4 will do more to enhance your weight loss than any others.
It’s no accident that among my most successful clients, these simple self-accountability steps are always present and faithfully followed. When implemented consistently they are guaranteed to take your results from ordinary to extraordinary.
Step #5 combines 4 powerful systems designed to keep you focused, motivated, and moving in the right direction with ease and confidence:
Calculate
Create a Goal Calendar
Chart Consistently
Celebrate Often
#1 Calculate - The Power of AWL
Knowing the difference between fast weight loss, superfast weight loss, and very slow weight loss is essential to your success.
Unfortunately, we’ve all been taught to gauge weight loss on a week-to-week basis, for example: “The first week I lost 3 pounds, the second week I lost 1 pound, then the third week the scale didn’t move.” (This is usually followed by, “I must be doing something wrong.”)
The truth is, this scenario represents the biggest error in all of weight-loss history because, in reality, the example above translates to a total of 4 pounds lost in 3 weeks or an average weekly loss of 1.33 pounds.
As you will soon discover, an average weekly loss (AWL) of 1.33 pounds is something to celebrate, although most people curse it for being too slow.
Having meticulously measured and monitored the weekly weight loss of 3000+ clients for more than a decade, I can tell you with complete confidence that an AWL of 1.33 is SPOT-ON, meaning nothing has "gone wrong."
In fact, here's an example of what 1.33 pounds per week looks like after 24-week:
The AWL Chart below explains how to calculate your weekly goals using the AWL Formula. As you can see there are subtle differences between Supersonic Fast, Super-Fast and Fast weight loss.
In the first 12 weeks following a clean keto plan, you are likely to stay in the 2.0 to 1.5 AWL range. Have a look at the example below to see how your goal calculations might look at a starting weight of 190.
PREP Week - no set goal
PRACTICE Week - no set goal
End of Week 1 - 188.5
End of Week 2- 187
End of Week 3- 185.5
End of Week 4 - 184
End of Week 5 - 182.5
End of Week 6 - 181
End of Week 7 - 179.5
End of Week 8 - 178
End of Week 9 - 176.5
End of Week 10 - 175
End of Week 11- 173.5
End of Week 12- 172
NOTE: Any loss you experience during PREP and PRACTICE weeks should be considered a "head start" and not factored into your AWL goals. In other words, always begin with your original starting weight and project 1.5 pounds AWL starting your first official week.
#2 Create a Goal Calendar
Once your goals are calculated it's time to transfer them to a large wall calendar. Add your AWL goals to the end of each week and designate a place to write in your daily weight and weekly waist measurements. (More on the importance of daily weigh-ins in a moment.)
It's also wise to note any challenging up-coming events like birthdays, anniversaries, or vacations that will require some extra planning and mapping to stay on track.
#3 Chart Consistently
The best practice is to hang your goal calendar in the same place you plan to weigh-in each morning. This can eliminate excuses and keep your goals front and center. If, however, you feel shy about having this information out there for all to see, a prominent place in your closet or home office can work just as well.
The most important thing is to:
Review your goals every day
Chart your weight daily
Chart your waist measurement weekly
Make notes, use stickers, jot down wins and celebrate milestones
Make your calendar an interactive part of every morning
"When you stop charting, you start cheating."
The Importance of Daily A.M. Weigh-ins
Seems everyone has a hate-hate relationship with the bathroom scale, so if you despise the idea of starting every morning checking that dreaded number you're not alone. Even when the numbers are spot-on it can still feel like things are moving at a snail's pace, and if the numbers are really off it can send you straight to the freezer for a pint of Ben & Jerry's.
Regardless of its failings, the scale is still one of the most convenient and affordable means of gauging progress, so it's worth your time to make the scale your ally rather than your enemy.
Here are 4 ways to do just that:
1. Understand Daily Fluctuations
Stepping on the scale every morning will help you become keenly aware of and accustomed to the natural ebb and flow that all bodies experience on a daily basis.
It's often an unwelcomed surprise to most people that, even without changing your diet, your day-to-day weight typically fluctuates 0.8 to 2 pounds due to normal variations in water retention, shifts in hormones, inflammation, or undigested food. If you haven't weighed yourself on a daily basis for months or years (or ever) or if you usually weigh only once a week, these normal fluctuations can really mess with your mind.
It's vitally important that you become grounded in this fact: one pound of water weight can drop in 24 hours, whereas a 1-pound drop of actual body-fat takes anywhere from week to 10 days to show on the scale. With this in mind it’s easy to see how a 1-pound loss of body fat can easily hide behind an otherwise normal upswing in body fluctuations.
In other words, if you choose to weigh only once a week, you'll not only lose valuable data about the way your scale is trending throughout the week (either averaging up or averaging down) you also run the risk of missing actual body-fat loss you might have otherwise observed by weighing every day.
The comparison below illustrates the benefit of weighing daily vs. weighing weekly:
It's easy to see how a weekly weigh-in might leave you feeling defeated and confused without cause. Having mistaken the lower number as an indication of failure, you might also be tempted to adjust what you’re doing, when no adjustment is needed.
2. Chart Like a Scientist:
Think of yourself as a scientist performing research on an important project. A scientist gathers data, collates information and avoids jumping to conclusions before the project is completed. They work systematically, in the same environment, using the same equipment and tools and most importantly they constantly strive to separate themselves emotionally from the desired or assumed outcome.
Using this approach can help you take an important step back. It can help you reason logically, despite the deep desire for things to move faster, that nothing in the physical world moves in a straight uninterrupted line.
Methodically gathering, charting, and calculating your measurements can also help separate you from the emotional reactions that often occur when you are hyper-focused on the outcome.
This approach starts with setting your AWL goals and reviewing them weekly against your daily data. When it comes to weight-loss it's easy to over-analyze or make assumptions too early in the game.
Look for additional steps coming soon!
About Dianne Orwig:
After 12 years as a personal trainer, helping thousands of people lose weight, Dianne fell upon a completely different approach to weight loss. Despite having debunked low carb diets her entire career, an exhaustive search into the benefits of combining intermittent fasting with a clean Ketogenic diet convinced her to try it.
This complete paradigm shift resulted in a loss of 40 pounds, a clearer mind, and a happier, younger body in just 4 months, prompting Dianne to come out of retirement and help others do the same. She is now a woman on a mission, driven to share this amazing Fasting:Keto lifestyle with others.
Be sure to subscribe here for a free copy of our Keto At-A-Glance Food List, and visit our YouTube channel for helpful videos on how you can lose weight, get healthy, and live a more focused, energetic, and productive life!
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