Keto | LCHF | IF: Getting Started Series {Top 20 Checklist}

Happy New Year my FBFs (FBF stands for fat-burning friends).  

Are you ready to take control of your physical, emotional, and spiritual health this year?  I hope to inspire and motivate you to say YES!  YOU are so worth it.

Welcome to my series on “Getting Started”.  I am dedicating this blog series to sharing my best tips and tricks to help you take off! 

Now, before I get too far into all this advice – I have an important DISCLAIMER.  I want you to know I am not a health care provider.  I am just a gal that lived with obesity for three decades and finally discovered the secret to why, no matter what I tried, I could not keep excess weight off my body! I am here to share my journey and how I reached a healthy weight and metabolism I will maintain for life. 

I want you to get your doctor involved in your healthy journey.  Especially if you are taking medications for anything – you will need to be closely monitored.  This is COMMON and STANDARD advice anytime you start a new dietary protocol.  I have found three doctors to support and monitor my Keto lifestyle.  My functional medicine MD, my cardiologist MD, and my pulmonary MD (sleep specialist). You may have to search for a doctor to work with you or you may have to ask your doctor to spend some time researching the low-carb, healthy fat lifestyle.  But get one on board your Keto or LCHF train!  Got it?

Now, let’s GET STARTED!

I have something very important to teach you right out of the gate.  Repeat this after me:

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HORMONES! IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HORMONES!

Most specifically, insulin – our fat storing hormone.  I recently blogged how I have healed my insulin resistance.  This would be a great read to start understanding the role of insulin in your body. “Keto Heals: Insulin Resistance”.

I want you to really dig in and start learning how the insulin hormone works in your body.  You will have to spend some time reading or watching lectures or listening to podcasts.  Once you dive in, you will be so fascinated you’ll want to educate yourself with all the wonderful resources available in the low-carb community.  My next post will be a resource list, but right now you can start on my Keto 101 page for my favorites.

The day I stumbled on Diet Doctor, I began teaching myself Keto, LCHF, and Intermittent Fasting. I’m here to pass along the things I learned on the way.  This will mostly be about the strategies that worked for me!  Keep in mind, we are not the same.  I have different health issues than you.  My body healed at my pace.  Your body will heal at your pace.  But I have helped so many people so far in their journey, I think some of my tips and tricks will help you!

These are some topics I will be sharing:

• Top 20 Keto/LCHF/IF Getting Started Tips and Tricks
• Educational Resources from top docs and LCHF/Keto professionals
• Suggested Labs and topics to discuss with your doctor
• Discussing fat-adaption and how to be a fat burning machine
• Intermittent Fasting
• Macro-nutrients, how to calculate, and suggested daily ratios
• What to measure to recognize progress
• Meal planning and shopping tips
• Non-scale victories

On my Subscriber Resources page, I’ve created a resource titled “Christine’s Top 20 Keto/LCHF Let’s Get Started Tips and Tricks”.  I’ve highlighted my favorite tips and will expand on them throughout this month.  I’ve also left a blank page in the document to write your own list on what you will do to get started.  To access the resources, you have to be an email subscriber.  Head on down the page and sign up!

You will see another resource on my Subscriber Resource page.  I am a strong advocate for setting goals.  In fact, I mention this a lot and I’ve blogged about it here: Goals – Define Yours and Change Your Life with Keto or LCHF.  If you want to see results, you have to start with setting goals.  And HELLO…it’s a New Year – which means you need to define some NEW goals for the NEW you!

Before I close out this post, I wanted to share a few links to make you aware of the “Keto Flu” and the difference between “Ketosis vs. Ketoacidosis”.

• KETO FLU! I often forget about this because I never experienced Keto Flu.  I took baby steps in eliminating carbs from my diet.  My advice – transition slow!  You might avoid the Keto Flu if you take it slow.  If you decide to jump in cold turkey – you definitely need to read up on Keto Flu and make sure to really do your research on electrolytes and hydration before you jump in.  You can find info on Diet Doctor – Keto Flu and Other Side Effects
• Understand the difference between Ketosis and Ketoacidosis. Diet Doctor has a good explanation here: What is Ketosis?  Click all the topics highlighted to understand the difference.

Is the Keto or LCHF diet right for you?  I can’t answer that for you – but I can suggest you spend a lot of time researching and discuss with your doctor.  You can read my September blog series “Keto Heals” to discover all the benefits I have realized. You can read mine and other’s success stories on Diet Doctor.  Can you relate?  The secret to unlocking your obesity and other metabolic dysfunction could be in the low-carb lifestyle.

Stick around and I’ll do my best to guide you if you decide to jump on board the Keto train (or low-carb, healthy fats)!  It’s a journey I’m so blessed to have made and I HOPE the same for YOU!

Don’t forget to sign up below to gain access to the subscriber resources.

I’ve created a free resource for you with my favorite five tips for your weight loss success. Grab it here:
5 Tips to Jumpstart Your Health and Wellness Journey