Thinking of starting or restarting a ketogenic diet? Going keto is hard work, especially when pasta and chocolate chip muffins have been your go-to comfort foods. If anyone tells you it is easy in week one, they are overselling it.
The short answer: going keto takes commitment, but there are seven concrete steps that make the transition genuinely manageable. Here’s what I tell my clients when they first sit down with me about nutrition.
What Is Keto?
In simple terms, the ketogenic diet means eating more fat and protein while keeping carbohydrate intake as low as possible. To enter ketosis — your body’s fat-burning state — you track macros, at least at first. A free macro calculator is a good starting point.
Once you begin, check whether you’re in ketosis with a simple ketone test strip that measures ketone bodies in your urine. A high reading means you’ve made it in. Individual results vary — what works for one person may not work for another — so use the strips to learn how your own body responds.
If you feel sharp pain or something is off, see a qualified professional before continuing.
Seven Ways to Make Keto Easier
1. Take it slow
Start with baby steps. Any new habit — in training or diet — can be overwhelming if you change everything at once. Begin by cutting out bread and carb-heavy salad dressings. Once that feels normal, move on to grains and fruit.
2. Build a keto on-the-go snack box
Plan ahead for your lowest-energy moments. Whether it is mid-afternoon at the desk or running errands between appointments, having a prepped snack stops you from grabbing fries because hunger met impatience.
Cubes of cheese, olives, dark chocolate, pepperoni slices, almonds, fat bombs, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, turkey rolls — the options are wide. The point is simple: have something keto-friendly within reach before hunger becomes urgent.
3. Meal-prep for the week
Start with recipes that do not require 16 different ingredients. Double up on soups, chili, and grab-and-go breakfasts. Batch cooking keeps you on track when lunchtime rolls around and willpower is thin.
The Keto In Five cookbooks can guide you — 120 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, all under 5 net carbs with only 5 ingredients each. I’ve used their meal plans in coaching and recommend them for beginners.
4. Get a weekly meal plan delivered
If planning meals feels like another task you do not have energy for, try having one sent to your inbox every week. Tasteoholics offers a weekly keto meal plan with recipes under 5 net carbs, full macronutrient breakdowns, printable grocery lists, and snack recommendations.
They offer a 7-day free trial, so you can test it before committing.
5. Keep yourself hydrated
Keto flu is real even though it is not caused by a virus. The symptoms mirror the actual thing: fatigue, body aches, nausea, irritability. Some people get one symptom; some get hit with all of them.
Here is what helps:
- Increase your water intake.
- Take an electrolyte liquid supplement containing potassium, zinc, and magnesium.
- Sip on organic bone broth or use it in soups.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of Pink Himalayan salt to your water for the trace minerals it provides.
6. Invest in a food scale
Most people eyeball their portions, which leads to overeating and can knock you out of ketosis. Weighing your food is non-negotiable if you want consistent results.
Just two extra tablespoons of almond butter adds 200 calories and 6 grams of carbs. A food scale with a conversion button (grams to ounces) and a tare function makes daily weighing quick — put your plate on, hit tare, add the food, done.
7. Find easy keto substitutes for your favorite carbs
The keyword is easy. You do not need to abandon every comfort food — you just need a simpler version. For example:
Keto Everything Bagels
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Microwave 2.5 cups (approximately 225 g) of shredded mozzarella cheese and 2 oz (about 60 mL cream cheese equivalent) together for 2 minutes. Mix well.
- Combine 2 eggs and 2 cups (approximately 190 g) of almond flour in a bowl.
- Mix the cheese and flour mixtures together until a dough forms.
- With slightly damp hands, divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll each into a bagel shape on a parchment-lined tray. Sprinkle with Everything Bagel seasoning.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Slather with cream cheese.
Refrigerate leftovers and reheat in a toaster. Each bagel comes to about 8 net carbs.
The Science, Simplified
Ketosis is your body’s response to a low-carbohydrate environment: when glucose runs low, the liver converts stored fat into ketones for fuel. The transition takes a few days to a couple of weeks, and the symptoms during that window are temporary. For most people, staying hydrated, keeping electrolytes balanced, and tracking macros for the first few weeks makes all the difference.
The research will not put you into ketosis by itself. The next meal will. Pick one strategy from this list — a snack box, a food scale, or weekly meal prep — and run it for two weeks before judging the results. That is where real change starts.
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