WEEK ONE | DAY TWO

Macros & Calorie Counting

Follow #ketodiet on Instagram and you’ll see jaw-dropping before-and-after weight loss photos mingled with mouthwatering lasagna, burgers dripping with melted cheese, pizza, and more. But can indulgence and weight loss/controlled, healthy eating happily coexist in the real keto world? The answer is absolutely yes!, provided you eat for your optimal macros.

What Are Macros?

The keto diet is based on drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake and moderately limiting protein intake so that your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose. But along with eating more fat and less protein and carbs, it’s also about consuming the right amounts of each based on your goal to lose, maintain, or gain weight or use the diet for therapeutic treatment of medical conditions. That’s where “macros” (short for macronutrients) come in.

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WEEK ONE | DAY THREE

The Keto Pantry

The biggest learning curve when adapting to a keto diet is around food. You already know what you can’t eat: high-glycemic, sugary foods; bready products; and other carb-heavy items—in other words, essentially everything most of us regularly reach for in the American diet. But what can you eat?

Contrary to popular belief, the ketogenic diet is not all bacon and bulletproof coffee (though those are certainly optional perks)! Yes, it’s a high-fat, moderately low protein, and very low-carb diet, but it can include a wide variety of foods, including plenty of vegetables and moderate fruit (berries), and it can be followed whether you’re a vegetarian, vegan, or dairy-free, too.

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WEEK ONE | DAY FOUR

Getting Into Ketosis

There’s only one critical element to a keto diet: getting into and being in ketosis. Throughout this 4-week journey, we’ll share lots of delicious ways to do that. But first, let’s get clear on exactly what it means to get into ketosis, how long it takes to get there, and what you’ll want to do in order to get into and stay in ketosis!

What Is Ketosis?

Simply put, ketosis is a natural metabolic process where your body uses fat for fuel rather than glucose (carbohydrates). This only happens when the body is deprived of carbs. Without access to carbs, your body triggers your liver to convert fat (from your food and your body) into ketones (blood acids) and then use those ketones for energy.

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WEEK ONE | DAY FIVE

When to Test Your Ketones (and Your Glucose)

If you want to know if you are in ketosis or what level of ketosis you are in, you need to test. Testing is the only way to know. And while there are various methods of testing, blood ketone monitors, such as your Keto-Mojo meter, are the most accurate, affordable, and accessible ways for you to test if you are in ketosis, what level of ketosis you are in, and what your blood glucose level is*. So, you have the exact tool you need to give you important insight on what your body is up to! But when is the best time to test?

*Glucose testing, or blood-sugar testing, is commonly conducted to help with diabetes management, but it’s also useful for ketonians because it can reveal “trigger foods,” or foods that spike your glucose and thus may adversely affect your ketone levels.

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WEEK ONE | DAY SIX

What Should Your Ketone Levels be?

When starting a keto diet, pretty much everyone gets focused on their ketone levels. It makes sense. They are concrete measurements of progress and most of us are goal oriented. But we can’t tell you how many people we’ve spoken to who wanted to give up because they weren’t where they thought they “should be” early on. So, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Instead, let’s explore levels of ketosis with an eye on learning what they are and what they mean, so you can understand what optimal levels are based on your goals.

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WEEK ONE | DAY SEVEN

Reward Yourself with Peanut Butter Chocolate Fat bombs!

What are fat bombs, you ask? Only the tastiest, keto-friendly, no-bake, grab-and-go treats you can imagine! Made with ingredients such as nut butters, coconut oil, cocoa powder, cream cheese, or avocado and containing little or no sugar, they include lots of fat and very little carbs, so they satisfy sweets cravings yet won’t kick you out of ketosis. Small but mighty, they’re filling, too, so they’re great pick-me-ups if you hit an energy low or need to add a few macros to your day. The best part? You can make them in bulk (it takes less than 10 minutes!) and keep them refrigerated or frozen so you can enjoy a fat bomb anytime.

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