There’s no doubt about it. Diets are hard. But what if we revealed that a diet doesn’t have to be hard? When we started cutting carbs out of our diet and instead, started a diet that’s high in fat people looked at us like we were crazy. To top it all off, we were adding tons of fat! We never thought we’d be able to say goodbye to the crazy sugary snacks out there, but thanks to the keto diet, something impossible became possible. The Body Reboot book goes into the keto diet in much greater detail, but we’re here to tell you that even though diets are hard, they don’t have to be. In addition to going on a high fat, low carb diet, there are other ways to stick to a diet which we reveal below.

Track progress the right way

When you start a diet, Tasteaholics believes that it’s essential to track progress the right way. That means you should keep track of your progress and not give up when the going gets rough. When you see how much you’re succeeding it’ll encourage you to continue to follow your goals!

Most people step on a scale every morning and hope to see a difference. Our bodies don’t exactly work like that. Don’t rely on numbers alone!

We recommend using a tape measure to track progress using the same points on your body week by week. For example, take the measurement of your waist once a week and track your progress in that way. Our preferred method is simply taking pictures. Over time, you’ll see a huge difference. Focus on the long term and remember, progress is slow and steady.

Tracking progress is critical because it acts as an anchor and shows you just how well you’re doing. It’ll motivate you to succeed too!

Low Carb Inspirations points out how essential it is to meal plan because if you have a plan in place you’ll be less likely to make poor diet decisions. Before going on keto learn what which foods you should be eating more of and what type of meals you can make so you’ll know what you can and should not add to your weekly meal plan.

Meal planning is essential to success. Let me say that again: meal planning is essential to success! It’s so important that it is worth repeating. When I was new to keto meal planning was often the thing that pushed me off the wagon. Not knowing what to eat or having an idea for dinner when already hungry was the biggest cheat-maker for me.

Before you start your new journey, learn which foods are on the nice list and which are on the naughty (like this list here). Believe it or not, there are “healthy” foods on the naughty list including a lot of fruits and veggies.

Meal planning is daunting at first. Lucky for you, there are several meal plan templates out there that have already done the work for you. Make sure to stock your pantry so you have all the things you’ll need to whip up fat head dough or keto biscuits (or in my case, desserts). A lot of low carbers make meals for the entire week over the weekend, making lunches for work easy.

When you’re not sure what to eat, or you’re highly finicky like me, Pinterest or the iSaveA2Z.com website is a wealth of good ideas. Again, meal plan, meal plan, MEAL PLAN. You will be so glad you did and it will make it easier to stay on track.

Eat smart fats

Even though you’re going on a high-fat diet doesn’t mean you should make poor decisions on what type of fat you should eat. Low Carb Yum recommends focusing on healthy foods and using oils such as olive oil. It’s impossible to stay away from saturated fat altogether, but it’s possible to do the best you can and eat healthy fats instead.

Natural dietary fat should be the main source of your calories.

Wait, isn’t eating fat bad for you?

No, it’s quite the opposite.

Despite the abundance of information online, there are still far too many people who believe some healthy fats are bad for you. In particular, saturated fat. But keep in mind virtually all foods with fat contain some saturated fat. Even olive oil, one of the healthiest foods on the planet contains saturated fat.

Saturated fat is only bad for you if it becomes spoiled. Any fat that gets spoiled is bad for you, not just saturated fat. How does saturated fat go bad? Cooking meat for too long (blackened or charred meat) is one common example. Saturated fat, if it comes from an all-natural source (not from heavily-processed food) will not cause heart disease. Need proof? Check out this study.

In learning how to start a low carb diet, you might have to adjust your mindset about your relationship with fat. Eating fat will not make you fat. On the contrary, if you’re going low carb, you’ll quickly melt your own body fat.

Say you’re following a keto diet with about 70 to 75 percent of your calories coming from fat.  This means that three-quarters of your plate should consist of natural fat.

Drink lots of water

With any diet, it’s essential to drink a lot of water. Especially on the keto diet, Low Carb Inspirations points out that water will help fill up your tummy so you won’t feel like snacking and plus if you’re on the keto diet water is all the more necessary since you’re going to excreting water at a faster rate.

Ok, yes, I get it. We are constantly harassed about drinking water- even without being on a diet. And yes, the more you drink, the more you’ll pee- at first. So why is it so dang important to drink lots of water when starting a low carb diet? Good news for you, I’m going to tell you!

There are ways scientists believe water helps you lose weight: filling you up so you consume fewer calories, and cold water takes more energy to warm up, therefore, causing you to burn calories. Another important reason to drink a good amount of water when low carbing is poop.

I know it’s not a glamorous topic, but MANY new the low carb lifestyle experience constipation. This is made worse for low carbers like me who are crazy finicky and hate just about every low carb approved vegetable and don’t get enough fiber. The reality is, poop requires water to process- even if you are making less of it. If you don’t provide enough water for your stool, your poop gets harder and therefore has trouble coming out.

Healthline adds to Low Carb Inspirations’ thoughts by saying that drinking enough water contributes to your overall health and we happen to agree!

Drinking enough water throughout the day is good for overall health and can even help you maintain a healthy weight.

One study of over 9,500 people found that those who were not adequately hydrated had higher body mass indexes (BMIs) and were more likely to be obese than those who were properly hydrated.

What’s more, people who drink water before meals have been shown to eat fewer calories.

Get rid of distractions

Healthline reminds us just how important it is to get rid of distractions. Think about it — when you’re on a diet it’s easy to mindlessly eat in front of the television or get tempted by seeing yummy food on social media. Try to eliminate the distractions and you’ll be less likely to make poor decisions.

While consuming meals in front of your TV or computer may not seem like diet sabotage, eating while distracted may cause you to consume more calories and gain weight.

Eating at the dinner table, away from potential distractions, is not only a good way to keep your weight down — it also allows you time to reconnect with loved ones.

Smartphones are another device you should set aside while you’re eating. Scrolling through emails or your Instagram or Facebook feed is just as distracting as a TV or computer.

Eat when you’re hungry

It’s best to only eat when you’re hungry, which is why Metabolic Coaching asserts that you should pay attention to your body and when you feel full. If you overeat it’ll be harder for your body to gauge when it’s hungry or not, but a ketogenic diet will help decrease your appetite so that should help.

Submitted by Cassie Bjork, RD, LD from HealthySimpleLife.com

Most diets restrict and deprive your body of energy, and when following the low carb lifestyle, your goal is the opposite. You need to fuel your body with food to keep your metabolism revved up so that your body can work for you. Any time you are hungry, your metabolism is already slowing down in attempt to conserve energy until you properly fuel it again. When you starve it, your body works against you and in turn you feel tired, cranky and will likely have difficulty concentrating and losing weight. Keep your metabolism revved up by fueling with real foods every time you’re hungry.

If you think you have to “starve” yourself to see results, Tasteaholics brings to light that that just isn’t the case! Because fat helps you feel satiated it’s natural for you to eat less, but that doesn’t mean you can’t eat when you’re hungry. Usually, it’s encouraged to eat more fat when you’re hungry and it shouldn’t affect your weight loss unless you’re completely going overboard.

Another major misconception is that you have to starve yourself to see results. This is simply not true and actually damaging to your long-term health.

Use our keto calculator (low carb macro calculator) to calculate how much you should be eating based on your body, daily activity levels and goals. It will help you determine how many calories, fat, protein and carbs you should be consuming daily.

You can use MyFitnessPal to track what you eat every day or simply keep track yourself. It takes a few moments and will help you achieve your goals faster while reaching your healthiest state.

There’s no need to give up because once you go on the keto diet you won’t look back! Transform your health and the Body Reboot book provides an excellent starting point for you to start improving your health today. If you want a free book help us cover shipping and visit this page to get your free copy today! Hurry, the copies are running out quickly!

Sources: Tasteaholics, Low Carb Yum, Metabolic Coaching, Low Carb Inspirations, Healthline