Beginner’s Guide to DesiKeto

By DesiKeto’er Narendra Diwate

Please read the Desiketo Guide too along with this.

We all have read that “Keto is a Low Carb, Moderate Protein and High Fat diet”. Translating this simple
sentence into an actionable diet plan and/or food on the plate is where a lot of beginners struggle and feel
lost. We too have been through that and hope this makes it simpler for you.

It will be our goal to make Keto simple to understand and implement even if you do not understand
Calories, Macros, BMR, TDEE, and Deficit etc. However it is good if you do read up and understand those
terms.

This assumes that you want to start Keto for losing Fat and reducing overall weight.

On Keto, we need do a few things:

1. Avoid these Completely:

a. All Grains (Rice, wheat, millets, Corn, Oats, Quinoa, Amaranth grain etc and things made
from them like Rice, Roti, Bread, Cake, Sabudana, biryani, upma, Idli, Dosa etc,
b. All Legumes (All kinds of Dal, Bean Seeds and things made from them),
c. Sugar in any form or source (white, brown, Palm, Honey, Jaggery, Maple Syrup etc),
d. Fruits or Fruit Juices (Most of them), Sweetened Carbonated drinks,
e. Milk or curd/yogurt, except hung curd made from full fat milk,
f. Starchy Veggies like Potato, Sweet potato, Carrots, Yam, Tapioca, Beet root, green peas,
g. Vegetable Oils from Sunflower, Groundnut, Mustard, Canola, Sesame,
h. Soy or Soy products like Tofu, Soy Chunks, Edamame,
i. Anything that says Low Fat is not likely to be keto,
2. Eat these:
a. Use good fats for cooking like Coconut oil, Olive oil, Butter and Ghee, Lard/Suet or any
other rendered animal fat you can get. Do not hesitate to use.
b. Include veggies in every meal. All leafy Greens and lots of Indian veggies are keto. These
add bulk, provide Vitamins & minerals and fill you up. Check Nutrition info if required.
c. Eggs, including Yolk. Always.
d. All kinds of fresh meats including Seafood/Shellfish. Processed/cured meats like sausages
or salami, depends on what’s been added to them. Avoid those with sugar.
e. Organ Meats/Offal/Entrails are perfectly keto.
f. Dairy based Cream, Coconut/Almond Milk, Hung Curd, Paneer
g. Few Fruits like Strawberries are keto. Use them, but sparingly.
h. You will see a lot of foreign foods being talked about like Avocado, Cheese, Strawberries,
Raspberries, bacon, Cream Cheese etc. These are NOT mandatory.
i. A lot of local food is already keto or can be made keto.
3. In your normal eating lifestyle, most of us didn’t make meal plans or diet charts and ingredient
lists for shopping. Keto need not be different. It’s good if you can do that, but you can do keto
without as well.
4. That said; try to eliminate/hide all foods from the house that might trigger you to cheat.
5. Keto is a diet that doesn’t do well if you cheat frequently. As the saying goes “Keto is like Marriage,
you can’t cheat and expect it to work.”
6. Remember, it’s better to overeat keto food than to eat carbs.
7. Learn to read Nutrition Labels and Ingredient Lists on packaged food.
8. Initially, for the first few days to a week, don't focus on what to eat. Focus on what you can't eat
and stay away from those.
9. Also don't calculate macros or track amount of food or calories. Just eat keto food until you feel
not hungry. Not Hungry doesn’t mean you can stuff yourself.
10. Once you get a hang of it, start tracking weighing etc. At some point you may have to do that, so
sooner the better. If you can’t, it doesn’t mean you should go off keto.
11. Don't try to be perfect from day one or to lose from the first day on. Not going to happen.
12. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see movement for a few days or even week.
13. Stay away from sugar or artificial sweeteners or desserts. Of all kinds. The longer the better.
14. Keep it simple. Stay away from asking or looking at all kinds of recipes posted.
15. Eat 3 meals a day without fail. Don't snack. If you need to, or feel like snacking, increase food in
next meal. Don't skip meals, don't think of intermittent fasting, OMAD, 16:8 or all buzzwords you
tend to hear.
16. Avoid drinking Calories – drinks (even with artificial sweeteners), shakes.
17. When going to social events or places with lots of temptation/pressure to cheat, eat keto food
before going.
18. Learn to say “NO” and to ignore or better shut down people doubting or making fun of your
choices.
19. You didn't gain the weight in a day; don't expect to lose it in a day. Weight loss of a pound a week
is realistic and possible. Anything faster has some negative consequences that you'll see later.
Don’t try going on a big deficit. 10-20% is good.
20. Try to make and eat 2 things in every meal. Make both with good fats and don't skimp on fat or
veggies.
a. One, a vegetable that is keto cooked anyway you know without adding anything carby.
Simple. So you've been making sabji most of your life, only minor changes are needed. That
gives fibre, bulk, satiety and multiple vitamins and nutrients.
b. Two, a protein source. Meat if you eat, eggs, paneer, cheese or other protein sources if
vegetarian.
21. A meal doesn’t have to include rice/roti/bread/idli /dosa/upma etc. Don’t try to replicate on Keto.
22. Supplement extra Salt/Rock/Pink/Himalayan/Lite salt in your food for the Potassium. Adding a
Magnesium supplement is mandatory; a Multivitamin and/or Mineral supplement is good to add
as well and does no harm. Everything else, it’s better to do with doctor’s advice.
23. Track not just weight, but body measurements as well. One of the two will certainly be changing. If
either doesn’t, don’t get disheartened. It’s just a pause.
24. Take pictures, even if you don't want to share them. You'll be surprised at the progress you can see
yourself in pictures even if the scale or tape isn't showing.
25. Weight loss isn't linear. It pauses often. And goes up too. That not a problem, that how it is.
26. Results happen, over time, not overnight. So have a lot of perseverance and patience.
27. If you mess up or cheat, just get back to keto from the next meal on.
28. Keto needs habit formation, not motivation. You don’t need motivation to brush your teeth every
morning. Make Keto like brushing.
29. Above all, reconfigure your relationship with food.
30. Trust the process, it works.
31. Lastly Best Wishes and KCKO.