To start off, if you are a beginner or looking to start a Keto diet plan be sure to read my Ketogenic Diet Guide for Beginners. ​ After reading my beginners guide you should have a basic understanding of what to expect and what foods to eat. 

It can be hard to stay hydrated day to day, especially when our daily routines get in the way. Staying hydrated is important and you want to make sure you are getting enough water. How much water do I need to drink? That depends on the individual. A good rule of thumb to calculate your daily water intake needs is to take your body weight, divide it in half and this number is the number of ounces you should be drinking daily. For example, if you are 150 pounds, divide this is half and you get 75. Therefore you should drink 75 ounces of water daily. If you drink a lot of coffee or caffeinated beverages you should drink a additional cup of water for every caffeinated beverage since caffeine is dehydrating. 

If you are looking to lose weight, getting exercise in addition to a keto diet is essential for a successful weight loss. Getting regular exercise will help to keep your blood sugar balanced and improves your ability to stay in ketosis. Adding High Intensity Interval Training as a part of your workout in also recommended. There is a reason that athletes and bodybuilders take advantage of a Ketogenic diet. Studies have shown boost in athletic performance and endurance for those on a keto diet. 

Fasting is another way to jump start your body into ketosis. "Fat-fasting" is one method that mimics the effects of fasting and involves eating 1000 calories with 90% of your calorie intake coming form fats.  Fat fasting should not be done for more than three to five days. There are several types of fasting and five of the most common types are as follows: 

Not getting enough sleep will result in hormone unbalance and increase your chances of being stressed. To get quality sleep make sure you are going to bed at a time that gives you enough time to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. To help you get to sleep and stay asleep keep your room at a cool temperature and that it is as dark as possible. If it's not possible to get your room dark, I would recommend using an eye mask. If you are a light sleeper you might benefit from using a fan as white noise to block out background sounds. 

To succeed in anything in life you should have a well thought out plan and this also applies to your ketogenic diet. If you go in blind you will soon feel overwhelmed and more likely to quit. Gather recipe ideas, make shopping lists, and prep meals ahead of time to help you stay on track. There are many beginner programs that give you all these tools to get you started on the right foot. I recommend the ebook The Keto Beginning by Leanne Vogel, it's a complete beginners guide that includes tips, advice, recipes, shopping list, and a full 30 day meal plan!