I began a ketogenic diet last week & I've already had results. As it's been so effective already I'm sharing it with you so you can give it a go even if its simply substituting your meals 2 days a week for some Keto goodness.

For those that don't know the ketogenic diet is a food plan that comprises mainly of fat & protein-rich foods. This enables the body to attack the stored weight (usually carbohydrates not burned into off or far from tasty sweets) you don't want on your body while it's still in a high metabolic state from exercise. I will be 100% honest I was super nervous when I started my diet as it would bring about a big change from a deficit diet I'd previously done & a grain-free diet most recently. It didn't help that I also read on Pinterest about the 'keto flu' & I became nervous that I'd get sick. But I was determined to give the diet a go especially because I've never heard of anyone who didn't yield epic results. Week 1 and I'm 1.5kg down already so it works. Here are my favorite recipes for those wanting to give keto a go.

1 min Keto bread + avocado
Bunless burger
Keto Caesar salad
Natural Yoghurt & raspberries
Pork crackles
Big breaky- including sausage
Frittata goodness include spinach
Dark chocolate 70% cocoa
Salmon salad
Peppered steak & asparagus
Black Vienna coffee
Keto Tapas- cheese, salami, ham, guacamole/avocado dip, boiled egg, carrot
Fudge Fat bombs

Give these a go & see how easy it is to like something super healthy. I keep finding more & more recipes every day to change things up, as long as I'm getting about 60% fat in my diet & sticking to 1200 calories there is actually quite a lot of freedom and tasty foods to eat. Here are a few things I've learned so far on my journey to keto goodness:

-I appreciate healthy fat more & what it can do for my body.
-My body is encouraged to drink more water than on any other diet. I actually don't think I need to drink 2L of water I'm just doing it, this is quite a profound change for me especially considering even in the days of training for Mt Everest (for those who have followed me since then) I always felt that 2 or 3L of water was a hard ask to drink per day but now it’s very easy.
-I feel like I have the space to be far cheekier with my meals because I can enjoy cream for example so it doesn't feel as restricting as other diets.
-I'm enjoying my food & I'm not hungry. This is the most important thing for me when I am trying out any nutrition plan otherwise there is simply no point.

If you are thinking about starting a ketogenic diet I recommend a few things to help you through those first few days:
•PLAN. You really need to know ahead of time what you are eating because it's easy to not consume the right foods and derail yourself- I didn't derail myself in the first week but I was extremely hungry because I didn't plan properly- be kinder to yourself.
•Make sure your plan has VARIETY so you don't get bored & lose motivation or worse start disliking foods you previously loved because you are eating them too often.
•Maintain exercise. Some of us want to lose weight but not exercise, as your body changes over time you may find it becomes less responsive to only dieting. You'll also decrease your flexibility, coordination, core strength & balance- skills & abilities you need to function day in & out. So commit to exercise.

Did you catch my interview with our resident personal trainer Stevie Compagno Jnr on Tuesday? Take a look below.