THE QUICK ANSWER
Keto means eating so few carbohydrates that your body switches to burning fat for fuel — a state called ketosis. In practice that is roughly 20 to 30 grams of net carbs a day, with fat doing most of the work and protein held steady. Bread, sugar, pasta, rice, and most fruit come out; meat, eggs, fish, cheese, oils, and leafy vegetables go in. Most people reach ketosis within two to four days, and the hard part is not the science — it is deciding what to eat three times a day.
What you'll need to know
Five short guides. Read them in order or jump to whatever is blocking you today.
EVERY GUIDE IS A PERMANENT REFERENCE PAGE — NOTHING HERE EXPIRES.
Getting started, in order
Six steps. Do them in sequence and the first two weeks stop being a guessing game.
01
Set your carb ceiling before you shop
Twenty grams of net carbs a day is the standard starting point, and it is deliberately strict — it gets you into ketosis fast. Once you are established, you can test whether 30 or 40 still works for you.
02
Cut the four big sources first
Sugar, bread, pasta and rice, and anything you drink that is not water, coffee, or tea. That single sweep removes most of the carbs in a typical diet before you look at a label.
03
Build every plate the same way
A protein, a fat, and something green. Steak and butter and asparagus. Eggs and cheese and spinach. Salmon and olive oil and a salad. Once the shape of a plate is fixed, you stop making decisions and start cooking.
04
Eat enough fat to actually be full
The most common beginner mistake is cutting carbs and fat at the same time. That is not keto, it is just hunger. Butter, olive oil, and fatty cuts are the point, not a guilty extra.
05
Expect the keto flu around day three
Headache, fatigue, short temper, poor sleep. It is your body draining water and salt as glycogen goes, not a sign the diet is wrong. It typically passes within a few days.
Keto flu checklist →
06
Salt and water are the fix, not a nice-to-have
Most keto flu is dehydration and lost electrolytes. Drink more than feels necessary, salt your food properly, and get magnesium and potassium from food. This one step prevents most of the misery people quit over.
POTASSIUM
MAGNESIUM
WHY A TOOLKIT, NOT AN APP
A tracking app gives you a number. A plan gives you dinner.
Logging every bite tells you what you already ate. It does not tell you what to cook on a Tuesday when you are tired and the fridge is half empty — and that is the moment most people give up on keto, not the moment they mis-count a macro.
Everything here is built the other way round. The decisions are already made: the meals, the shopping lists, the portions, the swaps for when a craving hits. You follow it instead of feeding it.
IN THE TOOLKIT
90-DAY MEAL PLAN
SHOPPING LISTS
KETO FLU CHECKLIST
CRAVING SWAP SHEET
Common questions
Is keto safe?+
For most healthy adults, a well-formulated keto diet is considered safe for the medium term. It is not the right choice for everyone — if you are pregnant, have type 1 diabetes, kidney or liver disease, a history of eating disorders, or take medication for blood sugar or blood pressure, talk to your doctor before starting. This page is information, not medical advice.
How fast will I see results?+
The first week is mostly water — glycogen holds a lot of it, and losing that shows on the scale quickly. Real fat loss is slower and steadier after that. Energy and appetite usually settle within two to three weeks, which most people notice before they notice the scale.
Do I need to count calories?+
Usually not, at least at the start. Fat and protein are filling enough that most people eat less without trying. Keep the carbs under your ceiling, eat when you are hungry, stop when you are not — and only look at calories if progress stalls for several weeks.
Can I eat out on keto?+
Yes, and it gets easy quickly. Order the protein, swap the starch for a salad or extra vegetables, and ask for butter or olive oil. The two things to watch are sauces, which usually carry sugar, and drinks. Almost every cuisine has a workable option once you stop looking at the sandwich section.
THE WHOLE LIBRARY