I always see people doing Keto and Vegetarian so wrong it hurts… it’s more like dairy and lard ketoians and pastatarians. This article is intended to debunk some dietary myths that can keep you from optimizing your weight loss while explaining the differences between a plant-based lifestyle, the keto diet and intermittent fasting. It will also cover a few products that will add to your experience ie; MCT oil and B12.

Do it RIGHT

I have a little story of my own.

I stopped eating meat about 6 years ago. I became the worst vegetarian ever! I didn’t eat meat at all but I also didn’t make it a priority to get protein from other sources either. I literally consumed carbs and meatless processed foods. I did that for 2 years and started noticing gradual weight and cholesterol increase. I started educating myself so I could understand my “what and why” and it made all the difference in the world. I also started taking B12!

I think I am pretty safe to say we have all tried at least one diet in our lifetime so far. In fact, the average person tries 5 diets a year! However, we fall off about 2 weeks in. That’s because we are not starting for the right reasons. While we are desperately trying to lose extra pounds, we are overlooking the first essential rule and that is WHY?!

WHY? and WHAT?

FIRST before you start any diet or lifestyle change, you need to know your “WHY”. Why are you trying to restrict and cut out certain things? Why do you want to lose weight? What results are you looking for?

Ask yourself right now “WHY do you want to include a plant-based diet/Keto/Vegetarian/? into your lifestyle”?

Often times, these people are looking to lose weight, but they don’t take the time to know the ends and outs of the diet they are trying. They see someone else with amazing results and they automatically try what that person did without knowing any information at all.

Awesome news for us, we have the gift of Google at our fingertips! Have you ever tried searching for “ways to lose weight”? SO MUCH CONTENT! According to Google, over 90 billion people a month search for ways to lose weight. My point being, we have no excuse for not understanding.

The number one reason people are unsuccessful with dieting is because they don’t know their “what and why” so it isn’t sustainable for a long period of time. That is the difference between a diet and a lifestyle change. Mistakes like this will lead to weight gain, other health issues and repeat the same habits.

Here are a few diets you may have either tried or at least heard about lately. For each example, I will explain the why. I will also tell you what it is not. This is important because it will keep you from actually gaining weight and jumping from one diet to another… and another. My hope is that you will do whatever you are doing the right way.

Keto

What is Keto?

Clean Keto

The ketogenic aka keto diet is an low carb diet that could result in weightloss and other health benefits. However, it’s not easy due to restrictions on some fruits and vegetables, all sugar, and most carbs.

It is known as the diet that causes the body to release ketones into the bloodstream. Ketones are chemicals made in your liver. Your body naturally produces them when your body is unable to turn sugar into energy. Your body will use fat instead. Your liver will then turn fat into ketones and send them into your bloodstream. When you reach the state of ketosis, cells will use ketones to generate energy until we start eating carbohydrates again.

The ketogenic diet is rich in proteins and fats. It typically includes plenty of meats, eggs, processed meats, sausages, cheeses, fish, nuts, butter, oils, seeds, and fibrous vegetables. If you do keto right, you will notice it is made up of primarily a plant based diet. This is why vegetarians are able to partake in this diet if done right. However, you still need to take a good B12 vitamin.

This diet is meant to be sustainable long term if done right.

What isn’t Keto?

Dirty Keto

Keto isn’t easy. If it is, you’re probably not doing it right.

It was initially used as a medical treatment for children and was only intended to be administered under the supervision of nutritionists and physicians. That’s because they would need to closely monitor patients for potential problems and ensure that their diet was actually keeping them in ketosis. It is extremely hard for adults to reach that state. This has to do with the way kids and adults use their food for energy. Again, this diet was intended for kids under the supervision of doctors to treat medical issues.

Keto isn’t the freedom and excuse to eat as much fat and meat as you want. It isn’t chowing down on just burgers, lard, bacon and cheese. While these things are approved on a Keto Diet, they probably are not a healthy option for optimal health long term.

One of the worst things people tend to do while on this diet is eat too much protein and poor-quality fats from processed foods and eat very few fruits and vegetables.

Knowing the “what and why” can allow you to optimize this diet. The Keto Diet is a great way to lose weight if you follow the rules. Many people have seen many amazing results on this diet. Knowing the difference between “dirty” keto and “clean” keto could be the key to losing weight and keeping it off.

If you want to boost your Keto experience?

MCT oil! MCT oil can benefit your Keto Diet experience by:

  • Curbing cravings
  • Helps with weight loss
  • Increases energy levels
  • MCT oil causes your brain to think clearer, be more productive and gives it energy
  • Helps your body create ketones and allows you to get into ketosis faster

Adding MCT oil to your coffee or favorite smoothie each morning will optimize your Keto Diet.

We recommend this brand of MCT oil

MCT oil
MCT oil

TAKE A LOOK AT MCT OIL ON AMAZON HERE

Vegetarianism

What is a vegetarian diet?

Being a vegetarian means you do not consume meat. Vegetarians rely on plant-based foods for nutrition and enjoyment. Since meat is how most people get their protein, vegetarians/vegans look for other sources like beans, lentils and greens. If you are a vegetarian, I pretty sure you have been asked this same question over and over… How do you get your protein? Its simple! Mostly all vegetables, beans, seeds, and nuts contain protein. I could get easily sidetracked right now and go into a tangent about this in favor for my fellow vegetarians but for the sake of this article, I will spare you… for now!

In order to optimize a vegetarian lifestyle, eating a plant based diet ensures you will get enough protein and nutrients your body needs. Being a vegetarian is a magical world of beautiful and colorful food. Have fun getting creative! The most important thing about being a vegetarian is to eat for a purpose.

Vegetarian

What isn’t a vegetarian diet?

Carbs… lots and lots of carbs… We see this a lot in “vegetarians”. It isn’t packaged and processed foods either. Vegetarian meals are not just boring salads either.

Being a vegetarian isn’t depleting yourself of essential vitamins, minerals and protein. In fact, we (I am a vegetarian as well) have to be more aware of what we eat, so we can insure proper nutrition. “Eat with intention” is what I like to say. Look for foods that are naturally high in protein and the essentials.

The Supplement ALL Vegetarians Need TO Take… B12

Vitamin B12 is essential for a persons overall health. Deficiencies could affect your physical and mental health. B12 is mainly found in animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs. If you are a vegan, vegetarian or on a plant-based diet, you need to grab a good B12.

Just to show how vital this is, I want to quickly show a list of benefits we get from vitamin B12:

  • Could prevent birth defects
  • B12 Supports bone health
  • Prevents anemia
  • Reduces the risk of Macular Degeneration
  • Imporves mood and depression symptoms
  • Brain benefits
  • Boost your energy level
  • Improves heart health
  • Supports the growth of healthy skin, nails and hair

Needless to say, if you live a vegetarian/vegan/plant-based lifestyle, you need to find a way to supplement your vitamin B12.

I just so happen to have a great B12 option here!

I am a vegetarian and take my B12 DAILY! It is so important!

Best B12

TAKE A LOOK AT B12 ON AMAZON HERE

Intermittent Fasting

What is Intermittent Fasting?

The most important thing to understand about intermittent fasting is that it is not a diet at all. It is simply a timed approach to eating. In fact, it is a simple way to lose weight because you are only changing when you eat. You can add this concept to your current diet.

Fasting means going a period of time without eating. Even though this sounds like a “new fad” to us, it actually has been around for a really long time. Back in the day… back, back in the day, our ancestors lived like this because it is a natural instinct for our bodies to not want to eat as soon as we wake up. It’s also why we want to stop eating when we are sick. Fasting allows our body to naturally fight infections.

There are a few ways to fast. The most popular one is the 16/8 method. You can eat within an 8-hour window and you fast for 16. For instance, eat your first meal at 12pm and dinner is at 8pm. This sounds harder than it really is. That is because we are structured to eat as soon as we wake up.

16/8 diet

Intermittent fasting has a purpose and many benefits such as:

What isn’t Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting isn’t eating whatever you want during your eating window.

You must know “why” you have a long fasting period in order to optimize your fast. It has to do with “fed and fast” states.

After you eat, it takes 3-5 hours for your body to digest food. This is known as the “fed state”. It is hard for you to burn fat during this time because your insulin level is too high.

After the “fed state”, your body enters the post-absorptive state which means your body isn’t processing anything. You will be here anywhere between 8-12 hours after the last meal.

​While your body is in the fed state, it does not need to burn fat. However, once it enters the fasted state, GAME ON!

Think about it like this…

You eat dinner at 8 pm then nothing. By 12 am, you are now in the post – absorptive state while you sleep. When you wake up, FAT BURNING MODE! You want to drag it out as long as possible. If your first meal isn’t until noon, you had about 6 hours of fat burning happening without much effort. If you workout while you are in fasting mode, your body will burn fat double time. And if you do this while watching your carb and sugar intake… even better! You can benefit from MCT oil while fasting as well.

Guess what!? I just so happened to have written an article just on intermittent fasting! It has all of the beginners information you need if you are interested in this lifestyle. Take a look at it HERE!

Put them all together and JACKPOT!

Keto+vegetarian +intermittent fasting = Jackpot!

When you intertwine Keto with vegetarian (plant based) along with intermittent fasting, you have hit the jackpot my friend. We are optimizing ketosis by consuming plant based foods and hacking our body to optimize weightloss with fasting.

I’m not at all saying this is the diet you need to try. You can try one of them that fits your current lifestyle and results you are looking for or try the combo.

In all new fad diets, you will find packaged foods that are stamped with keywords and popular phrases that catch our attention so big companies can monetize on the latest craze. You will see “Keto Approved” or “Vegan Friendly” up and down the grocery aisles. These companies make millions off of us!

Choose produce!

We have the best and healthiest option available and most of us either don’t know or we don’t take advantage of it because of convenience purposes. Its called… PRODUCE- food that grows on trees and in the ground. These are the least profitable foods and most nutritional.

Many diets give great results but after you stop, any weight you loss can return. Making lifestyle changes by making simple modifications can produce better and longer lasting results.

KNOW YOUR WHY! This truly is the secret to optimal health. When you know “why” you are doing something, it will allow you to fully understand all aspects of it. It will lead to success and positive results.

What is your “why”? Please share in the comment section below. We would love to read it.

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10 Comments

  1. Very interesting! I will definitely use this as a resource as I explore more about Keto and it’s variations!

  2. Thank you for this post. I have seen Keto diet everywhere but I haven’t really paid attention to what it was. Now I know!

  3. Wow! This was so informative. I feel so educated. So much to read and understand. I need to print this for a reference.

  4. Great information! I actually hadn’t read much on keto or intermittent fasting but now I feel like I understand them much better.

  5. This is a great post. Easily understood. I totally agree about the Keto way of eating. I’ve been on Keto and enjoy it. I have my moments. Holidays are difficult if you don’t make use of some of the recipes.
    Thanks
    4youiwill.blog

  6. This is a great article and well written. I’ve heard about Keto and thought about trying it but when people would explain it to me, it was never broken down as. Pearly as this is. Now it makes sense and I want to try it.

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