Protocol? Why is it not just called keto diet, or keto diet meals? Because that is only a part of it. Whilst keto recipes are great and fun, the food and diet is only part of the picture. It’s everything: eat, sleep, rest, training, fun the list goes on. It needs to be fun and enjoyable but that’s another article. For those that don’t have the time to read on, this visual gives a quick summary:
While some parts are featured as more important, we believe they all play their part. Some clients miss just one and it has an effect on the outcome. Of course the effect is not binary; as in on/off, it is a sliding scale but it is there.
Diet is a dirty word: like everything mainstream, keywords like diet conjure up ideas of horrible foods, starving and of short-term sacrifice. This shouldn’t be seen as a diet. It isn’t a 21 day keto challenge. Or a 7 day crash diet. It is long term – the way it was meant to be done back in the ages. Protocol is a lifestyle. It is ongoing with no beginning and no end. It gets adjusted as goals change, not thrown out to start back at ground zero.
So don’t get too caught up in recipes and foods. It may be a bit too micro when looking at the keto diet protocol. We are all guilty of hyper focusing sometimes and a step back to look at all the parts will help. If you wake up and have a crappy day it may be more than just food. It could be a number of factors in the above chart. It could be a combination of more than one which is why we recommend a step approach at the start. The exact recipes are the two percenters and shouldn’t attract all of your time.
Training would be closely followed in what we see in clients. Yes training is important but a lot of clients can’t train either at all or are limited by age, injury, mobility etc. These clients still get results and reach goals so it stands to reason it’s not 100% training. What skews this sometimes is of course when we’re 17 years old and eating whatever mum cooks and training and energy is limitless and producing results. But a year or two on and it’s time to train smarter not harder and realise training is only one part of the equation. If you aim to train harder and harder there is a ceiling. It is easy to overtrain with access to gyms and constant Instagram motivationals!
Back to food. Can’t find your exact meals today? Don’t stress, we find the portions and timing of meals to be just as important. In fact, some people respond greater to the portions and timing than the types of food. Again, this shows the exact ingredients are not 100% of the picture.
Sleep has a direct effect on energy and recovery, this isn’t news. But what is good quality sleep? Make sure it’s not just hours in bed. Lack of sleep can affect weight, muscle growth and even metabolism. Figure out a way to measure your sleep; there’s many. Get into a good routine. Don’t let a simple part of the pie be your achilles heal.
You’ve got to rest. Your keto coach will keep saying this. Whether that’s rest days, active rest days or breaks from routines. It’s common news that the body needs rest. It gets sore and tells you “hey, we need a day off.” But don’t forget the mind and brain need a rest too. Just like a muscle it is not infinite. It gets tired. So take that rest day we recommend – the rest day reminder you see pop up in the keto diet portal. Have a fun day. Or a few days. If you’re away check out our tips on training while on holidays.
Finally, have fun! The body and mind needs to be positive to achieve greatness. That’s not to say we are all aiming for world greatness but rather “greatness” to maximise what we are doing. If you’re going to do something make it count right? So find a community, a group or a place to train that’s fun and friendly. They’re out there. Mix up your routine. There is so much to do. Check out our pages for ideas. That’s what we do! Get to the gym, slow morning….flick through a few articles “oh yeah we haven’t done that for a while.” Put this all together and your circle will be complete.
