Keto, Explained
Learn Keto
Clear, practical guides to doing keto well, written like a knowledgeable friend explaining it over coffee. Start with the foundations, then dig into the details. Every article names real foods, real numbers, and the mechanisms behind them, with the calculators a click away.
Built by Barron Hansen · Last updated June 2026
Foundations
Keto for Beginners: How to Start
What the ketogenic diet actually is, how to begin in a week, what to eat and avoid, and the early mistakes that trip up most beginners.
Electrolytes and Keto Flu 101
Why the first two weeks can feel like a head cold, and how sodium, potassium, and magnesium prevent it. Targets, food sources, and a timeline.
How to Test for Ketosis
Blood meters, breath analyzers, and urine strips compared on accuracy, cost, and timing, plus what the BHB numbers actually mean.
Troubleshooting
Why Am I Not Losing Weight on Keto?
A step-by-step diagnostic for stalled keto weight loss: hidden carbs, calories, protein, ketosis, sleep, stress, and reading the scale honestly.
How to Break a Keto Stall
The action plan once you have confirmed a real stall: recalculate TDEE, tighten carbs, try fasting tools, lift, and track non-scale progress.
Common Keto Mistakes
The frequent early errors that derail keto: electrolytes, protein, hidden carbs, fat balance, processed keto products, quitting too soon, and not tracking.
Keto for Specific Groups
Keto for Athletes
Fat-adaptation, why endurance and high-intensity work respond differently, where targeted and cyclical keto fit, plus protein and electrolytes for training.
Keto and Thyroid Health
What the thyroid does, the evenhanded T3 and low-carb discussion, considerations for existing thyroid conditions, and why to monitor labs with your doctor.
Keto Over 40 and Women's Hormones
Age-related metabolic and muscle changes, how perimenopause and menopause shift insulin sensitivity and body composition, and the role of protein and lifting.
Supplements
Keto Electrolyte Supplements: What to Take
The forms that actually absorb, rough daily targets, timing, a DIY electrolyte drink versus commercial powders, and the safety cautions that matter.
MCT Oil and Exogenous Ketones
What MCT oil and exogenous ketones really do, how to ramp MCT dosing, and an honest take on why drinking ketones is not a shortcut to fat loss.
Put It Into Practice
Set your personal targets with the macro calculator, or check any food's net carbs in the keto food database.