I tried 'most manageable' diet and within four weeks the weight fell off and my confidence sky-rocketed

The keto diet is one of the most manageable diets on the market

I've tried so many fad diets over the years — none of them ended up with any lasting results and most were pretty much unmanageable, even if one or two did help in parts here and there.

Too many diets expect people to sacrifice the joy of food in order to shed a few pounds — and that's really hard to stick to. But there is one diet that flips that concept on its head and encourages a high fat intake. Putting it simply, all you have to do is ditch the carbs and your body does the rest.

This is the keto diet, which doesn't expect people to cut out everything they like from dinner time — they just have to imagine their plates without carbs.

What is the keto diet?

OK, the starting point is that your body uses the glucose from carbs for the basic running of the body. When that energy source is removed, the body takes it from the liver and muscles. After three to four days when the reserves are exhausted, the body will then turn to stored fat and the liver converts the fat into ketones - a process which is called ketosis.

People will reach ketosis at different times depending on their BMI. To maintain ketosis, you should limit carbs to around 20-50 grams per day. On a 2,000-calorie diet, a keto diet will typically be composed of 55-60% fat, 30-35% protein, and only 5-10% carbs. In summary, drop the carbs and your body will burn the bad stuff because it has no other source of energy.

What should you avoid on a keto diet?

Naturally, you will want to drastically reduce the biggest offenders:

• White bread
• Rice
• Pasta
• Potatoes

Beers also have quite a high carb count and low nutritional value, the Echo reports. Mixed drinks including vodka, gin and rum also contain high carb levels but this is typically due to being mixed with sugary sodas and fruit juices. Alchohol in general should be reconsidered on a keto diet.

Honey and syrup can quickly spike blood sugar levels and take you out of ketosis. They're primarily sugar so cutting them out won't harm you. Juice, sugary soda, and sweet treats will have the same effect so skip the snack aisle when you're doing your weekly shopping trip.

Something I didn't realise would be an issue were sauces. The likes of ketchup and sweet chilli are packed with sugar and will take you straight out of ketosis. The same goes for "low fat foods" which typically hike up their sugar levels to compensate for the lack of fat.

In summary, refined carbs and sweet treats are your enemy. Take care to count the carbs and sugar levels on the packaging if you're trying keto. However, it's not all doom and gloom. You may be thinking all the good things in life have been ripped away from you but it's far from the truth. You can still maintain ketosis while enjoying what you eat.

Keto diet replacements

The biggest issue I've faced following a diet is feeling unsatisfied. I don't want salads, I want something nice. Thankfully, I didn't have to cook several different meals at dinner time just to maintain ketosis. Below are a few things I substituted for dinner time:

• Rice - Cauliflower rice
• Mashed potatoes - Mashed cauliflower
• Spaghetti - Courgette
• Pasta - various vegetable substitutes
• Chips - butternut squash
• Tortilla - Lettuce leaf

The star of the show is cauliflower. Simply blending it up with a few spices means you can have "rice" with any dish. It's quick and effective and has the same consistency as cous cous so it's not worlds apart from its inspiration. If you want a Sunday roast with all the meat and vegetables, you can also slap a massive portion of "mashed potato" on your plate too. Simply blend the cauliflower and boil it to the perfect consistency.

Courgette means spaghetti bolognese is back on the menu. Simply put it through the mandolin and take the "spaghetti" to a boil for a few moments. You can also shred the courgette longways on a cheese grater for a lazier turnaround. If you don't want to do either, most large supermarkets stock a range of vegetable pasta alternatives.

Butternut squash can be cut into wedges to recreate chips and you can make burritos and tacos with a lettuce leaf. These two are furthest away from their source materials but work nonetheless.

Swap the sugary sodas for the zero sugar equivalent or grab some water if you're feeling thirsty. When it comes to the pub, you can still have a cheeky red wine or dry white as they typically boasts fewer than 5g of carbs per serving.

There are also plenty of sauces you can still have to pack your meals with flavour. Hot sauces such as Tobasco and other vinegar-based sauces are fine, as are mustard and mayonnaise. You can also find a range of low-sugar variants in most supermarkets.

My keto diet menu

You can repackage your meals with new flavours and recipes every day. A few of my base meals on keto included:

Breakfast

• Scrambled eggs and avocado
• Fry-ups (without toast and beans)
• Omelette
• Yoghurt

Lunch

• Salads
• Soups
• Chicken and cauliflower rice

Dinner

• Curry and cauliflower rice
• Courgette spaghetti bolognese
• Courgette carbonara
• Fish and cauliflower mashed potato/butternut squash wedges
• Stuffed peppers with cauliflower rice
• Fajitas with lettuce leaf
• Burritos with cauliflower rice
• Open burgers and butternut squash wedges

One month after keto

I want to preface this by saying I've tried quite a few diets and many I wouldn't recommend. Everything from the coffee diet that sees you swap snacks with a hot cup of java to cutting out red meat and carbs permanently. The keto diet was the easiest and most rewarding thing I've ever attempted.

The worst part of any diet is feeling unsatisfied and hungry. It's the biggest telltale sign you'll crumble and run back to the fridge. Eating keto was like I was eating everything I typically would. There was everything from curries to tacos and fajitas. The only thing I did struggle with was the lack of sweet treats but the fewer of those the better, anyway.

Planning meal time wasn't a daunting task like many other diets. It was a simple task of "What am I substituting this evening?" and cracking on with what I wanted. At the end, I found my stomach shrank because I was no longer bloating.

I didn't have to suck in my gut just to flatten my body in certain clothes. The bloating was gone and my confidence skyrocketed. I've always bloated over the smallest of snacks so this was genuinely a game-changing experience. I'd recommend doing keto even if reducing your bloat is the only goal.

However, there were more benefits. Without really trying, I managed to lose 5lbs. There was no accompanying workout regime or extremely reduced diet. By simply changing a few bits of my meals, the weight fell off naturally with little effort. I ate what I wanted and still reaped the rewards.

But the biggest change was how I looked in the mirror rather than how much I weighed. The fat around my body shifted (or disappeared) and suddenly I carried my weight better. After one month, the changes didn't warrant a before and after shot but I could tell, and I could feel it, which is all that matters.

The keto diet is one of the easiest on the market and not as dangerous as many out there. It's very simple to do and you won't regret it. You certainly won't feel depressed when it comes to dinner time either.

Expert commentary

For the British Heart Foundation, senior dietitian Victoria Taylor said: "It’s quite difficult to have a balanced keto diet, especially when it comes to getting enough fruit and vegetables and fibre, and it also contains more saturated fat than is recommended. With fewer foods to choose from, the diet can get boring, and doesn’t always fit with eating with friends and family. All of this means it can be hard to stick to.

"With limited research into the keto diet for weight loss, and few long-term studies, we wouldn’t recommend it. There are other diets that limit carbs, but not as much as the keto diet (typically allowing 50-130g of carbs per day) which have been found to be safe and effective in the short term, for example for people with type 2 diabetes. Or you could try a Mediterranean-style diet, which has benefits for heart health."

There are lots of ways of losing weight by making small changes or by seeking support. If you need help managing your weight, you might be able to refer yourself directly to services that can help you. Please check the NHS website for further advice.