As for caffeine...test and decide for yourself if it's your friend or not. Some people are fine with it, some people aren't, some people can do it in moderation or before a certain time.

Oh yeah...forgot to mention. I think I have 6 different types of coconut oil in the cupboard, plus red palm oil. The best type is the type you like the flavor of and will use!

The brand doesn't particularly make much of a difference when it comes to quality, but rather, you want to look at the grade:

Virgin -- this is the kind that has a coconut-y flavor to it, since it comes from pressing fresh, ripe coconuts. I personally think the flavor goes wonderfully with red meats and decent on its own, but can overpower some other things. This is also the kind with the highest amount of polyphenols and other plant-derived beneficial compounds. So, if you're looking for health benefits, then you'll probably want this one.

Refined -- this is the kind without flavor, and is usually cheaper. It won't have the polyphenol content the virgin coconut oil has, though (due to both the refining process and the typical use of copra, or dried coconut). Get this kind if you're just looking for an alternative cooking oil and don't really care about the health benefits from the polyphenols and other compounds lost. However, do be mindful of the refining process used. Favor methods that don't use the heavy chemicals often used in commercial refining processes whenever you can, to avoid getting traces of those chemicals (which are typically not really safe for consumption) in your food supply. Look for expeller pressed whenever possible.

Hydrogenated -- why people feel the need to hydrogenate an oil that is already 90%+ saturated, I have no idea. Don't get this anyway. Hydrogenated oils of any sort are the bad fats. Unless you live in a tropical country, though, you probably won't see this outside of processed foods (fun fact: Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix uses hydrogenated coconut oil).

MCT or fractionated -- this is a specifically refined version that has intentionally isolated the lauric acid from the whole form coconut oil. This is generally expensive and not usually practical for most purposes. Bulletproof Coffee is about the only food application it's viable for. It's often used for things like vitamins (my Vitamin D drops are made with this, for example).

I'm personally a fan of Trader Joe's and Simple Truth (Kroger's store brand) for coconut oil. The oils are good quality and are some of the best prices I've found, at a fraction of the other brands. Trader Joe's price has beaten even the bulk prices from Tropical Traditions.

Can someone tell me what the real truth is to try to achieve ketosis??

To achieve ketosis? Eat very few carbs and ample amounts of fat (if you get the bulk of your fat from whole foods -- eggs, meat, etc -- then the protein will largely take care of itself).

That's it. Seriously.

Everything else is gravy, pretty much. You might tweak things for health or performance purposes, lifestyle choices, or preference, but most of it doesn't really affect ketosis (though you may see more ketones in your blood after eating coconut oil, due to how its metabolized).

Coffee is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it's got a bunch of antioxidents and whatnot in it that are beneficial to health, but on the other hand, things like the caffeine content, growing/drying practices, and other things can exacerbate health issues like metabolic syndrome. Find out the pros and cons, then determine what applies to you. If you don't like coffee, then don't worry about it, anyway. If you do like coffee, but don't like the cons, then find a good, high quality coffee and drink it in moderation (IMO, a standard sized cup per day is sufficiently moderate; you shouldn't need more than that on keto).

Oh, also -- get a blood ketone meter to track your ketone levels if you're going to track them. Ketostix only work for the first couple of weeks, then "stop working" due to the fact that they measure wasted ketones, and your body stops wasting them after a few weeks. Blood ketone meters (which are glucose meters that accept special strips that read ketones) track the amount in your blood, which is a better gauge of what's being produced and used, and provide you with a specific number instead of a vague color indicator.

@Dragonwolf‌ pretty much covered it all. The advice I see there that would have been most useful to me starting off is focus on the cards and don't go hungry. The hunger will go away by week 2 or 3. In the mean time just worry about not going over on carbs.
Protein is easy to fix if you are under and not that bad if you are over (I know.. I know.. neoglucogenesis).

FYI
I had no coconut oil until my 2nd month in keto. Love it now but did fine without it. I use a brand called parachute that you can get in Indian and Pakistani stores if you have them in your area. It is organic virgin with a strong smell.

good luck.!

Ditto what DragonWolf said. And I might add that if you are on a budjet, you don't have to have a meter. I use the "Sport" model Ketonix breath analyzer. If I truly keep the carbs down and don't cheat MYSELF, I AM in ketosis. I don't use my Ketonix very much and when I do, I am always in the middle range of the keto levels.

Just for fun I checked my ketones after a 38 hr water fast and they were in the red zone...!

https://www.ketonix.com/index.php/product/pre-2015/sport

I hope this helps,

Dan the Man from Michigan
My Blog: It's Ketogenic or Bariatric (How I found the Ketogenic Diet)
Keto Abbreviations, Acronyms & Terminology Used in LCD & Keto Discussion Groups


My Past Discussions (lots of easy Keto recipes and other useful Keto info)