Here’s How to Get Started

Are you ready to start your incredible new journey on the Ketogenic Diet? The hardest part of any project or adventure is getting started. It can all seem so confusing and overwhelming!

Don't stress out! You can do this and it’s going to be much more simple than you imagined it would be. Take things one step at a time and before you know it, you will be well on your way to your new life and new figure!

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Step One: Start at the Beginning

It's all too easy to put things off until….. insert your excuse! Don’t put it off until after your birthday, after the holidays, after the kids are out of school, blah blah blah! There will always be an upcoming event in your way. Set a date and make the commitment that you are going to stick to it!

Now that you have a date, here's what you should do before you start off on your journey:

Clean House. We don’t mean with a broom or mop, but clean your house of everything you are not allowed to eat on the keto plan. You might be tempted to eat everything FIRST, but don’t bother.

Don’t waste the food either! Put all those candy bars, crackers, cakes, and other goodies in a box and donate it to a needy family or to a local shelter. Yes, your family might be shocked to find their favorites gone, but tell them about the healthy, new way of eating you have planned and things will work themselves out.

Don't forget to throw out table sugar, cooking oils (except olive oil and coconut oil), and anything that isn’t allowed on your keto diet. Canned fruit should also be removed and most condiments, including ketchup and BBQ sauce.

Tell Everyone! One of the best ways to help keep yourself on track is to tell your friends, co-workers, and family members about your new way of eating. You don’t have to call it a diet if you don’t want to, just say that you are on a health kick and you are sure they will understand if you pass on their homemade coffee cake.

Plan to Succeed. This means taking a little time each week to make meal plans and shopping lists. If you don’t plan ahead, you are planning to fail!

Step Two: Get Ready

Now that you have cleared out all the old food out of your life, did you make out that menu so you can make out a shopping list? There are literally thousands of suggestions and ideas online, but for this article, let's take a look at a typical keto menu for one week. This menu is 20 grams of carbs or less each week and approximately 1600 calories.

Use our Keto Calculator to find out your macros.

Recipes for all of these items are online if you need them.

Breakfast:

• Sausage and Spinach Frittata (3X3 inch square), coffee with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• Two Cream Cheese Pancakes, two slices of bacon, coffee with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• Three eggs cooked any way you like, 2 slices of bacon, coffee with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• Three eggs poached in tomato sauce, half an avocado, coffee with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• Breakfast “bowl” with 3 scrambled eggs, half an avocado, and ground beef, coffee with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• Egg, sausage and mushroom scramble, coffee with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• Smoked Salmon Frittata with half an avocado, coffee with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream

Lunch:

• Simple egg salad (1/2 cup) served on 4 leaves of Romaine lettuce, 2 slices of bacon, tea
• Chicken salad with 1 cup of chopped, cooked chicken, 2 tablespoons of sugar free Cesar salad dressing, and 2 cups of chopped Romaine or other type of lettuce, tea
• One Italian sausage link, cut and mixed into ¾ cup of cauliflower gratin, tea
• One and a half cups of spaghetti squash chili casserole, tea
• Cuban Roast Salad with 1 cup of flavored pot roast, 2 cups of chopped lettuce, ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese and 2 Tablespoons of sour cream, tea
• Cheddar wrapped tacos with 1 cup of ground meat, ¼ cup tomatoes, ½ an avocado and 2 teaspoons of taco sauce and 2 cups of cheddar cheese, tea
• layer Mexican beef bowl, tea

Dinner:

• Keto chicken enchiladas topped with 2 tablespoons of sour cream, water with a squeeze of lime or lemon
• Deconstructed pizza casserole with a simple side salad, water with lime or lemon juice
• Zucchini pasta with chicken and pistachios, lemon or lime water
• Swiss chard stuffed steak rolls with feta cheese and walnuts, broiled cherry tomatoes, water with lemon or lime juice
• Bacon cheeseburger casserole, side salad, water with lemon or lime juice
• Spicy Mexican tuna steak and peppers with avocado salsa, water with lemon or lime juice
• Shrimp and bacon skillet dinner with side salad, water with lemon or lime juice

Snacks: (Morning and afternoon)

• ½ an avocado with a sprinkle of salt or a squeeze of lime juice
• 24 raw almonds
• 5 or 6 celery stalks with 2 tablespoons of almond butter
• 2 pieces of string cheese
• 1 Cup of homemade bone broth
• 5 or 6 celery stalks with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese
• 2 squares of dark chocolate
• A large piece of beef jerky
• One large dill pickle
• Sugar free jello
• A hard boiled egg with salt
• Half a cup of homemade guacamole
• Rolls ups (a slice of ham or salami wrapped around a piece of cheese, such as provolone or mozzarella
• A large handful of frozen berries mixed into a half a cup of heavy cream

Desserts:

• Macaroon Fat Bomb Bites
• Coffee and Egg Quick Custard Pudding
• Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge Bites
• Cappuccino Cheesecake Mousse
• No Churn Vanilla Keto Ice Cream
• Flourless Keto Brownies
• Deconstructed Waffle Cone

Now that you have your menu plan ready, you can go shopping. For more on what you can or can't eat, checkout the Keto Friendly Foods article.

STEP 3: Start Eating!

Remember that date you set in step 1? It’s here! Your kitchen, freezer, pantry and fridge are full and ready to go, so don’t stop now! Put some snacks in your purse or backpack to be sure you have something keto friendly to eat so you aren’t tempted to snack on junk foods.

Of course, as you become accustomed to your new diet, you will tweak the menus and your grocery list to suit you and your family. There are tons of substitutions so if you don’t like a particular food, you can always change it for something else. Don’t forget to use your freezer to make life easier and save money on your grocery bill!