A Week in the Life Of a Keto Diet

So what exactly does someone on a Ketogenic diet eat? I was a little baffled on this in the beginning too. Is it like the Atkins diet that was so popular several years ago when people ate all protein and could eat copious amounts of bacon and butter? Well, I guess it’s similar but technically the Keto diet should be all veggies and healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, seeds, nuts and a healthy source protein like eggs, fish and meat. What you can’t have is carbohydrates like wheat, corn, rice, potatoes or beans. Most fruits are not allowed either with the exception of berries.

Slice Avocado if you are doing a Keto or gluten free version — Delicious Avocados!

On the Ketogenic diet you can have 45 grams of carbohydrates per day, so if there is anything you want to eat, just check the nutritional value online. You can still have small amounts of sugar or flour to thicken things just don’t pass your 45 grams!

That sounds like your life is over, right? Well actually, it’s not so bad or so difficult, but it DOES take advance planning, preparation and determination. But what diet doesn’t? It’s also pretty difficult to eat out but that’s possible also with some forethought. For example, we like to order a burger “protein” style meaning wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. Greek restaurants offer plates that are Keto friendly, at our local Gyro restaurant we order a Gyro salad, that is a delicious salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta and lettuce piled high with the seasoned lamb/beef Gyro meat shaved thin. Top it with some yogurt Tzatziki sauce and your diving into a delicious Keto meal. Other good ideas are a protein box at Starbucks, almost any salad modified to remove any carbs, hotwings, etc..

My husband loves this diet and feels great on it. It’s a natural fit for him because he has always loved healthy foods having spent several years of his life as a vegetarian and even a brief stint as a vegan. I feel like this diet is on the right track because it also fits perfectly with a diabetic diet which limits all carbohydrates because the body turns these into sugar. So if our goal is weight loss, then limiting most carbs is a good idea because it will force your body to burn its own fat stores which is why you hear people talking about being in “ketosis” which is the goal of this diet: making your body burn its own fat store.

My husband and I do intermittent fasting along with the Keto diet because they work together for fat burning. We have two fast days per week, usually Monday and Thursday. On these days we only eat one meal per day around 6:00 pm. The other days of the week we have two meals per day, usually lunch and dinner.

So here is an example of a week in the life of a Keto dieter:

Monday

Fasting in the morning and afternoon (black coffee and water)
Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup with avocado, shredded cheese, green onions, cilantro, lime and hot sauce. Keto dieters can do it exactly the same but use Pork rinds instead of tortilla chips, enjoyed on the side for added crunch factor.
Dessert: Keto pumpkin cheesecake

Tuesday

Fasting in the morning (black coffee and water)
Lunch: Tortilla Soup leftovers
Snack: Cappuccino with cream and a Coconut Cocoa Ball
Dinner: Kung Pao Chicken with Keto Cauliflower Rice
Evening or day snack: Seed crackers with cream cheese and cranberry sauce or other sugar free jam.

Keto Snacks, cranberry sauce, cream cheese, peanut butter, celery and seed crisps

Wednesday

Fasting in the morning
Lunch: egg scramble with onions, bell pepper, salsa, avacado and sour cream and a cappuccino with cream.
dinner: grilled tri tip (or any steak grilled) roasted cauliflower, steamed artichokes with aoli (homemade mayonnaise), jalapeño poppers (jalapeños with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon)
dessert: homemade blueberry ice cream ( mix frozen blueberries with xylitol and cream with hand blender makes instant ice cream)

Making quick homemade Keto ice cream: just cream, sweetener and frozen blueberries!

Jalapeño Poppers, easy just remove the seeds, fill with cream cheese and top with bacon, broil until crispy on top!

Thursday

Fasting in the morning and noon
Dinner: use the leftover trip tip or steak to make make Fajitas with green bell peppers, onions, guacamole, sour cream, cheddar cheese, limes and hot sauce
Dessert: Peanut butter Cocoa Keto Ball

Fajitas (Mexican beef, onions and capsicum stir fried)

Peanut butter "keto" balls — Peanut butter “keto” balls

Friday

Fasting in the morning
Lunch at a Greek restaurant: Gyro meat (skewered seasoned roasted o a spit lamb) with salad including kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and tzaziki sauce
mid day snack: cappuccino with cream and a 85% dark chocolate hunk
Dinner: Keto Cauliflower Crust Pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni
Dessert: Coconut Cocoa Keto Ball

Saturday

Fasting in the morning
Lunch: Taco salad with lettuce, seasoned ground beef with Mexican seasonings, avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, black olives, tomatoes, green onions with a dressing of sour cream and salsa mixed together.
Dinner: Hamburgers and Fried pork rinds (Hamburger had cheese, grilled onions, bacon, avocado, and was wrapped in iceberg lettuce
Dessert: Peanut butter Cocoa Balls

A bunless burger, otherwise known as "Protein Style" Made famous by In-and-Out Burger in California — A bunless burger, otherwise known as “Protein Style” Made famous by In-and-Out Burger in California

Sunday

Fasting in the morning (black coffee and watet
Lunch: “late Sunday breakfast” Keto Waffles with Blueberry Sauce with fried eggs, bacon, avocado and cappuccino with cream
Dinner: Turkey dinner with cauliflower “mashed potatoes”, cranberry sauce with xylitol sweetener and salad.
Snacks: cocktail shrimp, assorted cheeses and seed crackers

So there you have it! You survived a full week of intermittent fasting and a strict Keto diet and still ate Hamburgers, Pizza, Grilled tri tip, Fajitas, Taco Salad, Jalapeño poppers, Cauliflower “mashed potatoes”, Turkey dinner, Cheesecake, desserts including Ice cream, Snack foods (including those delicious pork rinds) and cheese and crackers, you had cappuccino’s, Big breakfasts and went out for Greek food! All that AND you shaved off several pounds! Congratulations! Not to mention you were sugar free for a week, Gluten-free and dropped your blood sugar levels! Go reward yourself with another Keto Cocoa Ball and get ready for another fabulous week!