What’s up guyssss?
#KetoKat is back and sharing everything I know from my experiences on the keto diet.
AND before you come for me, let’s just be upfront and honest here. I am NOT a nutritionist, dietician, or doctor. I am simply someone who has had great success with the keto diet sharing my favorite keto tips, tricks, and shopping lists!
I started the diet 9/9/20 and will be updating this post throughout my journey. Find my weight and results and the very end of this post.
Keto Tips
- Stock your fridge and give yourself plenty of time to prepare. I usually give myself about two weeks to clean out the fridge and pantry and mentally prepare for the lifestyle change. This is the most important thing to keep in mind from my keto tips because you really have to prep for this diet.
- Drink lots of water! Dehydration is one of the most common side effects of the ketogenic diet. Many people overlook how much more water you should be drinking when you are on a low carb diet. I keep my BKR bottle full and next to me at all times.
- Feel like you are coming down with the keto flu? Have an awful headache? Take a shot of pickle juice #trustme Just make sure that you stick to the correct pickle juice! The simpler the ingredient list, the better.
- Are you starting to smell? It happens and it happened to me -> brush your teeth multiple times a day, chew sugar-free gum, and drink that chlorophyll water <- a natural deodorant <- one of my favorite keto tips.
and remember this ->
CARBS ARE A LIMIT, PROTEIN IS A GOAL & FAT IS A LEVER
CARBS ARE A LIMIT.
This means you set the maximum that you can consume per day – typically up to 20 to 30 grams per day for most people. If you go under this number, that’s okay! It’s not a hard goal, just a limit. I highly recommend using the KetoDiet app to create your goals.
PROTEIN IS A GOAL.
This means you want to reach this number each day, so try not to go below the goal. Going over a little bit is also okay, but a large excess in protein might convert to glucose and kick you out of ketosis; how easily this happens varies from person to person.
FAT IS A LEVER.
After your carb limit and protein goal, the remaining calories you need for the day come from fat. This is what keeps you satisfied and provides the majority of your energy source.
You can use fat as a lever, increasing it up or down, based on your goals. Increase it if you’re hungry, decrease it to lose weight, but remember you can’t go too low (don’t get caught in the outdated “fat is bad” trap) since it’s your main energy source.
Apps
- KetoDiet | upgrade to the pro version for $2.99 a month <- it is 100% worth it
Books
- Keto Comfort Foods | the best cookbook! the recipes are so good and easy to make
Butcher Box – get a free turkey
The only premium meat delivery service – 100% Grass-fed and Grass-finished Beef, Heritage Breed Pork, and Free-range Organic Chicken. If you follow any of my keto tips make it this one! Even if you aren’t on keto, the benefits of grass-fed and grass-finished meats will rock your world.
Thrive Market
This is an excellent option for keto pantry items at an excellent discounted price.
Amazon Shopping List
- Folios | all-natural 100% Parmesan Cheese Wraps | 1 g carbs -> 3 Delicious Ways to use Folios Parmesan Wraps
- Keto Space Shake | ready-to-drink keto shake and an easy meal replacement
- Palmini | low carb heart of palm pasta | linguine + angel hair | 4 g of carbs | my favorite low carb pasta -> the key to making them is to soak them in milk or water before you cook them for at least 15 minutes -> The BEST Palmini Pasta Recipes
- ChocZero | dark chocolate chips | 1 g of carbs | I keep them in the freezer and eat a couple at night if I have a major sugar craving
- Birch Benders Keto Pancakes | holy shit this pancake mix is good! | I just made a play on the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits today and HOLY SHIT they were good! Details below under recipes.
- Hint Water | one of the biggest challenges for me when I am doing keto is what to drink when I am hungover
- KNOW Foods – KNOW Better Pancake Mix, Keto Pancake | These pancakes are SERIOUSLY good. All you need is a little Kerrygold butter and you are good to go! I just checked and the KNOW brand looks to be sold out. Giving this brand a shot.
- Primal Kitchen | EVERYTHING -> start with the keto certified mayo | 0 g of carbs | and the unsweetened ketchup | 2 g of carbs
- Are you in ketosis? You need to check! Ketone & Glucose Blood Testing Kit or try these simple Keto Ketone Testing Strips
Trader Joe’s Shopping List
Produce
Organic Asparagus
Organic Arugala
Organic Spinach – I buy 3 to 4 bags. Lots of leafy greens are key to keto success!
Shredded Cabbage
Riced Cauliflower
Green Onions
Cut Onions (because I hate chopping them -> but be careful lots of carbs in onions)
Teeny Tiny Avocados
Bok Choy – I am obsessed with bok choy right now! Cook it in coconut amino acids, garlic and butter.
Meat/Fish
Cubed Pancetta
Pork Belly – The boxed fully cooked product is so good.
Chicken Breakfast Sausage
Smoked Ahi Tuna/Salmon
Organic bone broth
Dairy/Deli/Prepared Foods
Kerry Gold – I like to have 3 to 4 on hand at all times.
Heavy Cream – I usually snag two. I use it in my coffee and in almost everything I cook.
Mozzarella Rolloni
Cheddar Snack Pack
Shredded Unexpected Cheddar
Folio Parmesan Cheese Wraps
Cauliflower Thins – These are a new product and a HARD yes. Buy as many as you can get your hands on. I’ve been making keto-friendly Papa John’s breadsticks out of them. Slice them into strips and pop them in the oven to toast. Make a butter/herb mixture. Coat the cauliflower thins in them and reverse plenty for a dipping sauce.
Bacon Cheddar Ranch Dip
Tzatziki
Avocado’s Number Guacamole To Go
Columbus Hard Salami
Frozen
Riced Cauliflower Stirfry
Green Vegetable Foursome
Mashed Cauliflower
Langostino Tails
Shrimp Burgers
Pantry
Kale Chips
Oven-Baked Cheese Bites – Always get the truffle if it is in season!
Chomps Grass-Fed Beef Sticks
Truffle Marcona Almonds – I can clear the entire bag in one sitting! <- Don’t do that! Snag a couple for an afternoon snack
Giardiniera
Pitted Salted Manzanilla Olives – Keep this in your bag at all times! The perfect keto snack.
– 21 Trader Joe’s Snacks That’ll Help You Stick To Your Keto Diet
Recipes
(more to come -> I will be updating this every day)
Breakfast
- Best-Ever Cabbage Hash Browns – Be sure to really coat the egg mixture all over the cabbage, add in a little cheese and fry them up in butter vs the oil the recipe suggests. These hash browns are seriously good!
- Keto Breakfast Cups
- Soft Scrambled Eggs by Gordan Ramsay with the All-Clad d5 Stainless-Steel Nonstick Omelette Pan
favorite keto cooking tools
Soups
- Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Soup – I seriously crave a cheeseburger when I’m on the keto diet (especially when I’m hungover) and this soup fulfills everything I need and more. This is my favorite keto recipe and one of my favorite keto tips.
- Keto Broccoli Cheddar Soup – This soup is a little thin compared to your traditional Brocolli Cheddar Soup, but extra creamy and delicious.
- Slow Cooker “Better Than Botox” Bone Broth – I used this recipe as a guide but I made some major modifications. I roasted the beef neck, marrow, and knuckle bones in the oven on a baking sheet before I put them in the slow cooker <- I feel like this is a very important step. Every other recipe that I found included roasting the bones! I also added in a jalapeno with all the vegetable scraps and let it cook for 36 hours. The second time I made this recipe I added in peppercorns, extra salt, and an extra splash of apple cider vinegar. THIS was by far my best go at it!
Snacks and Bites
- Bell Pepper Keto Nachos
- Keto Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits – I started with this recipe and made some major modifications. I used the Birch Bender Keto Pancake Mix instead of flour and heavy cream instead of milk. I think this may be my new favorite keto recipe. My cousin just called them crack!
- Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers – follow the steps to prep the bacon! This was a MAJOR opportunity for me.
- Salmon Pinwheels – god I love these. Salmon, capers, and cream cheese are the key to my heart.
Entrees
- Keto Pork Chops – Make these pork chops ASAP! This is seriously by far one of my favorite recipes. So easy and so delicious. You MUST use the Butcher Box pork chops. They make such a huge difference. Love this version of the recipe too.
- Low Carb Tamale Pie
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Keto Shepherd’s Pie – The recipe also includes a cauliflower mash recipe, but I just use the frozen Trader Joe’s mashed cauliflower.
- Keto Sushi – So easy and satisfies my sushi cravings.
- Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy
Alcohol
- Keto-friendly espresso martini recipe
- My go-to keto cocktail is just a vodka soda with a lemon or lime
- Sauvignon Blanc + Champagne have the least amount of carbs…but give me the worst headache!
- I’ve been using this as a great resource -> Keto Alcohol | Everything You Can & Cannot Drink
more keto content here
Results
w1 | 162 pounds 9/9/20