October 6, 2015

Keto Diet Plan For Beginners Step By Step Guide

Welcome to the Keto Diet Plan For Beginners. Today we are going to walk you through some step-by-step tutorials to get you started on the keto diet.

This post was updated on 1/8/2019

After about a three weeks of writing my low carb and keto posts, I think it’s time to share a Keto Diet Plan for those of you interested in learning more about this diet. I don’t just want to share diet basics; you need to leave here with a real understanding of how keto works. That’s my job, to make this so simple anyone can do it.

Keto Diet Plan For Beginners:

Feel free to email me at any time with questions you may have. I am always happy to help, and who knows, maybe your question will inspire a blog post!

I would love to share your journey on my blog. If you are planning to start this keto diet, please take before pictures, progress pictures, keep a food diary, and keep track of your weight and measurements. Then when you are ready maybe at your halfway point, or once you reach your goal weight, you can send me your results for me to share with others.

I am also always looking for recipe contributors. If you have a keto recipe you love and want to share, please email me at shasta@ketosizeme.com

Keto Diet Plan For Beginners: STATS

Know Your Body:

1) The first thing you need to do before starting the plan is to figure out where you are right now.

Weigh and measure yourself. While BMI calculators are not the best means for figuring out your body fat, most of us don’t have the money to have this done professionally.

You need to know these stats:

Weight: It is best to weigh first thing in the morning, fully nude.

Height: Hopefully you know this, but who knows, maybe you’ve grown! 😉
Hips: Stand with your feet about 4 inches apart and measure the widest part of your hips.
Calf: Place your weight on your dominant leg and measure your calf at its widest part – about halfway between your knee and ankle.
Thigh: Stand with your feet about 12 inches apart. Measure your upper thigh at the widest part
Wrist: Measure in the dip between the bony part of your wrist and the start of your hand.
Forearm: Tense your muscle and measure the largest part of your forearm.

Once you have your stats, you can enter them into this BMI calculator to get your BMI. As you can see, I have about 18% body fat.

My Personal Diet Journal

Keep all of your numbers in a progress journal that you can look back on to stay motivated and track your progress. Like this one – Check it out, this journal is PERFECT! It has pages for notes, goal setting, daily targets, exercise plans, measurement charts, and even a place for progress photos! How cool is that?!

Photo Source: Bodybuilding.com

2) Now you need to do a little learning before we move any further. Start by learning a bit more about ketosis itself, and the pitfalls you may experience. I love Bodybuilding.com and think that this article on the Keto Diet is perfect for beginners, so go check it out. Unless you are planning to start bodybuilding part, 2 of the post will not apply to you. 😉

Keto Diet Plan For Beginners: Personal Macros

3) Now that you have the information you need about your body’s present condition and info on ketosis, head over to this Keto Calculator Tutorial, and figure out how many grams of Carbohydrates, Fat, and Protein you need each day to lose weight. These numbers are critical so don’t forget to write them down. I keep a piece of paper pinned to my wall so I can easily see them when planning meals.

Keto Diet Plan For Beginners: Goals

4) So, how are you feeling? Are you excited to see the numbers behind what you will be eating? You should be because you are about to discover how you can lose weight, and still, enjoy foods that taste amazing! Head over to this post to set up My Fitness Pal Keto Diet Settings.

5) By now you should know both where you are and where you want to be. Those are the first steps. Now it’s time to start planning your meals. You can use these food lists to help you figure out what kinds of foods you should be eating.

If you start at 25g of net carbs a day, you can slowly increase to 50g as you lose weight. Once you reach your goal, you can increase your carbs as you see how they affect your weight. If you eat fruit for a week and gain weight, cut back. You have to figure out what works best for you. Ketosis can be maintained with as many as 100g of carbs each day.

Not everyone chooses to continue the keto diet after losing weight so knowing how to add carbs back into your diet is important. Check out this post to learn more: How To Quit The Keto Diet Without Gaining Weight

Keto Diet Plan For Beginners: Food

6) Now it’s your turn! Get to work creating a healthy and delicious keto friendly meals you will love! If you’re wondering about what you can expect, be sure to read weekly experience posts (linked below)! You can get your printable keto grocery lists here and here.

Weekly Experiences:

Start Here: Deciding To Live The Ketogenic Lifestyle (Starting Weight 121)
Check It Out: Keto Diet Week 1 4.8lbs Lost (mostly water weight) – End Weight 116.2
Then Read: Keto Diet Week 2 3.2 lbs Lost (Fat) – End Weight 113 & 3 inches down
Finally, Read This: Keto Diet Week 3 2.6lbs Lost (Fat) – End Weight 110.4 & 4 inches down

If you have any questions, please reach out to me! I would be happy to help in any way I can! 🙂 Let me know how your Keto Diet Plan works out for you, and until next time…. stay full!

Need help? Feel free to Contact Us!

~ This post contains affiliate links to help you find the products we use.

October 6, 2015

Keto Cabbage With Bacon Lunch Recipe

Is it St. Patrick’s Day yet because this Keto Cabbage With Bacon makes me feel like celebrating!

I don’t know about you, but I love cabbage! Cabbage is one of those super veggies that has tons of health benefits. This Keto Cabbage recipe is super simple, which is why I love it. Cabbage is a favorite of mine because you can do so much with it. I will be sure to share some of my other favorites soon.

Unlike some of my least favorite greens (collards… ugh) cabbage doesn’t have an overly strong taste. Sure, it doesn’t smell that great when you cook it, but that’s a small price to pay for this cholesterol lowering veggie that is also rumored to help prevent cancer (I don’t make that claim, but some researchers do!).

Keto Cabbage With Bacon Recipe:

Cabbage is often touted as one of the World’s Healthiest foods, and for good reason. While I could sit here and share many of those reasons with you, you can just read the article to learn more.

Unlike many veggies and fruits cabbage is relatively low in carbs and even lower in Net Carbs. Once you reach your weight loss, goals, and your body has regulated itself, you can worry a lot less about getting carbs from natural sources like cabbage. When I started the keto diet, I really didn’t have much weight to lose, so I wasn’t as worried about carbs from veggies. I follow a 20 grams of carbs a day diet, but if I go over because of cabbage, I don’t fret about it.

If you have a favorite keto cabbage recipe, I would love to try it. Be sure to share yours in the comment section. I’ll give you credit if I add it to the blog!

Keto Cabbage With Bacon Recipe: Ingredients

- 2 cups, shredded, Cabbage
- 4 slices of bacon
- Salt to taste

Want to get the most out of your dish? Salt is more than a seasoning. As you probably already know salt and keto go hand in hand. It’s important to replenish electrolytes when you are on keto and one way you can do that is by making sure you are getting enough sodium, magnesium, and potassium. Quality sodium is what we are talking about at the moment and many keto’ers swear by Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. I bought mind soon after starting keto but before that had only ever used white table salt.

You should aim for 3,000-5,000 mg of additional sodium a day and try to get as much of that in your food a day as possible. Of course, you always need to speak with your doctor before upping your salt intake but low sodium on keto is miserable!

Want to try Pink Sea Salt? You can find it here.

Premium Stainless Steel Salt and Pepper Grinder Set of 2- Brushed Stainless Steel Pepper Mill and Salt Mill The Spice Lab’s – ( Food Grade ) Himalayan Crystal Salt – Dark Pink – (Coarse)

Keto Cabbage With Bacon Recipe: Directions

- 1. Fill a pot with just enough water to cover cabbage and boil cabbage for 5-7 minutes
  2. Cook bacon and crumble
  3. Add salt and bacon to cabbage and enjoy

Keto Cabbage With Bacon Recipe:

Keto Cabbage With Bacon

Ingredients

2 cups, shredded, Cabbage
4 slices of bacon
Salt to taste

Instructions

Fill a pot with just enough water to cover cabbage and boil cabbage for 5-7 minutes
Cook bacon and crumble
Add salt and bacon to cabbage and enjoy

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 126 Total Fat: 11g Carbohydrates: 2g Protein: 4g

Keto Cabbage With Bacon: Nutrition

This is for 1 serving (1 cup)

Calories: 346
Total Fat: 9g
Cholesterol: 100mg
Sodium: 2045mg
Potassium: 291mg
Carbohydrates: 13g Dietary Fiber = 6g Net Carbs= 7g
Dietary Fiber 6g
Sugars: 9g (all from natural sources)
Protein: 31g

* We strive to make all of our recipes according to our dietary standards. Our recipes have to meet the following criteria: Low Carb, High Fat, Moderate Protein, Sugar-Free (we only allow natural fruit, veggie, and dairy sugars in our diet), and Gluten-Free. You can learn more about how we eat, and how to figure out the macronutrient amounts you need daily.

Read all Ketogenic Diet Recipes Here

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October 5, 2015

Keto Diet Week 3: My Keto Diet Journey

Guess what? Keto Diet Week 3 results are in! Yeah, baby!

As I mentioned in my week 2 post, I thought I had experienced ketosis (if I was, it was minimal), but after week 3 I better understood what it felt like. During week 3 I started to feel fatigued, and if I allowed myself to go too long without eating, I started to feel sick. I also got the lovely ketosis breath. To be honest, I was pretty excited. Sure I brush my teeth 5-6 times a day now, but I am happy to finally be “in the zone.”

While I had no trouble keeping my carb intake under 20 grams every single day since starting, my big struggle was fat. I couldn’t seem to figure out how to get enough fat into my diet. As you will see, I finally got the hang of it around the middle of the week. For the first time, I was finally meeting my daily fat requirements, and that felt great. I knew if I didn’t get enough fat I would lose my muscles first, so I did not want to go down that road. Oh, and I also noticed that when I met my fat goals, I didn’t get lightheaded anymore (so that’s a plus).

Keto Diet Week 3:

Getting enough fat each day takes some creativity, but once you start getting the hang of the keto diet methods you’ll be all set. If you need some help with fats, be sure to check out my favorite High Fat Recipes for ideas!

After going through week 3, my biggest takeaway is to eat on a schedule. I allowed myself to go too long without eating most days, and I think that’s why I felt so tired. On Sunday, I made sure to eat as soon as I was hungry, and I felt much better. I plan to start week four with a new eating plan. My first meal is at 8 am, at 12 pm I have lunch, a snack at 4 pm, and I again around 6:30 pm. Once my body gets on a schedule I will have more energy. I will let you know how that works for me.

Keto Diet Week 3: Menu

My week starts on Monday so I also weigh in every Monday. One Monday I started my week at 113 Get My Fitness Pal here.

Monday:

Keto- Diet-Week-3-Monday

Carbs: 7g / Fat: 83g / Protein: 36g

Tuesday:

Week-3-Tuesday

Carbs: 15g / Fat: 45g / Protein: 37g

Wednesday:

Week-3-Wednesday

Carbs: 15g / Fat: 75g / Protein: 37g

Thursday:

Week-3-Thursday

Carbs: 8g / Fat: 93g / Protein: 49g

Friday:

Week-3-Friday

Carbs: 12g / Fat: 98g / Protein: 48g

Saturday:

Week-3-Saturday

Carbs:14g / Fat: 96g / Protein: 28g

Sunday:

Week-3-Sunday

Carbs: 14g / Fat: 92g / Protein: 54g

As you can see, around Thursday of week 3 it was like a light bulb went off, and I finally started getting it right!

Keto Diet Week 3: Results

So let’s sum this week up with stats!

Starting Weight: 113 — Ending Weight: 110.4 — Weight Lost: 2.6

Starting Body Fat: 18% — Ending Body Fat: 18% — Body Fat Lost: 0

Measurements: (For time’s sake I will only share losses, anything that stayed the same will be shared when it changes)

Body Part / Starting /Ending / Loss

Waist: 25 / 24 1/4 / 3/4 inches

Hips: 33.5 / 32.5 / 1 inch

Arms: 9.5 / 9 1/4 / 1/4 inch

Thigh: 19 / 18.5 / 1/2 inch

Losses I didn’t have last week:

Calves: 14 / 13.5 / 1/2 inch

Knees: 14 / 13.5 / 1/2 inch

Butt: 34.5 / 34 / 1/2 inch

Chest: 35 / 34 / 1 inch

Summary: After 3 weeks of changing my diet I lost 2.6 lbs and 4 inches!

Running Total Lost To Date:

Weight: 10.6 lbs lost

Body Fat: 2% lost

Inches: 7 Inches lost

* Remember, I plan to add exercise in starting in week 5. I wanted to wait one month to see what just the diet alone could do. My goals will also change once I add exercise in, so watch for that.

You can read my weekly updates learn more about the changes I’ve made and the results I’ve experienced.

Weekly Experiences:

~ This post contains affiliate links to help you find the products we use.

October 4, 2015

22 Fabulous Keto Pumpkin Recipes

I LOVE Fall! By the end of Summer and I am usually so tired of being hot and sweaty that I just can’t wait for Fall to arrive. The weather starts to cool off; the air is crisp and fresh and beautiful colors burst forth from the trees. My favorite thing about the beginning of Fall would have to be Keto Pumpkin Recipes! I love the savory and sweet tastes that pumpkin flavored dishes offer, and I have some go-to pumpkin recipes that you need to try!

These recipes come from some of my favorite low carb high fat sites from around the internet. If you have never read the blogs below, you must go now! Okay, fine, you can stick around, but be sure to spend some time checking out all of their amazing recipes.

Bonus: Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake ( 3 Net Carbs)

Best Of Pinterest Keto Pumpkin Recipes:

Keto Pumpkin Pie Spice Latte 2.1 Net Carbs (Ruled.Me)

Delicious Keto Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts that only take 12 minutes to bake.

Keto Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts 3 Net Carbs

Pumpkin Pie Fat Bombs 2.4 Net Carbs (Healthful Pursuit)

Easy Keto Pumpkin Bread – 5 Net Carbs

Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles 4.96 Net Carbs (All Day I Dream About Food)

Spiced Pumpkin Soup 7.3 Net Carbs (Ruled.Me)

Keto Pumpkin Creme Brulee 1.5 Net Carbs

Pumpkin Spice French Toast 6.8 Net Carbs (Ruled.Me)

Pumpkin Bagels 2.6 Net Carbs (Beauty and The Foodie)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse 2.7 Net Carbs (Sugar-Free Mom)

Pumpkin Chai Mug Cake 2 Net Carbs (I Breathe I’m Hungry)

Pumpkin Roll w/Coffee Cream 3.07 Net Carbs (All Day I Dream About Food)

Pumpkin Crepe Cake 4.25 Net Carbs (I Breathe I’m Hungry)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie 3 Net Carbs (I Breathe I’m Hungry)

Pumpkin Spice Hot Buttered Coffee 3 Net Carbs (Healthy Living How To)

Pumpkin Pie Chia Parfait 6 Net Carbs (Healthy Living How To)

Chilled Pumpkin Pie Pudding 6 Net Carbs (I Breathe I’m Hungry)

Pumpkin Donuts Less than 6 Net Carbs (depending on ingredients) (Delicious As It Looks)

keto-pumpkin-butter-cookies-low-carb-high-fat-gluten-free

Keto Pumpkin Butter Cookies – 1 Net Carb

Pumpkin Pie Bars 3 Net Carbs (Worth Every Chew)

Pumpkin Scones 7 Net Carbs (All Day I Dream About Food)

Pumpkin & Orange Cheese Bread 5.6 Net Carbs (Keto Diet App)

If you try any of these Keto Pumpkin Recipes for yourself, please come back and let me know which ones were your favorites!

Bonus Recipe:

Keto Pumpkin Spice Cookie Dough

Keto Pumpkin Spice Cookie Dough: 1 Net Carb

October 4, 2015

Keto Diet Week 2: My Keto Diet Journey

It’s time for my Keto Diet Week 2 results! Are you ready for this?

Keto Diet Week 2:

When I began my week 2 low carb experience, I was a little better prepared. I knew my keto calculations; I had My Fitness Pal ready to go, and I was in the zone. The weekend before, I had experienced eating out while watching my carb intake and it was a pretty good experience. I ate steak and veggies from Applebee’s, and I ate at Moe’s Southwest Grill twice. This was important to me because during week two I took a three day trip to Washington DC with my son, and I knew I would be eating out every day. I felt prepared, inspired, and determined.

Keto Diet Week 2: Keto On The Road

Up until this point, I had noticed very few side effects, but I was curious to see what walking around all day (one day totaling 9 miles) would do to my hunger levels. Surprisingly I was never really that hungry, and I had no cravings. I could walk into a restaurant serving goodies I would have normally indulged in, and I felt nothing. My water intake also increased during week two. The only thing I did that went against my diet was used Splenda in my coffee each morning. Ugh! It was gross, but I made it through.

I will admit that I was dead tired by the end of each day, but who wouldn’t be? I was chasing three 5th grade boys and walking everywhere. Choosing foods at the restaurants wasn’t hard, but calculating what I was eating in My Fitness Pal proved to be a bit of a challenge. I will share my daily menus here, but they may be off a little.

Note: During week 2 I still don’t believe I had entered ketosis. If I did, it was just barely. There was one day where I noticed the taste of blood in my mouth and had a few side effects listed above, but it hit me a little harder in week 3.

So remember, these are my personal goals, as calculated by me:

Carbs: 20g per day (7%)

Fat: 97g per day (74%)

Protein: 56g per day (19%)

I don’t worry about any other numbers, and I don’t drink any sodas (just water and coffee) or eat any processed foods (other than a few types of meat). I try to come as close to these numbers as possible, although as you’ll see, it’s not easy. Sometimes I have to make myself eat because I just don’t feel hungry.

Note: Don’t forget when looking at carbs that you need to subtract the fiber to get your net carb count.

Keto Diet Week 2: Menus

My week starts on Monday, so I also weigh in every Monday. One Monday I started my week at 116.2.

Monday:

Carbs: 17g / Fat: 75g / Protein: 65g

Tuesday:

Carbs: 17g / Fat: 76g / Protein: 50g

Wednesday:

Carbs: 18g / Fat: 70g / Protein: 92g

Thursday:

Carbs: 8g / Fat: 76g / Protein: 90g

Friday:

Carbs: 11g / Fat: 80g / Protein: 58g

Saturday:

Carbs: 8g / Fat: 52g / Protein: 33g

Sunday:

Carbs: 6g / Fat: 55g / Protein: 48g

As you can see, hitting these numbers is very hard for me, but I am getting better at it. You’ll notice some bigger changes in my Week 3 Low Carb Experience post.

Keto Diet Week 2: Results

So let’s sum this week up with stats!

Starting Weight: 116.2 — Ending Weight: 113 — Weight Lost: 3.2 lbs

Starting Body Fat: 20% — Ending Body Fat: 18% — Body Fat Lost: 2%

Measurements: (For time’s sake I will only share losses, anything that stayed the same will be shared when it changes)

Body Part: Starting /Ending / Loss

Waist: 25.5 / 25 / 1/2 inch

Hips: 34.5 / 33.5 / 1 inch

Arms: 10 / 9.5 / 1/2 inch

Thigh: 20 / 19 / 1 inch

Summary: After 2 weeks of changing my diet I lost 3.2 lbs, 2% body fat, and 3 inches!

Not bad my friends! Not bad at all! This is all without exercise (other than the walking I did). I plan to add exercise in starting in week 5. I wanted to wait one month to see what just the diet alone could do. My goals will also change once I add exercise in, so watch for that.

* Note: The picture at the top of this post is after week 2. It was taken on Monday starting week 3! Next week I will be able to show a before and after with the same suit so you can see any differences. My hope for week 3 is that I will start shedding some of that thigh fat!

You can read my weekly updates learn more about the changes I’ve made and the results I’ve experienced.

Weekly Experiences:

Start Here: Deciding To Live The Ketogenic Lifestyle (Starting Weight 121)
Check It Out: Keto Diet Week 1 4.8lbs Lost (mostly water weight) – End Weight 116.2
Finally, Read This: Keto Diet Week 3 2.6lbs Lost (Fat) – End Weight 110.4 & 4 inches down

~ This post contains affiliate links to help you find the products we use.