Ditch. The. Carbs.
If you have been following me on Pinterest over the past 6 months, you’ll have noticed my latest obsession with a Keto diet. Keto is eating a low amount of carbs (typically between 20-40 net carbs).
When you consistently eat a limited amount of carbs, your body enters ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body uses ketones (from fat) as the main source of energy instead of glucose (from carbs).
When you cut carbs and eat more fat, your body will start to use the fat consumed as well as stored body fat as its main source of energy. You can read more on my Keto 101 blog post here.
Weight Loss
From February to May of this year, I have lost 28 lbs thanks to Keto. Since May, I have successfully kept the weight off & have noticed that I am having an easier time sticking to a diet. Which is saying a lot since I survived a typically carb-fueled summer!
Related:
—Meal Prep Made Easy: Weekly Low Carb Keto Meal Plans!
—120 Low-Carb Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert!
— Skincare Tips & Tricks
I owe a lot of success to consistency which was helped by making sure I meal prepped weekly. I looked up recipes on Pinterest & finally broke down and bought e-books from a favorite website that had super easy to follow recipes (all only had 5 ingredients!) and that I knew were tested and worked with the keto diet. All recipes have 5 net grams of carbs or fewer, are easy to prep & taste great.
Meal Plan
Here is what a typical 7-day meal plan looks for a keto, low carber:
Day 1
- Breakfast: Avocado Cloud Toast
- Lunch: Cheeseburger Burritos
- Dinner: Rosemary Chicken & Mash
- Dessert: Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Daily Carbs (net grams): 14
Day 2
- Breakfast: Blueberry Almond Pancakes
- Snack: Chips & Guac
- Lunch: Meatball Parm
- Dinner: Zesty Shrimp Skewers
Daily Carbs (net grams): 17
Day 3
- Breakfast: Maple Pecan Porridge
- Lunch: Taco Salad Bowl
- Dinner: Sweet Pork Tenderloin
- Dessert: Sugar-free Nutella
Daily Carbs (net grams): 15
Day 4
- Breakfast: Chorizo Breakfast Bake
- Lunch: Loaded Cobb Salad
- Dinner: Tacos!
- Dessert: Single Serve Cheesecake
Daily Carbs (net grams): 13
Day 5
- Breakfast: Savory Bacon Pancakes
- Lunch: Chicken Avo Salad
- Dinner: Lemon Garlic Salmon
- Dessert: Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Daily Carbs (net grams): 16
Day 6
- Breakfast: Strawberries & Cream Shake
- Lunch: Turkey Club Wraps
- Dinner: Beef & Broccoli
- Dessert: Peanut Butter Cups
Daily Carbs (net grams): 17
Day 7
- Breakfast: Quiche & Hashbrowns
- Lunch: Chicken Alfredo
- Dinner: Mediterranean Lamb Burger
- Dessert: Fudge Brownies
Daily Carbs (net grams): 17
Follow a similar weekly plan for 12 weeks and see the pounds absolutely melt off. With these recipes, you will lose weight fast & easy and not have to starve yourself to do it. ALL recipes listed above can be found in the awesome e-books below.
What’s great about the ebooks, and my favorite thing is that they are all about keeping it simple. I hate finding a recipe that has 30 ingredients that I never heard of and I have to invest in a ton of new stuff to make one recipe! All recipes in the ebooks are 5 ingredients. The recipes are simple to make but so so delicious and keep you full!
I purchased my bundle and I reference them all the time for recipes and inspiration. Check out the bundle, which includes the dessert ebook (you can get the dessert ebook here as well) or click on the individual ebook for more info!
Vegetarian & Vegan UPDATE!
After tons & tons of research and toying with creating my own, I have found the best & most extensive vegetarian & vegan ebook, recipes & meal plans! My friend over at Meat Free Keto has created an amazing Intro to Vegan Keto Guide ebook. This ebook contains 69 pages of diet information, a 7 Day Meal Plan, recipes & shopping list.
This ebook is incredible if you are starting out in a vegan keto way of eating if you are interested in learning more about the lifestyle or are simply looking for some delicious meal inspiration.
I’ve made mostly all the recipes now and can honestly say this book makes eating Keto vegan so easy and so yummy.
The best part? This completely comprehensive 69-page ebook is only $12 – seriously! You get the meal plan, recipes & shopping lists & more for $12!
Food Allergen Free UPDATE!
The number one question I get about the Keto diet is the “What if I don’t eat…(insert food allergy or food aversion here)” questions. What is I don’t eat eggs? What if I don’t eat gluten? What if I don’t eat dairy? Can I still do Keto? Of course you can! But allergens, rightfully so, are at the forefront of people’s minds when they start a new diet. I try to help as much as possible but I don’t have the experience or extensive research to help every single person out.
Enter Leanne! Leannne of Healthful Pursuits is a certified Nutrition Educator and happens to be one of the most passionate Keto-ers I know. She has a FANTASTIC allergen-free Keto meal plan & guide that takes all the guesswork out. Every ebook comes with a 30-day meal plan, a complete food list with easy allergen swaps and a complete guide on Carb Cycling. And I mean complete. Leanne creates alternative grocery lists and meals for people who need Low-FODMAP, dairy-free, grain-free, nightshade-free, egg-free, nut-free and more. Even better? If her meal plans aren’t for you, you get a full money back guarantee.
You can check out more on Leanne and her meal plans here or read my full review of her guide here.
Hello! Any chance you can tell me how many of the recipes include almond flour? My husband isn’t allergic to tree nuts and it seems SO many recipes have almond flour 🙁 Thank you!!
Hi Samantha! Oh no – I have noticed that a lot of recipes out there rely on almond flour! In the Breakfast & Dessert ebooks there are a total of 7 recipes. Some other recipes also call for almond milk as well. You can easily sub with coconut flour/ milk, flax seed meal or other low carb alternatives. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Do you know of a similar programme tailored forbthe UK.
You look amazing
thanks
Hi Gill, thank you so much! These books will definitely work in the UK! They are instant downloads sent to your email (ebooks) and all ingredients are normal, everyday low carb ingredients (think chicken, cheese, veggies, avocado, etc.). Some of the desserts do contain a low carb sweetener, but you can easily find it in stores or on Amazon. Let me know if you have any other questions!
If the e-books are downloaded or sent to an e-mail, are they printable?
Hi Linda, good question! The ebooks are an instant download meaning you will get them immediately emailed to you. Once you get the email you can print them out yourself or even get them printed and bound like a cookbook at a Kinkos or other office store!
So if buy the books seperately then I pay $29.97 but if I bundle I pay $34.97, is that because the dessert book is inicluded?
Hi Linda, you are correct! If you buy the three books (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner) you will pay $29.97. But if you buy the full bundle (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert) you pay $34.97. Hope that helps!
Sorry about this dumb question, but does net grams mean 17 grams or 17 total carbs? Since 1 carb equals 15 grams. Hope that makes sense!
Hi Sue, not dumb at all! Net carbs is the amount of carbs you get when you subtract the amount of fiber in a food from the amount of carbs. So lets say you wanted to eat an apple that has 20 grams of carbs and 5 grams of fiber. You would subtract the 5 grams of fiber from the 20 grams of carbs and get 15 net carbs for that apple. So if you were tracking your amount of carbs for the day, you would track that apple as 15 grams of carbs. Hope that helps!
How long were u following the keto plan b4 u saw weight loss?
Hi Ann, I started seeing a difference within just a few weeks!
I just wanted to thank you for being so responsive! I’m
Of course! Let me know if you have any questions! 🙂
Hello Lauren! How do I get the recipes for your 7 day meal plan? Would love to try it. I’m sure if I can make it thru a week I would love to have the books.
Hi Molly! All recipes are in the ebooks and they are all super simple. 5 whole food ingredients prepared in 5 minutes with 5 grams of carbs or less!
Hi I’m wondering what kind of exercise or toning you used with the ebooks. I noticest no coffe or tea is that allowed daily
Hi Rhonda, you can definitely have tea or coffee – I wouldn’t be able to function without it! Just don’t add any sugar to it. Also, for working out I lift weights the most but also work in cardio and yoga.
Are sweeteners lile Stevia, honey or agave ok to use with coffee & tea?
Stevia is ok to use, but honey and agave are definite no-nos, they are carb heavy for a small amount.
Do the recipes have all the counts or just the carbs?
Hi Lynn, each recipe has the calories, fat, protein & carb counts written out. Let me know if you have any more questions!
My husband and I are both diabetic and have heard from a friend doing this that she was able to get off all of her medicines. She also lost weight. There are a LOT of veggies that hubby won’t eat, and I know this is big on veggies. Where we live getting fresh vegetables is almost impossible since they go bad so fast. Would it be possible to eat mainly broccoli, spinach, string beans on this program, since that’s something I know he’ll eat.
Hi Pattie, dark green veggies with high fiber content are definitely keto friendly so spinach and broccoli are great. String beans are great as well but have a higher carb count so just eat those in a bit more moderation. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hello! This bundle sounds very interesting, yet I have a question about measurements of ingredients. Is it all cups and oz etc or also in (European) grams and ml?
Hi Lois, great question! All the recipes are in cups & ounces.
HI, can mayonese and mustard be used on Keto? How about salad dressing? Also don’t see califlower, zuchini?
Hi Elisabeth, you can definitely use mayo and mustard, just be sure to check the nutrition and ingredients so that there are no sugars or carbs. Cauli & zucchini are definitely allowed! This is just a 7-day example, but some of the meals listed use both of those ingredients!
All of these recipes are in that 70,25,5 guidelines?
Hi Bree, more or less. All recipes are under 5 net carbs with moderate protein. All nutritional info is included per recipe. Hope that helps!
Any chance most of the dinners are dairy free? Or close to? I noticed lasagna–not something you can just leave the cheese out…
Hi, quite a few o the recipes do call for dairy, but most can be subbed with nondairy alternatives like nut milks & cheeses. Most recipes do call for a pad of butter or a sprinkle of cheese which can be easily omitted from the recipe as well.
Will this work for someone with Thyroid Cancer, medication is the contributing to my weight gain and low metabolic. Also are fruits and natural sugars not allowed such as Bananas, apples, dates, etc.
Hi Mere, you need to stay at 20 net carbs per day so no bananas, apples or dates. You can eat some fresh berries if they fit into your daily carbs! I don’t see why this diet wouldn’t be great for someone with Thyroid cancer, but please consult your doctor before starting a new diet!
Thanks Lauren, your emails were going to my spam. The books are lovely but cannot print them professionally without a waiver for copyright.
Hi Mere, you can print them out, you just cannot resell them or use them in a professional manner. If you print them out for your purposes only, that’s fine!
Hi Lauren
By any chance would you know if the books have vegan/vegetarian recipes?
Thanks
Shweta
Hi Shweta, I just updated this post to include links to the vegan & vegetarian meal plans and ebooks – thank you for reminding me!
I just purchased the bundle but it has not been emailed to me. How do i access them?
I found it…….it went to my spam folder. Thanks!
Great!
Hello! Any advice for me as I am allergic to both almonds and coconut.
I would stick to eating whole foods and not worry as much about making keto ‘dupes’ like breads or doughs.
Hi Lauren. I done Adkins years ago and was successful with it but steered away from it because of the fat. I’ve recently been looking into keto. I’m pretty much eating keto. By that I mean, I eat a lot of smoked ground turkey patties mostly (pretty much my diet, it’s quite k and convenient with my on the go schedule) tuna packs coffee with Splenda and sugar free creamer, salad with two table spoons of the Olive Garden sig dressing (it’s low carb) I’m seriously consuming less than 1000 calories a day and less than 20 carbs per day. I eat between 4p-11p simply because of my schedule and the medication I take before bed makes me not want to eat so you can add intermittent fasting into the mix as well. But 15 days in and I cannot get my body into ketosis!! It’s very aggravating. Is this because I’m not taking in enough fats? I have lost about 8 pounds and I’m also doing the HCG injections. Just clueless as to why it’s not registering on the keto strips. Any advice is appreciated as well as your thoughts….
Hi Sheila, I would definitely consult with your doctor. If you are taking regular injections I don’t feel comfortable giving out advice!
Hi. I have just begun investigating low carb, keto diets and how they work. It is by lowering insulin which is the fat hormone. But I recently discovered that artificial sweeteners, including stevia, actually double your insulin levels twice as much as table sugar. Do many of these recipes use sweeteners?
Hi Sam, great question! Some of the recipes in the dessert book do call for sweeteners, but I use Swerve which was created for diabetics in mind so no insulin spikes! You can learn more about it here: https://laurenrabadi.com/SWERVE
HI! I have seen a lot of people on the Keto diet. Is there a certain book you would suggest to read up on, to start this diet? Tanks!
Hi Tina, I don’t think you need a book, I have a ton of informational posts on my site that can help you for free! (The Ultimate Keto Guide is one to search for in my search bar!). But if you would like to invest in a Keto book, I really liked Keto Reset Diet which you can find here: https://laurenrabadi.com/KetoBluePrint
Hi Lauren, having a difficult time losing weight since I’ve reached that “chapter” in my life. I have never had this problem. Will the Keto diet help?
Hi Maureen, not totally sure, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t help!
The FAQ says most of the recipes are for 2 servings unless otherwise stated. Is that 5 net carbs per serving or total for the recipe?
Hi Rindy,
That would be per serving!
Lauren, did you have your cholesterol checked after losing the weight? I wonder if the fats caused problems with your LDL or your LDL/HDL ratio. And…
What do you eat for maintaining your weight?
Thanks!
Hi Marcy, I get regular checkups & blood work and have never had a problem! I eat mainly healthy fats like avocado, chia seeds, hemp hearts, eggs etc. I eat high fiber/ high healthy fats right now!
My cardiologist is actually the one who suggested I look into a keto or paleo diet. I have two heart stents.
Random Question- do any of these recipes use corn (before I go ahead and buy the recipes I wanted to make sure they’ll work for me as I’m allergic to corn/corn products)
No corn!