Category: Meal Plan Tips

What is a keto plan? The ketogenic diet, or simply `keto` is a diet that requires you to eat high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate foods. But does it make a difference? You can discover information below to help you decide whether to attempt the ketogenic diet.

This diet plan may be the best option for you if you want to:

• make changes in your lifestyle
• simplify your life
• try something that will boost your health and help you lose weight
• benefit you in many other ways

For many people, carbs like pasta, bread, or potatoes take up more than 50% of their daily diet. Our bodies break down sugars found in carbs to fuel us with energy. In the keto diet plan, the goal is to change the glucose calories with fat. In a typical keto diet, your nutrition centers around fatty foods. They’ll make up from 60% to 80% of your daily calories. Proteins take up 15% to 20%. Carbs are down to no more than 50 grams. 

Following the low-carb keto diet will likely lead to weight loss within the first 3 to 6 months. The keto diet calls for big changes in your daily diet, so the best first step is to ask your doctor or a nutritionist if it’s right for you.

Ketosis as a result of keto-diet

The keto diet works by changing the way your body uses energy. The body converts sugar into glycogen for energy. But on the keto diet, carbs are reduced, and as a result, the body can enter a metabolic state called ketosis – where you burn fat for energy instead.

Meal plans that help reach ketosis are highly beneficial for weight loss, one of the reasons is their appetite-suppressing effects. Of course, we have to have in mind that achieving a state of ketosis can take work and planning. It is not enough just to cut carbs. 

Some things can help you to reach ketosis faster. Firstly, you must reduce your body’s glycogen daily intake. The keto diet will help you do that by reducing carbohydrates to less than 50 grams a day.  After about two days to a week of keeping the carbs level low, your body should start burning fat reserves for energy. But this can be different from person to person and it can take a little bit longer. 

Two or three days of fasting can trigger ketosis, too. Exercising and physical activity are great ways to start spending glycogen reserves faster. Using coconut oil also helps because it provides your body with medium-chain triglycerides which are quickly absorbed and converted into ketones. 

Foods to eat

While following the keto diet the majority of your meals should be around these foods:

Meat –  ham, chicken, sausage, turkey, and red meat.

Fish – trout, tuna, salmon, and mackerel

Eggs – omega-3 whole eggs or pastured 

Heavy cream and butter 

Cheese – unprocessed cheeses like  blue, goat, cheddar, cream, or mozzarella

Seeds and nuts  – almonds,  flaxseeds, walnuts,  chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.

Healthy oils –  avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil 

Avocados – whole avocados or made guacamole

Low-carb vegetables –  tomatoes, green vegetables,  onions, peppers, etc.

Condiments – pepper, salt, herbs, and spices

It’s best to use mostly whole, single-ingredient foods in your diet. If you prepare a plan for the whole week or even a month, it can help you a lot and it will make your daily routine easier.

Foods to avoid

Any high-carb food needs to be limited. Here are some foods that need to be avoided on a ketogenic diet:

Sugary foods – fruit juice, soda, smoothies, cake,  candy, ice cream, etc.

Grains – wheat-based products, pasta, rice, cereal, etc.

Fruit – almost all fruit, except small portions of berries 

Beans – peas,  lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, etc.

Root vegetables – parsnips, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, etc.

Diet products – salad dressings, low-fat mayonnaise, and some condiments ( honey mustard,  barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, ketchup, etc.)

Unhealthy fats like processed vegetable oils

Alcohol – wine, liquor, mixed drinks, beer

Sugar-free diet foods – syrups, puddings, sugar-free candies sweeteners, desserts, etc.

Avoiding these foods and eating a low-carb diet is the most important factor in achieving ketosis. Achieving ketosis is important because that is the state in which your body uses fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.

Example of a 7-day keto-meal plan

The following menu has less than 50 grams of carbs per day.  As previously mentioned, some people may have to reduce carbs even more to reach ketosis.

This is just an example of the 7-day menu, which can be changed depending on individual needs and preferences.

Monday

Breakfast: cauliflower toast with avocado and cheese

Lunch: salmon burgers without a bun with pesto

Dinner: zucchini noodles with meatballs and cheese

Tuesday

Breakfast:  omelet with mushrooms

Lunch: tuna salad, celery and tomato, and green veggies

Dinner: roast chicken with sauce and fried broccoli

Wednesday

Breakfast: bell peppers stuffed with eggs and cheese

Lunch:  hard-boiled eggs, arugula salad with blue cheese, turkey, and avocado.

Dinner: grilled salmon with spinach fried in sesame oil

Thursday

Breakfast:  chia pudding with coconut milk with coconut and walnuts

Lunch: salad with cobb meat and greens, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and turkey

Dinner: chicken curry with coconut

Friday

Breakfast:  egg boats and baked avocado

Lunch: Caesar salad 

Dinner: pork chops and vegetables

Saturday

Breakfast: butter-fried 2 eggs with fried greens

Lunch: burger without a bun with cheese, mushrooms, and avocado side with greens

Dinner: pork chops with green beans fried shortly in olive oil

Sunday

Breakfast: full-fat yogurt with Keto granola

Lunch: steak bowl with cauliflower, cheese, avocado, herbs, and salsa

Dinner: steak with cheese and broccoli

As you can see, keto meals can be diverse, creative, and flavorful. Ketogenic meals are usually based around animal products, but, there is a variety of ingredients that can be great for vegetarian meals. Your meals should be full of whole foods, fiber-rich, low-carb veggies. Healthy fats like butter, sesame, avocado, and olive oil are welcome, too.

If you want to, you can add a cup of berries to your breakfast, or between meals you can eat some keto-friendly snacks such as:

• Parmesan crisps
• Almonds and cheese
• Macadamia nuts
• Avocado with chicken salad
• Kale chips
• Heavy whipping cream and berries
• Two hardboiled eggs
• Peppers and celery with cheese dip
• Coconut chips
• Sliced salami with olives 

These are just some ideas to help you understand the variety of ingredients that a person on a keto diet can eat. Snacks should have a high level of fat, less protein, and almost no carbs. You can also increase your fiber intake by eating vegetables and high-fat dipping.

Summary

When you decide to follow a diet, whichever diet that is, you need to keep in mind the appropriate number of calories. This number can be different from person to person and it is based on the activity level, gender, age, and weight loss goal. For questions, help, or ideas feel free to contact us. An excellent strategy to accomplish your goal and ensure that you are doing it correctly is to get advice from a professional. 

If keto is new to you or you have done it for a while, you probably decided to start it because you wanted to lose weight. Maybe you saw or heard of someone who has reduced their weight using the keto diet. A Keto meal plan is popular because one of the biggest benefits of following a high-fat and low-carb diet is weight loss.

We need to be aware that keto is not a quick fix. That is not something that happens overnight and we need to be patient and determined. It took us a long time to put on some weight, so we will need some time to lose it. 

You should always consult with a professional before you start a new diet plan or make changes in your lifestyle. Here are some tips and tricks for the keto meal plan for weight loss.

How does weight loss work with keto?

This diet plan helps you to increase energy levels and improves lipid status, and blood sugar. It will lead to weight and fat mass loss and reduces waist measurements.

How does weight loss work? When can we see the results? How much can you expect to lose? We are sure that these are the questions that you need answers to.

This diet works because it leads to a natural metabolic change where your body switches to the state of ketosis. It means that your body will start to use fat for fuel instead of glucose. It uses fat that you eat, fat that your body generates (cholesterol), and fat that your body has stored. You are eating fewer calories, most processed food is not in your daily diet, and your diet is balanced and consists of more whole foods. That is why it leads to fat loss, too. When your body enters ketosis it can lead to appetite suppression.

Losing weight depends on your body and your goals. It is all individual, sometimes you might lose 10 pounds sometimes 200. Your age, body fat percentage, height, starting weight, activity level, or existing conditions have an impact on your metabolism and play a big role in your rate of loss. A healthy goal would be to maintain to lose one to three pounds per week.

If you stay at a calorie deficit and stay consistent, for the first month of keto, most people lose around 10 pounds or more. After a month your body adapts to burning fat as fuel. Adaptation can take weeks, so you need to stick with the plan to teach your body to be a fat burner in a difference of a sugar burner. In addition, managing electrolytes is important, too. You will need more sodium, magnesium, and potassium during this time so you can fight symptoms of keto flu. 

During the first stages of a keto diet, many people will lose weight fast as water loss. You drastically remove carbs from your diet and that is why you lose a lot of water weight. Fewer carbs will cause lover insulin, which allows the kidneys to eliminate surplus sodium. Of course, it is different for everyone.

Tips to lose weight faster

If you are new to this, or if you are on a keto diet plan, but weight loss is not happening, this is what you can do:

Start counting your calories.

Use a keto macro calculator to find out how many calories you need to eat if you want to lose weight.  You need to figure out where those calories should come from. Some of them need to come from carbs, protein, or fat. Follow those numbers for several weeks and see if it works. Plan your meals, or if you are not sure how to do so, the best idea is to get low-calorie meal delivery. It can help you relax a little bit if this is all new to you.

Seek outcome, not ketones.

Don`t think about burning fat all the time. Ketosis does not mean that you are burning body fat, and it’s not something that works for everyone. The important part is the results. Try different things until you find something that helps you reach your weight loss goals. This can sometimes mean that you need to eat carbs to get out of keto. One day a week have a carb refeed day, eat carbs before or after exercising or try different types of keto.

Try intermittent fasting.

A lot of people said that it worked for them. You are not eating for one part of the day, and then you have all your calories in a short time window. Itself, intermittent fasting is a powerful tool for overall health and weight loss. 

Try not to consume sweeteners or dairy.

Eating dairy can cause retaining water and carrying more weight around. It can stop you from reaching your goal. Even if you are lactose tolerant, too many dairy products can make you feel bloated. You don`t have to do this forever, just until the results start happening.  Too many sweeteners may cause inflammation or gastric distress and also lead you to crave sugary foods.

Exercise.

When we work out we burn more fat. Exercising helps burn glucose faster and helps you get into ketosis and stay there, which results in weight loss. If you are not sure how to start, try daily walks or jogging, or workout classes. You can also hire a professional coach. A coach will see your blind spots and help you stay on track. They will have a plan for you and help you get the results you want. Find someone who has a degree in Dietetics or Nutrition, or who is a registered dietician. A coach who knows what it is like to struggle with losing weight and who has already helped others.

Don`t eat between meals.

Snacking is not a friend of those who wants to lose weight. Most keto snack foods are caloric, like cheese or nuts. Meals are already high-fat and snacking can only add calories. Try to have three or two meals a day and don`t eat anything between them.

Drink a lot of water.

This is a big deal. If you drink enough water you will easily see the difference between real hunger and cravings, you will remove toxins and decrease appetite. Before you eat, drink water.

Be sure that you are eating enough salt.

When you are on keto your body retains water differently, so sodium and other electrolytes get out of your body quickly. You also need sodium and potassium. Vitamin C is also important.

Keep it simple.

Don`t stress and plan every step. You don`t want to overwhelm yourself because it will seem harder than it is. Complicated meals will seem too hard at the beginning. Get into ketosis using a simple keto diet plan. Give your body time to adapt.

Carefully read labels.

Sometimes it seems that food is keto-friendly, but we need to check carefully. In some products, there is starch or carbs that we are not counting and that can prevent us from getting into ketosis.

Try these things mentioned above and keep track of fat loss for a few weeks. They should lead to weight loss. If you are not seeing results after one or two months, maybe keto is not the right choice for your body and you can find something else that works better for you.

Summary

The main thing about making your keto meal plan for weight loss is to have a calorie deficit. As the change happens you can strengthen and shape your body by exercising, too.  The change will not happen fast and you may not see the results right away. It is different for everyone, so listen to your body, and encourage yourself. We are here for all your concerns. It is easier when you have someone to answer all your questions. 

Commit to the process and you will see the changes you wish. 

If you are looking for a keto diet lunch tips, keep in mind that the keto diet limits carbohydrate intake. The recommendation is to take less than 50 grams of net carbs per day. This diet plan can be a good idea because it increases fat burning, healthy weight loss, and better metabolic health.

When you wish to follow a ketogenic diet, it might be challenging to develop new and inventive meal ideas. When doing so, there are a few things you must keep in mind, and you can use some simple but delectable recipes as guides.

Fresh start

The best way to prepare is to make sure your kitchen is diet friendly before starting your diet plan. This can increase your chances of success. Kitchen clean-out is important because you are starting a new diet, so, you need new food, too!

Your chances of success will be better only by removing as much temptation as possible. If you toss (or give away) all sweet and high-carb foods from your fridge, pantry, or freezer. The more you remove, the better. Need more ideas on what to remove? Here are some products:

• Fridge: Beer, fruit, juice, jam, ketchup, margarine, peanut butter, soft drinks, sports drinks, syrups, all low-fat, fat-free, light or lite products…

• Pantry: Beans, bread, cake, candy, cereal, chips, chocolate, cookies, flour, honey, popcorn, potatoes, snacks, sugar in all forms…

• Freezer: Frozen dinners, frozen pizza, all kinds of frozen potatoes, waffles, frozen yogurt, popsicles, and other frozen treats…

Preparing lunch has never been easier 

The hardest part about changing your lifestyle and starting a new diet can be what to eat when you’re not at home, like at lunchtime. Trying to figure out the way that takeout restaurant menus can work can be a problem. Low-carb options are few and far between, and you risk getting knocked out of ketogenesis or eating something dull and uninspiring.

It can take a bit more preparation, but the reward of making and bringing your lunch is worth it. Even if you work from home, knowing you’ve got a delicious lunch waiting for you can make the difference between a productive morning and not. There is a list of keto diet lunch tips that will inspire you to make your low-carb lunch in no time.

For most portability, bring a pile of lettuce leaves and something to wrap in them, like a cheesesteak or tuna salad. Right at your workstation, you can put together as few or as many as you wish.

If you’re more the everything-in-a-bowl-type, there are ideas for you too, like deconstructed egg roll bowls or keto chili. Sushi’s a no-go for low-carb because of the rice, but you can get creative, and make sushi rolls out of bacon and zucchini. The options for fillings are endless, and you can go with your faves or whatever you’ve got left over in the fridge. 

You`ve had a tough week at work? There is comfort food for you, like our cauliflower “mac” & cheese. Whatever you decide to make, be sure to bring your lunch in something cute and functional.

Yes, lunchboxes are for kids, but we’re adult enough to admit that we like them, too. So, find an interesting lunchbox and you will be excited to pack your lunch every day.

10 easy ideas for your keto lunch

Make your lunchbox colorful, mix ingredients, and put food that you like and that makes you happy. These are some ideas that you can use, but, feel free to get creative:

Hard-Boiled Egg Snack Plate

Everyone loves hard-boiled eggs. Prepare ahead by boiling a big batch over the weekend, then peel and pack on weekdays with lots of salt and pepper. Add 1/2 avocado, French onion dip, cucumber slices, and string cheese.

Turkey-cheddar roll-ups

Thinly-sliced turkey stands in for the tortilla or super-simple cheese wraps. Add 1/2 avocado, blueberries, cucumber slices, and almonds. (Switch up the cheese throughout the week — use cheddar, provolone, dill Havarti, or any other that you prefer…)

Ranch Chicken Bites

Toss juicy chicken bites with your favorite ranch dressing for a winning lunch that will keep you full. Add roasted broccoli, Babybel cheese, and cherry tomatoes.

Zoodles and Meatballs

Make an easy, diet-friendly version of spaghetti and meatballs by putting in zoodles and taking pre-cooked meatballs. Add Zoodles with lemon juice and olive oil, roasted almonds, cubed cheddar cheese, and Babybel cheese.

Chicken Sausage

Pre-cooked chicken sausage is a fast and easy choice for a keto-approved lunch. It comes in a huge variety of flavors so try new types throughout the week. Add Guacamole, French onion dip, almonds, and radishes.

Pepperoni Picnic Box

Grazing is one of the easiest ways to eat keto. Pack up some meats, veggies, and cheese, and pretend you’re dining outdoors. There are not a lot of things better than eating French onion dip at lunchtime, right? Add Pepperoni slices, French onion dip, 1/2 avocado, celery sticks, and cubed cheddar cheese.

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Roll-Ups

Spread cream cheese onto thin slices of smoked salmon to create roll-ups. They are so good, you will want to pack them again and again. Add Zoodles with lemon juice and olive oil, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, and almonds.

Bacon Chips and Dip

Crunchy, salty bacon chips are the lunch necessities you didn’t know you needed. Cut a few slices of bacon into pieces, bake until crisp, and then dip into guacamole. Add 2 hard-boiled eggs, almonds, and string cheese.

Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

Scoop tuna salad onto sturdy lettuce leaves for a creamy, crunchy main. Add Salty snacks, some pickles, cubed cheddar cheese, and almonds.

Hot Smoked Salmon

If you haven’t already gotten to know hot smoked salmon, here’s your chance: It’s smoky, not too salty, and flakes easily into nice big chunks. Add Guacamole, blueberries, roasted broccoli, and almonds.

Recommended beverages while using this diet plan

Lunch always tastes better when we have a refreshing drink with it. Even better, when we can choose something to drink that goes well with our keto meal plan. The reason that we have to be careful is that sugar can be found in a lot of different beverages like juice, soda, iced tea, and coffee drinks.

The ketogenic diet requires the limitation or avoiding high-carb drinks, the same as high-carb foods. The greatest method to stick to your diet plan is with cold-pressed juices and organic shots.

There are many tasty yet sugar-free options for those on the keto diet. Some of the keto-friendly beverage choices are

• Water. Water is always the best choice for hydration and should be consumed throughout the whole day. If you want to add extra flavor to your water, try adding some fresh mind or lemon peel.
• Sparkling water. Sparkling water makes an excellent soda replacement.
• Sugar-free coffee. You can use heavy cream to add flavor to your favorite cup of coffee.
• Unsweetened tea. Especially green tea is delicious and may provide many health benefits.

Alcohol should be restricted, but enjoying an occasional low-carb drink such as vodka or tequila with soda water is acceptable on the keto diet.

Conclusion

Even if it seems that it is not always easy, be persistent and the results will follow. Get creative, choose the ingredients and products that can keep you healthy and that go well with your needs. We are here to help you make custom meals of your preference so you can have great lunch every day.

If you are a part of the discussion about weight loss or dieting, there are big chances that you will hear about the ketogenic or keto diet but also about the best keto meal plan. Among people who are trying to improve their health or lose weight, the keto diet has become one of the popular ways to do so. 

The primary reason why people start keto is that in most cases can be an effective and easy way to lose weight. If you are interested in starting keto, you are probably wondering which meal plan is the best for you. That depends on your activity level, health history, and your goals. 

There are different studies and opinions about the best keto meal plan. In this text, you can find some general information that might help you choose the best one for you.

The most popular types of a ketogenic diet

Strict keto diet 

When someone says that they are on the strict version of keto, usually they talk about the version that`s been shown to help treat epilepsy. This strict keto is also called the therapeutic keto diet.  It is the original keto, created in the 1920s to treat seizures. It can also help those who were non-responsive to the medication.

Sticking to the best keto meal plan for at least one year can lead to improvements. Almost half of the study participants had great results. Twelve percent became seizure-free. This is something that the study published in June 2016 in practical neurology showed.

This type of keto diet allows you to take the lowest amount of carbs (that is why it’s the strictest). According to the study, 90 percent of daily calories come from fat, 6 percent from protein, and 4 percent from carbs.

This strict version of keto is, of course, the toughest one to stick to. It is easier to keep up with keto when you use a changed version that is a little bit less strict.

The standard keto diet

This is the most common version of the keto diet. It involves getting 75 percent of calories from fat, 20 percent from protein, and 5 percent from carbs. Carbs are limited to twenty or thirty grams per day. It is essential to know that this keto diet is one that many people follow. Even though, it is not the original version of keto. It is a perfect diet for people who are looking for weight loss and other health benefits. 

We need to mention that you want to follow this version of best keto meal plan, as for every other change in your diet, you should first consult with your doctor so you can be sure that it is the right diet for you.

Mediterranean keto diet

This keto diet might be the healthiest for your heart. You should follow standard keto macro amounts and have Mediterranean diet parts like fish and olive oil. The important part is the quality of the fats that you eat. Fatty acids and omega-3s lower cholesterol and have lots of benefits to our health. If you are a fan of salmon or sardines this is a good keto choice for you. You should rest after a meal, get regular exercise and you will get truly Mediterranean.

Keto cycling 

This type of keto diet can help you stick to your diet plan easily. In this meal plan, you will follow the diet for 5 days and then have one or two days with more carbs. You should still be careful so your body will be able to return to ketosis. It is a good type of diet for people who want to take a break and who have difficulties staying on keto.

Keto is for athletes who are looking to improve their performance

This is also called the targeted keto diet. It is usually for athletes because you have your meals until 30 to 45 minutes before exercise and then eat about 25 g of carbs. You do it this way because you have enough carbs for your workout and you can still return to ketosis after you are done. You should choose easy-to-digest carbs so you can be sure that you didn`t add calories to your daily total amount. 

Some studies showed that 28 days of a keto diet helped athletes to improve their performance. But it is also mentioned that diet’s benefits were seen in short-duration and that results were not consistent, so that can be the reason that some athletes decide that it is not the best choice for them. This diet plan goes well with people who do muscle-building workouts, swim, run, and play tennis.

A high-protein keto diet 

This type of keto might be the best for bodybuilders. It requires you to increase your protein daily intake. Protein should replace thirty percent of calories. You can get protein from meat, fish, dairy, nuts, and seeds. This diet is a good choice for those who want to protect their muscle mass. You should also be careful not to increase your protein intake too much. Proteins will not get you out of ketosis but they can lower the level of ketones in your blood. This version of the diet has the same weight loss benefits as the standard keto diet.

Dirty keto

This diet type is a standard diet with an expanded menu. The source of macros in this diet is not important. The important part is that macronutrient amounts support the ketogenic state. This way of keto is for people who don`t have time for meal prep or cooking. It is also the easiest diet to follow if you are a beginner, travel a lot, or have a busy schedule. You can just read the label on the package and don`t have to worry about meal planning. The reason to be careful is that some food, even though it sounds keto, might have additives. 

Clean keto diet

It is the opposite of a dirty keto diet. Requires you to eat organic food. Based on finding the healthiest versions of ingredients. Organic, pasture-raised, cold-pressed, and grass-fed are the words that you are looking for. This diet may need more financial investment because these foods are usually pricier than other products.

Keto 2.0 

This keto is a type of standard diet but with a lower intake of fats. If you think that the standard keto diet is too difficult you can try this version. Fat is decreased, but carbs and protein are increased. You can eat a variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. If you are looking for weight loss you need to be careful with your calories. A good diet for weight loss is followed long-term. Some people would say that is not keto, because if you have a higher carb intake you will have difficulties staying in ketosis.

Lazy keto diet 

This is probably the easiest version. It is the easiest to follow because you only track carbs, you are not counting calories. You will see results if you keep your carbs low enough and don`t eat too many proteins. This is a good meal plan for those who are interested in ketosis but do not want to count calories, protein, or fat.

The final word

These were some ideas of meal plans that you can choose from. If you are not sure which keto version is for you, the best way to choose one is to talk to your dietitian. This is something that you should do every time you plan to change your diet. We would suggest you listen to your body and the way that a certain type of diet makes you feel. For all the questions you might have, you can always contact us. 

Keep in mind that sticking to one diet type long-term will bring results. Good luck!

Starting on a keto diet might be challenging, which is why we are offering you some tips and tricks to use so it can be easier. You may be wondering what to eat on a keto diet. A good way to start is to get familiar with labels and start checking grams of carbs, fiber, and fat. This way you can be sure how your favorite meals and food can fit into your daily diet.

If you want to save some time during the week, planning your meals, or getting a meal delivery can be beneficial. You can use some ideas from keto-friendly food to plan your custom meals. You are probably wondering what fits into a keto diet and what is not such a good choice. This text will give you information on what to eat on a keto diet and what to avoid.

How to start

The first thing you need to know about the keto diet is that includes fresh products, healthy fats, and proteins. Make sure to include keto-friendly vegetables and fruits in your meals. This diet plan requires you to eat about 60-80 percent of fat, 10-30 percent protein, and no more than 5-10 percent of carbs daily. The keto diet plan will put your body into ketosis. In this state, your body uses fat as fuel source, not carbohydrates.

Start fresh and try to remove, or give away the food that doesn`t agree with your new diet plan from your refrigerator or pantry. Focus on low-carb, high-fat foods, like eggs, meats, dairy, and low-carb vegetables, and of course sugar-free drinks. Be sure that you limit eating processed foods and trans fats.

Before you change your diet, talk to a professional to be sure that it is a safe option for you.

The best and easiest keto meal plan has a few amazing qualities:

• Eating family-friendly and delicious recipes
• Using clean and easy-to-find keto ingredients
• You waste less food because you can use leftovers
• Easy to use and adjust
• Goes well with schedule changes
• It is flexible
• It helps you count macros easily

List of products that go well with your keto meal plan

Animal proteins

Eggs – eggs are a great and healthy source of protein. One large egg has less than a gram of carbs and six grams of protein, which is why they are ideal for keto.

Poultry and meat – Poultry and fresh meat do not contain carbs and they include important minerals and B vitamins, protein to help keep your muscle mass. If you can choose it is always better to eat grass-fed than grain-fed animal meat.

Fish – and shellfish are keto-friendly. Salmon, sardines, and other fish are almost carb-free and they are rich in omega-3 fats, vitamins B, selenium, and potassium. Shrimps and crabs have almost no carbs, but octopuses and oysters do. 

Dairy and dairy options

Cheese – even though there are lots of types of cheese, most of them are high in fat and low in carbs, so they are a good fit for your keto diet. They also contain calcium and help reduce losing muscle mass and strength. Some cheeses like cottage cheese, Brie, cream cheese, feta, blue cheese, goat cheese, cheddar, Colby jack, mascarpone, parmesan, mozzarella, Havarti, pepper jack, swiss cheese, Limburger, string cheese are great for a keto diet because they don`t have a lot of carbs.

Plant-based milk – soy, coconut, and almond milk are keto-friendly. Make sure to use unsweetened versions because of the level of sugar in sweetened ones. Oat milk is something that you should avoid because unsweetened versions are still high in carbs and not keto-friendly.

Cottage cheese and greek yogurt – are high-protein and nutritious food. They do contain some carbs, but in moderation, you can eat them on keto. Eat them with, cinnamon, spices, or chopped nuts.

Half-and-half and cream – both are high in fat and low in carbs, and in moderation, a great choice for keto. You can add them to coffee or use small amounts of milk for cooking.

Berries

Unlike most fruits, berries are allowed to eat on keto. Strawberries and raspberries are low in carbs, but high in fiber. They are full of antioxidants. Blueberries and blackberries are lower in carbs than some fruit but they do not fit into strict keto.

Vegetables

Peppers – there are varieties of peppers that are keto-friendly. Small hot peppers are good to spice up recipes, jalapenos are great for appetizers. Mild peppers can be stuffed and full of flavors for low-carb dishes. They have vitamin C.

High-fat veggies – olives and avocados are unique and high in fat. They are not just low-carb veggies, they are also full of fiber.

Green vegetables – are very low-carb and excellent for keto. These vegetables are full of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. Spinach, collard greens, and kale are full of iron and vitamin K. Rosemary and oregano add flavor and have almost no carbs. You can also eat lettuce, arugula, escarole, baby spinach, mustard greens, cabbage, and bok choy. Herbs like mint, sage, dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, and lemongrass are also welcome.

Nonstarchy veggies – cauliflower, root veggies. Turnips make a good substitute for potatoes.

Squash – summer squash, zucchini, and yellow squash are low in carbs and popular on keto. They are very delicious in cold salads. Make zucchini noodles and they can change regular noodles or pasta in your diet.

Other vegetables that are keto-friendly are mushrooms, broccoli, cucumber, eggplant, radishes, green beans, tomatoes, celery, and brussels sprouts.

There are some that you should avoid. Corn, onions(in large amounts), potatoes, beets, butternut, and acorn squash.

Seeds and nuts – are high in fat and fiber, low in carbs, and healthy. The lowest in carbs and best for keto are pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts, flaxseeds, almonds, and chia seeds.

Cocoa and dark chocolate

Cocoa and dark chocolate are sources of antioxidants and are very delicious. It might come as a surprise but you can eat chocolate in moderation on keto. It must have a minimum of seventy percent cocoa. 

Oils and fats

Olive oil – provides benefits for your heart. It is full of antioxidants, and oleic acid, and has no carbs. It is a good base for salad dressings and mayonnaise. Use it for low-heat cooking or add it to already-cooked dishes. You can also use avocado and coconut oil.

Butter – it is a good fat to include in your keto. Ghee is also something that you can use because it is carb-free. 

Beverages

Unsweetened tea and coffee – adding heavy cream to them are okay, but avoid tea lattes or light coffee are usually made with high-carb additives and nonfat milk.

Sparkling water is a good choice, of course unsweetened.

At first, it may seem restrictive, but the keto diet may help you lose weight, control blood sugar, and achieve other health goals.

The first week of keto

Someone who is just starting a new diet plan, especially a low-carb diet, needs to keep things simple at first. That will make the transition easier. Leftovers can be pretty helpful if you don`t want to spend too much time making meals and pondering what to eat on a keto diet.

For breakfast, the good idea is to eat something quick and tasty hence the leftovers. You can start your diet on the weekend so you can make meals that will last for almost the whole week. This way you will not have to make breakfast before work.

For lunch, you should also keep it simple. Salads that you can make the night before are a good idea. You will have a grab-and-go meal. Saland can have a little bit of protein with green vegetables. You can add seasonings and spices of your liking. 

For dinner, you can eat soups or casseroles with cooked vegetables, without side dishes. They are great on a low-carb, keto diet and you get leftovers there. 

Making a shopping list at the begging of every week is also something that can be very helpful. This way you will get the groceries you need altogether, and it will be easier to stick to a meal plan. Be sure to include protein, dairy, spices, herbs, fats, and oils.

Summary

Having all the right information on what to eat on a keto diet is half of the job done. Now you know what to eat on keto so following the diet should be a piece of cake (sorry, no cake on keto). If there is anything that you are unsure about, let us know, and we will find a way to remove all your concerns. 

Get ready, go shopping for your keto groceries, and be persistent and the results will follow.

Including exercise when following a low-carb or ketogenic diet might be difficult. It’s critical to comprehend how a low-carb diet affects both your body and physical performance in the gym if you want to maximize the benefits of your keto plan exercise.

The excellent thing is that working out while on a low-carb or ketogenic diet is very possible. Some things may have an impact on how well you do in the gym, but they aren’t sufficient grounds for quitting. There’s a very good chance that you may achieve fantastic results by merely altering your exercise regimen and making sure you adequately nourish yourself before working out.

What Effect Does Exercise Have After Starting Keto?

Your workouts may probably feel more difficult when you initially begin a ketogenic diet. Your body will only have access to carbs when exercising on the keto diet, which is a major factor in this.

Carbohydrates are often the main source of fuel for most individuals during exercise. You just wouldn’t have the stamina to get through a demanding training session without them. Having said that, if you’re prepared to stick with a keto plan exercise when starting a keto diet, you could soon see some actual advantages from doing so.

The main advantage you could experience is a reduction in body weight and fat. As was previously said, carbohydrates are our main source of energy when exercising, so when we cut back on them in our diet, we also cut back on the energy that is available to us.

This fat reduction would be good for our health and wellness for many of us. If your goal is to gain muscle through exercise, it can take longer for you to see results. Your exercises won’t be as vigorous because your body won’t have as much energy.

Advantages Of Exercise While in Ketosis

Keto may improve exercise performance. Here are four advantages of working out when following a ketogenic diet:

Less exhaustion

According to some, those who are in ketosis don’t suffer the same level of exhaustion following a workout as those who carb load or use other types of pre-workout nutrition.

Higher Fat Burn

Your body may use both fat and carbs as fuel while you work out. Your body will automatically turn to its fat reserves to fuel your workout if there are no carbohydrates available.

Better Recovery Time

Because they are burning fat stores instead of carbohydrates for energy, several athletes have experienced better muscle recovery after working out while in ketosis.

Blood Glucose Control

When you exercise on a ketogenic diet, your body uses fat as its main energy source, which makes it easier for it to control blood sugar levels than when it uses carbohydrates, which can cause variations.

Exercises Suiting the Keto Diet

It’s crucial to consider both your keto plan exercise program and nutrition while following a ketogenic diet. You may anticipate certain changes in how your body reacts to both activities and meals when you start and move through the phases of keto.

The good thing is that everyone can discover a ketogenic workout that suits their requirements and skills, so long as you try out a few different ones, you should be able to find one.

• Exercise that is anaerobic

It’s time to engage in a few high-intensity exercises once you have mastered the ketogenic diet and feel confident working out. If adding more of them to your training routine is your objective, they are excellent for increasing muscle growth.

• Exercise that is aerobic

When following a low-carb diet, one of the greatest methods to promote weight reduction is through aerobic activity. This is because aerobic activity aids in creating an energy deficit in your body, which causes you to burn more calories than you consume.

• Exercise that is for flexibility 

Yoga and other flexibility activities assist to decrease post-workout soreness by keeping joints and muscles healthy and lowering stress levels. This is applicable both when beginning a ketogenic diet and fitness program as well as months afterward.

• Exercise that is for stability 

The last kind of activity that may be performed while following a ketogenic diet is stabilization exercises. Exercises like Pilates or balance training help you become more coordinated and prevent injury. This might be useful if you’re engaging in intense exercise to increase your muscle mass, but it can also be useful for novices who do not have the neuromuscular control required for such activities.

Best keto workout plan for free

Here is a sample keto exercise schedule for 7 days to help you lose weight:

• First day: Resistance training
• Second day: Pilates or Yoga  
• Third day: Training with high-intensity interval
• Fourth day: Long-duration cardio, like running
• Fifth day: Stretching and other flexibility exercises
• The sixth and Seventh days are off days.

The meal plan for keto exercise – What Foods Are Best For Building Muscle?

Foods High in Magnesium

One of the electrolytes that you’re likely to lose through sweat and urine is magnesium. The finest sources of magnesium are dark green veggies like broccoli, kale, and spinach.

Rich in Potassium Foods

When following a ketogenic diet plan, one potential side effect is that your kidneys may excrete more potassium than usual. The loss may result in weariness and cramps while exercising. While the majority of fruits, vegetables, and nuts only give modest quantities of potassium, certain items, including meats, fish, and avocados, are rich in potassium.

Proteins

The building blocks of protein and amino acids are crucial for the development of muscle tissue. Due to their ability to be converted into glucose to meet your body’s energy requirements, some amino acids are said to as glucogenic.

As a result, you should watch out that your muscles don’t use all of these amino acids, leaving none for the formation of other proteins or other bodily processes.

Eggs, meat, poultry, fish, avocados, and low-carb dairy foods like hard cheeses and heavy cream are some of the finest sources of protein on the keto diet.

Foods Rich in Sodium

For people who perform intense activities that cause heavy perspiration, replacing electrolytes like salt is crucial. The majority of your sodium will come from the salt you add to your diet, along with minor levels that are naturally found in many foods if you’re attempting to avoid processed foods. For the most part, eating adequate salt is not an issue.

Fats

When it comes to your keto workout food plan, don’t forget about fat! To improve your performance in the gym, dietary lipids are crucial for the production of testosterone and increasing overall energy levels. They promote lifespan in general and help preserve good skin and hair. Both animal food like beef or pig and plant sources like coconut oil or avocados may provide you with dietary fat.

The following are the top sources of good fats for meals and snacks:

• Olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Coconut oil and MCT oil
• Ghee and butter 

How Much Should You Eat While on Keto To Gain Muscle?

While on the keto diet, the following suggestions might help you get the most out of your workouts:

• Consume sufficient protein to maintain muscular mass.
• Utilize fats for 50–70% of your daily energy needs.
• Make sure that 10–15% of your diet consists of carbohydrates, with an emphasis on high-fiber foods like berries and leafy greens.

As part of your keto exercise meal plan, you should also keep track of your macronutrient intake because doing so will enable you to achieve your objectives. To ensure they aren’t overdoing it on either end, this entails counting calories and restricting carbohydrates and protein while boosting fat consumption.

How to Fuel Your Body for Exercise While Consuming a Ketogenic Diet?

It can be beneficial to switch to a performance-based keto diet plan if you’re interested in gaining muscle mass. By including certain carbohydrates before, during, and after your training regimen, you may achieve this. Here are some fundamental recommendations for eating before doing out while on the ketogenic diet.

• Snack before exercise: Have a low glycemic index carb-rich beverage, like coconut water, grape juice, or flavored sparkling water, about an hour before your workout. This fuels you for the upcoming session while replenishing your glycogen levels without significantly interfering with ketosis.
• Throughout Your Workout: Make sure to incorporate targeted carbohydrates in your snack or supper one hour after consuming a low-GI beverage during your workout. Bananas, sweet potatoes, rice cakes, or date buns with nut butter on top are some excellent examples of sources of these carbohydrates.
• Your post-workout: It’s ideal to avoid consuming a lot of carbs because doing so might result in blood sugar changes, which can hamper weight reduction outcomes in the future by delaying recovery. So, to hasten recovery and return to ketosis, stick to a fat-rich snack that also contains protein and MCTs.

Conclusion

To get the most out of your workout, your glycogen reserves must be full. Keto dieters will find it difficult to go through demanding activities that run more than 60 minutes without carbohydrates. You can enhance performance and yet lose weight by tailoring your macronutrient intake around exercises. No matter what stage of the ketogenic diet you may be in, with the advice in this article, you should be able to maintain your fitness objectives.

To build muscle on a keto plan, with the exception of weight-lifting activities, at least 30% of your weekly meal plan’s total calories must come from high-quality proteins. These are complete, unprocessed animal proteins, that enhance muscle mass. Because a typical ketogenic macronutrient ratio is 75% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrates.

A low-carb, high-fat diet that is gaining popularity is the ketogenic diet. When you follow the keto plan diet, you essentially cut out all carbs and replace them with fat. However, a lot of people believe that gaining muscle while on a ketogenic diet is challenging, if not impossible.

When you use weights, your body likes carbohydrates uses they release the hormone insulin, which is anabolic.

Does keto plan allow you to build muscle?

With good reason, a normal bulking diet is strong in carbohydrates. Studies have revealed that diets high in carbohydrates are essential for growing muscle. The idea that you may still gain muscle while considerably reducing your carb consumption may thus appear paradoxical.

Even if you consume all the steak in the kitchen, you won’t gain muscle unless you also strive to promote muscle growth.

In general, you should adhere to a strength program that incorporates progressive overload. It is a form of strength training that gradually raises the tension put on your muscles in order to promote muscular growth (aka hypertrophy).

How is hypertrophy induced? To begin, gradually increase the amount of weight you lift. Working with an expert trainer to create a well-planned muscle-building program that suits your needs is a fantastic option.

Your body uses fat as its main fuel source when you follow the ketogenic diet. That requires drastically boosting your dietary fat intake. Your remaining calories will be made up of fat once your protein and carbohydrate intake have been established.

Your body turns muscle glycogen into ATP for energy at higher rep ranges. Glycogen, a type of quick-burning energy derived from glucose (carbohydrates), will be less accessible if you follow a ketogenic diet (because, carbs).

If this occurs to you, consider increasing your dietary fat intake to provide your cells more readily accessible energy. You might also try increasing your carbohydrate consumption.

Eating well to build muscle on a ketogenic diet

You must eat more food if you want to start gaining muscle while on the keto plan diet. That’s because in order to grow, your muscles require nutrition.

Because muscle is a metabolically active tissue, maintaining those increases requires a lot of energy from your body. For your body to receive all the nutrients it need, you must consume more calories.

On the ketogenic diet, your consumption of dietary fat serves as your main source of energy, but you also need to consume adequate protein.

The building block of muscle is protein. Without enough protein in your diet, your body won’t have the energy it needs to function at its best and your muscles won’t have the building blocks they need to bulk up.

Consider high-protein meals like meat, fish, eggs, and other forms of protein that contain all nine necessary amino acids.

The phrase “calories in vs. calories out” is frequently used while discussing weight loss. This approach is oversimplified opinion since it fails to take into account the reality that not all calories are created equal.

A meal of vegetables and grass-fed protein will provide you with more nourishment than a dish of highly processed food. Thus, when we say “eat to grow muscle,” we imply that you should concentrate on consuming more nutrient-dense whole foods that are compatible with your body, and they should be of the highest quality possible.

The key to bodybuilding on keto plan is prioritizing recovery 

Stress from resistance training is constructive stress. Your muscle fibers are really torn apart by strength exercise. When that tissue is repaired by your body, muscle development occurs. Like with any sort of stress, your body needs time, attention, and nourishment to heal effectively.

Chronic stress can affect your normal hormone function, sleep quality, and energy levels, whether it comes from overtraining, lack of sleep, or mental overload.

Additionally, your body must feel secure and prepared to create metabolically active tissue if you wish to stimulate muscular growth. If you experience too much stress, your body will continue to function in the fight-or-flight mode, which is terrible for fat loss: Stress can make your body retain body fat, making it harder for you to experience the benefits of exercise and feel your best.

How should recuperation be prioritized while trying to grow muscle while on a ketogenic diet? One method is to eat enough food.

You should also concentrate on developing lifetime habits for general heath, such as drinking lots of water, getting enough rest, and controlling your stress.

If your body doesn’t feel comfortable and energized, dieting won’t function.

Let’s return to discussing keto in more detail. On the ketogenic diet, you may develop and maintain a powerful body. In fact, research concentrating on men who conduct resistance training demonstrate that the keto plan diet may be utilized to increase muscle mass and burn fat without compromising strength.

The core ideas we stated above still apply to the keto bodybuilding diet, but there is a stronger focus on your macronutrient breakdown, or the proportion of protein, fats, and carbs in your diet.

Eat more of the foods you are currently consume 

You should have a calorie surplus to gain muscle while keeping your carbohydrate intake modest to sustain the ketosis state of metabolism. To determine your real calorie intake and if you’re meeting your macronutrient targets, we advise utilizing a meal tracker.

The typical macronutrient composition for ketosis is 75% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrates. To develop a high-protein keto diet, experts advise a slightly different ratio for keto bodybuilders.

Start with 65% fat, 30% protein, and 5% carbohydrates, keeping the total amount of carbs under 20 grams for the first week, then gradually increase the amount of carbs until you discover the ideal level at which you feel the happiest while still being in ketosis.

Use the macronutrient ratios for keto as a guideline. Diets are very customized, so depending on how you feel, you may need to change your calorie intake and macronutrient distribution.

For instance, if you’ve previously recovered from the keto flu but still feel exhausted. Your body may be requesting extra energy.

Here are two possible solutions:

• Eat extra healthy fats since your body uses fat as fuel when you’re in the ketosis state. Give your body what it needs. You can achieve this by consuming high-quality fat sources, such as those in our Jet Fuel-specific keto meal plan. They easily transform into ketone energy and increase ketone levels.

• Increase your carbohydrate intake if you feel fatigued and see that your workout performance is suffering. Your body may be requesting additional carbohydrates.
• Cyclical keto is a strategy that many individuals find effective. It entails eating low carb for the majority of the week and then having a carb refeed day to refill your glycogen levels.

After working out, you consume 20–30 grams of high-quality carbohydrates on the targeted ketogenic diet, or, for those with really quick metabolisms, up to 50 grams.

This works best when combined with lean protein to trigger an insulin response that replenishes muscle glycogen and starts the process of muscle healing by sending amino acids to the muscles.

Add more protein to your diet for muscle building on keto

Get enough protein on a keto bodybuilding food plan to promote protein synthesis, which builds muscle. According to a study of the literature published in 2011, bodybuilders should consume 0.82 grams of protein for every pound of body weight.

If you connect bodybuilding with lifters slamming protein drinks after workout, this revelation could come as a surprise. In actuality, aiming for a more modest protein consumption and giving quality fat priority is the greatest method to grow muscle on the keto diet.

It will take some self-experimentation to determine your perfect protein consumption. Each person requires a varied quantity of protein, based on their lean muscle mass, weight, and gender.

Start with 0.82 grams per pound of body weight as a general rule of thumb, meaning that if you weigh 150 pounds, you should eat at least 123 grams of protein day.

You may have heard that eating too much dietary protein while following a ketogenic diet might cause you to enter a state known as gluconeogenesis, in which your body turns protein into sugar.

The good news is that this problem isn’t as serious as first believed.

Your protein consumption should ideally come from entire meals, with supplements helping to make up the difference. You can call us for extra information to better understand your protein requirements on a ketogenic diet.

But no matter your diet, to put on some substantial muscle, you need to pound the weights hard!

Tip 1

• You should train with gradual overload. Whenever possible, strive to utilize heavier weights or complete more repetitions with a given weight.

Tip 2

• For gaining muscle, any rep range between 3 and 30 works. 6 to 15 is an excellent place to start practically. Your joints are put under stress when you use big weights all the time, and psychologically draining high-rep training sessions.

Tip 3

• For the best results in terms of muscle growth, you should execute at least 10 sets per muscle group per week.

Tip 4

• As long as your total weekly training volume is the same, it doesn’t really matter how many times you work a particular muscle each week. If you engage in high-volume training, it’s advantageous to spread it out over a number of workouts. 

Tip 5

• If you want the best results in terms of muscle building, you should execute at least 10 sets per muscle group per week.

Tip 6

• If your overall weekly training volume is the same, it doesn’t really matter if you work a muscle once a week or five times. If you engage in high-volume training, you gain by distributing your training volume throughout a number of workouts. Otherwise, your sets can lose quality.

Tip 7

• Between sets, take at least a two-minute break.

Tip 8

• Mix compound motions with isolation exercises rather than depending primarily on one or the other. Include a range of exercises to attack your muscle from various perspectives.

You’ve been wanting to try the keto diet, but you’re concerned that it would hinder your ability to grow muscle or get stronger. You may still follow the ketogenic diet if you want to develop muscle. Keep in mind that a good bodybuilding regimen is simply one component of the puzzle.

Build a solid foundation for strength to ensure that your body is prepared to bulk. Increase your caloric intake, pay strict attention to your macronutrients, and place a high priority on sleep and recovery.