In the past few years, the ketogenic diet has become one of the most popular lifestyles of weight loss and improved health worldwide. If you’ve been looking for a way to kick off a change in your eating habits, this meal plan will lay out a foundation that you can follow along with.
The downloadable and printable keto diet meal plan features tried and true recipes that you’ll be sure to enjoy. From make-ahead meals, using leftovers, cooking low-carb treats, to incorporating intermittent fasting – this meal plan will show you the different aspects of keto from all angles.
You’ll find over 15 delicious recipes in the meal plan – breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day (except when fasting) along with dessert. Perfect for starting out and seeing a bit of variety in a standard ketogenic diet.
In this article, we’ll go over the basics of keto, from what it is, what to eat, to a full 14-day plan you can follow yourself to see what it’s all about. If you want to skip ahead, feel free to use the links below:
- What is Keto (and How Does It Work)?
- What Foods to Eat
- Premium Meal Plan for Your Macros
- Tips Before Starting
- Preview of Week 1
- Preview of Week 2
- Get the Plan
- Inside the Shopping List
- FAQ & Resources
What is Keto and How Does it Work?
A keto diet is well-known for being a low carb diet, in which the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy. It’s referred to by many different names – ketogenic diet, low carb diet, low carb high fat (LCHF), and so on. Though some of these other “names” have different nutritional standards, we’ll stick with the rules of keto.
When you eat something high in carbs, your body will produce glucose and insulin. Glucose is the easiest molecule for your body to convert and use as energy so that it will be chosen over any other energy source. Insulin is produced to process the glucose in your bloodstream, by taking it around the body. Since the glucose is being used as a primary energy, your fats are not needed and are therefore stored.
By lowering the intake of carbs, the body is induced into a state known as ketosis. This allows your body to use the fat you’re eating along with your body fat to create energy called ketones. Instead of using glucose for energy, you now use fat. While this is a basic explanation of how keto works, if you want more information please read through our in-depth guide to ketosis >
Why start a ketogenic diet meal plan? Some researchers swear that it is the best diet for most people to be on, while others think it is just another fad diet. While there isn’t one perfect diet for everyone or every condition, there is plenty of solid research backing up the benefits of keto. In fact, it has been found to be better than most diets at helping people with:
- Weight Loss & Obesity
- Epilepsy
- Type 1 & 2 Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- High Blood Sugar Levels
- Heart Disease
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Cancer
What Foods to Eat on Keto?
Being on a diet isn’t the easiest thing in the world, especially when you don’t know what you should eat. Below is a quick list of what to eat and what to avoid, but if you want a more in-depth approach on everything you should and shouldn’t eat, check out our ketogenic diet food list >
You want to keep your carbohydrates limited, coming mostly from vegetables, nuts, and dairy. Don’t eat any refined carbohydrates such as wheat (bread, pasta, cereals), starch (potatoes, beans, legumes) or fruit. The small exceptions to this are avocado, star fruit, and berries which can be consumed in moderation.
Do Not Eat
- Grains – wheat, corn, rice, cereal, bread, etc.
- Sugar – honey, agave, maple syrup, corn syrup, etc.
- Large Fruit – apples, bananas, oranges, grapefruit, etc.
- Tubers – potato, yams, etc.
Do Eat
- Meats – fish, beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, etc.
- Leafy Greens – spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, kale, etc. (fresh or frozen)
- Above ground vegetables – cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, etc. (fresh or frozen)
- High Fat Dairy – hard and soft cheeses, high fat cream, butter, etc.
- Nuts and seeds – macadamias, walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc.
- Avocado and berries – raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and other low glycemic impact berries
- Sweeteners – stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, and other low-carb sweeteners >
- Other fats – coconut oil, olive oil, MCT oil, high-fat salad dressing, saturated fats, etc.
Here’s a quick video that goes over the full 14-day keto meal plan and what you can expect. The video is condensed into just a few minutes, so keep in mind all of these keto meals are 2 weeks worth. Scroll down to learn more about it and download it to try out yourself!
Get Personalized Meal Plans Made for You
If you’re looking for a simple, long-term solution, the Keto Academy may be right for you. Our program will allow you to create customized keto meal plans made specifically to your macros. This will scale over 1,300 recipes down to your specific macros and let you choose (or swap out) recipes as you want.
It’s simple: you choose the recipes you like and they will always be made to your exact macros. No guesswork and no tracking needed.
You can specify exactly how much time you have to cook, if you want to avoid any foods, and if you want to use leftovers as well. You get full control over what you eat and you just need to follow along with the plan. If you enjoy intermittent fasting for a boost of weight loss, you can also enable that. A shopping list is made and will adapt to any recipe you swap out. You can scale the meal plan for multiple people, too!
Tips Before Starting Your Meal Plan
1. Calculate Your Macros and Adjust Plan
Calories are still something you need to consider on a ketogenic diet. While some people can get away with the “eat until full” philosophy, this doesn’t work for most people. There are tons of hormone, endocrine, and deficiency problems that we still need to take into account.
Use our keto calculator to figure out exactly how much you need to eat and adjust the plan to fit your needs. This meal plan averages 1538 calories, 120g fat, 24g net carbs, and 83g protein over the 2 weeks. If this is different to your macros, consider adjusting the plan to fit your needs.
To increase calories. If you need to increase the fat intake of the plan, add additional oil, cream, cheese, or cream cheese into your recipes; or drink coffee with cream with your first meal. If you need to increase protein, just increase the amount of lean meat that’s added into the recipe.
To decrease calories. If you need to decrease the fat intake of the plan, remove oil, cream, cheese, or cream cheese from the plan. Similarly, if you need to decrease the protein intake of the plan, remove some lean meat that’s added to the recipes.
2. Prepare and Get Ready Ahead of Time
You want to keep your cheats to none. Be prepared, make sure you’re eating what you need in order to be satiated, and make sure you’re satisfied with what you’re eating. If you have to force yourself to eat something, it will never work out in the end. This is just a guideline on how you can eat on a ketogenic diet, so you’re very welcome to change up what kind of foods you eat!
Set a start date. Be realistic with yourself and set a date you want to start. Make sure to get the shopping ready for when you start so that there’s no missing ingredients or surprises. Commit yourself to follow the plan fully and stick to the start date you determine.
Re-organize your fridge and pantry. With temptation looming each time you open the cupboard, it can be difficult to stick to your newfound dietary choices. Ketosis is a process that happens in your body. You can’t just have “that one” cheat meal. If you do, it can hamper progress for up to a week before your body is back in ketosis and burning fat again.
If possible, clear out any high-carb snacks and tempting items from your kitchen so that you can stay on track. There will likely be a few new keto ingredients you’ll need to purchase for the plan, so make sure you read ahead and stock up your fridge as needed.
3. Understand the Keto Flu
The Keto Flu is a combination of symptoms that happen when you first transition to a low-carb way of eating. You may get dizziness, headache, fatigue, cramping, nausea, or fatigue for a few days after starting your keto meal plan. Don’t worry, this is normal and there are ways to combat it.
Keto is also a diuretic and can cause dehydration. With the extra urination, you will deplete both water in your body and your electrolytes quicker. Your T3 (thyroid hormone) will decrease some, and your cortisol levels will raise up. Although the keto flu affects everyone differently, you may feel some of these symptoms but you can do something to reduce the symptoms or completely stop them.
Simply increase your water intake (or drink other keto-friendly beverages) and increase your electrolytes. You can use electrolyte supplements (this is the one we use) or take a multivitamin that includes potassium and magnesium. Additionally, add salt to your food (and/or water) to help.
If you want to get a deeper look into the keto flu and more tips on how to remedy it, take a look at our in-depth article here >
4. Stop Mindless Snacking
Not only does snacking increase the number of calories you’re intaking per day, but it also creates insulin spikes each time you eat a small meal. It’s truly best to cut out all snacking when you’re on keto to see the best results. Keeping snacks to a minimum will allow your body to use your fat stores as energy and allow you to see success.
Last but not least, just do it. It’s fantastic to read, research, and plan but at the end of the day you just have to jump in and make sure that you start. Good luck!
Week 1 of the Keto Diet Meal Plan
Our main goal here is to stay pretty simple at first. In my eyes, simplicity is key for someone that is just starting out on a low carb diet. You don’t want it to be a difficult transition (kitchen-wise) because it will be hard just to get rid of your cravings in the beginning. You don’t want to spend too much time cooking and slaving away to make meals.
Leftovers will be another thing we will take into consideration. Not only is it easier on you, but why put yourself through the hassle to cook the same food more than once? Breakfast is something I normally do leftover style, where I don’t have to worry about it in the morning, and I certainly don’t have to stress about it. Grab some food out the fridge, pre-made for me, and head out the door. It doesn’t get much easier than that, does it?
Breakfast.
For breakfast, you want to do something that’s pretty quick and tasty, and of course – gives you some leftovers. I suggest starting day one on the weekend. This way, you can make something that will last you for the entire week (or close to it). The first week is all about simplicity with flavor. Nobody wants to be making breakfast before work, and we’re not going to be doing that either! We’ll focus on making flavorful breakfasts that you can either make in a pinch or have leftovers for the week.
There’s a variety of low-carb options so that you can have an idea of a generic week on a ketogenic diet. If you want to add more variety, feel free to browse our breakfast recipes for more ideas. You can replace any of the breakfasts in the plan with recipes of similar nutrition.
Lunch.
We’re also going to keep it simple here. We’re mostly relying on salads that you can make the night before if needed. You can portion out the salad and dressing/components separately beforehand and grab-and-go in the morning.
The salads will be mostly a bit of protein with leafy greens. This helps with our micronutrient intake and will help tremendously with fat intake while keeping it low-carb. You can also add spices and seasonings to your salad to your liking. Just be careful about onion and garlic powder, but most other spices in small amounts have negligible carbs.
Dinner.
Dinner will mostly be casseroles with cooked-in vegetables, so no side dishes required. Casseroles are great on a low-carb, ketogenic diet because you get so many leftovers. It’s not uncommon to see recipes that take quite a long time to make, so when you can save a little time by eating leftovers, it makes a world of difference. Simply stick them in the fridge, reheat as needed, and you have dinner in little to no time at all.
Sides and snacks.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to keep snacking to a minimum in order to keep insulin spikes to a minimum.
P.S. No dessert for the first week. Studies show that cravings will be significantly reduced when you skip out on sweetened items for a while.
Week 1 Weekly Macro Averages
| CALORIES | FATS (g) | CARBS (g) | FIBER (g) | NET CARBS (g) | PROTEIN (g) | |
| Day 1 | 1570.2 | 123.1 | 31.1 | 12.1 | 19.6 | 85.2 |
| Day 2 | 1360.7 | 105.9 | 31.4 | 8 | 23.4 | 63.1 |
| Day 3 | 1570.2 | 123.1 | 31.3 | 12.1 | 19.6 | 85.2 |
| Day 4 | 1493.8 | 125.8 | 31.8 | 9 | 22.9 | 66.4 |
| Day 5 | 1651 | 134.1 | 24.5 | 7.3 | 17.6 | 91.3 |
| Day 6 | 1442.7 | 106.4 | 29.3 | 7.5 | 21.9 | 83.3 |
| Day 7 | 1584.3 | 138.8 | 38.2 | 12.8 | 25.9 | 58.8 |
| WEEK TOTALS | 10672.7 | 857.1 | 217.7 | 68.7 | 151 | 533.4 |
| DAILY AVERAGE | 1524.7 | 122.4 | 31.1 | 9.8 | 21.6 | 76.2 |
Recipes Included in Week 1
Sausage Gravy & Biscuit Bake
Oven Roasted Caprese Salad
Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Popper Casserole
One-Pot Shrimp Alfredo
Cauliflower Pizza Casserole
Ketoproof Coffee
It’s important to note that we do use meat and dairy in our recipes. The bulk of the meal plan is based on an average ketogenic diet that most people would follow. If you don’t eat meat, you can still do keto but it will be a bit more challenging. You will rely on plant-based protein and added fats to get to your goal macros. You can see some examples of our vegetarian and vegan keto recipes at the end of this article!
Week 2 of the Keto Diet Meal Plan
This week we’re going to be keeping it pretty simple again. After finishing off the leftovers, we’ll incorporate intermittent fasting. We’ll also include some desserts to keep your sweet tooth at bay. I’ll introduce you to some of our favorite classic low-carb recipes including new salads, soups, and another casserole.
Breakfast.
We’re fasting! Black coffee if you’re a caffeine addict like me. Tea, if you are not into the coffee so much. Tea can add great health benefits like coffee also. Some of the great benefits of green tea are:
- Polyphenols – These function as antioxidants in your body. The most powerful antioxidant in green tea is Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which has shown to be effective against fatigue.
- Improved Brain Function – Not only does green tea contain caffeine, but it also contains L-theanine, which is an amino acid. L-theanine increases your GABA activity, which improves anxiety, dopamine, and alpha waves.
- Increased Metabolic Rate – Green tea has been shown to improve your metabolic rate. In combination with the caffeine, this can lead up to 15% increased fat oxidization.
Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the fasting (and through the day). It’s very important to stay well hydrated on keto – I recommend at least 2.5 liters for women and 3.5 liters for men.
Lunch.
Easy to prep salads with lots of leftovers. We’ll alternate between a salmon salad and a meatball bowl. Plenty of leafy greens and protein to fill you up and fantastic to break a fast with. Green vegetables and high-fat dressings (or vinaigrettes) are key. Making sure to balance out the fats with the amounts of protein is very important.
Dinner.
Dinner will be pretty simplistic. We alternate between a soup and a casserole that taste great and develop even more flavor as you use them up as leftovers. On the last day, we’ll have a second salad to give you a bit more variety and a better idea of what type of foods you should be eating on a keto meal plan.
Dessert is included for a few days – if you don’t like coffee with chocolate, just leave the coffee out of the dessert!
Week 2 Weekly Macro Averages
| CALORIES | FATS (g) | CARBS (g) | FIBER (g) | NET CARBS (g) | PROTEIN (g) | |
| Day 1 | 1531.5 | 119.4 | 26 | 8.7 | 17.5 | 90.8 |
| Day 2 | 1645.5 | 127.7 | 43.2 | 11.5 | 31.7 | 85.2 |
| Day 3 | 1502.3 | 110.4 | 35 | 10.4 | 24.6 | 101 |
| Day 4 | 1645.5 | 127.7 | 43.2 | 11.5 | 31.7 | 85.2 |
| Day 5 | 1502.3 | 110.4 | 35 | 10.4 | 24.6 | 101 |
| Day 6 | 1645.5 | 127.7 | 43.2 | 11.5 | 31.7 | 85.2 |
| Day 7 | 1385.1 | 104.5 | 37.8 | 12.6 | 25.1 | 82.1 |
| WEEK TOTALS | 10857.8 | 827.6 | 263.4 | 76.6 | 187 | 630.6 |
| DAILY AVERAGE | 1551.1 | 118.2 | 37.6 | 10.9 | 26.7 | 90.1 |
Recipes Included in Week 2
Sesame Salmon Salad
Nacho Chicken Casserole
Sausage & Kale Soup
Avocado BLT Salad
Mediterranean Lunch Bowl
Mocha Mousse
Download Ketogenic Diet Meal Plan
Since this is my full-time job, donations really help allow me to post as much to the website as I do. It’s not often that someone can say “I love my job” and mean it, but this is one that I’m truly able to. I just want to say thank YOU for making that possible. While I do really appreciate any donation you want to give, you can enter $0 in the amount given to download it for free! I’ve added $10 as the suggested price. I think that’s a very fair price considering other websites are charging in the hundreds of dollars and I’ve seen what they are like on the inside.
I have put a lot of work into this and revised it many times, but if you want it for $5 or $10 or $0, feel free to put whatever you want in the amount – I have no hard feelings! You can always download it for free and if you agree that the quality is worth paying for, come back and give a small donation to help me keep doing what I’m doing.
Shopping List for Your Plan
At the beginning of each week, you’ll get a shopping list to use to get all of the groceries you need for your keto meal plan. The shopping list is broken down into categories
- Protein
- Fats & Oils
- Produce
- Dairy
- Spices & Herbs
- Specialty Baking Items
- Other
Feel free to look through the shopping list and adjust to your needs. You may already have some of the spices and baking items in your home. You can usually cut back on cost as well if you are on a budget. Swap out different types of cheeses for 1 type of cheese; use an all-purpose seasoning instead of multiple different seasonings; use 1 type of vinegar instead of multiple.
To save a bit more money, you can usually combine some produce items as well. Instead of getting multi-colored peppers, stick to green. Instead of using fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs which are typically cheaper. If there are multiple types of lettuce, you can usually just get 1 type (spring mix is a favorite of mine for dark leafy greens).
FAQ & More Resources
Once you’ve followed through with the meal plan, you should have a good foundation on where to start and either create your own meal plan, or use a meal planning tool like our Keto Academy. Here are some of the most common questions we get and a few extra resources to help you stay on track:
How can I increase or decrease the calorie amounts in the plan?
If you find that’s you’re too hungry after eating the food, or not hungry enough, then you will likely need to adjust the plan to fit your body and activity level. Make sure to use our keto calculator to find your recommended set of macros.
Using those macros, you can adjust the plan as needed:
- To increase fat: Add additional oil, cream, cheese, or cream cheese to your plan. You can add slightly more vegetables into the plan (and use the additional fat to cook them) as well.
- To increase protein: With any lean meat in the plan, adjust the amount used until your needed protein levels are reached. Try to only increase the use of lean meat as fattier meats will significantly increase the calories as well.
- To decrease fat: Use less added oil, butter, cream, or cheese in a recipe until you get to your needed fat amount.
- To decrease protein: Reduce the use of lean meat in the plan. As an example, if the recipe calls for 8 oz. of shrimp, use 6 oz. instead. Adjust as needed until you get to your protein requirements.
I don’t like a recipe in the plan. Can I use a different one?
Of course! We have a library of over 700 keto recipes on the website. You can swap out any meal that has similar macros, or build upon a meal to get to the needed macros for that specific meal. While not every recipe is a complete meal, you can add low-carb vegetables in to supplement your micronutrient intake.
Can I snack while on this keto plan?
It’s best to not snack while following this plan. Your meals should satiate you and keep you full between the meals. Make sure that you’re drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated (and supplementing with electrolytes if needed).
If you find that you’re regularly hungry on the plan, you should consider checking your macros and adjusting the plan to fit your macros. Snacking will spike your insulin level and you want to have as few insulin spikes as possible while following the plan.
That said, it’s inevitable that some snacking may happen. If that do decide to grab a snack, you should be prepared for if it. We have some great examples of keto snacks to use during your progress.
I don’t eat dairy/nightshades/[insert excluded food]. Can I still use this meal plan?
You can still follow keto if you want to avoid certain foods or have allergies to certain foods. Make sure to search the website (or visit our full FAQ) for more information.
When cutting out dairy, it has shown to improve weight loss and typically help people get past a stall if they encounter while following their meal plan. This guide to dairy-free keto will help you cut out dairy and give some replacement ideas (+ a sample meal plan).
Can I drink alcohol on keto with this plan?
You can drink alcohol on keto, but you have to be mindful of the impact on macros it will have. Usually, every shot of liquor will contain ~100 calories (with no nutrition). If you are a frequent or heavy drinker, this will be very impactful on your overall calorie consumption.
Another thing to keep in mind is that alcohol does slow overall weight loss progress down. That said, it’s expected to have an occasional drink, and if you’d like some ideas you can read our guide to keto and alcohol >
I’m vegetarian/vegan, can I still follow this keto diet plan?
While it can be difficult, going vegetarian or vegan on keto is possible. Whether you’re doing it for improved health benefits, environmental concerns, or ethical reasons we have a few guides that should help.
- If you want to do vegetarian keto, this guide will help break down what you can and can’t eat alongside give some suggestions on meal ideas.
- If you’re wanting to go vegan keto, this guide will give you an overall scope of what to eat and a sample meal plan.
If you have any other questions or just want to learn more about keto in general, check out our other keto diet blog posts or make sure to visit our Full Keto FAQ List >
Create Your Own Keto Diet Plan!
You can use my meal plan as a guideline to help you create something that fits into your life and schedule. Keep in mind that hitting (or at least coming close to) your daily macros is the most important thing when it comes to your success. Modify or edit recipes as needed to make them fit within your macros.
You should usually never go above a 25% calorie deficit (to lose weight) or 15% surplus (to gain muscle). Use the keto calculator on the website to determine your macros as a starting point!
Hi. There are two different starting meal plans. Can I use either one?
I’m not sure what you mean by two different plans, Sarah. This one is free (if you want it to be – it’s name your own price), and then there is one that is fully paid. You could use either, but it also depends on your own budget, too.
OK… I’m really confused. I just downloaded the 30-day plan, which looks great, except the shopping list doesn’t have quantities on it. For example, it says to buy ground beef – but how much? Am I missing something?
No, you have to calculate the amounts yourself depending on how many people you are cooking for. In my Keto Academy, I break down all of the shopping information, though.
It does kind of defeat the purpose of a shopping list. I means you need to then go through all the recipes for the week to determine the right quantities
No, you have to calculate the amounts yourself depending on how many people you are cooking for. In my Keto Academy, I break down all of the shopping information, though.
Hi Criag
Week 3 – so far so good! Can I have more black coffee during the day – on top of the diet you propose? or will that cause me some issues?
You can, but typically I don’t suggest to go over 2 cups of coffee a day.
me again.. i saw in one of the comments below that you have a spreadsheet – can i get a copy, please? cheers
Sorry, I don’t give out the spreadsheets anymore, unfortunately.
Hi Craig, I’ve been doing Trim Healthy Mama for 11 months and have lost 67lbs so far. I’m starting keto at the encouragement of my neurologist to help control focal seizures and hemiplegic migraines. My keto calculator puts me at 900 calories per day, 11g of carbs, 51 grams of Protien and 72g of fat. I’ve still got 15lbs to lose. My question is being that I’ve been doing low carb/high fat already, would it still be important to do intermittent fasting? Also, being that my caloric need is lower than the “typical” woman, do you have any advice for me, as far as putting together my meals? I’ve been following keto pinterest recipes the past two weeks and am already feeling a difference in my body AND seeing a huge difference in my skin. I firmly believe my increased fat intake is taking my 33 year old, mother of four face from looking overly tired and almost “gaunt” to looking fresh and rested again…even though I only average about 6-7 hours of sleep per night. Anyhow, thank you so much for your meal plan. I’ll be downloading it shortly.
Sure thing Clare. My first question is why is the keto calculator putting you at 900 calories? If you’re already rather thin, your deficit should not be 20% like it is defaultly set up to be at. You should probably aim for somewhere around 1200 calories (that would be my guess).
Secondly, you don’t have to do IF. That is just a choice that some make (and I made for a long time). It’s totally up to you whether you do it or not.
Lastly, congrats on feeling better! Glad you’re seeing improvements.
P.S. As far as meal planning goes – this really covers most grounds for keto, so I think the meal plan will help (although it may need a bit of tweaking as per your calories).
Thanks so much, Craig! I’m enjoying your meal plan, and appreciate the time you put into creating it. Well worth the money!
Sure thing – and thank you!
Hi Craig, I’ve been doing Trim Healthy Mama for 11 months and have lost 67lbs so far. I’m starting keto at the encouragement of my neurologist to help control focal seizures and hemiplegic migraines. My keto calculator puts me at 900 calories per day, 11g of carbs, 51 grams of Protien and 72g of fat. I’ve still got 15lbs to lose. My question is being that I’ve been doing low carb/high fat already, would it still be important to do intermittent fasting? Also, being that my caloric need is lower than the “typical” woman, do you have any advice for me, as far as putting together my meals? I’ve been following keto pinterest recipes the past two weeks and am already feeling a difference in my body AND seeing a huge difference in my skin. I firmly believe my increased fat intake is taking my 33 year old, mother of four face from looking overly tired and almost “gaunt” to looking fresh and rested again…even though I only average about 6-7 hours of sleep per night. Anyhow, thank you so much for your meal plan. I’ll be downloading it shortly.
Sure thing Clare. My first question is why is the keto calculator putting you at 900 calories? If you’re already rather thin, your deficit should not be 20% like it is defaultly set up to be at. You should probably aim for somewhere around 1200 calories (that would be my guess).
Secondly, you don’t have to do IF. That is just a choice that some make (and I made for a long time). It’s totally up to you whether you do it or not.
Lastly, congrats on feeling better! Glad you’re seeing improvements.
P.S. As far as meal planning goes – this really covers most grounds for keto, so I think the meal plan will help (although it may need a bit of tweaking as per your calories).
Thanks so much, Craig! I’m enjoying your meal plan, and appreciate the time you put into creating it. Well worth the money! 😊
Sure thing – and thank you!
Hi Craig,
Ive been loving the meal plan so far. However my weight loss is completely halted since I started week 2. I lost 8 lbs in the first week (undoubtedly a lot of water weight as I retent like crazy.) and 10 inches.. This week. Ive went up a lb. Im so full from the bulletproof coffee that I can hardly eat for the remainder of the day. Im suffering down my portions & never finishing them… plus working out 3 times a week for about 1.5 hrs at a time… and I’m not seeing any changes. Im just wondering if when I begin to intermittent fast next week if it will change again??
I know I’m in ketosis because I feel wonderful & sleep wonderful just as I did when I did a ketogenic plan in the past.. but nothing is happening.. could it be bulletproof coffee is just not for me??
Any info is appreciated.
It sounds like you may be retaining excess water again from the lack of calories to meet your expenditure. Try giving yourself smaller meals more frequently to see if that helps with your appetite. You definitely don’t want to be working hard and not eating much.
okay will try that! I drink quite a bit of water should I drink less or the same. usually half my body weight in oz. 80 oz a day..
I usually recommend a gallon a day if you’re exercising – no matter the body weight.
Hello Craig,
First off,thank you for this wonderful site, I can’t wait to get back to my laptop Monday to download the meal plan. I just have a few questions before I start. 1. For non coffee drinkers I noticed tea and bone broth as alternatives, and I thought you mentioned warm coconut or almond milk from a carton, are those all good for on coffee drinkers? Or did I miss understand?
2. I work out 3 times a week at a place called 9 rounds, mainly a 30 Minute Full-Body Workout in a Circuit Format.The workout incorporates a combination of Aerobic, Anaerobic, and Strength Training exercises. What would you recommend in order for me to be okay safely continuing those workouts? I don’t go crazy hardcore because I’m pretty out of shape and had a c section 3 months ago. So I cakculate macros with moderate activity level.
3. My nutritionist recommended this diet or the DASH diet for my high blood pressure and weight loss. I do take two doses of high blood pressure medicine and a 12.5mg water pill once a day. Would there be any suggestions because of the high blood pressure? Also, would I increase my sodium intake or decrease? I can’t seem to find a recommended daily sodium intake for keto.
4. I already have a problem with regularity, so would you suggest a magnesium supplement and if so how much?
I appreciate any help you can give in answering my questions. I just wanted to make sure I underdrood before diving in. Thank you so much for all this great information, it’s the perfect tool kit for newbies like me
Becca,
1. Yes you can use almond milk or coconut milk as an alternative – just be careful with macros.
2. I usually recommend taking a small break from so much exercise. As while you’re transitioning into keto, you may notice a performance decrease. Once you’re keto adapted, you should be fine.
3. You need sodium and electrolytes on keto (more than usual) since it’s a natural diuretic. I’d say keep how it is unless you feel otherwise. Hopefully you’ll be taken off the medication after a few months.
Sorry for the late reply – I was in the midst of traveling. Hope it all works out and thanks so much for the feedback!
Question please. So after 30 days do you break to eating normal or do you keto forever? I’m confused how it works and long term short term…thank you!
It really depends on what you want. Some people stop, some people continue. I’ve been keto for 6 years – so I always recommend keep going. Short term, it can just be used as a weight loss tool. Long term, it can be used to gain benefits to health.
Wondering how this would work if you don’t need to lose weight. Grandson has epilepsy. There have been no drugs that have helped. He is also about 25 pounds below ideal weight. His favorite foods are veggies, hence the weight problem. I’m wondering how to fix for him. There are 3 more children who are very active.
I’d suggest just letting them eat as much as they want. You can easily maintain weight on keto (as I have for a long time now).
Add lots of butter and coconut oils, and flake cheese over the top of the veggies. Also try MCT powder and BCAmino acid powders added to full fat milk and milkshakes to help the keto power of his food intakes!
The recipes look great… So helpful!
But I’m wondering if you can substitute coconut flour for the almond flour?
I’m allergic to nuts unfortunately but would love to try these dishes!
Amber, unfortunately you can’t. You could use sunflower seed flour in place of almond flour (1:1). But, coconut flour is a totally different beast and would requite a bit of experimentation to find a balance.
I could do that! I’ve recently discovered sunbutter, and I’m in love! Probably too much. I usually just eat a couple of spoonfuls in the morning when I’m needing to just get something on my stomach. And since sugar is a no no it really helps my sweet tooth. It does have some sugar but only 3net carbs and about 75% fat.
Thank you so much Craig ! This is such an awesome site it keeps me excited about the diet!
Hi Craig,
I just paid and downloaded your 30 day program and I see that your recipes have soy sauce and Xanthan Gum – I’m gluten and soy free – do you have substitutes?
Thanks
Sandy
Hi, just found this website and me and my husband have been on keto before but went off because of some health problems( not because of the diet). We’d like to get back again, I already purchased the 30-diet meal plan, just wondering how to adjust the plan for my husband. He’s about 300 lbs and wants to lose fat, mainly belly fat. He likes to do weights usually 3-4 times a week, and the meal plan we had before, he seemed quite tired from. Do you know how would I calculate his calorie intake?
He works in contruction, so he works manually all day plus he tries going to the gym 3-4x (30 min cardio + 60 min weights) a week if he’s not tired. At this point his energy is lacking a bit.
What would you recommend.
The 1600 cal plan works for me. But for him, probably double that if he wants to excersize and lose fat at the same time.
Thanks for your reply.
Hi, I have Chronic Kidney Disease, Stage 3 with 37% kidney function. I was diagnosed by a Nephrologist 3 months ago. A friend recommended this diet plan for me. She was able to reverse her kidney function using this plan. I also have high blood pressure even with multiple prescribed medications. I am 5′ 5″ & weigh 195 lbs. I do not have diabetes. What are your suggestions?
My husband and I have been on the 30 day diet plan and its going great! We have to go out of town this weekend for my daughters cheer competition and not able to cook.
Can you suggest some things for us to do/eat to get by a couple of days, we don’t want to get off track.
Thanks,
Amanda
Hey Craig,
Enjoying the plan, but I’m wondering how the “not your caveman’s chili” comes out to that few calories per serving. Stew meat is a pretty vague term, but 2 pounds of it would be anywhere from 2000-4500 calories. Divided by 4 and we’re well over the listed calories per serving, without any other ingredients. Any advice on choice of cut?
Thank you,
David
Is there an easy way to omit dairy in this plan?
Hi Craig,
I’ve been literally NON STOP through ruled.me since last week!!! I started on Atkins about a month ago and saw your website after a google search about Ketosis for I was very interested in starting it and now that I’m well informed and secure, surely I’ll start by next week!! And it’s also thanks to you and your great job here!!
Just really needed to declare my thankfulness to you and people like you that succeeded and genuinely want to help other people!!
You’re just so clear and make everything actually look easy on a everyday life!!
You’re very much appreciated for your kindness and hard work!!
I’ve been in the weight loss journey for a while, had some struggles, but thank God now I’m down about 62pounds and going for another 60!! Thanks to people like you we can find some tips and encouragement to keep going!! Hopefully one day I’ll have my before and after pic at ruled.me!! 🙂
Craig,
I’m use to eating every 3 hours. As long as I keep to my macro’s/cal, is that fine? You only have us eating 3 meals a day in your plan. You also have bulletproof coffee as 1 meal. I do my coffee at 5am (without the heavy cream) prior to my workout. I have at least 4 more meals throughout the day. Wanted your opinion on this
Thanks
Erica
I just ordered the 30-day plan and it looks amazing! One question though, I’m allergic to shrimp so what can I replace it with in your recipes?
Thanks for putting all of this together, can’t express enough how excited I am to start this journey!!
Thank you! I am wondering, what are your thoughts about a HFLC/keto diet for sensitive livers? And what would be your thoughts that following the mealplans, while skipping the fasting and tremendously increasing the calories, could help with gaining weight, rather than losing it? I have been ridiculously unhealthily skinny my entire life, contrary to my constant and obsessive eat habits. I am concerned that since I am already in a natural “starvation mode” for my body, flipping its hyper metabolism off from carbs and glucose to ketosis might be a really hard transition. Would you have any recommendations or suggestions for this?
More info: Struggled with inability to gain weight entire life, seriously. I eat double that of my 200lb husband, and as long as it’s natural, preferably organic, I will eat it, and a lot of it, but my body craves carves and has a hypermetabolism for glucose. I recently found out my seemingly excessive malabsorption issue might be related to my liver and a problem in my phase 2 detox (gilbert’s syndrome). It would seem that though I crave massive amounts of carbs, my livers intolerance to them may be what has kept me extremely thin, with extremely low blood pressure. But, my body does NOT keep fat, ever, it doesn’t even seem to digest it properly. I was thinking that putting myself in ketosis might flip a switch for my body to start storing fat, since it will recognize it as the only energy source it can get for it’s hypermetabolism – but I am concerned about potential effects it may have on my liver. Any thoughts? Thank you! Super grateful for your opinion.
How many calories should you be getting when you fast then? With only 2 meals?
It would be the same calories as if you split those 2 meals up and ate throughout the day.
Good Morning,
My husband and I are looking to eat Keto, and restore our health. Our struggle is that our daughter has a severe life threatening allergy to ALL nuts, tree nuts, coconuts, and lentils. I have not loaded your guide yet. I noticed that you suggest buying coconut and almond flour. Do you have suggestions that we can replace those ingredients with? Or, do you have enough options that we can avoid those recipes all together, and exchange for for another one you have that do not contain those ingredients?
Blessings,
DeeDee
For nut flours you can use sunflower seed flour – though for coconut it’s really a hard one. For the flour psyllium husk may do well. For the oil, butter can always be a replacement.
Craig– I am a bariatric patient (sleeve). Right now I am averaging about 750 calories, 70 grams of protein. Knowing how much fat should be in my diet is my issue… I am now working out 4-6 times a week (cardio and weights) but I am also a writer so I sit (a lot!). I tried to use the Calculator, but the results are for a normal amount of calories. I can only eat 4 ounces at a time and they want me eating the minimum of 4-5 hours apart (drinking fluids the rest of the time). Any suggestions?? I can’t go to my nutritionist because she’s from the low fat school…
Thanks for any help! 🙂
You can keep to your current caloric needs with a ketogenic ratio (adjusted for protein). I know a number of people that have gotten a sleeve and followed it this way, eventually upping their calorie needs and being able to still lose weight doing so.
Hope that helps some!
Thanks! I appreciate your quick response!!
Hi Craig – I am keen to purchase and download the 30 day meal plan – however I work away from home and was wondering if I would be able to download it to my iPad. Thanks, Salome
Of course you can download it to your iPad. If you have any problems doing so just shoot me an e-mail and I can help sort it out as well 🙂
Im looking to lose 50 pounds by 4/15 is it possible on this diet? I also work on the fo in my company truck all day, is this diet recommend for this?
I am diabetic. What should I keep in mind while following the diet?
I just turned 70 and wondering if there is a age limit to this diet? I have eaten clean for the past 3 years meaning gluten-free, whole foods, nothing processed, no refined sugars and cooking with good fats, olive, coconut, ghee, lots of greens, and protein…and low carbs. For fruit, blueberries, apples and a banna, I have not lost a lb, but my husband by default lost 28 lbs. I have hypothroidism which is very difficult to lost weight, even though meds are right on. All my tests were good, so can’t find the problem. I work out with weight training twice a week and HIIT 3 tiimes a week. Do you think I could lose weight with the Keto Diet? In the summer, I walk 4 1/2 hours 4 times a week playing golf.
Also, I did the macro calculator and want to lose 30 lbs and alot of it is belly fat, so put in 40% body fat. At moderately active, it showed total daily energy expenditure kcal 2250. The diet macros here are 2025 calorie intake daily and 180 g fat……it seems awfully high to me. Would this be right? Thank you for any suggestions. Great site!
Hey Liz – it’s definitely possible to lose weight with hypothyroidism (I have Hashimoto’s myself). If you feel as though the calorie limit is too high, you can increase the calorie deficit from 20% to 30% (though I don’t recommend going higher than this). It’s possible that over the years your metabolism has slowed down due to not feeding your body enough energy. It’s a very common thing to see when someone is doing what they think is right and not seeing any results 🙂 Thanks so much!
Thank you for responding, not sure I understand “to increase the calorie deficit from 20 to 30%”. Could you please explain this…thank you.
Liz. If you’re not using iodized salt, consider trying that. I had all the clinical signs of hypothyroidism but my numbers were right on. It turns out chlorine, fluoride, and bromine all compete for iodine spot on the thyroid molecule. Since they stopped pudding iodine in most salts it’s become harder to get in your diet.
Just a couple questions. 1. How does this type of diet work with someone who does heavy resistance training three to four days a week? 2. Am I incorrect in thinking this could be a good diet for cannabis smokers looking to curb late night hunger attacks?
Heavy resistance training usually does quite well. Though you will want to wait 5-8 weeks before becoming keto adapted. You may notice some negative results in training because of this as your body isn’t fully efficient to use the fat. It could definitely be a great diet for cannabis consumers – though I can’t generally speak for your own munchies 😉
It seems to be working out really well! Thanks for the info and taking the time to respond. I’m just pulling my hair out trying to get my meals to add up to those macros. I eat three meals a day between 11 and 7 trying to maximize results with IF. Example for breakfast: I piece of bacon+grease, 4 eggs, veg, 1tbsp. Coconut oil. Although that sounds like a well rounded ketogenic meal, and after having a similar macro meal for lunch, I’m still looking at needing almost twice as much fat and another 50 grams of protein in my final meal for everything to add up. I’m at around 1300 calories in my first two meals but that last meal is going to blast me past my 2000 calories requirement for the day. Ketogenic calculator has my requirements at 169 fat 125 pro and 25 carb. I think this issue will be my biggest problem but my sticks are showing ketones and I feel good so……….
Hi Craig! This site is great and super informative, thank you.
I’ve been living lchf since Jan 17th and I have not seen great results at all. I’m starting to get frustrated. I was down 7 lbs initially but then went up three and have stayed there for weeks! I’m making my own foods based on recipes from your site and I have not eaten a processed carb or sugar since the beginning. I’m not actually counting macros as I’m not sure how to track them in myfitnesspal (since I make my own soup/casseroles etc) Basically I eat two hard boiled eggs for breakfast, chopped salad with home made dressing at lunch and lchf dinner like steak, mashed cauliflower, Caesar salad. I’m drinking at least 3L of water per day.
I do have a couple of cups of coffee in the morning with cream and I have one or two glasses of wine every so often. Could those two things be ruining my results?
HELP ! … and thanks in advance. 🙂
Cream is high(er) fat, low(er) carbs. For coffee and keto, worst is milk, then half and half, followed by light cream/”table cream”, followed by heavy cream. I use light cream in my coffee already (switched a little while back before deciding to do an actual keto diet). While Google shows higher numbers, you’ll find that for a “coffee flavoring amount” of a tablespoon or so, the carbs are rated at 0% or “less than 1g” or “0g” or “1g” depending on the manufacturer.
A tablespoon is roughly .15-.2% carbs. If you like your coffee light and sweet like me, 3 tablespoons amounts to still under 1% carbs (roughly 1.1-1.4 grams if my math is correct).
I don’t think the coffee and cream or wine (unless it’s a sweet wine) would be ruining it. I think it’s definitely worth tracking, though. If you make your own soups/casseroles, just add in the ingredients one by one into MyFitnessPal and it will help you calculate the total macros. From there, you can put how many servings it is and how many you ate. I have an article on the site – search for “track carbs” and you’ll see it 🙂
First of all, thank you for having these materials accessible. I am new to all this and would like to understand the math or calculations behind the diet. I weight 187 am 4″11. Have insulin resistance. I have been eating dairy, soy, gluten, corn free to help with joint inflammation. I use grass feed butter and coconut oil. Do I need to buy a scale? How I calculate these measures? I am not currently doing much exercise. Thank you very much. I need this I have an active 4yr old
Hey Craig, just wondering why you suggest no dessert in weeks 1 & 2 of the 30 day plan?
Hey Maeve – it’s more-so to control the cravings that can come along with sweeteners. Sometimes this can lead to over-eating and possibly breaking keto.
OK great thanks so much for explaining.
Sorry for the late reply here. The macros change person to person, though this is more of a cookie cutter plan that is made to suit the average person. Keto will definitely help with insulin resistance and the inflammation. It’s always best to buy a scale just to keep things accurate, but in the beginning you can usually get away with using a measuring spoon/cup set. I wish you the best in your journey!
Hello, quick question, is there a benefit to eating so late at night (5-11)? Most diets suggest not eating past 8pm or within 2 hours of going to sleep.
Hi Craig, I am vegetarian. I am open to eating fish/seafood a few meals a week if it will help with fat loss and stabilizing blood sugar. Will this plan be of benefit given I won’t be able to eat meat? Is there a way around meat-eating to still achieve ketosis?
Thanks.
I read for a week. Then decided to give this keto a go. Day # 14 and I have lost 12 lbs!! Great so far, happy.
I do have high cholesterol. Today I looked up the study on keto vs low fat diet. I am now a bit concerned. Keto increases the good and the BAD cholesterol. Not so thrilled about this now. I don’t want to end up killing myself over losing 30 to 40 lbs.
It increases the “bad” cholesterol in only about 30% of people that do keto. Though the “bad” isn’t exactly “bad”. I’d recommend the long article I wrote about Keto and Cholesterol. It will probably shed a bit more light on the cholesterol side of things.
Hey – it may be worth looking at, but most of my meals use meat in them. You could use it as a guide just to get an idea of different types of meals, but you would certainly need to create something you can follow that pertains to your dietary guidelines. There’s also a vegetarian keto subreddit that may be of help!
If you’re fasting it’s not a big deal, but this was to my personal schedule, which usually runs until around 2-3am. I definitely recommend not eating around 2-3 hours previous to going to bed as it helps regulate hunger hormones.
I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It definitely takes some getting used to and changing mentalities. You’ll get used to it the more you stick to it 🙂
No problem at all!
Ok, so I have been reading about this diet and reading the comments and deciding to give it a try. Due to me being on a budget and having to order some things I will start next weekend. I follow a girl on Facebook and the diet has made her shred fat tremendously. I have been struggling with my weight so if this works I am going to definitely be in the academy. #EXCITED
Hi Craig, do you use a ketones monitor, and if so, which do you recommend and what are the benefits?
Hi, I’ve being reading about the keto diet and it sounds really interesting! However, I have severe food allergies to things I’ve read are staples in this diet, mainly eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. Do you think it’d be healthy for me to go on this diet, and would any meal plan actually have recipes that don’t use ingredients I am allergic to?
Hey Lee – it is doable but it will certainly be a challenge without all of those options. It will have to be something you commit too and find recipes you actually enjoy that you can have. As far as meal plans go, I don’t believe there’s any for severe food allergies, so you may have to create something that you can follow.