I like keto. For the most part, it doesn’t feel like a diet because I really like most of what I’m eating. It’s stuff I would be eating even if I weren’t “dieting.” Admittedly, I miss potato chips and donuts and pasta. Heck, I can’t even live up to my name right now. But it’s not an unmanageable missing. Every now and then I’ll steal a french fry or 3 from my hubby. I’ve had 2 cheat meals when it just plain could not be helped. And I have a scheduled “off” week to look forward to next week because we’re going on vacation. I definitely feel like I’m seeing results, though. Even though I don’t have a scale, my clothes and my measuring tape are telling me I’m making progress.
Things that have helped it work for me:
- Variety is *NOT* a necessity. I don’t know why, but a lot of people, myself included, seem to think that starting a diet is a good time to start trying a million different new recipes. If you love to cook, that’s great. I do not. Cooking stuff I know how to make is tiring enough after a long day of work, let alone having to figure out something new. And I do not have a palate that yearns for new things. So I found a few staple meals that I know I like and that have balanced macros, and made sure I already have the ingredients for them on hand. I ate straight canned tuna with mayo for breakfast 6 straight days one week. And that’s OK.
- Have a contingency plan. Fast food can be OK once in a while. There have been a couple of times where I have been caught out without a plan. We volunteer at our church’s Awana club once a week and there is a team who cooks dinner for the staff before club, which is a HUGE blessing. It really helps when I don’t have to try and cram feeding the kids dinner in between finishing work and a 6:00 club start time. But I can’t eat most of what they cook. McDonalds has become my Tuesday evening friend. A big mac (sans bun) with a caesar salad and a diet coke is actually a keto-friendly meal.
- Ranch and Caesar dressings are low-carb. Seriously, though, McDonalds, stop giving me the balsamic vinaigrette with my Caesar salad. WTF?
Are you doing keto? What’s your favourite tip or trick that’s helped you stick with it?