I’ve mentioned it a before, but Ryan and I are doing a ketogenic diet challenge this month and next. I know. 60 days. What were we thinking? But seriously, for two serial dieters, it’s been a really cool process to redefine fats, healthy eating, and really consuming things intentionally. I’m a foodie, and Ryan’s a glutton (sorry, honey, you know it’s true), so this has been a long time coming. Today. I want to round up five things that are really helping us transform and stick to the process. We’re 19 days in, and I’m down 10 lbs, and Ryan’s down 14, so something’s working! I’m linking up today with Smidge of This for 5 on Friday and Meet at the Barre for Friday Favorites.
1 // Emulsified MCT Oil. Okay, so we’ve mentioned that part of the diet involves bulletproof coffee, which basically entails cutting out all sugary creamers, all the delicious syrups, and so on. For this basic white girl, that was terrifying. I fully acknowledge that I love me some overpriced, sugar-filled Starbucks drinks, so I didn’t think this would work for me. For bulletproof coffee though, we use butter, coconut or MCT oil, and cinnamon to make a frothy, delicious treat. I, personally, like this emulsified MCT oil from Onnit. We use the flavored one – creamy vanilla right now – and it’s delicious. It’s a far cry from Starbucks, but it tastes good, and it definitely kicks it up a notch.
2 // Babybel Cheeses. So, the entire premise of keto is high fat, low carbs. It goes a little deeper than that, of course, but basically, our easy go-to snack foods are out. Gone are the chips and crackers. Enter cheeses, salmon, lunch meats, etc. Like any good Dutch girl, I love cheese. Like, a lot. Babybel cheeses are the perfect addition to our lunch foods. And, though keto frowns upon snacking, when you absolutely must reach for something, these are our go-to.
3 // Dash Rapid Egg Cooker. I can’t for the life of me remember who recommended this, but it was a fellow blogger, and I am so glad I listened! Each morning, we have a medium-boiled egg, and this little beauty takes the hassle out of cooking eggs. You fill up the provided measuring cup to your desired cook, you pierce the bottom of the egg, and you let it do its work. 5-10 minutes later, you have a perfectly cooked egg waiting for you. It really doesn’t get any easier.
4 // Kerrygold. One of the hardest things about keto for me has been transforming my mindset when it comes to fats. You know how it is. We’ve been told for years that fats are the enemy. In keto, fats are king. Since our bodies are so reliant on carbs, our bodies produce glucose and insulin, then burn those for fuel. When it does that, our body stores the fat. With keto, we lower our intake of carbs and induce a state of ketosis. This is where our bodies product ketones, and our bodies burn fats for fuel instead. We’re not starving ourselves of calories. We’re removing carbs from the equation. We’ve started using real, quality butter in our diet, and Kerrygold is our go-to. It’s cleaner, grass-fed, and tastes delicious.
5 // The Internet. No, I’m not kidding. One of our biggest allies in this keto diet journey has been the internet. We use some fantastic sites like Ruled Me to find great keto recipes, tips, information, and more to keep us going. Some of the recipes included in our challenge have been downright awful. Truly. This site gives us great recipes, breakdowns of nutrients by portion, and offers that variety we crave. Honestly, there’s a ton of information out there, so that’s been super helpful.
So, there you have it. This is what’s getting us going on our keto journey. For the most part, we’re loving it. We’ve found some healthier alternatives to our vices, and we’re seeing results, which we love. I feel like I should note that we aren’t making our kids do keto. We’re not that crazy. We have, however, cut out a lot of their excess processed foods like sweet gummies, etc., and that seems to be going well, as a whole.
These are all my own personal recommendations. Nothing in this post is sponsored.
