Complete meal plan for keto diet

So you've heard the arguments, weighed out the challenges and benefits, and decided you're all in. You're going keto.

First off, you're in good company. More people—and more athletes—than ever are embracing a very low-carb, high-fat diet and sticking with it for months, or even years, on end. Once they successfully make the switch from using carbohydrates to using fat and ketones for fuel, they find they're leaner, healthier, and more mentally focused than ever.
But for every lifter who ends up loving the ketogenic diet, you'll find another who had a miserable experience and bailed after just a few days. This is a shame, because they probably could have felt great if they had simply had a better plan—or a plan at all.

I'm not here to sell you on nutritional ketosis or explain what it is or the big-picture benefits it can provide. That's the domain of other articles. With the help of Myoplex athlete and longtime keto-adapted athlete Jason Wittrock, I'm here to provide you with your best induction experience.

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Here's what you need to know to ace your nutrition and supplementation during the crucial first month of ketogenic dieting, along with a complete sample meal plan!

Your Must-Have (And Must-Not-Have) Keto Food List
Ready to head out the door and start buying groceries? Slow down there, chief. Go through the pantry, fridge, freezer, and secret stashes under the bed, and get rid of foods with any significant carb content. In the first few days, you could end up craving them—badly. This means fruit, too. Even carrots and onions are too high-glycemic to work with keto, Wittrock says.

Got that done? Cool. Now, here are some of the staples you should build your ketogenic diet around:

• Fatty nuts and seeds: cashews, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds
• Avocado
• Whole eggs
• Full-fat cheese
• Beef: ground chuck (80/20), filet mignon, porterhouse, ribeye
• Chicken: Thighs and legs
• Vegetables: spinach and other greens, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, mushrooms, bell pepper
• Pork rinds
• Olive oil
• Salted butter
• Heavy cream
• Sour cream
• Cream cheese
• Fatty fish: salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies
• Bacon
• Chicken broth or bouillon cubes with at least 1 gram sodium

That last item may surprise you, but for many people, it makes all the difference.

"Chicken broth is absolutely critical on this diet as a way to ensure you're getting enough sodium," Wittrock explains. "Any time a client calls me and feels bad, I immediately tell them to drink a cup of chicken broth, and their symptoms usually go away."

Why? When carbs are cut, we rapidly deplete glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrate. For every gram of glycogen we lose, we lose 3 grams of water. Addition of the bouillon will help prevent dehydration and improve the way you feel on the diet. Water isn't enough on keto; you need enough sodium, too.

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Having some super-fatty treats to help you hit your ambitious macros is also a must. Luckily, many people have already gone where you're going and have come up with some tricks to make the transition to ketosis easier for you.

"You can find a lot of "fat bomb" recipes on the Internet," Wittrock says. "These are very good at satisfying your sweet tooth, and are a great way to increase fat consumption without going over on protein. Also, I'm a huge fan of salted pumpkin seeds and salted sunflower seed kernels. Believe it or not, pork rinds are also a very good keto snack."
Want even more guidance? Teryn Sapper, MS, lead registered dietician for the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University, has written out a sample meal plan to get you up and running.

Keto Diet Meal Plan for Beginners

Breakfast Option 1: Fried Eggs With Sautéed Veggies And Bacon
Olive Oil
1 tbsp
Eggs (fried in butter)
2 large
Bacon
2 pieces
Spinach
3/4 cup
Mushrooms (sautéed with spinach in bacon grease)
1/2 cup
Breakfast Option 2: The "No Egg" Breakfast
Sausage (check to make sure it's sugar-free)
1 oz.
Bell Pepper (roasted in 1 tbsp olive oil)
1 cup
Cheese (pepper jack)
1 oz.
Lunch Option 1: Taco Salad
Ground Beef (80/20)
3 oz.
Taco Seasoning
2 tsp
Romaine Lettuce (sliced)
2 cups
Cherry Tomato
3
Cheese (cheddar)
1.5 oz.
Avocado
1/4
Sour Cream
1/4 cup
Lunch Option 2: BLT Lettuce Wrap
Romaine Lettuce (sliced)
3 large leaves
Bacon
6 pieces
Chicken (grilled)
2 oz.
Cherry Tomato
5 small
Cheese (monterey jack)
1 oz.
Mayonnaise
2 tbsp
Dinner Option 1: Pork Chop With Mushroom Sauce And Steamed Asparagus
Pork (chops)
4 oz.
Olive Oil
1/2 tbsp
Mushrooms
3/4 cup
Butter
1 tbsp
Garlic (minced)
1 tsp
Spices (ground thyme)
1 pinch
Heavy Whipping Cream
3 tbsp
Asparagus (steamed)
1/2 cup
Butter
1 tbsp
Dinner Option 2: Baked Salmon With Loaded Baked "Potatoes" Note: Combine all ingredients except salmon, and bake at 350 until browned.

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Salmon (with 1/2 tbsp butter)
4 oz.

Cauliflower (steamed and mashed)
3/4 cup
Butter
1 1/2 tbsp
Sour Cream
2 tbsp
Bacon
1 piece
Scallions
1 tbsp
Cheese (cheddar)
1.5 oz

Anytime Quick Keto Meal: "Fridge to Pan"

This is an easy way to make a tasty, keto-friendly meal—and clear out the fridge. The more variety in the ingredients, the better! Macros will vary on this one depending on the protein and veggies you use.
Add the following to a skillet with butter or olive oil:

• Protein: Ground beef, sausage, bacon, chicken, eggs
• Veggies: Bell peppers, onion, cabbage, mushrooms, asparagus, tomato, zucchini
• Sugar-Free Seasoning: Salt, pepper, garlic, taco, ranch
• Cheese: Just grate it on top and let it melt.
Snack Ideas:
• Jerky (Watch the carbs here, because different flavorings can add to the carb count quickly.)
• Cubed cheese
• Nuts and seeds
• Pork rinds
• Veggies and dip
• Sugar-free jello

Calculating and Hitting Your Macros for Keto

You may think you've got what it takes to make the switch to keto without tracking your macronutrients, but you're probably wrong. Getting your macros correct is the most important aspect of starting down the path of a ketogenic diet.

"Yes, tracking macros can be cumbersome and tedious, but it's absolutely essential during the first few weeks of a keto diet," says Wittrock. "The diet likely goes against everything you have done before, so tracking your macros gives you feedback and allows you to troubleshoot until you get the hang of it."

No matter what your diet has been before now, keto will be a big change. If you're coming from a standard American diet (SAD), your carbs will go way down, your protein may either go up or down, and your fat will go way up. If you're coming from a bodybuilding-style diet, your fat intake will jump to alarming levels, and your protein will likely drop significantly.

My protein will drop? You read that right. A keto diet meal plan represents a carbohydrate-restricted, high-fat, moderate-protein approach to macro distribution. Here's how the macros end up looking for most people:

• Carbohydrates: 5-10 percent
• Fats: 70-75 percent
• Protein: 15-20 percent
Start your calculations with carbs and protein, keeping your carbohydrates at less than 50 grams per day. Wittrock found that he likes to go even lower.

"I recommend only 5 percent of calories coming from carbs, which usually averages out to less than 30 grams," he says. "I understand why people get nervous and panic, thinking 'Can I even eat a salad?' This is why I recommend tracking only 'net carbs', which are total carbs minus fiber. For example, an avocado has 12 grams of carbs but 10 grams of fiber, which means it has 2 grams of net carbs. Also, green leafy vegetables are very nutritious and contain a lot of fiber, so you can almost eat them as much as you want and stay below your limit.
"In terms of protein," he adds, "it is often recommended that athletes following a ketogenic diet set protein between 0.6 and 1.0 grams per pound of lean mass—not per pound of body weight. Below is an example of how you could calculate the protein needs of a 180-pound lifter who has 15 percent body fat:

• 180 lbs. x 0.15 = 27 lbs. of fat
• 180 lbs. - 27lbs. = 153 lbs. lean mass
• 153 lbs. x 0.6 g = 91.8 g
• 153 lbs. x 1.0g = 153 g
• Protein range = 92-150 g per day
If you don't know your percent of body fat, either get tested or use our calorie calculator and multiply your daily intake by 0.15-0.20 to determine your daily protein needs.

Why So Little Protein On Keto?

If you're accustomed to a protein intake well over your body weight—let alone your lean body mass—you may be skeptical about a diet that demands you reduce protein intake by as much as half. Wittrock can relate.

"In the beginning, I was terribly worried that I would lose muscle mass because of the low protein intake," he says. "But, I lost absolutely no muscle and was able to add lean mass to my physique. How is this possible? It's because ketones have a 'protein sparing' effect. So tons of protein is not necessary."

What happens if you go too high? Simple: Say goodbye to ketosis! Certain amino acids are gluconeogenic, which means that they can actually be used to make carbohydrates.

Put another way, keeping your protein intake too high could end up having the same effect as eating too many carbs. That said, once you gain more experience with your personal levels of ketosis, you can start playing with how much protein you consume in a day. Wittrock says he stays right around 20 percent.

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Living The Fat Life

The easiest macro to calculate in the ketogenic diet is fat. Once you've got your carbs and protein set, simply fill the rest of your daily calorie needs with fat sources. If you find yourself wanting to gain a bit of weight, add approximately 500 calories, or 55 grams. If you want to lose weight, cut down on your fat intake by 200-500 calories, or 22-55 grams.

When following a ketogenic diet, most people inherently start with a fat phobia and are scared to lather it on. Wittrock remembers these days vividly.

"It was extremely difficult," he recalls. "You spend your entire life hearing that fat makes you fat and causes heart attacks and strokes. Now, all of a sudden, you're eating 200 grams of fat per day. There is a huge psychological component to conquer before you can become successful with the keto diet. In the beginning, it's like trying to convince people 1,000 years ago that the world is in fact round, not flat."

Still, it can be hard to get enough fat when you first start this diet. Butter, nuts, coconut and olive oils, and fatty cuts of meat are all on the menu. However, don't go overboard with polyunsaturated fats like soybean, corn, or sunflower oil. Keto dieters who increase their intake of those fats often end up with gastrointestinal distress that causes them to jump ship.