What I Eat in a Day on Keto

The ketogenic diet isn’t all bacon and blue cheese, though I eat plenty of both

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen that slack-jawed expression on someone’s face.

In fact, it happens nearly every time I explain that I follow a ketogenic diet, which consists primarily of fat (about 70% of my daily food intake), with moderate protein (about 20% of my daily caloric intake) and very little carbohydrates (about 5% of my daily calories).

“But what do you eat?” she asks, her face a mixture of curiosity, suspicion and disdain.

She wonders how it is possible to survive without bread, pasta or potatoes.

She marvels that I am able to lose weight by eating so much fat.

She wonders what eating so much saturated fat is doing to my arteries. (Answer: keeping them healthy, most likely, since numerous well-controlled studies show that saturated fat is not only NOT linked to cardiovascular disease and death, but that vegetable and seed oils — which I don’t consume — are).

Then come the maintenance questions:

But how long can you eat like that?

You mean you’ll never eat sushi or chocolate cake again?

Yes, Virginia, I will eat cake again

These are all thoughts I had, too, just six months ago before I began my keto journey. The honest answers are: I don’t know how long I can eat like this, and no, it doesn’t mean I’ll never eat sushi or cake again.

The thing is this way of eating is not really hard.

When I started keto, I thought it was going to be a 30-day experiment. But I was blown away by how the diet regulated my hunger hormones. I simply don’t crave food when I’m not hungry. That never happened to me before, even when I was doing my 25-grams-of-fiber-per-day experiment.

In fact, before keto, I craved food (carbohydrates) even when I was full. Not now.

I suffered from digestive issues, bloating, moodiness, extreme fatigue and foggy brain. On keto, my digestive issues are 100% gone, my thinking is clear, and my mood is even throughout the day.

There is also good evidence that the keto diet may prevent Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve given up carbohydrates forever. I love carbs! I wish I could eat an all-carb diet. I just feel lousy when I do.

My way of doing keto is to nibble at carbs when I get the cravings, but keep it to a nibble. I’ll have three bites of someone else’s dessert at a restaurant, and that satisfies me. If I feel a need for chocolate, I’ll go for a dark chocolate or a homemade keto treat, and I’m satisfied.

Because I know what carbs do to my brain, body and energy level, I have an incentive to stay away from them. But if I can get away with eating a few treats now and then, I do.

My keto diet may not be your keto diet

I know that sounds dangerous to some people. I know that many folks can’t stop at just one treat. I used to be one of them. But somehow, my hunger hormones are well regulated on keto, and I don’t overindulge. I eat just a few bites to get the taste of something, and that’s enough for me.

It’s my perfectly imperfect approach to keto. It may not be yours. Please don’t judge me. This is just what works for me.

If I had Type 2 diabetes or epilepsy or was trying to resolve an autoimmune disease, I would be far more strict. But I am at a healthy weight and feel good overall, so this is how I approach keto.

What I eat in a day

Like many people who are on the keto diet, I incorporate intermittent fasting as part of my healthy routine. That means I usually fast for 12 to 16 hours after my last meal of the day. So I end up eating my first meal of the day sometime between 12:30 and 1:30 most days.

Here’s what I eat:

11 a.m.: Coffee with 1 Tbsp. MCT oil and about ½ tsp. of heavy whipping cream

Yes, this is technically food, but MCT oil and heavy cream don’t raise insulin, so I still consider myself “fasting.” I realize that not everyone approves of this, but this seems to work well for my body.

1:00 p.m.: Two eggs and two sausage patties with 4 oz. of a stevia-sweetened drinking vinegar (I like the Live drinking vinegars)

Sometimes I will substitute sugar-free uncured bacon for the sausage patties. This meal provides me with even energy for four to five hours.

Update: This now provides me with even energy for six or seven hours.

5:30 p.m.: Handful of macadamia nuts or cheese and keto crackers

Update: I rarely eat an afternoon snack anymore. I just don’t need it. My hunger hormones are very finely tuned now, and starting my day with a good amount of protein and fat and practically no carbs seems to be exactly what I need to feel good for hours.

7:00 p.m.: Salmon with zucchini noodles in a lemon cream sauce

Other options: taco salad with a high-fat ground beef, chicken in a lemon cream sauce, fajitas (without the tortillas) topped with a generous portion of guacamole, keto lasagna with sliced turkey breast for noodles.

9 p.m.: Two keto peanut butter chocolate chip cookies or a piece of dark chocolate

I know that some people feel that once you indulge in keto treats, you risk going off the deep end and overindulging. That hasn’t happened to me in the six months I’ve been doing keto. I think it’s because my body just doesn’t react to sweets that don’t have sugar in them. Quite honestly, they don’t taste as good as the real thing, so I don’t feel a craving to eat more.

That said, I know that there is no health benefit to an erythritol-sweetened cookie. So one of my goals is to wean myself off the keto treats.

Update: I still haven’t weaned myself off of the keto treats. But now it has been eight months and I have maintained my weight loss and still feel great — no bloating, brain fog, etc.

As for drinks, I usually just drink water or seltzer water, but occasionally, I’ll have a glass of red wine or champagne if I’m out. These are relatively low in carbs.

It’s important for me to feel like the food I eat is just part of my life. It’s not a diet. I still enjoy cooking, I still love eating good food, and I still refuse to deprive myself of those pleasures. I do not view keto as a restriction; it’s just a healthy approach to eating.

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