I am beginning to think this is impossible for me

(Newbie in Kansas. ) #1

I have been on the Keto diet for one day and I am already overwhelmed.

I have 2 books “Quick and Easy Ketogenic Cooking by Maria Emmerich” and “The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners by Amy Ramos” and looking over the meal plans in these books has by head about ready to explode.

A one week shopping list for one of the meal plans has me buying 80…yes 80 different products at the store. I don’t think my bank account can afford this plus I would have to rent a trailer to haul it all home.

Many of the recipes has me going to another recipe to make recipe to put in the previous recipe.

Quick and easy my foot.

How on earth are you people doing Keto???

You people must be superhuman.

I am not a cook, I guess that is a huge problem right from the start.

I can cook bacon and eggs and that is about it…can you eat bacon and eggs for every meal and stay on Keto?

Ok guys…what is the real secret to living with this lifestyle, hiring someone to do the cooking…right??

Well if you felt overwhelmed when you started and worked through it I would love to hear from you.

(Tiera ) #2

Yes, you can eat bacon and eggs for every meal! But also, keep it simple, especially at the beginning. Find meats you like and make them the fattiest cuts and then add fat. Chicken thighs, a steak with butter, some sausage. It doesn’t have to be complex and/or gourmet to taste good and get the job done.

(Richard Morris) #3

Cooking is I think an important step. If you can do bacon and eggs … you can cook a keto meal.

Before you get bored of that one meal … you can learn to cook fatty sausages (try to get some without fillers) and make a salad with an Italian vinaigrette (shake 3 parts olive oil and 1 part vinegar in a jar) that’s your second meal.

Then learn to steam broccoli in the microwave, add butter and/or cheese and you have another 2 meals (bacon with Brocc … Sausages with Brocc)

I can’t promise it’ll be easy, but it is worthwhile and a lot of us learned to cook late in life and are here to help.

(Newbie in Kansas. ) #4

Thanks BicepsBroccoli & Richard…I really appreciate the help…was really feeling overwhelmed today.

(gooeykablooey) #5

I don’t even bother buying cookbooks :slight_smile: I’m too broke for that and don’t have time to hunt down exotic ingredients that are rarely available in eastern kentucky! . Keep keto simple. Bacon and eggs is fine. Add butter to stuff.
My shopping list isn’t much different compared to pre keto. I just omit the breads, chips, starchy veggies and sweets. And amped up buying cheeses, butter and cream.

#6

You might be better off surfing the net for some recipe ideas and meal plans. Have a look in the budget section on the forum…

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/c/food/budget

as well as Recipes of course…

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/c/food/recipes-recipes-recipes

A lot of the ketofied recipes for things you miss can get complicated with a big list of ingredients but the mainstay of keto, the day to day stuff, can be as simple as you want it to be. Don’t panic!

Have a look also at this post to see what people eat…

(eat more) #7

what works for me is super super simple
i pick a protein and add fat. (sometimes i add a vegetable too)

deviled eggs with mayo and bacon
salami and cheese (sometimes with cucumbers or a pickle to “lighten” it up a little)
rotisserie chicken and avocado
beef, brussels sprouts, and bleu cheese
egg cups/muffins

^^^ wouldn’t sell very many books but works for me
i just use basic ingredients…
nothing fancy…i’m fancy in other ways :joy:

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #8

@RandyH
Poke me anytime, I’ll help! I’ve been doing this three years and it’s EASY for me now!!

I remember how overwhelmed I would get at times.

It CAN be overwhelming at first.

TL;DR all the comments here but saw @richard’s.
Do that.

It’s how I started.
YOU GOT THIS

(Bacon for the Win) #9

@RandyH

keep it simple. Cook a steak on the stove top. Cook fish in the oven. Eggs. Cook and eat all. the. eggs. And bacon. Enjoy the bacon. Look online for simple recipes that don’t have lots of ingedients. There’s plenty out there. Look through the recipes here, lots of good ones.

#10

I don’t really like to cook, so I keep my meals very simple. I only have a handful of dishes that I eat most of the time. Monotony reduces overeating. I only venture into more elaborate recipes if I really get bored (which isn’t often). But I do really, really enjoy the things I make (mostly eggs plus vegetables).

At this point, you don’t know what you’re going to like, so start with a few simple meals (with common ingredients) and gradually expand from there.

(I want abs... olutely all the bacon) #11

I have 3 of Maria’s cookbooks, luv them, but wouldn’t recommend them as a starter unless I knew the person already cooked a lot of their foods. She has great basics and varying amounts of complexity for the rest of the recipes. Keep the book for when you’re ready to try your own mayo (not required) or explore cooking options. Her references to recipes within recipes is about things like making your own mayo to avoid oils high in Omega 6. You can worry about your oils once you have the basics of the ketogenic way of eating well in-hand.

Keep it simple and cook plain (chops, steaks, chicken) choosing the fattest cuts your palate can take (some require time to adjust to fat), and buy the convenience food (rotisserie chicken, avocado mayo, pre-cut cauliflower, spinach dip (careful some are high carb). If you like buttet put it on or in anything you can. Once you’re through the carb withdrawal and have clearer thinking evaluate what matters to you and fits in your budget.

When you’re ready there’s a video that takes you through a week with shopping and cooking, balancing convenience and budget. If you like this there are many more YouTube channels to explore.

(Jaidann) #12

It’s okay! Honestly I kind of felt the same way. I went out and bought all this stuff … and it was pricey. I knew I couldn’t afford this stuff so I took a step back and thought about it.

We can’t afford grass fed stuff unless it’s on a really good sale. I have also found that in my area, grass fed has very little fat. So my compromise is if the sale is really good, I’ll buy it, otherwise I’m in the cheap section of the grocery store meat department finding all the fatty things that they are selling dirt cheap because everyone wants the lean stuff. Get yourself some Old Bay Seasoning … it goes well on almost ANY meat. I buy frozen veggies. Much easier on the budget. Since I save money that way … I have a bit more leeway when it comes to cheeses and fats, so I’ll buy some Kerrygold butter ON SALE and more expensive cheeses because they just taste better.

Tonight I had a pork chop cooked in coconut oil and Old Bay seasoning with steamed cabbage slathered in butter. This meal is a go-to meal for me that I make very often because it’s fast, easy and I don’t have to think! Lots of times I’ll add in @Brenda’s cheesy bisquits! Really easy to make and delicious!

(Newbie in Kansas. ) #13

WOW…everyone…you blow me away.

What super advice…thanks to you all.

You are giving me hope again…Keep it simple…I will keep telling myself that.

(Nathan Hall) #14

And while you’re on YouTube, check out “Butter Bob”. His advice, and I concur, is keep it simple.
I often eat things I didn’t have to cook. Blocks of cheese, pork rinds with sour cream or guacamole, pepperoni,and other fatty deli meats, sardines in olive oil, macadamia nuts, pecans, and so on.
When I do cook, it’s relatively simple things like hamburger patties, pork chops, or steaks, paired with simple side items (keto friendly veggies with plenty of butter).

It also helps that I have a high tolerance for repetitive meals. (Thank you US Army) :smiley:

(Siobhan) #15

When I started I kept it VERY simple because I didn’t want to think of what I can and can’t eat… I just wanted to eat.
I made stuff like bunless burgers (ground meat, egg, pepper, salt) with cheese, avocado or guac on top, maybe a bit of onion, or fried egg.
I also ate spinach with indian spices and cream cheese.
Eggs and bacon, eggs and sausage, omelettes…
Sometimes I would get stuck on one recipe and just eat that until I got bored of it.

I would definitely avoid the special items for now. Just stick with meat, eggs, some low carb veggies (there are charts we can provide if you need them), butter, cream, cheese, etc
A meat (or fish) dish with a side of veggies cooked in butter is extremely simple and satisfying!
After a while, you can branch out to more complicated or involved recipes… if you want to. But you don’t have to.

Edit: I’ll also note that our food budget (for 3 people) has been cut nearly in half via keto. If we wanted we could probably get it lower. You eat a LOT less on keto, and that saves you money. Plus the cost of preparing your own (simple) meals versus prepackaged food… keto wins every time.

(Daniel) #16

when I feel overwhelmed, I just go to wendys. Get a baconator meal, plain, no bun, and a caesar salad. And an unsweetened iced tea. then, chill. mmm. burger.

(Tom) #17

My unsolicited advice, based on stuff and things. Probably repetitive.

  1. Keep it basic. While keto-fied spaghetti made by Peruvian low-carb monks and grass-fed andaslusian horse meatballs sounds awesome, the amount of effort needed to get all that stuff is exponentially higher than obtaining bacon, sausage, eggs, steak, and some spinach. Master some basic keto meals before getting fancy.

  2. One. One meal at a time. One snack at a time. There are no past meals, and no future meals. This serves several purposes. It relieves the worry over what you’ll have for dinner next Tuesday. It eliminates anxiety over repetition of the same keto foods (it’s ok, really). And should you find yourself eating non-keto foods, it will enable you to leave that in the past and focus on the meal/snack at hand.

  3. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. This is as much a learning process as it is a way of eating and lifestyle. Your application of Keto principles to your own body and life will vary as you make progress and observations, and that’s actually normal. Good, even! We are dynamic beings, and if the same thing worked for ever, it probably means we aren’t alive.

(Newbie in Kansas. ) #18

@xparis001 I love the way you think.

(Newbie in Kansas. ) #19

@crunchyfrog Your remark “Dont let perfect be the enemy of good.” Wow I will paste that one on my fridge…thanks.

(Jennifer) #20

Here are a couple things - Hamburger, just make a patty and fry it with a little oil. Add cheese. Or take it and make taco meat (brown hamburger add taco seasoning) and make taco bowls. Lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado. Boom! Hamburger can be used a thousand different ways.

Get those frozen steamer bags of good veggies. steam - add butter. Get a rotisserie chicken - that will last a couple days. It really is easy and does not have to cost a lot.

Once you get the hang of easy, then you can make something complicated when you are ready.