I can cook but I found it much easier to just keep it simple. Hamburger is easy to cook … eat a plain patty with favorite cheese or butter or my fave is blue cheese and butter … you can wrap it in a large lettuce leaf (I use romaine lettuce) or make up some taco meat and put it in a leaf or on salad. Steak or pork chop is easy with a slice of roasted red pepper and some olives. Fish is easy and fast. I often just open a can of green beans if I am in a hurry or I buy fresh and cook in a little water with bacon. You can buy cauliflower already rice or broccoli slaw can be used in stir fry or quickly steamed. Frozen veggies are fine too. I eat salami and cheese with olives for lunch most days. We also keep frozen shrimp for a fast meal … dip it in butter mixed with old bay and/or lemon. Order naked wings from Pizza Hut or buy chicken wings and bake them and toss in some Frank’s mixed with butter. Good luck on your journey! BTW … I found Maria’S book to be pretty advanced and way over my head … and I am a pretty good cook!
I am beginning to think this is impossible for me
Maria’s book was too involved for me, too. I looked at all the pictures, then gave it away. Keep it simple! I cook big batches of bacon once a week or so. I snack on that, and cook eggs, steaks, and hamburgers in the bacon grease, or in Kerry Gold butter. Other staples include breakfast sausage, pepperoni, cheese, avacados, and pre-hard booked eggs. All of that can be eaten straight from the fridge, or with minimal prep. We also go out a lot, including fast food. Anything that can be put on a sandwich can be served without bread. Even pizza can be made without crust, if the pizza place is willing to put all the toppings in a bowl and bake that.
You guys are still posting some fantastic advice and ideas…you are amazing.
Thanks again.
It can be done Randy…I have a wife and three kids, and I am the only Keto Eater in the lot. Stick to it, and soon discipline is replaced by simple routine. Once this Way Of Eating becomes your Way Of Life, you got it licked.
I still go off every now and again (planned, not via being overwhelmed ), but the thought of turning back is anathema to me. No willpower necessary at this point.
@RandyH: I bet I’m not the only one on the forums who wants to know how you’re doing! Let us know if you’ve “made it through the valley”! And maybe you’ve got a tip or two to share?
Thanks for asking Jeff…I wish I could say that I made it through the valley with all this great advice, but I can’t.
The other day I just caved and I thought, there is no way I can eat another piece of bacon, I am already sick of bacon…I want some cereal and strawberries for breakfast. I thought I may be able to keep up this eating for another few days…but do it for the rest of my life…it ain’t happening. So I went out and had a pizza with real crust for lunch.
I may try this again down the road and I may not, I don’t know at this point.
I am sorry to let down all the people that have given such great advice but hopefully this will help someone else that is stronger mentally than I am.
I guess looking back at my Why, I don’t think I had a strong enough Why to keep me going. If I had weight issues or diabetes or some other health problem that gave me a stronger willingness to hang in there, that might have made a huge difference…but I don’t. I just thought this seemed to make sense and I thought I might be able to get off Statin drugs, but that is not enough to keep me going when the carb cravings start.
Good luck to anyone else starting this lifestyle.
I feel if you can’t/don’t want to do some amount of cooking you will in fact have a tough time on LCHF.
You have not let anyone down Randy. I hope you find a way that works for you, and am also sure that you would be welcome back here if you ever feel like giving keto another go.
if/when you do…the cravings will subside…completely went away for me…if you are eating enough overall…too little intake especially in the beginning led to cravings for me…
like one day i was out running errands and hadn’t eaten enough before i left the house (and wasn’t fat adapted because i was very early into this way of eating)…I wanted a sandwich…sandwiches weren’t even my thing pre keto
i hope you stick around and keep reading even if now is not the time to put it into practice 
Randy,
I appreciate your honesty. I hope you do give keto another chance when it feels right for you.
If you look at statins a little bit and see their side effects, and general lack of effectiveness at reducing risk of a heart attacks, and you’re concerned about cardiac health, that may be reason enough to go Keto.
The best thing to do is PUT AWAY THE BOOKS! Start simple! Meat ,eggs, cheese and veggies. Eliminate all starches, grains and sweets. Recipes are for later. Stay simple until you adjust. JMO!!
Hey Randy, thank you for the honest reply. And you are welcomed back without any risk of feeling like you let anyone down…you didn’t.
You point out something very interesting…that your “why” was not enough. As in you are not over weight or Diabetic…so there isn’t enough reason to stick to keto.
However, later on in your message, you do mention that you are on statin drugs. I’m pointing this out because those drugs are notorious for harming health.
Now, I’m not going to harp on about keto … I’m just going to put the recommendation out there that maybe it would be worthwhile to have another conversation with your doctor as to why you are on statins and if they can be reduced or removed.
If there is anything you can do that will definitely impact your health, and not require cooking, it’s dealing with the statins issue.
I really hope you find your way to great health.
Hi Randy, I’d just like to add that many of us can get away with eating the SAD diet through our 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s, but things come to a head in our 50’s and 60’s as our blood panels blow up (nasty metabolic conditions are not far behind). If your doctor is prescribing medicines like statins, I think that you are there (like the rest of us of a certain age). Accept the fact that your body cannot metabolize the SAD food anymore. You may not need to go full keto to improve, but a HFLC approach will make a big difference in your blood panel and overall health. It’s a luxurious way of eating, no need for strength! Wouldn’t you rather eat steak than glorified bread (pizza)?
I also have Maria Emmerich’s book. I found the information enlightening yet the meal plans to be unreasonable for my lifestyle. Therefore I adapted and overcame. Instead of making a different breakfast, I chose to make a week’s worth of the first and portion them. When it came to the second meals I chose one or two from the plan and made those for the week. Leftovers don’t bother me. I cancelled the bone marrow as I could not find them first of all and when I did the texture was too much for me. Yuck.
I hope this helped a little.
Wait? New here and reading…I can eat popcorn?? I may survive keto after all 
only if you want to use up at least half of your day’s carbs on a measily ounce of popcorn
12g carb for an ounce (28g) of skinny pop
pre keto that was my “healthy” snack…i still look nostalgically when i see it in ppl’s carts at costco LOL
I’ve been fasting for about 36 hours and I haven’t been hungry until just now. Steak and eggs is just about my favorite combination.
I started off with cheese and salami. Eggs bacon and sausage cooked in butter. Slowly I started trying new things. Salads with bacon blue cheese dressing and cheese. I was thinking the same thing at first. It was overwhelming. Then someone told me smear some cream cheese on salami. After that it all got easy.
I’m not much of a cook…so much so that I had to go and buy a pan last week and used my cooker for the first time 
(moved in to a new house 5 months ago and decided to only buy things as I needed them)…
With that pan I made an omelette…that’s how I started…now I make various kinds of omelette…and fry steak/salmon/sausages/eggs etc…
…also bought a large salad bowl…and filled it with leaves/oil/pickled eggs etc…
Interestingly…now I’m tempted to try some other things - there’s a keto macaroon recipe that has my name written all over it…
I actually feel quite excited…about cooking!!! What’s THAT all about? 