🥣 The Soup Diet: A Simple Plan for Quick Weight Loss
Looking to shed a few pounds fast? The soup diet might be just the thing! 🍲 This short-term eating plan focuses on high-fiber, low-calorie soups made with veggies and lean proteins to help you lose weight—quickly and safely (when done right).
Originally developed at Hospital do Coração in São Paulo, Brazil, this diet was designed to help heart surgery patients lose up to 4 kg (8–9 lbs) per week before their procedures. Sounds impressive, right? But it’s not a long-term solution, so read on to find out how to follow it safely! 👇
🥗 What Is the Soup Diet?
The soup diet is a 7-day meal plan that centers around homemade vegetable soup served for lunch and dinner, paired with small, nutritious snacks. It’s very low in calories and aims to help you detox and slim down fast.
Because it’s so restrictive, it’s not meant for long-term use. In fact, doing it for more than 7 days can put you at risk of nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, and even muscle loss. Always consult a registered dietitian (RD) before starting!
✅ How to Follow the Soup Diet
Here’s what a typical day looks like on the soup diet:
🥣 Lunch & Dinner Enjoy a hearty bowl of soup made with vegetables and lean protein like chicken, fish, or lean beef.
🍎 Breakfast & Snacks Choose one fruit or a glass of fresh juice (no added sugar!). You can also have eggs or unsweetened tea to keep you energized.
⚠️ Note: This diet is very low in calories, so you might feel lightheaded or tired. That’s why it’s only recommended for a maximum of 7 days, and preferably under professional supervision.
🛒 Foods to Include
Stock up on these healthy goodies! 🛍️
🍏 Fruits (in moderation): apples, pears, melon, tangerines, oranges, kiwi
🍰 Sugary treats: ice cream, cookies, chocolate, soda
🍟 Junk food: fries, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs
🍷 Alcohol: wine, beer, spirits
Also, steer clear of intense workouts—light activities like walking, stretching, or yoga are best during this time 🧘♀️.
📅 3-Day Sample Meal Plan
Here’s a simple meal plan to get you started:
Meal
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Breakfast
☕ Coffee (no sugar) + 🍐 1 pear
🍳 2-egg omelet + 🥝 1 kiwi
🥣 Fat-free yogurt (120g) + 🍊 1 orange
Morning Snack
🍎 Baked apple with cinnamon
🍈 Slice of melon
🥬 Glass of green juice
Lunch/Dinner
🥣 Squash soup + chicken + olive oil
🍅 Tomato soup + ground beef + olive oil
🥕 Veggie soup + tuna + olive oil
Afternoon Snack
🍉 Slice of watermelon + chamomile tea
🍌 Yogurt (120g) topped with ½ banana
🥚 Hard-boiled egg + lemon balm tea
🌟 Tip: Feel free to swap ingredients based on availability and taste, just stick to the guidelines!
🍲 Vegetable Soup Recipe
Here’s a simple and satisfying soup you can make during your diet week:
🛒 Ingredients:
½ zucchini
2 carrots
1 cup chopped green beans
1 tomato, diced
1 lb (500 g) chicken breast, cubed
1 onion, diced
1 bunch fresh parsley or chives
1 bunch celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
👩🍳 Instructions:
Season the chicken with garlic, salt, and pepper.
Sauté the onion in olive oil.
Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes.
Toss in the vegetables and cover with water.
Simmer until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender.
Top with fresh herbs and enjoy warm!
⚠️ Precautions & Warnings
❗ Due to its restrictive nature, the soup diet is not for everyone. Avoid it if you are:
🤰 Pregnant or breastfeeding
🧒 A child or teenager
👵 An older adult
💔 Dealing with eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia
Some people may also experience dizziness, fatigue, or weakness. If this happens, stop the diet and speak with your doctor or dietitian.
The soup diet can be a helpful kickstart for weight loss, but it’s not a magic fix. Think of it as a short-term boost that should always be followed by a balanced, sustainable eating plan.
🧠 Why Most Diets Fail (And Why High-Protein Eating Breaks the Cycle)
If you’ve ever jumped on a trendy diet wagon—keto, paleo, low-fat, sugar detox—you already know how it ends. You start strong. You see a few results. Then life gets busy. Motivation dips. You get hungry. Tired. Bored.
And one “off” day turns into a week… and you’re back at square one.
Why does this happen?
Because most diets work against your biology. They rely on restriction, calorie cutting, or removing entire food groups. Your body fights back with:
Intense cravings
Mood swings
Sluggish energy
Muscle loss
But protein? Protein works with your body. It stabilizes blood sugar, keeps you full, and helps preserve lean muscle (so you burn more calories, even at rest).
It’s not about eating less. It’s about eating smart.
💬 Real People. Real Transformations.
“I stopped obsessing over carbs and just focused on getting 25g of protein in every meal. I lost 12 pounds in 6 weeks without counting calories.” – Sarah, 39, working mom of 2
“I was stuck in a plateau for months. Then I added protein snacks between meals—Greek yogurt and jerky. Suddenly, my hunger was gone and the scale moved again.” – Nina, 44, small business owner
“I used to feel foggy in the afternoons. Now I eat 30g of protein for lunch and I’m sharp, focused, and energized all day. Game-changer.” – Rashid, 51, graphic designer
When people shift to high-protein eating, they don’t just change their bodies—they change their lives. They stop fighting food. They stop battling hunger. And they start feeling in control again.
🧠 Bonus: The Psychology of Protein and Cravings
Ever notice how carb-heavy meals leave you craving more? That’s your brain being hijacked by a spike (and crash) in blood sugar.
Protein keeps your blood sugar stable, which:
Minimizes mood swings
Curbs “emotional eating”
Reduces the dopamine spikes that lead to overeating
In other words, protein not only fills your belly—it calms your mind.
Plus, new studies show that starting your day with 30g of protein can dramatically reduce cravings for the next 24 hours. So if late-night snacking is your weakness, fix breakfast first!
🥗 What to Avoid (Even on a High-Protein Diet)
Not all high-protein diets are created equal. Watch out for:
❌ Highly processed protein bars – Many are loaded with sugar and artificial junk ❌ Overdoing red/processed meat – Bacon, sausage, and fatty cuts can increase inflammation ❌ Neglecting fiber – A high-protein diet still needs veggies and whole foods for digestion ❌ Forgetting hydration – Extra protein requires extra water to flush byproducts from the body
Instead, focus on clean, whole-food proteins with plenty of fiber-rich sides. Think chicken with roasted broccoli. Greek yogurt with berries and flax. Lentil soup with leafy greens.
🔄 Meal Plan Swaps for Busy Days (No Excuses Edition)
We get it—life happens. Here are real-life swaps for when your day doesn’t go as planned:
🕒 No time for breakfast? → Grab a protein shake and banana 🏃♀️ No lunch packed? → Stop for grilled chicken salad or a turkey wrap 🍕 Craving takeout? → Make your own high-protein version with rotisserie chicken, protein wraps, and air-fried potatoes 😩 Too tired to cook? → Greek yogurt + chia seeds + berries = fast and balanced dinner
With the right mindset and a stocked fridge, you’re always 5 minutes away from a protein-powered meal.
💡 Fun Fact: Protein Helps with Skin, Hair, and Hormones Too!
You’ve probably heard about muscle growth, but did you know protein is essential for:
✨ Hair growth – Keratin (your hair protein) needs building blocks ✨ Glowing skin – Collagen is a protein; more protein = more skin elasticity ✨ Hormonal balance – Protein helps stabilize insulin, leptin, and ghrelin ✨ Strong nails and bones – Protein supports calcium absorption and bone density
So it’s not just about looking lean. It’s about glowing from the inside out.
🎯 Let’s Recap: Why You Should Start Today
Here’s everything you gain from switching to a high-protein lifestyle:
✅ Appetite control without restriction ✅ Faster fat loss with muscle protection ✅ Higher energy, better mood, clearer thinking ✅ Stronger body, better skin, and improved metabolic health ✅ Simple meals, flexible recipes, and real food (no starvation) ✅ Freedom from obsessive tracking or calorie counting ✅ Real, lasting results—without sacrificing joy
All from one small change: prioritizing protein first.
🎁 Free 7-Day High-Protein Kickstart Plan
This isn’t just a meal plan—it’s your momentum builder. Inside the free PDF, you’ll get:
📅 A full 7-day meal schedule 🥗 Grocery list for busy people 🍽️ Meal prep tips for real-life schedules 📊 Protein breakdowns per meal 😋 Family-friendly recipes that don’t taste like diet food 📥 PLUS: Bonus snack swaps & dessert ideas
💬 Ready to Feel Strong, Energized & in Control?
You don’t need to “try harder.” You just need a plan that works with your life.
👇 Drop a “YES” in the comments and I’ll DM you the free 7-day high-protein guide! Or head over to www.HighProteinChallenge.com and start now.
Remember—your next breakthrough isn’t about cutting more. It’s about fueling better.
Let’s rebuild your energy, your strength, and your confidence—one protein-packed meal at a time. 💪🔥
Let me know if you’d like me to turn this into:
A beautifully designed PDF eBook
A multi-part email nurture sequence
A carousel-friendly Facebook/Instagram post series
A long-form blog article optimized for SEO
Or a lead magnet quiz funnel to capture emails and build your audience
Let’s be real—losing weight and building muscle can feel frustrating when you’re constantly hungry or struggling to see results. But what if I told you there’s a simple fix?
Studies show that increasing your protein intake can help you burn fat, stay full longer, and build lean muscle without making your life harder.
And here’s the best part—you don’t need to spend hours meal prepping or eat plain chicken and broccoli every day. I’ve put together a high-protein meal plan that’s easy, delicious, and fits into any lifestyle. Whether you’re looking to drop weight, gain strength, or just eat better, this plan makes it effortless.
Are you ready to make healthy eating simple and satisfying? Let’s dive in!
Why This High-Protein Meal Plan Is Perfect for You
This balanced, protein-packed meal plan is designed to keep you full, energized, and on track with your health goals—whether you’re aiming for weight loss, muscle building, or simply eating healthier. Here’s why this meal plan works:
Keeps You Full & Fuels Muscle – High-protein meals control hunger, reduce cravings, and support muscle retention while losing weight.
Boosts Metabolism & Fat Burn – Protein takes more energy to digest, helping you burn more calories naturally.
Balanced & Nutritious – Includes fiber, healthy fats, and essential nutrients for overall wellness.
Diverse & Flexible – Offers vegetarian, plant-based, and lean meat options to fit different lifestyles.
Easy & Meal-Prep Friendly – Quick one-pan meals, wraps, and casseroles save time without sacrificing flavor.
Healthy Comfort Foods – Enjoy lasagna, grilled cheese, and sloppy joes—all protein-packed and guilt-free!
This 7-day high-protein plan makes healthy eating simple, satisfying, and effective. Ready to feel the difference?
New Scientific Research on High-Protein Diets
Now, here’s something exciting that most people don’t know yet—Orford University is currently running a groundbreaking study on next-level WW meal plans and their impact on weight loss.
Their research focuses on a revolutionary approach: removing the need to track certain foods. The idea is simple but powerful—when people don’t have to log every single thing they eat, they’re more likely to stick to a healthy diet long-term.
Early findings are already showing impressive results:
Participants lost an average of 7.9% of their body weight in just six months.
Over 60% of them lost at least 5% of their initial weight (a big win for health!).
More than 30% managed to drop over 10% of their weight, which is HUGE.
This could change the future of weight loss programs forever—making WW even more intuitive, stress-free, and effective.
Celebrities Who Swear by High-Protein Meal Plans
Many celebrities have embraced high-protein meal plans to enhance their health, fitness, and overall well-being. Here are a few notable examples:
Jennifer Garner
The acclaimed actress incorporates high-protein meals into her daily routine. She enjoys protein-packed meals like egg bites, roasted chicken, and turkey burritos to stay energized while balancing a busy life. Garner emphasizes the importance of enjoying food without guilt and ensures her meals are rich in vegetables and protein.
Cody Rigsby
The prominent Peloton instructor emphasizes the importance of a high-protein diet to stay fit and healthy as he ages. Rigsby credits his physical activity and nutrition, particularly protein intake, for his strong physique. His diet includes protein-rich meals like egg whites, steak, chicken, and salmon. He advises planning meals around protein to curb cravings and maintain satiety.
Tiffani Thiessen
At 51, actress and cookbook author Tiffani Thiessen has shifted her focus toward wellness, emphasizing feeling good over merely looking good. Thiessen aims for a balanced and sustainable approach to health, incorporating more protein into her diet and engaging in enjoyable activities like hiking and pickleball. She highlights the importance of mental health in achieving overall wellness.
How Much Protein Should You Eat Daily?
According to the Harvard Medical School, the intake depends on your weight, activity level, and goals! The general rule is 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight (0.36g per pound), so if you weigh 150 lbs (68 kg), you need around 55g daily. But if you’re active or building muscle, you’ll want more—around 20–25g after a workout to maximize muscle growth. Just don’t go overboard—research shows eating more than 40g in one sitting doesn’t give extra benefits.
The key? Spread your protein throughout the day for the best results!
How to Follow a High-Protein Diet?
Embarking on a high-protein diet can be a game-changer for your health and fitness goals. Here’s how to do it right:
Plan Your Meals: Design a weekly meal plan focusing on lean proteins like chicken, fish, tofu, and legumes.
Choose Quality Over Quantity: Opt for high-quality protein sources to ensure you’re getting essential amino acids.
Balance is Key: Pair proteins with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables to keep your meals balanced and nutritious.
Monitor Your Intake: Use a food journal or nutrition app to track your protein consumption and stay on target.
Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water aids digestion and supports kidney function, especially important on a high-protein diet.
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how you feel and adjust your protein intake as needed.
Latest Insight: Did you know that insect protein is emerging as a sustainable and nutritious alternative? Recent studies suggest that insect protein can support optimal bone growth and development, offering a promising addition to high-protein diets.
By following these steps and staying informed about new protein sources, you can effectively adopt a high-protein diet that suits your lifestyle and supports your health goals.
What Foods are Highest in Protein?
Incorporating high-protein foods into your diet is essential for building muscle, supporting metabolism, and maintaining overall health. Here’s a curated list of top protein-rich foods to consider:
1. Lean Meats
Chicken Breast: A 100-gram serving provides approximately 22.5 grams of high-quality protein.
Turkey: Cooked turkey breast offers about 25.6 grams of protein per 85-gram serving.
2. Fish and Seafood
Salmon: A single fillet (178 grams) contains around 39.3 grams of protein, along with beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
Tuna: One can (107 grams) provides about 20.3 grams of protein, making it a convenient pantry staple.
3. Dairy Products
Cottage Cheese: Low-fat cottage cheese offers about 11 grams of protein per 100 grams, making it a versatile
Greek Yogurt: This thick, creamy yogurt is not only delicious but also packs a protein punch, with approximately 10 grams per 100-gram serving.
ou’ve probably heard about the low-carb, high-fat diet that’s so popular among actors and models, and with good reason: low-carb diets offer proper nourishment with whole foods while keeping your body burning fat for fuel. This is a great way to be, as it makes fat loss largely effortless! But where does this “ketogenic” word fit into the picture?
Well, ketogenic comes from the word “ketosis“, which is a state in which your body breaks down fat molecules into ketones to provide energy. This state is achieved through very low carbohydrate intake and higher than normal fat intake. The “normal” state of the body’s metabolism is called “glycolysis”, where carbs are burnt for energy. The long and short is that when your body is in carb-burning mode, it will use all available carbs for energy before it touches stored fat. In ketosis, your body is primed to burn fat, and this is great news for anyone trying to get trim and slim.
Benefits of Ketosis
By cutting carb intake significantly, we can drastically reduce insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes. In addition, low-carb diets, along with exercise, can be very effective at helping alleviate the symptoms and progression of type 2 diabetes. Beyond that, ketosis itself is appetite-suppressing, meaning your hunger will naturally check itself, increasing your caloric deficit and making you lose fat even faster.
Getting Started
Ketosis takes some time to get into – about two weeks of low-carb eating is required for the initial adaptation. During this time there will be bouts of sluggishness, fatigue, headaches, and some gastrointestinal issues as you adapt, often referred to as “keto flu“. Proper electrolyte intake will correct most of these issues. In addition, the “diet” aspect of this ketogenic diet plan – that is, the caloric restriction – shouldn’t be worried about. Weight loss will come as your body regulates appetite as it the addiction to sugar and processed food lessens, so restricting calories during the initial two weeks isn’t recommended.
The meal plan is designed to ensure you get three balanced, healthy meals a day that addresses fiber, satiation, and adequate protein intake. The greatest part of a ketogenic diet is the fact that it spares muscle loss, whereas a carb-based diet doesn’t. Weight lost in a high-carb, calorie-restricted diet will often come both from muscle and fat, whereas with keto, you can burn fat without sacrificing muscle. This is referred to often as “body recomposition” and leaves you with a much more preferred physique after weight loss.
Additional Points of Interest
Ketogenic diets often create a significant loss of water during the first phases. This is because carbs are converted to glycogen in your body, which is stored in water within the muscles and liver. As you deplete stored glycogen, your body flushes this water out. This is a huge part of the initial weight loss during the first few weeks of ketosis. While the rapid fat loss does occur at first, a lot of water weight is often dropped as well, but this is a great encouragement as it often results in both weight loss and less bloating, allowing clothes to fit better.
Vegetables: Broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, and many others.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc.
Dairy Products: Cheese, Greek yogurt, sour cream, heavy cream.
Fats and Oils: Peanut Butte, flaxseed oil, butter, sesame oil, olive oil, and almond oil. ( If you want to see more ketogenic diet foods, read this: The Ultimate List of Foods to Eat on a Ketogenic Diet
Foods to Avoid on a Ketogenic Diet
Grains: Grains: Wheat, oats, corn, barley, and rye. Includes bread and pasta.
Artificial Sweeteners: Sucralose, Equal, Acesulfame, Splenda, Saccharin, etc.
Processed Foods: If it contains carrageenan, don’t eat it.
“Low-fat” products: Atkins products, drinks, gluten, diet soda, etc.
7-Day Ketogenic Diet Meal Plan And Menu
So you have found the ketogenic diet, have figured out your macros and you are itching to get started. Here is a ketogenic diet meal plan for one week. If you are just getting situated use this basic plan to help get going.
I HAVE LOST 45 POUNDS IN 4 MONTHS WITH A KETOGENIC DIET
I just started MONTH five of a ketogenic diet(45 lbs lost). I’m by no means an expert. I am now 46 years old and I have spent my entire life trying to lose weight. Ironically I have also spent years learning about nutrition and exercise. Figuring out macronutrients just comes naturally to me as I have done it so much over my life. By following a keto diet this is the first time I have seen any real success in losing unwanted pounds. This is despite years of working out and being active.
I have had a very successful go of it so far, and I feel that a lot of you who are trying to get started with a ketogenic diet may get overwhelmed and confused with all of the numbers and information that is coming at you. Hence this ketogenic diet meal plan. It is what I am doing to keep things simple. I am a guy. I need simple.
For me, I think that success with a keto diet is found with having some base meals and adding some variety later on if needed. Hell, I eat the same thing pretty much every day. Not too exciting but losing 45 pounds in 4 months IS exciting, so I am sticking with it. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
7-DAY KETO DIET GROCERY LIST
The daily meals will be bacon and eggs, chicken with vegetables, and beef with vegetables. These are base meals and will provide good macros for some people. For others who need more food(fat), you can just add a keto-friendly snack or 2 to get your macros up to where they need to be. This is what I need to do.
A dozen eggs.
A package of bacon.
Butter. (real butter)
A pack of boneless SKIN ON chicken thighs
1 onion.
1 bell pepper (Green, red, yellow, that’s your choice.)
Two bulbs of garlic. (Optional, but very heart healthy.)
A big bag of mixed frozen vegetables, at least 12 cups worth. If you are not sure what to get, just pick something else that’s keto friendly like frozen broccoli.)
a bag of almonds, and a jar of almond butter (very expensive – the cheapest I can find is 10$ for 750g at Costco).
A package of beef. You want to find some kind of beef that you can imagine cutting/dividing into 6 equal portions of about 5.5 ounces each(a bit bigger than a deck of cards.)
I AM ACTUALLY COOKING. WELL…SOME
I am not much for cooking but I am doing better. A ketogenic diet meal plan does work better when you have food ready to go. It takes the guesswork out and we need to keep this as simple as possible in order to have success.
Put the 12 thighs into the oven with all the cloves from a bulb of garlic. You should separate the cloves, but you don’t need to skin them. The heat from the oven will do that nicely, and you can peel them when you eat them.
While the thighs are cooking, hard boil the eggs. Then set them aside to cool.
Take a skillet, put some butter in it, and then fry up the bacon. (Note: Some might argue that butter isn’t needed. In my experience, you can either grease up that pan somehow, or your first strips of bacon will come out burnt.)
Dice up half the onion, and save the other half for next week.
Cut up the pepper
You might need to take the chicken out at this point. If it’s done, pull it out, and let it cool.
In the skillet (I love to use the bacon grease as a base) sauté the pepper and half onion, and another bulb’s worth of garlic cloves. (leave the skin on, just like before.)
Add the beef and brown it.
GETTING THE MEALS TOGETHER
Wash/rinse out 12 containers.
In 6 of them, put 2 chicken thighs each. Share the garlic between them, and evenly divide the fat juice.
In the other 6 evenly spoon out the beef/pepper/onion mix.
Take the veggie blend, and evenly pour it across the 12 containers, right on top of the meat.
Put them all in your fridge. If you have minimal fridge space you could just put some in there, and then rest in your freezer. Just pull another out when you pull from the fridge.
Pull out six plastic bags and put 2 hard-boiled eggs in each.
Evenly divide your remaining bacon by 6.
Now brown bag it, and put it in your fridge.
THE MACRONUTRIENTS OF THE KETOGENIC MENU PLAN
Right now you have 6 day’s worth of meals in your fridge
6 bags with 2 hard-boiled eggs and bacon
6 containers of thighs/veggies
6 containers of Beef/Veggies
Okay, so this is only 6 days. Make extra for day 7 OR you can try to get creative and plan your own meals. Ruled. I have some awesome keto recipes if you are feeling brave.
*I messed up. The macros of each “meal” above are too high in protein and too low in fat so reduce the amount of meat in each meal by about half AND add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to each meal(or some cheese). Please forgive me!!
For this base ketogenic meal plan I am going to use the following macronutrient profile that I helped someone set up for themselves:
TOTAL CALORIES- 1570
Net carbs – 20g per day
Protein – 80 g per day
Fat – 130 g per day
Now divide each of those by 3(for 3 meals per day) and you get:
≈7 net carbs per meal
≈26 grams of protein per meal
≈44 grams of fat per meal
Omg, so much math! If you halve the protein in each meal you will be pretty close to these totals PER MEAL!
Personally, I need more protein and fat each day and so will some of you. So I add in some snacks, cheese, or keto fudge during the day to get my macros up where they need to be. I also drink homemade Bulletproof coffee which for me is:
1 cup coffee
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp full-fat coconut milk(in a can)
This adds about 25g of fat to my day.
If you got hungry on Day One between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and supper while you’re still at work eat more fat!
You may also want to consider adding these fat-boosting strategies:
Full fat cream, butter, coconut oil, and MCT oil in your coffee.
Put a tablespoon of mayonnaise on the chicken while it’s baking.
Top the vegetables with some cheese before reheating.
SALT AND ELECTROLYTES WITH THE KETOGENIC DIET
It’s also worth pointing out that you may want to consider taking a multivitamin with the ketogenic diet meal plan. It is very low on Vitamins B1, D, E, and K. Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, and Potassium are also very low, but we need to manage those as part of our electrolyte strategy anyways on keto.
Do not omit essential electrolytes: Sodium (Na+), Chloride (Cl-), Potassium (K+), Magnesium (Mg++), Calcium (Ca++), Phosphate (HPO4–), Bicarbonate (HCO3-). Lack of electrolytes or more pointedly the body’s primary electrolyte sodium (aka Salt) is responsible for lethargy, brain fog, and keto flu symptoms on high fats diets.
You should be aiming for at least 8 cups of water a day. I have a 600ml bottle and I empty it at least 10 times a day. That is a lot of water and yes I am going to the bathroom a lot. Carbs hold water, so with minimal carbs, this will speed up the flushing of water. So even more bathroom breaks.
BUT HOW DO I KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THIS?!
The “easiest” way to actually track your eating(and thus your macros) for your ketogenic diet meal plan is to set up a free account with MyFitnessPal.
This app is both web-based and/or you can use it with your phone. I cannot stress the importance of tracking what you eat. Doing this has made all the difference in the world for me and is a huge part of my keto diet success.
Once you get your account set up you just enter the food you eat and the app calculates your total consumption for each macro and your total calories. There is also a “bar code scanner” as part of the app. You use your phone to “scan” the bar code of the food you are eating and it enters it into your daily eating plan. Genius!
SUMMARY
I am proof that a ketogenic diet works. I also know that it can be confusing as hell trying to deal with all of the numbers and then figuring out what to eat. I am hoping that this 7-Day Ketogenic Diet Meal Plan will help you to stay calm(at least a little bit) and focused on your fat loss goals…
ou’ve probably heard about the low-carb, high-fat diet that’s so popular among actors and models, and with good reason: low-carb diets offer proper nourishment with whole foods while keeping your body burning fat for fuel. This is a great way to be, as it makes fat loss largely effortless! But where does this “ketogenic” word fit into the picture?
Well, ketogenic comes from the word “ketosis“, which is a state in which your body breaks down fat molecules into ketones to provide energy. This state is achieved through very low carbohydrate intake and higher than normal fat intake. The “normal” state of the body’s metabolism is called “glycolysis”, where carbs are burnt for energy. The long and short is that when your body is in carb-burning mode, it will use all available carbs for energy before it touches stored fat. In ketosis, your body is primed to burn fat, and this is great news for anyone trying to get trim and slim.
Benefits of Ketosis
By cutting carb intake significantly, we can drastically reduce insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes. In addition, low-carb diets, along with exercise, can be very effective at helping alleviate the symptoms and progression of type 2 diabetes. Beyond that, ketosis itself is appetite-suppressing, meaning your hunger will naturally check itself, increasing your caloric deficit and making you lose fat even faster.
Getting Started
Ketosis takes some time to get into – about two weeks of low-carb eating is required for the initial adaptation. During this time there will be bouts of sluggishness, fatigue, headaches, and some gastrointestinal issues as you adapt, often referred to as “keto flu“. Proper electrolyte intake will correct most of these issues. In addition, the “diet” aspect of this ketogenic diet plan – that is, the caloric restriction – shouldn’t be worried about. Weight loss will come as your body regulates appetite as it the addiction to sugar and processed food lessens, so restricting calories during the initial two weeks isn’t recommended.
The meal plan is designed to ensure you get three balanced, healthy meals a day that addresses fiber, satiation, and adequate protein intake. The greatest part of a ketogenic diet is the fact that it spares muscle loss, whereas a carb-based diet doesn’t. Weight lost in a high-carb, calorie-restricted diet will often come both from muscle and fat, whereas with keto, you can burn fat without sacrificing muscle. This is referred to often as “body recomposition” and leaves you with a much more preferred physique after weight loss.
Additional Points of Interest
Ketogenic diets often create a significant loss of water during the first phases. This is because carbs are converted to glycogen in your body, which is stored in water within the muscles and liver. As you deplete stored glycogen, your body flushes this water out. This is a huge part of the initial weight loss during the first few weeks of ketosis. While the rapid fat loss does occur at first, a lot of water weight is often dropped as well, but this is a great encouragement as it often results in both weight loss and less bloating, allowing clothes to fit better.
Vegetables: Broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, and many others.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc.
Dairy Products: Cheese, Greek yogurt, sour cream, heavy cream.
Fats and Oils: Peanut Butte, flaxseed oil, butter, sesame oil, olive oil, and almond oil. ( If you want to see more ketogenic diet foods, read this: The Ultimate List of Foods to Eat on a Ketogenic Diet
Foods to Avoid on a Ketogenic Diet
Grains: Grains: Wheat, oats, corn, barley, and rye. Includes bread and pasta.
Artificial Sweeteners: Sucralose, Equal, Acesulfame, Splenda, Saccharin, etc.
Processed Foods: If it contains carrageenan, don’t eat it.
“Low-fat” products: Atkins products, drinks, gluten, diet soda, etc.
7-Day Ketogenic Diet Meal Plan And Menu
So you have found the ketogenic diet, have figured out your macros and you are itching to get started. Here is a ketogenic diet meal plan for one week. If you are just getting situated use this basic plan to help get going.
I HAVE LOST 45 POUNDS IN 4 MONTHS WITH A KETOGENIC DIET
I just started MONTH five of a ketogenic diet(45 lbs lost). I’m by no means an expert. I am now 46 years old and I have spent my entire life trying to lose weight. Ironically I have also spent years learning about nutrition and exercise. Figuring out macronutrients just comes naturally to me as I have done it so much over my life. By following a keto diet this is the first time I have seen any real success in losing unwanted pounds. This is despite years of working out and being active.
I have had a very successful go of it so far, and I feel that a lot of you who are trying to get started with a ketogenic diet may get overwhelmed and confused with all of the numbers and information that is coming at you. Hence this ketogenic diet meal plan. It is what I am doing to keep things simple. I am a guy. I need simple.
For me, I think that success with a keto diet is found with having some base meals and adding some variety later on if needed. Hell, I eat the same thing pretty much every day. Not too exciting but losing 45 pounds in 4 months IS exciting, so I am sticking with it. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
7-DAY KETO DIET GROCERY LIST
The daily meals will be bacon and eggs, chicken with vegetables, and beef with vegetables. These are base meals and will provide good macros for some people. For others who need more food(fat), you can just add a keto-friendly snack or 2 to get your macros up to where they need to be. This is what I need to do.
A dozen eggs.
A package of bacon.
Butter. (real butter)
A pack of boneless SKIN ON chicken thighs
1 onion.
1 bell pepper (Green, red, yellow, that’s your choice.)
Two bulbs of garlic. (Optional, but very heart healthy.)
A big bag of mixed frozen vegetables, at least 12 cups worth. If you are not sure what to get, just pick something else that’s keto friendly like frozen broccoli.)
a bag of almonds, and a jar of almond butter (very expensive – the cheapest I can find is 10$ for 750g at Costco).
A package of beef. You want to find some kind of beef that you can imagine cutting/dividing into 6 equal portions of about 5.5 ounces each(a bit bigger than a deck of cards.)
I AM ACTUALLY COOKING. WELL…SOME
I am not much for cooking but I am doing better. A ketogenic diet meal plan does work better when you have food ready to go. It takes the guesswork out and we need to keep this as simple as possible in order to have success.
Put the 12 thighs into the oven with all the cloves from a bulb of garlic. You should separate the cloves, but you don’t need to skin them. The heat from the oven will do that nicely, and you can peel them when you eat them.
While the thighs are cooking, hard boil the eggs. Then set them aside to cool.
Take a skillet, put some butter in it, and then fry up the bacon. (Note: Some might argue that butter isn’t needed. In my experience, you can either grease up that pan somehow, or your first strips of bacon will come out burnt.)
Dice up half the onion, and save the other half for next week.
Cut up the pepper
You might need to take the chicken out at this point. If it’s done, pull it out, and let it cool.
In the skillet (I love to use the bacon grease as a base) sauté the pepper and half onion, and another bulb’s worth of garlic cloves. (leave the skin on, just like before.)
Add the beef and brown it.
GETTING THE MEALS TOGETHER
Wash/rinse out 12 containers.
In 6 of them, put 2 chicken thighs each. Share the garlic between them, and evenly divide the fat juice.
In the other 6 evenly spoon out the beef/pepper/onion mix.
Take the veggie blend, and evenly pour it across the 12 containers, right on top of the meat.
Put them all in your fridge. If you have minimal fridge space you could just put some in there, and then rest in your freezer. Just pull another out when you pull from the fridge.
Pull out six plastic bags and put 2 hard-boiled eggs in each.
Evenly divide your remaining bacon by 6.
Now brown bag it, and put it in your fridge.
THE MACRONUTRIENTS OF THE KETOGENIC MENU PLAN
Right now you have 6 day’s worth of meals in your fridge
6 bags with 2 hard-boiled eggs and bacon
6 containers of thighs/veggies
6 containers of Beef/Veggies
Okay, so this is only 6 days. Make extra for day 7 OR you can try to get creative and plan your own meals. Ruled. I have some awesome keto recipes if you are feeling brave.
*I messed up. The macros of each “meal” above are too high in protein and too low in fat so reduce the amount of meat in each meal by about half AND add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to each meal(or some cheese). Please forgive me!!
For this base ketogenic meal plan I am going to use the following macronutrient profile that I helped someone set up for themselves:
TOTAL CALORIES- 1570
Net carbs – 20g per day
Protein – 80 g per day
Fat – 130 g per day
Now divide each of those by 3(for 3 meals per day) and you get:
≈7 net carbs per meal
≈26 grams of protein per meal
≈44 grams of fat per meal
Omg, so much math! If you halve the protein in each meal you will be pretty close to these totals PER MEAL!
Personally, I need more protein and fat each day and so will some of you. So I add in some snacks, cheese, or keto fudge during the day to get my macros up where they need to be. I also drink homemade Bulletproof coffee which for me is:
1 cup coffee
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp full-fat coconut milk(in a can)
This adds about 25g of fat to my day.
If you got hungry on Day One between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and supper while you’re still at work eat more fat!
You may also want to consider adding these fat-boosting strategies:
Full fat cream, butter, coconut oil, and MCT oil in your coffee.
Put a tablespoon of mayonnaise on the chicken while it’s baking.
Top the vegetables with some cheese before reheating.
SALT AND ELECTROLYTES WITH THE KETOGENIC DIET
It’s also worth pointing out that you may want to consider taking a multivitamin with the ketogenic diet meal plan. It is very low on Vitamins B1, D, E, and K. Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, and Potassium are also very low, but we need to manage those as part of our electrolyte strategy anyways on keto.
Do not omit essential electrolytes: Sodium (Na+), Chloride (Cl-), Potassium (K+), Magnesium (Mg++), Calcium (Ca++), Phosphate (HPO4–), Bicarbonate (HCO3-). Lack of electrolytes or more pointedly the body’s primary electrolyte sodium (aka Salt) is responsible for lethargy, brain fog, and keto flu symptoms on high fats diets.
You should be aiming for at least 8 cups of water a day. I have a 600ml bottle and I empty it at least 10 times a day. That is a lot of water and yes I am going to the bathroom a lot. Carbs hold water, so with minimal carbs, this will speed up the flushing of water. So even more bathroom breaks.
BUT HOW DO I KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THIS?!
The “easiest” way to actually track your eating(and thus your macros) for your ketogenic diet meal plan is to set up a free account with MyFitnessPal.
This app is both web-based and/or you can use it with your phone. I cannot stress the importance of tracking what you eat. Doing this has made all the difference in the world for me and is a huge part of my keto diet success.
Once you get your account set up you just enter the food you eat and the app calculates your total consumption for each macro and your total calories. There is also a “bar code scanner” as part of the app. You use your phone to “scan” the bar code of the food you are eating and it enters it into your daily eating plan. Genius!
SUMMARY
I am proof that a ketogenic diet works. I also know that it can be confusing as hell trying to deal with all of the numbers and then figuring out what to eat.
Let’s face it—trying to lose weight or build muscle while juggling a busy schedule can feel like an uphill battle. You’re hungry, tired, and frustrated when the results don’t come fast enough. And who has time to prep boring chicken and broccoli every single day?
But what if there was a better, smarter, easier way to take control of your body and energy levels?
The truth is: there is.
Recent studies and real-life success stories prove that one small change—increasing your daily protein intake—can have a huge impact on your weight loss, satiety, muscle tone, and energy levels. And no, it doesn’t require extreme diets or giving up all your favorite meals.
Let’s break it down and show you exactly how this works—and how you can start seeing and feeling the difference in just one week.
🔍 Why Protein is a Game-Changer for Fat Loss and Muscle Gain
Protein isn’t just for bodybuilders—it’s your secret weapon for:
Controlling hunger and reducing cravings 🙅♀️
Boosting metabolism naturally 🔥
Preserving lean muscle while burning fat 💪
Staying fuller, longer (goodbye 3 PM crash) 😴
Your body actually uses more energy to digest protein than it does fats or carbs—a process called the thermic effect of food. That means you’re burning more calories simply by eating more protein. Win-win!
🌟 What Makes THIS Meal Plan Different?
This high-protein plan was built for real life. It’s not about spending hours in the kitchen or obsessing over macros.
✅ Quick, one-pan dinners & grab-and-go breakfasts ✅ High-protein comfort foods—think lasagna, wraps, grilled cheese—but healthy ✅ Mix of lean meats, plant-based options, and dairy for variety ✅ Meal prep and family-friendly recipes ✅ Perfect for weight loss, strength goals, or simply feeling your best
Whether you’re a working mom, a busy professional, or just someone who’s ready to feel good in their skin again—this plan fits right into your routine.
🧪 BREAKING: New Science Behind High-Protein Success
Researchers at Orford University recently conducted a major study on meal plans that reduce the pressure to track every bite.
📊 Key findings from their 6-month trial:
Participants lost an average of 7.9% of body weight
Over 60% dropped at least 5%
A third lost 10% or more—a massive leap for metabolic health
The key? Higher protein, better food structure, and LESS stress about logging meals.
This could reshape weight loss forever—removing the guilt, guesswork, and burnout that derail most diets.
💁♀️ Celebs Who Rely on High-Protein Eating
Even the biggest stars are turning to protein-powered meals:
Jennifer Garner loves her egg bites, roasted chicken, and turkey burritos for staying energized on set and at home. Her focus? Wholesome, protein-rich meals with lots of veggies—and zero guilt.
Cody Rigsby, Peloton’s powerhouse instructor, swears by lean proteins to fuel his intense routines and maintain his physique. His tip? Build every plate around the protein.
Tiffani Thiessen, actress and wellness advocate, embraces protein to support her active lifestyle. Her focus has shifted from looks to feeling good—with hikes, healthy meals, and a big emphasis on mental health and balance.
📏 How Much Protein Do You Actually Need?
According to Harvard Medical School:
Minimum: 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight
Active lifestyle: 1.2–2.0g/kg is ideal for muscle gain and fat loss
Post-workout: Aim for 20–25g of protein within 30 minutes to maximize recovery
For a 150 lb (68 kg) person, this means roughly 55–100g of protein daily depending on activity. Spread it throughout the day—your body absorbs it better that way.
And no need to go overboard—more than 40g in one sitting won’t give added benefits.
🛠️ How to Start a High-Protein Diet (The Right Way)
Getting started doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Just follow these easy steps:
Plan Ahead – Build a weekly menu with go-to proteins like chicken, Greek yogurt, eggs, tofu, and lentils.
Balance Every Plate – Pair protein with colorful veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats.
Smart Snacks – Keep boiled eggs, cottage cheese, jerky, or protein shakes on hand for quick fixes.
Stay Hydrated – Protein digestion needs water—drink up!
Watch Your Energy – Track how you feel, and increase or adjust intake as needed.
✨ Pro Tip: Insect protein is now being studied as a sustainable source of complete protein—rich in nutrients, eco-friendly, and promising for future diets!
🍽️ High-Protein Foods You’ll Love
Here’s your ultimate grocery list:
🥩 Meats
Chicken breast: 22.5g per 100g
Turkey: 25.6g per 85g
Lean beef: 26g per 100g
🐟 Fish & Seafood
Salmon (178g): 39.3g + omega-3s
Tuna (1 can): 20.3g, perfect for sandwiches or salads
🥛 Dairy
Greek yogurt: 10g per 100g
Cottage cheese: 11g per 100g
Eggs: 6g each
🌱 Plant-Based
Lentils: 18g per cup (cooked)
Quinoa: 8g per cup
Tofu: 10g per 100g
Edamame: 17g per cup
🥤 Supplements
Whey protein isolate: 20–25g per scoop
Collagen peptides (bonus: skin & joint support)
🗓️ Ready for Results? Try the 7-Day High-Protein Plan!
Inside the plan, you’ll find:
Breakfasts like Protein Pancakes and Greek Yogurt Parfaits
Quick lunches like Tuna Avocado Wraps or Chicken Bowl Meal Prep
Comfort dinners like Protein Lasagna or Grilled Chicken Alfredo
Dessert ideas that won’t wreck your progress (think Cottage Cheese Ice Cream!)
Each meal is designed to: ✔️ Keep you full ✔️ Nourish your body ✔️ Fit your schedule
Low Point Weight Watchers Meal Plan for Weight Loss 🌟
Losing weight doesn’t have to mean giving up delicious, satisfying meals! With this Low Point Weight Watchers Meal Plan, you’ll enjoy flavorful, nutrient-packed dishes that keep you full and help you stay within your daily points. Whether you’re just starting your Weight Watchers journey or need some fresh meal ideas, this plan will make staying on track easy and enjoyable! 💪🍽️
Serve with roasted green beans for a hearty finish!
🍪 Snack Ideas (0–2 Points):
✅ Baby carrots and hummus – 2 points 🥕 ✅ String cheese – 1 point 🧀 ✅ Apple slices – 0 points 🍏 ✅ Hard-boiled egg – 0 points 🍳
💡 Tips for Success:
✨ Prep Ahead: Meal prep helps you save time and avoid last-minute unhealthy choices. ✨ Season Smart: Use herbs, spices, and lemon juice to enhance flavor without adding points. ✨ Stay Hydrated: Drinking water helps control hunger and keeps you feeling energized. ✨ Listen to Your Body: Eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re full.
🎯 Why This Plan Works:
✅ Balanced meals keep you full longer. ✅ Low-carb tortillas, lean proteins, and veggies keep points low without sacrificing flavor. ✅ Air fryer recipes = less oil and fewer calories!
🌟 Ready to crush your weight loss goals? This meal plan will help you stay on track while enjoying every bite. You’ve got this! 💪🔥
🥗 Low Point Weight Watchers Meal Plan for Weight Loss 🌟
Losing weight doesn’t have to mean giving up delicious, satisfying meals! With this Low Point Weight Watchers Meal Plan, you’ll enjoy flavorful, nutrient-packed dishes that keep you full and help you stay within your daily points. Whether you’re just starting your Weight Watchers journey or need some fresh meal ideas, this plan will make staying on track easy and enjoyable! 💪🍽️
Serve with roasted green beans for a hearty finish!
🍪 Snack Ideas (0–2 Points):
✅ Baby carrots and hummus – 2 points 🥕 ✅ String cheese – 1 point 🧀 ✅ Apple slices – 0 points 🍏 ✅ Hard-boiled egg – 0 points 🍳
💡 Tips for Success:
✨ Prep Ahead: Meal prep helps you save time and avoid last-minute unhealthy choices. ✨ Season Smart: Use herbs, spices, and lemon juice to enhance flavor without adding points. ✨ Stay Hydrated: Drinking water helps control hunger and keeps you feeling energized. ✨ Listen to Your Body: Eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re full.
🎯 Why This Plan Works:
✅ Balanced meals keep you full longer. ✅ Low-carb tortillas, lean proteins, and veggies keep points low without sacrificing flavor. ✅ Air fryer recipes = less oil and fewer calories!
🌟 Ready to crush your weight loss goals? This meal plan will help you stay on track while enjoying every bite. You’ve got this! 💪🔥
🥗 Low Point Weight Watchers Meal Plan for Weight Loss 🌟
Losing weight doesn’t have to mean giving up delicious, satisfying meals! With this Low Point Weight Watchers Meal Plan, you’ll enjoy flavorful, nutrient-packed dishes that keep you full and help you stay within your daily points. Whether you’re just starting your Weight Watchers journey or need some fresh meal ideas, this plan will make staying on track easy and enjoyable! 💪🍽️
Serve with roasted green beans for a hearty finish!
🍪 Snack Ideas (0–2 Points):
✅ Baby carrots and hummus – 2 points 🥕 ✅ String cheese – 1 point 🧀 ✅ Apple slices – 0 points 🍏 ✅ Hard-boiled egg – 0 points 🍳
💡 Tips for Success:
✨ Prep Ahead: Meal prep helps you save time and avoid last-minute unhealthy choices. ✨ Season Smart: Use herbs, spices, and lemon juice to enhance flavor without adding points. ✨ Stay Hydrated: Drinking water helps control hunger and keeps you feeling energized. ✨ Listen to Your Body: Eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re full.
🎯 Why This Plan Works:
✅ Balanced meals keep you full longer. ✅ Low-carb tortillas, lean proteins, and veggies keep points low without sacrificing flavor. ✅ Air fryer recipes = less oil and fewer calories!
🌟 Ready to crush your weight loss goals? This meal plan will help you stay on track while enjoying every bite. You’ve got this! 💪🔥
ou’ve probably heard about the low-carb, high-fat diet that’s so popular among actors and models, and with good reason: low-carb diets offer proper nourishment with whole foods while keeping your body burning fat for fuel. This is a great way to be, as it makes fat loss largely effortless! But where does this “ketogenic” word fit into the picture?
Well, ketogenic comes from the word “ketosis“, which is a state in which your body breaks down fat molecules into ketones to provide energy. This state is achieved through very low carbohydrate intake and higher than normal fat intake. The “normal” state of the body’s metabolism is called “glycolysis”, where carbs are burnt for energy. The long and short is that when your body is in carb-burning mode, it will use all available carbs for energy before it touches stored fat. In ketosis, your body is primed to burn fat, and this is great news for anyone trying to get trim and slim.
Benefits of Ketosis
By cutting carb intake significantly, we can drastically reduce insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes. In addition, low-carb diets, along with exercise, can be very effective at helping alleviate the symptoms and progression of type 2 diabetes. Beyond that, ketosis itself is appetite-suppressing, meaning your hunger will naturally check itself, increasing your caloric deficit and making you lose fat even faster.
Getting Started
Ketosis takes some time to get into – about two weeks of low-carb eating is required for the initial adaptation. During this time there will be bouts of sluggishness, fatigue, headaches, and some gastrointestinal issues as you adapt, often referred to as “keto flu“. Proper electrolyte intake will correct most of these issues. In addition, the “diet” aspect of this ketogenic diet plan – that is, the caloric restriction – shouldn’t be worried about. Weight loss will come as your body regulates appetite as it the addiction to sugar and processed food lessens, so restricting calories during the initial two weeks isn’t recommended.
The meal plan is designed to ensure you get three balanced, healthy meals a day that addresses fiber, satiation, and adequate protein intake. The greatest part of a ketogenic diet is the fact that it spares muscle loss, whereas a carb-based diet doesn’t. Weight lost in a high-carb, calorie-restricted diet will often come both from muscle and fat, whereas with keto, you can burn fat without sacrificing muscle. This is referred to often as “body recomposition” and leaves you with a much more preferred physique after weight loss.
Additional Points of Interest
Ketogenic diets often create a significant loss of water during the first phases. This is because carbs are converted to glycogen in your body, which is stored in water within the muscles and liver. As you deplete stored glycogen, your body flushes this water out. This is a huge part of the initial weight loss during the first few weeks of ketosis. While the rapid fat loss does occur at first, a lot of water weight is often dropped as well, but this is a great encouragement as it often results in both weight loss and less bloating, allowing clothes to fit better.
Vegetables: Broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, and many others.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc.
Dairy Products: Cheese, Greek yogurt, sour cream, heavy cream.
Fats and Oils: Peanut Butte, flaxseed oil, butter, sesame oil, olive oil, and almond oil. ( If you want to see more ketogenic diet foods, read this: The Ultimate List of Foods to Eat on a Ketogenic Diet
Foods to Avoid on a Ketogenic Diet
Grains: Grains: Wheat, oats, corn, barley, and rye. Includes bread and pasta.
Artificial Sweeteners: Sucralose, Equal, Acesulfame, Splenda, Saccharin, etc.
Processed Foods: If it contains carrageenan, don’t eat it.
“Low-fat” products: Atkins products, drinks, gluten, diet soda, etc.
7-Day Ketogenic Diet Meal Plan And Menu
So you have found the ketogenic diet, have figured out your macros and you are itching to get started. Here is a ketogenic diet meal plan for one week. If you are just getting situated use this basic plan to help get going.
I HAVE LOST 45 POUNDS IN 4 MONTHS WITH A KETOGENIC DIET
I just started MONTH five of a ketogenic diet(45 lbs lost). I’m by no means an expert. I am now 46 years old and I have spent my entire life trying to lose weight. Ironically I have also spent years learning about nutrition and exercise. Figuring out macronutrients just comes naturally to me as I have done it so much over my life. By following a keto diet this is the first time I have seen any real success in losing unwanted pounds. This is despite years of working out and being active.
I have had a very successful go of it so far, and I feel that a lot of you who are trying to get started with a ketogenic diet may get overwhelmed and confused with all of the numbers and information that is coming at you. Hence this ketogenic diet meal plan. It is what I am doing to keep things simple. I am a guy. I need simple.
For me, I think that success with a keto diet is found with having some base meals and adding some variety later on if needed. Hell, I eat the same thing pretty much every day. Not too exciting but losing 45 pounds in 4 months IS exciting, so I am sticking with it. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
7-DAY KETO DIET GROCERY LIST
The daily meals will be bacon and eggs, chicken with vegetables, and beef with vegetables. These are base meals and will provide good macros for some people. For others who need more food(fat), you can just add a keto-friendly snack or 2 to get your macros up to where they need to be. This is what I need to do.
A dozen eggs.
A package of bacon.
Butter. (real butter)
A pack of boneless SKIN ON chicken thighs
1 onion.
1 bell pepper (Green, red, yellow, that’s your choice.)
Two bulbs of garlic. (Optional, but very heart healthy.)
A big bag of mixed frozen vegetables, at least 12 cups worth. If you are not sure what to get, just pick something else that’s keto friendly like frozen broccoli.)
a bag of almonds, and a jar of almond butter (very expensive – the cheapest I can find is 10$ for 750g at Costco).
A package of beef. You want to find some kind of beef that you can imagine cutting/dividing into 6 equal portions of about 5.5 ounces each(a bit bigger than a deck of cards.)
I AM ACTUALLY COOKING. WELL…SOME
I am not much for cooking but I am doing better. A ketogenic diet meal plan does work better when you have food ready to go. It takes the guesswork out and we need to keep this as simple as possible in order to have success.
Put the 12 thighs into the oven with all the cloves from a bulb of garlic. You should separate the cloves, but you don’t need to skin them. The heat from the oven will do that nicely, and you can peel them when you eat them.
While the thighs are cooking, hard boil the eggs. Then set them aside to cool.
Take a skillet, put some butter in it, and then fry up the bacon. (Note: Some might argue that butter isn’t needed. In my experience, you can either grease up that pan somehow, or your first strips of bacon will come out burnt.)
Dice up half the onion, and save the other half for next week.
Cut up the pepper
You might need to take the chicken out at this point. If it’s done, pull it out, and let it cool.
In the skillet (I love to use the bacon grease as a base) sauté the pepper and half onion, and another bulb’s worth of garlic cloves. (leave the skin on, just like before.)
Add the beef and brown it.
GETTING THE MEALS TOGETHER
Wash/rinse out 12 containers.
In 6 of them, put 2 chicken thighs each. Share the garlic between them, and evenly divide the fat juice.
In the other 6 evenly spoon out the beef/pepper/onion mix.
Take the veggie blend, and evenly pour it across the 12 containers, right on top of the meat.
Put them all in your fridge. If you have minimal fridge space you could just put some in there, and then rest in your freezer. Just pull another out when you pull from the fridge.
Pull out six plastic bags and put 2 hard-boiled eggs in each.
Evenly divide your remaining bacon by 6.
Now brown bag it, and put it in your fridge.
THE MACRONUTRIENTS OF THE KETOGENIC MENU PLAN
Right now you have 6 day’s worth of meals in your fridge
6 bags with 2 hard-boiled eggs and bacon
6 containers of thighs/veggies
6 containers of Beef/Veggies
Okay, so this is only 6 days. Make extra for day 7 OR you can try to get creative and plan your own meals. Ruled. I have some awesome keto recipes if you are feeling brave.
*I messed up. The macros of each “meal” above are too high in protein and too low in fat so reduce the amount of meat in each meal by about half AND add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to each meal(or some cheese). Please forgive me!!
For this base ketogenic meal plan I am going to use the following macronutrient profile that I helped someone set up for themselves:
TOTAL CALORIES- 1570
Net carbs – 20g per day
Protein – 80 g per day
Fat – 130 g per day
Now divide each of those by 3(for 3 meals per day) and you get:
≈7 net carbs per meal
≈26 grams of protein per meal
≈44 grams of fat per meal
Omg, so much math! If you halve the protein in each meal you will be pretty close to these totals PER MEAL!
Personally, I need more protein and fat each day and so will some of you. So I add in some snacks, cheese, or keto fudge during the day to get my macros up where they need to be. I also drink homemade Bulletproof coffee which for me is:
1 cup coffee
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp full-fat coconut milk(in a can)
This adds about 25g of fat to my day.
If you got hungry on Day One between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and supper while you’re still at work eat more fat!
You may also want to consider adding these fat-boosting strategies:
Full fat cream, butter, coconut oil, and MCT oil in your coffee.
Put a tablespoon of mayonnaise on the chicken while it’s baking.
Top the vegetables with some cheese before reheating.
SALT AND ELECTROLYTES WITH THE KETOGENIC DIET
It’s also worth pointing out that you may want to consider taking a multivitamin with the ketogenic diet meal plan. It is very low on Vitamins B1, D, E, and K. Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, and Potassium are also very low, but we need to manage those as part of our electrolyte strategy anyways on keto.
Do not omit essential electrolytes: Sodium (Na+), Chloride (Cl-), Potassium (K+), Magnesium (Mg++), Calcium (Ca++), Phosphate (HPO4–), Bicarbonate (HCO3-). Lack of electrolytes or more pointedly the body’s primary electrolyte sodium (aka Salt) is responsible for lethargy, brain fog, and keto flu symptoms on high fats diets.
You should be aiming for at least 8 cups of water a day. I have a 600ml bottle and I empty it at least 10 times a day. That is a lot of water and yes I am going to the bathroom a lot. Carbs hold water, so with minimal carbs, this will speed up the flushing of water. So even more bathroom breaks.
BUT HOW DO I KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THIS?!
The “easiest” way to actually track your eating(and thus your macros) for your ketogenic diet meal plan is to set up a free account with MyFitnessPal.
This app is both web-based and/or you can use it with your phone. I cannot stress the importance of tracking what you eat. Doing this has made all the difference in the world for me and is a huge part of my keto diet success.
Once you get your account set up you just enter the food you eat and the app calculates your total consumption for each macro and your total calories. There is also a “bar code scanner” as part of the app. You use your phone to “scan” the bar code of the food you are eating and it enters it into your daily eating plan. Genius!
SUMMARY
I am proof that a ketogenic diet works. I also know that it can be confusing as hell trying to deal with all of the numbers and then figuring out what to eat. I am hopi
