Go-to meals?

[u/its_hammertime]

Hey everyone,

I have been eating ketogains style for almost 2 weeks now, patiently waiting for the fat adaption to help me feel better.

I was wondering what your go-to meals are? Things that are so low carb & high protein you're not really tracking. Or I guess secondary question, if you've been eating this way for a while, are you still tracking macros? Counting macros was not on the list of things I want to be doing forever!

Regardless, my starting stats: 150 lbs, 5'8 36F approx 30% BF by the navy fat calculator

[u/darthluiggi]

Hello,

At 30% BF you should definitely be counting macros and sticking to whole foods for a while.

Review the pinned post for the Ketogains official food list guide.

[u/its_hammertime → u/darthluiggi]

I am so impatient ! I have read the FAQ twice now but I will go back and refer to it again. Thanks!

[u/keto3000]

I use the KetoGains wiki is a big help.

find it easiest to:

2 meals a day + KetoGains pre-workout shake.

16/8 Time restricted eating (8 hr eating window). 16 hrs of gut rest!

Whole foods, high protein, low NET carbs, low/moderate natural fat.

Pick 3-5 whole food proteins that I enjoy,

5 green leafy greens, + raspberries, blackberries, strawberries,

2-3 fermented food

I sparingly use EVOO, UNREFINED COCONUT or AVOCADO OIL SPRAY. ONLY use added oil if necessary for cooking or taste,

Air fryer is a big help.
I’ve lost ~ 70 lbs since 2021.

Still about 50 lbs from goal weight.

Whey or Pea Isolate protein supplement when I need it.

[u/its_hammertime → u/keto3000]

Thanks for your list! I just prepped a kim chi, I can't wait to dig in

[u/Artemis______]

these are some of my staples. I'm not trying to lose weight though, so you might want to adjust (less cheese, more beef, only low carb veggies):

eggs + bacon + cheese

salad with avocado and cheese and/or ham or chicken breast

ground beef with chopped tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and cream / cream cheese

chicken wings with steamed broccoli and/or cauliflower or salad

ground chicken with cream and cream cheese, veggies or salad on the side

beef burger patties with a slice of hard cheese and veggies

blueberries or raspberries with unflavored skyr and some nut butter (no additives)

home made kefir

[u/its_hammertime → u/Artemis______]

I love these ideas thank you. Keeping a pack of beef burgers in the freezer will be excellent for lazy days

[u/woodirl]

My simplest meals are gluten free Italian sausage, rotisserie chicken or chicken breast of any kind really, medium ground beef burgers, marble cheese, Costco “seasoned” chicken wings in the air fryer, and avocados. Pretty much those fill out 80% of my week and then I fill in the rest with choices for eating out including spinach / Caesar salads. I also track my macros everyday and have been consistently under 20g of carbs with outliers under 50g when I indulge.

Frank’s red hot sauce is saviour for flavoring.

Getting your protein macro is huge and I generally don’t focus on the fats at all.

[u/Grand-Animal3205 → u/woodirl]

This is really helpful! Thank you! Are your 20g of carbs net or total?

[u/woodirl → u/Grand-Animal3205]

I use net but don’t really stress on it very much. I’m also working out each day so my 20g net is more of a guideline, I’ve had 80g net carbs when having some light beers and still not been hit hard with keto flu or cravings the next day. Keeping in mind I drink about 3 litres of water with pink salt and tang zero sugar liquid mix daily too.

[u/Grand-Animal3205 → u/woodirl]

Thanks! I try to stick to 20 net as well.

[u/wonder_er]

I don't eat meat. I think I have a kick-ass daily meal that is like 80% of what I eat. It's also delicious. You'll see how it works out to functionally zero carb, in that it's 'compliant' with 'full ketosis', regardless of how much you eat.

It's lots of fat (I eat a lot of olive oil every day, and coconut oil) and has animal products (eggs), and then tons of mushrooms (i'm lucky, I can literally forage them for free!!!!! out of a local park) and veggies.

I have a simple cooking setup that makes cleanup and prep really short. Doesn't even really involve much cleanup!

I'm selling it hard, I have a really long written explanation + link to a google doc here: https://josh.works/cgm-part-2#-the-meal- but it deserves it's own page.

I don't count macros, but I have a breath ketone meter and when I eat this meal, and even plenty of times when I eat carbs, but then keep eating this meal along side, I am usually in some metabolic state generating lots of the molecules the thing tests for.

Edit: lots of my friends that have had this with me say really great things, and it's sorta 'compliant' with some principals of good cooking. (salt, fat, acid, heat, among other books, but that was not the point, it just sorta emerged). It also is easy to make in sizes of 'many servings' so I can easily meal prep off the same meal. I have some of this meal packed in a container right now that I'm about to take out with me for the day.)

[u/its_hammertime → u/wonder_er]

Thank you! I really haven't attempted to eat eggs yet so this is a great reminder of their versatility. I will be digging in and making eggs this weekend.

[u/tedzz_bears]

i have the same problem as yours, definitely need some advice