Keto Means Doing This for Life

The very first popular Keto diet, Original Atkins, didn’t call itself a diet. It’s a Way of Eating or a lifestyle. Because it isn’t a fad diet that you go on for a few weeks and then go back to eating carbs. Shunning carbs is just what you do now.

But doing it for life means going through easier times and harder times. Some times you go for weeks and months on strictly Keto-acceptable foods, and are not even tempted to stray. When you think ‘chocolate’ you go for a Keto hot chocolate. When you are jonesing for a bread-like food, you go for Carbquik biscuits.

Other times, every darn time you go to a grocery store you come back with carb foods. Not just a little snack for that day, but a couple of cheap frozen pizzas and a bag of sugar-laden chocolate candies. And even though you KNOW it will make you feel bad and sleepy and not get much done, and that it will give you carb cravings that will keep you from getting back on track, you eat the food. If you are like me, you just can’t afford to throw away food you’ve paid money for.

Some people think ‘going on Keto’ means following a menu plan with complex recipes for every single meal. Each one calling for loads of exotic ingredients that you have to go to exotic grocery stores for, or buy online. Well, if you lack energy sometimes (if only because of your most recent carb binges), just THINKING about that makes you tired, much less doing it.

You need to get simple. And have food on hand for simple meals. Meat is the key. Buy some steaks or pork chops or chicken parts and freeze most of it. These are simple things to cook— easier than driving out for fast food.

Don’t feel you need a lot of side dishes. That’s not the Keto way. In Original Atkins induction, you’d have your piece of meat and a salad. No breads or bread substitutes, no fancy desserts…. Just those two items. You can buy bagged salads, especially if you live alone and hate having to throw out a lot of wilted salad material. Or you can buy cabbage instead of lettuce for a salad base. Cabbage seems eternal in the refrigerator. You can also use certain frozen veggies as a substitute for cold salads.

Another thing to to when you don’t feel much like cooking is to make yourself bulletproof beverages. They are as filling as a meal. If you ‘need’ a mid-afternoon snack, a bulletproof beverage may save you from the temptation of running out for chips or tacos.

If you buy Keto recipe books, try the simple recipes first. If there is one you like, you may make it over and over, and make a point of keeping the ingredients in the house. All you need, really, are a few simple recipes, easy to make, with ingredients you keep on hand.

For senior citizens, eating Keto is more important than ever, as you may have multiple health problems that are improved by it. But it’s harder to cook regularly, and you may be discouraged cooking for one or two when you used to cook for a whole family. Simple recipes are a way to keep going and stay healthy. Also, if you get to the point that you need someone to help you make your meals, it’s a lot easier to train a family member to make something simple.