Orientation Video
click here to see a video of one of our challenge orientations
Success Checklist
Click here for the success checklist with key action items, especially for days 1-8
Keto Diet Overview
“A keto diet is well known for being a low carb diet, where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy. It’s referred to as many different names – ketogenic diet, low carb diet, low carb high fat (LCHF), etc.
When you eat something high in carbs, your body will produce glucose and insulin. Glucose is the easiest molecule for your body to convert and use as energy so that it will be chosen over any other energy source. Insulin is produced to process the glucose in your bloodstream by taking it around the body.
Since the glucose is being used as a primary energy, your fats are not needed and are therefore stored. Typically on a normal, higher carbohydrate diet, the body will use glucose as the main form of energy. By lowering the intake of carbs, the body is induced into a state known as ketosis.
Ketosis is a natural process the body initiates to help us survive when food intake is low. During this state, we produce ketones, which are produced from the breakdown of fats in the liver.
The end goal of a properly maintained keto diet is to force your body into this metabolic state. We don’t do this through starvation of calories but starvation of carbohydrates.
Our bodies are incredibly adaptive to what you put into it – when you overload it with fats and take away carbohydrates, it will begin to burn ketones as the primary energy source. Optimal ketone levels offer many health, weight loss, physical and mental performance benefits.” -from the introduction by Ruled.me
NOTE: THERE ARE LOTS OF VARIATIONS OF THE KETOGENIC DIET. THE CONVERSATIONS YOU HAD WITH COACH G DETERMINE YOUR SPECIFIC RULES; FOR SOME “KETO-KIDS” SOME OF THE FOODS ABOVE ARE ON-PLAN, AND SOME OF THE FOODS ABOVE ARE NOT ON-PLAN. REFER TO YOUR PERSONAL GUIDELINES THAT WERE SET DURING THE STEP-ONE NUTRITION CONSULTATION FOR GUIDING YOUR FOOD CHOICES FROM THE LISTS & MEAL PLANS BELOW.
How do we know if we’re in nutritional ketosis?
You only know if you test your ketone levels.
Here’s a link to some urinalysis testing strips on Amazon that you could use. If you’re going to do the ketogenic diet, you really need to have these.
Targeting Macros?
If you want to target specific macro totals (protein, fat, carb numbers), here’s a super-useful online resource that can help you identify which numbers to target.
NOTE: Tracking all macros is NOT required. Tracking carbs IS required for measuring your ketosis threshold, and based on what you learn from your urinalysis strips as you go along, you may abandon the macro numbers you learn here.
Recommended Supplements
We recommend taking potassium and magnesium gluconate supplements to ensure you don’t become nutrient-deficient or energy-lagged during your keto journey.
We suggest 300 mg of potassium and 1500 mg magnesium per day. We like the supplement below, which is available over-the-counter, and which also includes some bonus calcium and Vitamin D3- which can be helpful as well.
Meal Plans
Click here for sample meal plans. use & tailor them as your specific, individualized guidelines require.
Note: these keto plans can only be a starting point, because the exact quantities of food (and especially carb) that put you into nutritional ketosis will be specific to YOU and your body.
While you can use these meals as a starting point, you may have to adjust portions up or down depending on what your ketone strip urinalysis tests are telling you.
All three of these meal plans include shopping lists at the start, so take them with you when you go shopping for your meal prep!
Celby Richoux’ Bacon & Butter Book
Celby recently decided to give his ketogenic book away online for free; it’s a wealth of useful information and includes the following…
Breakfast recipes
Smoothie & Shake recipes
Snack recipes
Sneaky Keto classics
Fish-based favorites
Poultry-based favorites
Meaty mains
Dessert recipes
Condiments, sauces & dressings
Finally….
You’ll get recipes from your teammates in this challenge! One of the cool things we always do is share recipes for amazing foods that we’ve prepared and enjoyed ourselves. We also post photos of the foods we’ve made so you can actually see what it looks like when real people (not just professional chefs) prepare on-plan meals!
Dining Out but ON-Plan
Some local eateries that make it possible to eat in a Keto-friendly fashion…
Cleveland Heath
Texas Roadhouse
Crazy Bowls & Wraps (CBW)
54th-Street Grill
Andria’s Steakhouse
Below you’ll find the allergen menus for several popular restaurants relevant to our area (Saint Louis Missouri Metro East)… click the name to see their allergen menus.
Why’s this helpful? For example, if you’re doing Keto WITHOUT dairy, you’ll want to know which places are using butter or milk in their food prep.
The allergen menus below will give useful information to inform your restaurant choices.
Cleveland Heath actually doesn’t have an online allergen menu, but they’re one of the most diet-friendly places around if you’re comfortable giving clear instructions to your server. Tell them you’re on a nutrition plan, and tell them your rules. They can make something happen for you. Tip your servers well and send a note to the kitchen to thank your chef!
Crazy Bowls & Wraps
Texas Roadhouse: A gluten-free menu is the best thing we could find for them online; but you can give specific guidance to their servers on-site and get an on-plan meal, no problem. Here’s the Nutrition Facts for the Roadhouse, which are comprehensive.
Applebees
Longhorn Steakhouse
Qdoba
Chipotle
54th Street Grill
1818 Chophouse: Can’t find one for 1818 Chophouse. You’ll have to ask their wait staff for guidance, but it’s gonna be iffy.
Andria’s Steakhouse: They ALMOST told us what we needed to know…
Red Robin
Buffalo Wild Wings
Fazolis
Olive Garden
Hardee’s (just for fun)
On-Plan Snacks
As you shop for your foods, be sure to stock up your “Emergency Kit” with portable, no-refrigeration-required snacks that you can take with you- so you’re NEVER out of luck with smashing cravings!
Our online store (CLICK HERE TO ACCESS) stocks Naked Whey, Pure/Turmeric/Greens Bone Broth Protein, and other items which are some of your best bets for snacking while staying on-plan.
Happy shopping! Again, here’s the link to the online store. Buy online, pick up at CFE!
Helpful Resources for Travelers!
Maybe it’s not specifically Keto but Whole30’s Official Travel Guide (click here) is super helpful for almost anyone.
I’ve personally used this guide for multiple trips with great success. While it’s specifically written to Whole30-ers, I think it’s got useful ideas for anyone traveling and eating ANY diet.
Fresh Planet Flavor has a real-talk guide travel here too.
A few extra travel-snack and “food-carry hacking” ideas can be found here.
