Going low carb / keto can be tough sometimes! You ‘fall of the wagon’ but can’t seem to get back on track or had a non compliant weekend now you don’t know how to reset! It happens to the best of us and it doesn’t mean you need to give up!
Here are out top 5 tips to help you stay low carb and motivated to be the best version of you!
- Get to know your green orange and red list again and keep your meals clean and simple – get back to basics! (ie no faux food/sweeteners) as they can trigger more carb/sugar cravings – stick to protein (meat, chicken, fish like salmon, tuna), nuts, eggs, butter, cheese and other dairy with a focus on healthy fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, ghee and avocado.
We’ve made up an easy printable food list for you to print off and keep handy!
- Follow a meal plan (download our free meal plan here) – do a big shop and plan your food for the week. Clean out your fridge/pantry if carbs have snuck in. Preparation is key. Sometimes all it takes is 1-2 weeks of going keto again and you’re back in the zone and feeling amazing again. Keep low carb healthy fat food prepped at the beginning of every week so it’s easy to reach for compliant food when hunger strikes and you’re not tempted. We always have seed crackers at the ready, they’re a pantry staple! Make them yourself or get The Low Carb Co’s compliant seed crackers if you’re time poor!
- Don’t be discouraged if the scales don’t move. Look at NSV’s (non scale victories) and all the other healthy benefits of going low carb. Sometimes there is a lot of inflammation in your body that needs healing before you see progress. If you feel things aren’t working for you or you’ve hit a plateau, try cutting our dairy (some people can still include butter when omitting dairy), try intermittent fasting like 16:8 or changing up your fat/protein macros to see what works for you. * a big tip from us is to ditch the scales and take measurement instead! Often you will see measurement changes but the scales stay the same!
- Replenish your body’s magnesium and salt, bone broth, and add dash of apple cider vinegar into your morning glass of water! All these things are perfect for keeping the keto flu away!
- Don’t let one bad snack/meal/day make you throw it all in. Get right back onto the green list with your next meal… let go of the guilt around food and the idea you have to have the ‘perfect day’ to keep going. Aim for progress every day in your health, it doesn’t always need to be perfect!
Bonus tips!
Think of your why? Why you decided to do LCHF in the first place. It’s a mental and emotional challenge sometimes more than anything!! The carb cravings are real and it can be hard – when you feel like giving up think of your why to keep you focused.
If you DO have a craving, first drink some water or a cup of herbal tea, go for a walk or listen to some music to distract the mind. Still hungry? try eating some fats like a slice of cheese and if all else fails try a square of 70-80% lindt chocolate or a compliant fat bomb or small treat from our Low Carb Bites book. Try not to eat out of habit/boredom or because of emotions and trust us, if you can go 1-2 weeks without any sugar/sweetener it DOES get easier!! Your cravings tend to fade dramatically once fat adapted and your palate for sweet things changes too. You may find a handful of macadamia nuts or almonds provides that sweet craving fix.
Hungry for more reading on intermittent fasting? Try this article
Don’t forget to join us and 27,000 other low carbers in our Facebook Group who are there to help, support, listen and motivate you! You’re not alone and together, we’ve got this!
Sounds good to me. I’m in.