*I am sharing the highlights of my keto journey. Please note that I not a medical professional, dietician, or nutritionist. Do your research, talk to your doctor, and proceed at your own risk.*

Battling my weight has been a reoccurring struggle for me, especially after each child. I do believe that I’m beautiful at any size but being 5’2″ and 180-190 lbs became too much for me. My body fat percentage was dangerously high and I could barely walk up a flight of stairs or run with my kids without being winded. I restarted this journey with hopes of being a healthier me and a more active mom. Beauty does come in all shapes and sizes but I was flat out uncomfortable, so I decided to stop complaining and do something about it! Instead of eating my way through the day while in quarantine, I opted to restart my keto journey.

At the beginning of any fitness journey it’s important to take your measurements and progress photos. Weighing yourself is fine but number on the scale never gives an accurate description of how far you’ve come. I was actually feeling a little defeated before taking progress photos earlier this week. I seriously wow’d myself with these results! LOL

Why I Choose The Keto Diet

I know that weight loss/wellness is a journey but I also know that I’m an instant gratification kind of girl, so the Keto Diet fit the bill. I’ve dabbled in keto a few times over the years so the concept wasn’t completely foreign to me.

If you have no idea keto works and want to know about the biology of it, you can read more here:

The Ketogenic Diet – A Keto Guide for Beginners

A ketogenic diet is a little controversial, as it tends to go against traditional rules of nutrition. It’s definitely high on the list of fad diets right now. This is not something I plan to do for the rest of my life. However, it does help me control my carb and sugar addiction and as a result, I am eating lots of healthy foods.

Based on your weight, you try to stay under a certain amount of net carbs (carbs minus fiber) for the day. In terms of intake, my daily goal is to stay under 25g net carbs, while consuming 90 grams of protein and 130 grams of fat per day. There are a number of keto diet calculators out there to help you figure out your net carb goal. I used If It Fits Your Macros and I track my daily intake using the MyFitness Pal app. The Keto Diet App is another good meal tracker and has its own keto diet calculator as well.

How Long Does It Take To Get Into Ketosis?

It typically takes about 5-7 days of staying under your net carb goal to get into ketosis; meaning your body switches to burning fat fat for fuel. The fastest way to get into ketosis is to fast completely or limit yourself to one meal a day for 1-3 days; that route just wasn’t for me. The article above or a simple google search will give you a more detailed explanation of how ketosis works.

What Can You Eat On Keto

To follow a keto diet means you mostly eat low-carb, high-fat foods. I eat a lot of lean meats, green veggies, eggs, cheese, and healthy fats like coconut (mtc) oil and avocados. I love avocados and I’m convinced I’m going to be Hulk green by the end of this. Now, y’all understand why Luke is crazy about guac? LOL!

Fruit is pretty much off limits with the exception of berries. I can live without bread and pasta (low carb options exist) but fruit is the reason I can’t do this forever.

The key is to focus on what you can have and create fun meals within your limitations. During the week my meals are very simple because I’m usually eating something different from the family:

Keto Breakfast Ideas

• Eggs (over medium or scrambled with cheese) with bacon/chicken sausage and half an avocado.
• Eggs, bacon and pancakes or waffles topped with a few strawberries. The mix is linked in my Amazon shop.
• Breakfast tacos (using lowcarb wraps or cheese based taco shells)

Keto Lunch Ideas

• Air Fried Wings and Salad
• Bunless Bacon Cheese Burger with zucchini fries or steamed veggies
• Lettuce or Chicken Wraps (low carb tortilla) with cheese, spinach, tomato, pickles, onions and mustard.

Keto Dinner Ideas

• Chicken Breast with steamed veggies (broccoli/asparagus/cauliflower) and side salad.
• Stuffed Salmon with cauliflower mash
• Shrimp Stirfry with cauliflower rice
• Tacos using low carb tortillas
• Stuffed Belle Peppers
• Nachos using the low carb tortilla chips.

*Note: I typically air fry my chicken and salmon too!

Keto Snacks Ideas

• Cheese sticks
• Pickles
• Tuna
• Carbmaster yogurt (Kroger brand)
• Strawberries or Blueberries
• Protein milkshakes
• Pork rinds

To accelerate my weight loss, I am intermittent fasting as well, meaning I eat all of my meals within an 8 hour window (noon-8pm). I wake up between 5-7am every day but I always stick to the same food window.

In addition to the list above, I have a Keto Pinterest board and one of my fav IG chefs @ChefResha has a ton of bomb keto recipes!

Drinks

• Mostly water
• Bullet Proof Coffee (to start the day)
• Powerade Zero (after workout)
• Minute Maid Light (with dinner)
• Sole Water– it helps with the following:
  • maintaining proper electrolyte balance
  • boosting energy
  • regulating blood pressure
  • improving blood sugar
  • detoxifying the body as salt is anti-bacterial in nature
  • gastrointestinal benefits such as better food digestion
  • aiding in weight loss
  • balancing your ph level by alkalizing the body
  • improving sleep quality
  • supporting proper adrenal, thyroid and nerve functions
  • promoting healthy skin and can help clear acne

To make sole water you’ll need a non metal water bottle and lid. When making mine, I use a glass water bottle but a large mason jar will work too. First fill the jar 1/4 full of Pink Himalayan Salt-Fill the jar with bottled or filtered water-Allow to sit for 24 hours at room temp. After 24 hours add 1 tablespoon of your Sole to a bottle or glass of water daily.

If that’s too much for you just drink a bottle of Powerade Zero daily. Can’t say it has all the same benefits however, it will definitely help keep your electrolytes up.

Keto Sweet Snacks aka Junk Food

I do have the occasional junk food/snack cravings and I have found some yummy keto sweet snacks to keep me on track with my keto journey. I love just about anything Quest Nutrition from their protein power to cookies, protein bars to tortilla chips and omg their pizzas. I’ve found a small piece of heaven in Enlightened keto ice cream as well; my favorite flavors are Red Velvet and Chocolate Glazed Doughnut.

*I don’t eat any of these every day but I do enjoy 1-2x a week for a small treat.

My Workout Routine

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A post shared by Tina Meeks —Your IG Bestie (@herlifesparkles)

When gyms shut down I lost all motivation to work out. Most weeks all of my exercise came from chasing the kids and daily family walks but I still made progress because exercise is only 20-30% of the battle. Have you heard the saying “abs are made in the kitchen”? Well, it’s true because YOU CANNOT OUTWORK A POOR DIET!

Mid April I began doing workouts every morning to start the day. I make sure do them first thing because I’m usually spent from parenting and working by the end of the day. I think of it as giving myself 30 minutes before I give to anyone else. Most days I get up 30 min to an hour before the kids to get it done and some days they sit in the living room and watch.

When working out alone I have been doing the 21 Day Fix by Beach Body; you can buy the DVD or use their on demand streaming service. A few times a weeks James makes it a point to join me and we follow the Strength of Seduction Couples Workouts. I am also still doing daily walks with the kids in the evenings (2-3 miles).

*I’ll be sure to do an update on how combing the workouts with keto has helped progress.

Extra Tools and Supplements to Support Your Keto Journey

(All of these items can be found in my Amazon Keto Shop)

Apple Cider Vinegar or ACV Gummies-helps control appetite and improve blood sugar.
Keto Test Strips– You pee on these and compare to a color chart to make sure that you are in ketosis. I test about every other day, hidden carbs are a beast if you aren’t reading every single food label.
MCT Oil -is so good for brain function, and it’s a flavorless oil derived from coconuts. I put this in my bulletproof coffee, as well!
Pink Himalayan Salt– I use it to keep my salt intake up and to make Sole Water because you can get dehydrated quickly.
Sugar Free Sweetener– I typically use Stevia but any brand will do.
Instant Pot– having quick meal options make all the difference in the world.
Air Fryer-I don’t have a ton of time to be over the stove so popping some chick wings in the air fryer is a win.

I know was a LOT of info but I wanted to share everything that has helped me get to this point on my keto journey. If there was anything I missed please feel free to ask in the comments!

If you are big on accountability, I going to start a keto challenge for the month of June, so make sure that you join my fitness group. Let’s get fine FINE together friends!