Starting Keto on Monday!!
oscasmar
Posts: 1 Member
Hi there! Indianapolis girl here. I am starting keto on Monday. I just was hoping some could share their go to packable lunch ideas for the office. Thanks! Ready to get this weight off!!!!
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Welcome and good luck on your journey! My favourite lunch for keto is probably a chicken Caesar salad. Bacon, hard Parma grated, good dressing, egg, chicken, added spinach (need that potassium).
If you do meal prep, keto has plenty of options. Once you get onto what works for you, it’ll be really easy to just get into autopilot.
If you’re not geared that way: there are powders and shakes to be found. Slim fast Keto is an option. Find a really good meat, cheese, and maybe some nuts? Get a really good leaf lettuce, mayo, mustard, meat, cheese. Et voila, sandwiched for lunch. Bag of protein chips or cheese chips (little to no carbs) and you’ve got a classic-ish bagged lunch. Use toothpicks to hold them together during transport.
Any who, that’s what I can think of off hand for simple and fast.3 -
Welcome.
Grill/Bake Chicken ahead of time for the week or use ground chicken.
Buy the $1 bags of cauliflower from Walmart.
3 cups of shredded lettuce and ranch
Mix it all together with a little butter for a $3.00-$3.50 lunch.1 -
I like cold cuts with or without cheese, sometimes over lettuce as a salad...if I have to eat out my favorite is probably hamburgers with no bun, or naked chicken nuggets/tenders...1
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I am a creature of habit so my lunch is pretty much the same every single day:
Tuna or chicken, baybel cheese, protein bar, cherry tomatoes. Sometimes I will have some olives or a small serving of pork rinds.2 -
I really love steaming veg for lunch in the microwave. Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus. I also work next to a grocery store so quite often I pick up some protein from there like roast beef and then roll it up with some mustard. YUM! Its nice having a hot meal.
For the veg it's really easy to chop up in the morning, then I throw on some salt and pepper. When it comes to lunch time I throw the veg in a Bowl with less than a tablespoon of water, cover with a plate and microwave for about a minute to a minute and a half.2 -
@zanyterp I usually buy the frozen steam in bag types for meal prep. Walmart/Walmart Neighborhood Grocery has these for a $1 which is great price wise. The riced versions are nice for a change up but they can run $2.50 to $3.50 a small bag which gets pricey. It's probably the only vegetable that I find to taste better frozen vs fresh.
I do buy the fresh head now and then for a snack with ranch for the crunch.0 -
I'm starting keto on Monday too! Thanks for the lunch suggestions. Going to grill me up some chicken now. I wonder if the Romaine lettuce is safe yet?0
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I always raise an eyebrow when the CDC gets involved so staying away from romaine a little longer on my end. Spinach is a good alternate. I eat bags of the stuff a month and haven't had an issue yet.
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I always raise an eyebrow when the CDC gets involved so staying away from romaine a little longer on my end. Spinach is a good alternate. I eat bags of the stuff a month and haven't had an issue yet.
When I knew I was gonna be sticking with keto for a while, a salad spinner was worth getting. A few bags of spinach a week really makes it worth it.
Also, dunno what it is, but the pre-riced cauliflower stuff that's sold frozen just always comes out bland to me. Worth grabbing, but needs a bit more seasoning that other frozen veg packs, which are usually good to go, or gtg with some butter.
I'm giving romaine a pass for now, which means none of my keto-dogs or lettuce wraps for a little while. Better to be safe than sorry, especially for a food that you can't just nuke to a properly cooked temperature. A good excuse to experiment with some cauliflower bread.0 -
When I was still having lunch, I'd do a can of tuna with some mayo, cucumber slices and a boiled egg or two. Easy and can be taken to work.1
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Also, dunno what it is, but the pre-riced cauliflower stuff that's sold frozen just always comes out bland to me. Worth grabbing, but needs a bit more seasoning that other frozen veg packs, which are usually good to go, or gtg with some butter.
I agree. The frozen variety gets too mushy too when cooking. I get the raw chopped up cauliflower and it makes a great stir fry with garlic, onion and some butter at the end. With eggs and bacon, you can almost convince yourself it's potatoes. 😉
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I have at least twice a week what I nickname tuna boats. I take a avocado and slice in half. Scoop out the meat and mix with tuna fish. Place the mix back in shell and place on a bed of lettuce.0
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I got through my first day having eaten less carbs and less fat than planned. Not for lack of trying with the fat! How do you get all the fat into your diet?1
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Luannelizabeth wrote: »I got through my first day having eaten less carbs and less fat than planned. Not for lack of trying with the fat! How do you get all the fat into your diet?
Salmon, mayo, eggs, cheese, avocado, coconut oil, real butter, good meats, dressing, and so on. It really is easier than you think. Getting meat sometimes can be a pain, as there are days when I do t want to eat meat. Protein shakes, nut butters, and bars help tremendously those days.
Good luck with your journey into ketosis!
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Luannelizabeth wrote: »I got through my first day having eaten less carbs and less fat than planned. Not for lack of trying with the fat! How do you get all the fat into your diet?
I start at breakfast with eggs scrambled with heavy whipping cream, buttered pan and add cheese. Bacon and sausage and some MCT oil in my coffee.
Lunch some avocado and protein on a salad with a blue cheese dressing.
Dinner some fish or other fatty meat and some veggies roasted in olive oil.
You can add some macadamia nuts or hard boiled eggs for some good fat on the go too.0 -
CentaurusSoter wrote: »Salmon, mayo, eggs, cheese, avocado, coconut oil, real butter, good meats, dressing, and so on. It really is easier than you think. Getting meat sometimes can be a pain, as there are days when I do t want to eat meat. Protein shakes, nut butters, and bars help tremendously those days.
Good luck with your journey into ketosis!
I also ended up with more protein than I need, so I'll try some of the more fat-based items on your list. Thanks!
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Luannelizabeth wrote: »CentaurusSoter wrote: »Salmon, mayo, eggs, cheese, avocado, coconut oil, real butter, good meats, dressing, and so on. It really is easier than you think. Getting meat sometimes can be a pain, as there are days when I do t want to eat meat. Protein shakes, nut butters, and bars help tremendously those days.
Good luck with your journey into ketosis!
I also ended up with more protein than I need, so I'll try some of the more fat-based items on your list. Thanks!
Just remember that fat is a limit, protein is a goal. I usually try and hit my protein goal by dinner, and then if I am hungry after that, I augment with the fat I have left in my liquid fatbombs. Not saying to go over the protein by a ton or anything, just try and hit your macros as best you can and keep logging those meals. Keto gets easier over time.4 -
Thanks so much!0
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Consensus from most videos i view is that fat% goal is only important to reach ketosis. After that, eat enough fat so you dont get hungry between meals, but not hitting % fat goal means your body has to take it from your fat stores. Which is our goal after all.1
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You don’t need any fat at all to get into Ketosis. Fast for a day and anyone will be in Ketosis. Without a single gram of fat consumed.
Carbohydrate destruction is all that’s required.
Fat is definitely not a goal. Though you will want to get about 50g for hormones. You do not need to reach any specified amount of fat beyond that.3 -
You can rice your own cauliflower (or broccoli) in a food processor. Just pulse it until it’s the consistency you like. Then cook away!0
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You can rice your own cauliflower (or broccoli) in a food processor. Just pulse it until it’s the consistency you like. Then cook away!
You can also (and my favorite for the stuff) make fantastic mashed caultatoes from it. So tasty. The consistency and texture is great. Add a bit of gravy and some roast, and you'll be asking yourself "who cares about potatoes".
Cau-li-flow-ers. Boil em, mash em, stick em in a food processor.0 -
@Wifett3 & @CentaurusSoter do you cook the broccoli/cauliflower prior to putting it in the blender/food processor or do it raw and then cook it?0
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@Wifett3 & @CentaurusSoter do you cook the broccoli/cauliflower prior to putting it in the blender/food processor or do it raw and then cook it?
Raw and then cook except for making mashed "potatoes" then i cook first and then puree.0 -
sweet; thank you, ma'am!0
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@Wifett3 & @CentaurusSoter do you cook the broccoli/cauliflower prior to putting it in the blender/food processor or do it raw and then cook it?
If I need to make a lot, which is the case if making the mashed caultatoes, I use a pot on the stove with my steamer basket. After that, it's puree time in the food processor. As for riced cauliflower, I usually just buy it in bags. I could try the riced recipes, but I've been lazy about that. Caultatoes are good enough for me.1 -
sweet; thank you, sir1
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All great info. I started today too. Struggling to get the macros right. Should have added heavy cream to my eggs.... Giving up my Coffee with French Vanilla Creamer is the hardest part. Going to try Bulletproof coffee tomorrow.1
