hello all!

I have been eating keto pretty "hardcore" for 5 months, was off and on before, feel like I am a little bit of a seasoned pro (focus on 'little bit') at this point...

A few tips I have encountered along the way, either shared or from experience:

- STOP STOP STOP looking at the scale. Look to get an accurate body fat % measure and use this to figure out your goals (ie: men --> might look to get to ~15%... women --> might look to get to ~18%). If you are doing good exercise, including strength and conditioning, weight loss is NOT a great way measure your success! (me? I have dropped from 23-ish% BF to about 16% currently)
- read read read listen listen listen to experts! There are some great resources (books, websites, podcasts)... they are wonderfully inspirational and have great tips and info... some good ones? Rhonda Patrick, Mark Sisson, Chris Kresser, Dom A'gostino just to name a few.. if you are doing cardio time (walking, running eliptical etc) and listen to music, change it up and listen to some podcasts (Joe Rogan Experience is one of my favorites, the previously mentioned names have all been on hi podcast and share information really really well!!!!)
- MEASURE your ketones... you can get ketostix really cheap, and while you will get pretty in-tune with your body and how you feel while actually in ketosis after a while, at first knowing the ACTUALLY info is very helpful
- know what you can snack on! ie: I have some found inventive ways to get my fats and protein at the levels I want (65%/30% is my goal respectively)... for example, 'bulletproof' coffee (blended with MCT oil and unsalted butter) is yummy! as is coffee blended with coconut oil and vanilla protein powder! (you have to find a protein powder that works well, LeanFit Vanilla is really good in coffee!) Mini-cucumbers sliced (1g carb/1g protein per) with ranch/Caesar/blue cheese dressing and mixed with grated cheddar is soooooo good!... HOT WINGS! I have an Acti-Fry (LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!), throw raw chicken wings in then toss in Franks after, dipping in blue cheese is wonderful!
- get to know well the vegetables you can eat, broccoli/cauliflower/endives/char/kale/cabbage/spinach...etc etc... there are so many and there are great ways to cook with all of these
- look up seasoning recipes online... there are SOOOOOO many and you can broil/BBQ/pan fry to your hearts content without using sugary sauces, and frankly have better flavors!
- taking lunch to work... one way to meal prep I enjoy is to cook ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, whatever...) ... cook 2-3 pounds at the beginning of the week in taco seasoning, then each night (or morning of) when you are prepping for lunch, scoop that with your vegetable mix (all grocery stores have some kind of frozen vegetable mix that you will find is low carb from the list above) and put some grated cheese in another container, when it is time you heat the meat and vegetables, then throw your grated cheese on it... bam! quick, easy, and tasty lunch for the next day!
- THROW out the carbs in your house... just don't tempt yourself

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

that is a lot to start! share your tips! I am always curious to find out ways to expand my keto life and get more variety...

You already know I'm in! So looking forward to Sunday weigh in!