@Banana0pancakes I lost five and a half stone doing vegetarian keto last year. I was a totally carb/sugar addict, so wasn’t sure I could do it, but it was actually pretty easy once I got going. Maintained from November to February, low carbing, then during lockdown I lost my dog to a horrible illness, became ill myself (not covid, flare of a long term health condition caused by stress) and started comfort eating, so am now back on it again.
I find it works best if you combine it with IF - I do 18/6 and eat two meals a day.
I eat:
Omelettes, with various cheeses, spinach, mushrooms etc
Lots of salads, with either boiled egg, avocado, choice of cheeses or a couple of nuts for protein and always drizzled with avocado or ev olive oil
A lot of avocado (I actually like half an avocado mixed with full fat cottage cheese, pink salt and black pepper, sounds horrible but tastes great)
Tonnes of spinach, usually drizzled in olive or almond oil
I used to like the quorn sausage patties wrapped in lettuce with a cherry tomato, sliver of red onion, bit of cheddar and some french mayo, but Tesco doesn’t seem to sell them anymore.
It can get a bit samey, you have to find different ways to mix up the same ingredients, use a lot of herbs and spice, different salad leaves. I use a wide variety of cheeses, so it doesn’t get boring. Strong cheeses like pecorino (Tesco do a veggie one) can add a lot of flavour to things like omelettes. I also love feta and mozzarella, very strong extra mature cheddar, brie etc. I love onion, but it’s super carby, so I literally just have a sliver of strong onion to add a bit of a kick and spring onions can be easily worked into salads, as you don’t need much to add flavour.
One of my favourite dinners is quorn fillet, with tenderstem broccoli and spinach, baked in a foil pouch with goat’s cheese and pesto.
Another is mediterranean vegetables baked with either feta or mozzarella or occasionally a bit of both.
Tonight I have quorn mince, with cherry tomatoes, a tiny bit of red onion, plenty of mushrooms (great on a keto diet as almost no carbs and very filling) and bit of green pepper with cheddar on top.
A treat would be something like full-fat greek yoghurt (usually with just a couple of raspberries, as berries can eat into your 20g carb allowance)
I found it boring to begin with, until I learned to start mixing things up a bit. I use MFP and set my macros, then tweak ingredients until I get the right balance. Saving recipes and meals on there also makes it easier as you go along.
It’s easier in the summer than the winter, as you tend to be less keen on salads during colder months, but you can switch to mediterranean type meals to a certain extent.
Oh and I didn’t eat any commercial ‘keto’ foods, just stuck to fresh home made meals and snacks. Also avoided anything like sweeteners, which can kick you out of ketosis.
I usually have a coffee with cream to break my fast, but have just bought some MCT oil and am going to try bulletproof coffee instead.