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The ketogenic diet is amazing. However, how is this meant to work in your everyday life when restaurants, cafes, and bars are anything but keto?
How is it possible to live a LCHF lifestyle despite the stresses of daily life?
There are many methods you can use to master everyday life without difficulties and going hungry.
Starving is particularly dangerous since it will increase your chances of food cravings, thus leading to carb-heavy snacks.
Everyone has different goals and objectives by eating a ketogenic diet to lose weight, improve health or other reasons.
So what can you do to prevent these everyday problems coupled with a stressful life when you do not have adequate time to cook?
Here we will discuss how to live a ketogenic lifestyle.
How to Reduce Food Cravings
One of the most important things when following a keto diet is to avoid cravings. If you are a newbie, once food cravings begin, chances are you will give in to the sugar.
Consequently, you should always have something high-fat with you, whether you are at home, out with friends, or at work, so you do not go hungry.
In the early stage, when becoming keto-adapted, it is especially important. Over time you will be able to handle the hunger pangs more efficiently.
Here are some ways to help this issue.
Low Carb Low Sugar Fridge
Let’s start with the home. It will be beneficial for you if your refrigerator does not contain anything other than keto-friendly foods. Having a clean kitchen with healthy nutritious foods will increase your motivation to succeed.
If you do not have anything carbohydrate-rich at home, it will make your ketogenic lifestyle transition much more manageable.
Of course, it can be tricky if your family or children do not eat this way of living.
You must at least try to keep high carb and sugary goods out of sight or reach, especially chocolate, candy, cereals, and any other snacks that you can gobble up in minutes.
In our household, all the kids’ treats are in the cupboards and remain out of my view, so I do not get tempted.
Moreover, there should always be something ready to eat in your fridge or freezer. Something quick, easy, and does not have to prepare.
For example, you could prepare a batch of keto fat bombs ahead of time and freeze them.
Help yourself to avocado or a low carb protein bar. Leftover cooked foods such as meat and vegetables will also work well.
Keto Backpack
Living a low carb ketogenic lifestyle at home is more straightforward than when you are out.
However, what if you are on your travels and become hungry? You must prepare your bag before you go out. That too should have already been cooked.
Depending on how long you are away from home, there are many food choices and many foods to avoid.
You can make a pre-prepared smoothie with your favorite green vegetables, fruits, and chia seeds mixed with ice.
To sweeten smoothies up, try adding some Stevia or Erythritol. Include some healthy fats or carry a small shot of MCT oil with you to drink with it or separately.
Something I have made a habit of is to carry a variety of nuts. Nuts are valuable sources of healthy fats and help to keep you full. Healthful choices include pecans, almonds, and Brazil nuts. I like to mix and match as they all contain different amounts of vitamins and minerals.
The best meal to carry with you would be a salad. Simply mix your chosen foods in a food container and cover. Keep the dressing separate in a small bottle to avoid your meal turning mushy.
Even if you purchase salad when out, it is sometimes best to use your pre-made dressing since store varieties contain added sugar and preservatives.
Keep small fresh utensils with you, so you are always prepared.
It should be the first thing you take with, but make sure always to carry a bottle of water anywhere you go. Hunger is often mistaken as thirst, and drinking a glass of water will help suppress appetite.
If it works for your hectic lifestyle then try some different supplements to assist your diet.
Keto and protein bars, primarily high in healthy fats, are again an excellent and convenient option to carry. They can contain 500+ calories and is useful to help you through the day.
Whether you are traveling or not, you should still aim to follow ketogenic macros.
Surviving a Road Trip
When staying at a hotel, apartment, or a holiday home, look to cook and prepare your own meals.
For more prolonged drives, either for work or vacations, it is essential to take keto-friendly food with you to support living a low carb lifestyle.
If you do not, you could be tempted to buy ready-made meals at your next pit stop.
Healthy conventional snacks such as nuts, seeds and low sugar vegetables and fruits come in handy when there are no grocery stores in sight.
The same rules apply as above, and you must think about what you are going to eat, at what time roughly you will eat the meals and so on.
Managing a Keto Lifestyle at Work
Breaks at work can often make or break a ketogenic diet.
When you get hungry, you have probably noticed the coffee and vending machine filled with unhealthy processed foods staring at you.
You even have a bowl of healthy fruits in the work kitchen. As everyone on Keto knows, it is not going to help your chosen lifestyle or nutrition plan.
Preparation for the workplace is vital. If you can use a fridge at work, then make it a habit and use it.
As previously mentioned, prepare your meals consisting of salads, meats, and veggies and store them in the fridge ready for later.
If a microwave is free, then you also have the opportunity to have a warm dish.
You can so easily prepare pre-cooked broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus with shredded chicken and warm it up in a matter of minutes.
There is no excuse to eat unhealthy products when you can bulk cook, prepare meals, and carry them to your job.
For all those who drink coffee on keto, you can make it bulletproof.
You can carry a few bulletproof ingredients such as grass-fed butter, MCT oil, or heavy whipping cream and mix to your black coffee with a mixer.
Satiety is an excellent benefit of this high-fat coffee. You will experience the long-lasting energy and more stable blood sugar.
Just try and limit the amount you consume. As caffeine in coffee assures an increased release of the hormone adrenaline, which in turn leads to an increased release of insulin.
You will ultimately raise the blood sugar level with the more you drink.
Everyone responds differently to coffee and caffeine. Consequently, you cannot foretell what effect it will have on you.
Nutritious Keto Meals Dining Out
Sometimes it is not easy to get compatible food in bars or restaurants. Frequently, many dishes include starchy vegetables such as potatoes, rice, or pasta, and the other lot comes in some form of a sandwich.
It is entirely possible to enjoy high-fat keto meals when out with friends and family.
Often food served is neither ketogenic nor very healthy and some make it awkward even to get low carb or Paleo meals.
The sauce contained in the main food course usually lets the whole meal down. It can be loaded with sugars and preservatives, and it is best to skip anything, including sweetened sauces.
By all means, you can enjoy a small portion of sauce as it does not contain as many carbohydrates like bread, rice, and so on, but it would be largely unnecessary.
Also, make sure that you never order breaded, battered, or pastry products containing meat and fish.
Fresh salad should always be the first food of choice whenever it is available.
Change your habits, and do not be hesitant to load your plate up with healthy greens.
With side dishes, you can usually choose the starchy carbs such as potatoes and pasta, but of course, you want to avoid that.
Side with the cooked vegetables, preferably steamed, grilled, or roasted without added sauces.
Ask for extra virgin olive oil or grass-fed butter to use as a sauce for your meal to top up healthy fats.
With the desserts, you can eat fruit such as berries in moderation.
Again, limit any additional toppings such as yogurts unless it is full-fat Greek natural yogurt.
When you are dining out, you never truly know what is in prepared meals.
How much extra grams of sugar do you think you are eating? If your trying to lose weight, too many carbs could be one of your main reasons not losing body fat.
Unless you are in a specific low carb or keto restaurant, you must always be cautious with food selection.
Eating in Stressful Situation
Unfortunately, with the modern style of living, we appear to have less time to cook in everyday life.
Hence, you should think in advance about what foods you want to eat during the week.
Take one day a week when you are the least busy and prepare yourself a low carb meal plan. Think about times during the week you will be able to cook fresh food, so you do not stumble into convenience products.
What I like to do is cut and dice enough raw vegetables for a few days at a time and store them in food storage containers.
Place a label with the date and ingredients and keep in the fridge.
On the day I am due for the meal, I simply throw-in in the steamer for a few minutes add some butter or extra virgin coconut oil drizzled on top.
You can freeze meat and fish in the freezer and defrost overnight in the fridge for the day you are ready to cook.
You could also prepare meat and fish and add to your Tupperware or store separately.
I prefer to cook from fresh and eat on the day but whatever suits your household.
Vegetables and salads stay fresh for a minimum of a few days to a week, and with proper planning, you only have to shop once a week.
Many people comfort eat when annoyed, bored, tired, and stressed.
If you do not have time to cook during the week, then the only way you can succeed on a high-fat diet is to bulk prepare meals.
Take meals prepared in advance for potential stressful days at work.
The same idea applies if you realize you will be home late and have something healthy and nutritious ready to devour.
Conclusion
As you see, preparing a solid nutrition plan is the key to success in the ketogenic diet.
Your fridge should always have keto-friendly snacks ready to eat and for your travels.
Hunger in between meals should not be a significant problem with your ketogenic diet.
If you do not practice intermittent fasting, then provide yourself with nutritious meals high in healthy fats. You will experience far fewer food cravings during the day.
Try and make it a habit to carry nutritious whole foods when leaving the house.
If ever you forget or you are out with friends and family, look for a healthful snack and beware of hidden carbs. At work or post workout gym food, bring your own meals, drinks, and snacks.
Eating out at restaurants takes a bit of thought, and over time you will not have queries ordering something healthy and delicious.
You do not want to be that person who does not eat anything or complains about carb content. Enjoying carbs, especially at special events and celebrations, is OK. Just do the best you can for your particular situation.
How do you cope with living a ketogenic lifestyle and avoid stressful eating situations?
