Keto/Low Carb 30 Day Challenge

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Keto/Low Carb Challenge

Recently, our first Keto/Low Carb Challenge was featured in Women’s Health Magazine online. I was so surprised that we were included in such an incredible group of Keto Challenges. Hundreds joined us back in April and took charge of their health and experienced fantastic results. We supported, encouraged, and cheered each other along the way, and many have continued to see results long after that first challenge ended. After feedback from so many of you and with the holidays quickly approaching I thought it would be beneficial to launch another Keto/Low Carb 30-Day Challenge. I have found that focused challenges are such a great way to get my butt in gear personally. When I am challenged and set specific goals, I tend to work harder, and I hope you will too. Couple a challenge with group encouragement and you have a recipe for success!

How the Keto/Low Carb Challenge Will Work

There are several areas that many people tend to struggle when following either a Keto or Low Carb lifestyle. With that in mind, we will focus on four key areas. It is my goal to keep this challenge as simple and straightforward as possible. In this Challenge we are going to focus on hitting our net carb goal (whatever that is), drinking water, exercising consistently at least 10 minutes per day (which will hopefully motivate us to do more), and taking our supplements. Here is the deal, you are the boss of you. Therefore you pick what works best for you whether you want to follow a Keto or a Low Carb lifestyle.  You choose your exercise program and what supplements you prefer. I’ll share what I’m doing, but in the end, you have to decide what is best for you. Long-term success in any lifestyle change is first dependent on research. It is always great to ask questions, but if you don’t invest the time to understand a new healthy lifestyle change, it will be hard to stick with the disciplines that are necessary to the process. We all have to be our own best health advocates and being informed is the best place to start. The key to this Keto or Low Carb Challenge is sticking with your choices consistently for 30 days then measuring your results. Write it on your calendar now. Our start day will be Tuesday, October 23 and will end right before Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 21st.

The Keto/Low Carb Challenge is Not

We have all failed on specific “programs” where someone tells us exactly what to eat, how much, and how often. You won’t find that here. It is important to eat real foods and to learn how to follow a healthy lifestyle change especially when you have a busy life to be successful long-term. No one wants a temporary plan that ends in failure. I will post weekly meal plans, but they are merely for inspiration, not a requirement to follow. I won’t be giving you strict rules or anything of the like. As I mentioned before, start with research then decide if you want to follow a Keto or Low Carb lifestyle. By doing so, you will learn what works best for your body and be empowered to make healthy choices that lead to long-term healthy changes. It is also not about 30 days of perfection where we judge the success of our day by how many boxes we check off of a checklist. This challenge is about being purposeful, learning how to pick yourself right back up if you fall off the wagon, and learning to encourage and give yourself grace along the way. Unhealthy expectations and goals almost always lead to failure. Taking ownership of your challenge will set you up for success as you become your very best health advocate.

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Net Carbs

First, it’s important to choose your net carb goal (or total carbs if you prefer). This amount will vary depending on if you are following Keto or Low Carb, so research beforehand is critical. Back in April, when I launched our first 30-Day Challenge, I realized I had gotten lazy in this area. At the time I had been following a Ketogenic lifestyle for eleven months and even though I knew what foods I could eat and the approximate carb count in each, I quit adding my daily net carbs in my head. As a result, my weight loss stalled. During that first 30-Day Challenge I got back on track and became much more intentional of what I was putting in my mouth and guess what? My weight loss stall came to an end.

How do I Track Net Carbs?

This is an area that is challenging for me because I don’t want to count and measure everything I put in my mouth. One of my goals is food freedom and keeping up with an app where I log everything I eat would cause me to focus too much on food, so I don’t personally track macros. However, I understand that tracking works for many people and that is awesome! Do what works for you! Installing a Keto App on your smartphone is a great place to start. You can find a list of the best Keto Apps to track macros and information about each app here.  For me, I will keep up with net carbs in my head while I add healthy fats to the foods that I eat so that my fat stays higher than protein.

Drink Water

Drinking water is essential not only for health reasons but also when trying to lose weight. My personal goal is to drink half my weight in water. During our last challenge I did such an excellent job drinking water, but lately, I have allowed some old habits to take root. I’ve been drinking Crystal Light and Sprite Zero more and more because frankly, they taste better than water to me. I have noticed when I drink a lot of water I crave water. When I don’t drink water, I want Crystal Light and Sprite Zero, which I know aren’t good choices as they don’t hydrate my body or give my body the water it needs to function properly. So, I’m going to be super focused on drinking water and enjoying the health benefits whether I like the taste of it or not.

Exercise

I’ve got four kids. Two of my kids are three years old and younger. I homeschool my kids. I work at home. We have at least two baseball games a week and as soon as baseball season ends basketball season will begin plus both of my older kids start music lessons next week. We are very involved in church. I barely feel like I have time to shower. I could go on and on with many more reasons why making time for exercise is tough. However, the truth is I DO have ten minutes a day. I just have to be intentional to make time. Also, I like results, and I love to see them fast, which means I get impatient waiting to see results since exercise takes consistent effort over time. Many of you may already be exercising consistently and ten minutes a day sounds ridiculous. If you are in that boat, please set a goal that will challenge you. For those that are not, here is what I know; if you start exercising 10 minutes a day you’ll begin to feel stronger, and will start to see results which will, in turn, make you want to exercise more. So, the goal of exercising 10 minutes a day is to start a consistent exercise habit. Even though I started exercising with the 10-minute goal in mind, before I knew it, I was working out 30 to 45 minutes five days a week. I was starting to see results and feel stronger until this past month when life just seemed crazier than usual, and my workout routine took a back seat. It’s time for me to be intentional about making time for exercise again.

Supplements

Supplements are important when following a ketogenic lifestyle especially. I take a probiotic, omega 3 fatty fish oil, biotin, magnesium, and a potassium supplement. Each morning I add Perfect Keto MCT Powder and Perfect Keto Collagen Powder to my coffee. (If you would like to order, Perfect Keto gave us an exclusive 20% off discount with code KASEYTRENUM for first-time customers. The price you see on the site is the discount price.) I am currently looking for a new multi-vitamin as my body cannot process folic acid, so I need one with folate instead. My next goal is to send in the 23 and me DNA genetic test that I ordered a couple of months ago and have a doctor interpret my results so that he can recommend the best supplements based on my genetic makeup. I will be honest. I am terrible at remembering to take all my supplements every day especially when some require an empty stomach while others suggest taking with a meal.

**Personally, I am not a supporter of exogenous ketones. I don’t think they are necessary since our bodies produce ketones when we eat properly. If you love them and feel that they are helpful, then go for it.

Helpful Resources:

• Best Keto Resources for Newbies
• The Very Best Basic Keto Grocery List
• Top 16 Keto Items at Walmart
• Costco Keto Grocery List
•  Top Keto Grocery Items at Sam’s Club 
• Amazon Keto List 
• The Best Keto Shopping List for ALDI
• Target Keto Shopping List
• Weekly Meal Plan – I post a new meal plan for inspiration every Sunday afternoon.
• 5 Easy Tips to Meal Planning
• Best Keto Apps for Tracking Macros
• 10 Easy Ways to Eat Keto on a Budget
• Keto Snack Ideas

How do I get started?

• Our start day will be Tuesday, October 23 and will end right before Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 21st.
• If you are brand new to the Ketogenic Diet and don’t know where to start, I created a fantastic resource post for newbies. It is important to research so that we can all be our own best health advocates.
• Go here and join my Easy Keto/Low Carb Recipes Facebook Page if you haven’t already. I post easy and delicious Keto/Low Carb recipes on this Facebook page daily. You don’t want to miss the weekly meal plan, food videos, and informational videos to support you on your journey.
• Go here and join our brand new Keto/Low Carb Challenge Group Facebook page where we can share our successes and failures. Our group is a fantastic resource of community and encouragement where we support and respect each other. (We are not the “Keto Police” nor do we tolerate any rudeness in our group.)
• Print out your 30-Day Keto/Low Carb Challenge Printable checklist. Fill it out according to your goals, place it in a prominent area where you will see it daily, and get ready to get started! Don’t forget your beginning weight and measurements on the last page. Taking your measurements are so important as there may be times you don’t see the results you want on the scale but you are still losing inches. Committing to taking pictures along the way is also a great motivator because we don’t always see the results in our bodies.
• I created a super simple basic printable Keto Grocery List to make grocery shopping easy you don’t want to miss.
• Follow me on Pinterest and Instagram. I’ll be adding exercise ideas, recipes, and other helpful tips to both.
• Share with your friends and family who are also doing Keto/Low Carb because a challenge is always more fun with people you know to inspire and encourage you.
• Get ready to feel amazing and see incredible results! We can do this together!

Don’t forget to print your 30-Day Keto/Low Carb Challenge Printable!