Keto 30-Day Challenge

If you are struggling on the keto diet, it’s time to recommit for a 30-Day Keto Challenge. Being purposeful for 30 days will help form new habits, and combat old ways of eating to set you up for success.

Keto 30-Day Challenge

Last year, I was so surprised to discover that our very first Keto/Low Carb Challenge was featured in Women’s Health Magazine online. Hundreds joined us during that first 30-day challenge and took charge of their health and experienced fantastic results. We supported, encouraged, and cheered each other along the way. After feedback from so many of you, now that the holidays are approaching I am launching another Keto/Low Carb 30-Day Challenge Group on Tuesday, October 1st.

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 support, and you have a recipe for success!

What is the Keto 30 Challenge?

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 three key areas to keep it simple:

1. Hitting a net carb goal (you choose)
2. Drinking water
3. Consistent Exercise

You are the boss of you; therefore, it is up to you to do the research upfront and decide how many net carbs you are comfortable eating per day. You’ll also choose your favorite exercise that fits into your life.

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 ketogenic or low carb diet, it will be hard to stick with the disciplines that are necessary to the process. With that in mind, make sure to take a look at this Guide to Get Started with Keto. We all have to be our own best health advocates, and being informed is the best place to start.

How Much Does the Keto 30 Challenge Cost?

The Keto 30-Day Challenge is completely free. There are no required purchases, products, or supplements. The goal of this free keto challenge is to create a place of support and encouragement while empowering you to create a new healthy lifestyle.

What is the Key to this Keto Diet Challenge?

Most of us have failed at other programs. That is why, in this challenge, we all won’t be following a cookie-cutter checklist. Those kinds of weight loss challenges rarely stick long term. Instead, the key to this Keto 30 Challenge is sticking with your choices consistently for 30 days then measuring your results. Our start day will be Tuesday, October 1st. This challenge isn’t about perfection for 30 days. It’s about being intentional and purposeful.

What the Keto/Low Carb Challenge is Not

As I mentioned above, 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 kind of keto diet plan here. It is important to eat real foods and to learn how to follow a healthy lifestyle change. No one wants a temporary plan that fails. I will post plenty of recipes and weekly meal plans, but they are merely for inspiration, not a requirement to follow. I won’t make outrageous weight-loss claims either like lose 15 pounds in 30 days as each person’s body is different. Instead, I will say that if you commit for 30 days, you will see results at the end of the challenge.

What About Rules?

This Keto Challenge does not have strict rules to follow. My goal is to empower you to create your own guidelines that fit into your season of life and health goals. I’ve had a few ask about artificial sweeteners and dairy. If you’d like to cut out artificial sweeteners and/or go dairy-free for your challenge that is totally up to you. Customize this challenge to fit your goals and struggles.

How Do I Learn More about the Ketogenic Diet?

If you aren’t sure how this keto lifestyle works, start with research, then decide if you want to follow a Keto or Low Carb. If you’d like a little clarification of the differences between keto, which is a high-fat approach and low carb, take a look at Low Carb vs. Keto: Benefits & Differences.

This challenge is about being purposeful, learning how to pick yourself right back up if you fall off the wagon, and giving 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. 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.

Is There a Keto Challenge Meal Plan?

Each week I post a new meal plan for the week with easy family-friendly keto recipes for dinner. It is not a requirement to follow these meal plans. I simply post them for inspiration. If you’d like to get a head start on meal planning, you can find links to over 70 previous keto meal plans here.

I’m Busy, Do I Have to Meal Prep Lots of Foods in Advance?

I understand. I am busy too and don’t have time to prep a lot of foods in advance. That is why I take a straightforward approach to the ketogenic lifestyle and only prep ahead when it makes sense. For example, instead of browning 1 lb of ground beef for a meal tonight I might brown several pounds at once. That way, next time I need ground beef, it is already browned in the freezer. Or, if a recipe calls for bacon instead of only making a few pieces, I’ll bake extra. You can find these and other easy meal prep tips in 5 Easy Tips to Meal Planning on Keto.

How Many Net Carbs Should I Allow Per Day?

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. Most who follow a keto diet allow approx 20-25 net carbs per day, while those who follow low carb may allow more.

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! 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 at least half my weight in ounces of water each day. For many, this may not be an issue, but I struggle to drink the appropriate amount of water daily.

Exercise on the 30-Day Keto Challenge

To see results, exercise takes consistent effort over time. Our focus will be some form of consistent exercise, even if it is only 10 minutes a day. 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 be challenging. For those that are not, here is what I know; if you start exercising 10 minutes a day you’ll feel stronger, and will begin to see results over time 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. I created a Pinterest board of various 30-Day challenge workouts if you’d like to check them out.

Helpful Resources for Keto 30 Challenge:

• Guide to Getting Started on Keto 
• Best Keto Resources for Newbies
• Best Keto Apps for Tracking Macros
• 10 Easy Ways to Eat Keto on a Budget
• Keto Snack Ideas
• Electrolytes Simplified & Explained 
• Keto Flu: What Is It? How to Treat?

Keto Shopping Lists

• 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

How do I get started?

• Our start day will be Tuesday, October 1st, and will end on Wednesday, October 30th.
• 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 Keto/Low Carb Challenge Facebook Group, 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 the brand new Keto Challenge Printables. 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. Taking your measurements are so important as there may be times you don’t see the results you want on the scale while still losing inches. I also included several other resources for meal planning.
• 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.
• 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 Keto Challenge Printables! These printable are just added resources for you but are not required to participate.