Everyone is different in terms of how much or how little they like to plan ahead when it comes to their meals. Some people like to avoid temptation by having everything planned and logged into a tracking system so they don’t go over their carb level.
Others like to have the freedom to eat whatever keto-friendly carb meals they want throughout the day. It’s all up to you. But if you’re a planner, here are some things you can do to make sticking to this diet plan a bit easier on you.
First, you can purchase keto-friendly foods to have on hand in your home at all times. Some of the recipes or meals call for unique ingredients, such as coconut oil, and you want it to be convenient for you to prepare your foods.
Second, you can meal prep your favorite keto-friendly foods ahead of time. Some people meal prep on a weekend so they have everything ready a week at a time. Others only prep everything the night before, so it’s completely up to you.
A third way of planning is to think about what you want to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and then log them into your carb tracker the night before. That way, you know exactly what you need to fix and how many net carbs it will be.
Another way to plan ahead is to educate yourself about which foods are carb-friendly, and which items on your favorite restaurant menus are going to help you stay in ketosis. If there aren’t any, you can plan ahead about how you’ll place an order tailored to your needs.
Some keto dieters even plan for temptations they might be around. Not everywhere you go will be free from the lure of carb-laden foods. So you have to be ready when you’re in enemy territory.
Some dieters have a keto-friendly snack in their bag in case they’re put in an awkward situation where the only foods being served are those overflowing with carbs. You can take out a snack bag of pecans or a string cheese, for example and satisfy your hunger without being forced to cave.
If you’re active in outdoor activities, if you travel or if you have to be away from your home for any amount of time, you can plan to take snacks along with you then, too. Even if you simply drive a lot for work, you may want to have something on hand for those moments when hunger strikes.
