Eating low carb or Keto doesn’t have to be complicated. Learn what we eat on our low carb Keto diet and maybe you’ll find a new favorite dish.
My husband and I first started eating low carb way back in the late 1990s. We followed Dr. Atkins plan, which came to be known as the Atkins Diet. We read his books and cooked his recipes. We counted carbs and we lost weight.
Our weight loss journeys are very different. My husband lost significant weight, probably 100 pounds or so and has been able to maintain that – sort of. I lost 30 pounds and have gained back all of that weight plus some. We pretty much ate the same things every single day. It worked, but it wasn’t a lifestyle we could maintain and we didn’t. Through the years we’ve eaten low carb off and on. Yo-yoing like a lot of people do when they are dieting or trying different diets.
We still had active children at home and getting them to give up things like pizza, macaroni and cheese, or even Doritos just seemed like an impossible and unfair task. Boy, were we wrong!
As you can imagine, a lot has changed in our lives over the past 30 years. In addition, we know a lot more about the benefits of eating low carb and Keto friendly foods. We also know a lot more about artificial ingredients, preservatives and sugar.
I am not a health professional, neither is my husband. We are normal (if there is such a thing) people, leading normal lives with family and friends and who quite simply want to be healthier. Being healthier means putting healthy foods into your body. There’s just no way around that fact!
What we Eat on a Low Carb Keto Lifestyle Diet
My husband pretty much eats a high protein, low carb and high fat diet. So, more of a low carb diet. I eat a moderate protein, low carb and high fat diet. So, more of a Keto diet. My husband also has health conditions that require he consume more iron. So, he eats a lot of meat and we cook a lot in our cast iron skillet. Every little bit helps.
What we eat for breakfast
We don’t typically eat breakfast, but we do have a cup of coffee just about every morning. So, I guess you could say that coffee is our breakfast.
A Low Carb Breakfast
Like I said, my husband eats more of a low carb diet, so his breakfast looks slightly different from mine, plus his portions are typically larger. (He’s 6′ and I’m 5’2″ – so that definitely comes into play.)
- coffee with heavy cream
- 4-6 scrambled eggs or fried egg yolks (he hates the whites)
- 4 pieces of bacon
Sometimes we add onions and/or peppers to the eggs. The eggs are cooked in butter or ghee or bacon fat.
A Keto Breakfast
My Keto breakfast looks very similar to my husband’s low carb breakfast. I essentially eat smaller portions and this is a big protein packed meal for me.
- coffee with heavy cream
- 2 scrambled eggs
- 2 pieces of bacon
What we eat for lunch
Some days we eat lunch, but for the most part we have a small lunch or multiple snacks throughout the day.
A Low Carb Lunch
- Diet Coke
- Low Carb Meatloaf
- 1 avocado
I gotta tell you about my husband’s meatloaf. It’s loaded with protein and fat. I’m gonna get him to share his recipe, but it’s essentially ground beef, bacon, cheese, eggs, butter and seasoning. He uses an entire stick of butter in this recipe. The meatloaf comes out rather dense and very rich. If you like rich foods or foods with lots of flavor, you’ll love his low carb meatloaf.
A Keto Lunch
- 2 string cheese
- 1 boiled egg
OR
- 1/2 avocado with lime juice
- 1 piece of bacon
Like I said, I don’t eat a typical lunch. I do work full-time and my lunch break really consists of a snack. I’ll eat a piece of string cheese whenever I feel a little hungry.
What we eat for dinner
Now, dinner is a different story for us. We typically don’t each much throughout the day, but we just about always have a nice dinner.
Again, we eat the same foods, just different portions or at different times. My husband does a lot of meal preparation for us so we always have food readily available. And we don’t keep junk food or high carb/sugary foods in the house to tempt us. These two things make a big difference – especially when you’re just starting out eating low carb or keto.
Low Carb Keto Dinner Idea #1
- meatloaf
- green beans cooked in bacon fat and chicken stock
Low Carb Keto Dinner Idea #2
- low carb crab cakes
- remoulade sauce
Low Carb Keto Dinner Idea #3
- fried chicken breast strips
- roasted broccoli (olive oil and sea salt)
Low Carb Keto Dinner Idea #4
- cauliflower crust pizza with provolone cheese and pepperoni
- cauliflower crust pizza with alfredo sauce and chicken
No, we don’t eat two pizzas. Those are just examples of the type of pizzas we make. You can really put anything on your cauliflower crust pizza.
Low Carb Keto Dinner Idea #5
- chicken wraps with bacon, avocado, cheese, sour cream and lettuce
Low Carb Keto Dinner Idea #6
- baked fish
- cauliflower mac and cheese
Low Carb Keto Dinner Idea #7
There you have an entire week’s worth of ideas and real life examples of what we really do eat.
Here are a few more ideas of foods we eat on our low carb keto diets:
- Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers
- Crustless Quiche with Broccoli, Ham and Cheese
- Crustless Quiche with Chicken, Peppers and Cheese
- Zucchini Noodles with Meatballs and Sauce
- Zucchini Noodles with Chicken and Alfredo Sauce
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Zucchini Frittata
- Low Carb Crab Cakes
Again, you can do some meal prep, have your foods all waiting for you in the refrigerator and just pop them in the microwave, on the stove or in the oven to reheat.
What’s in our Refrigerator
Have I mentioned that meal prep is a really big help when starting or maintaining a low carb or keto lifestyle? It really is! On any given day, you’ll find the following in our refrigerator:
- boiled eggs
- string cheese
- blocks of cheddar and colby jack cheese
- lettuce
- avocados
- baby spinach
- romaine
- limes
- bacon (already cooked)
- meatloaf
- crustless quiche (cut up into portions)
- fried chicken
- green beans
- celery
- cauliflower
- broccoli
- bell peppers
- fat bombs
- cream cheese
I also make up sugar-free condiments, like the remoulade sauce for crab cakes or garlic butter and alfredo sauce.
What About Desserts and Sweet Treats on a Low Carb Keto Diet?
My husband would have what you call an insatiable sweet tooth. The good news is that there are plenty of delicious sweet treats you can enjoy on a low carb diet/lifestyle. Here are a few of our favorites:
- fat bombs
- keto cream cheese pancakes
- keto strawberry sauce
- flax muffins with walnuts
- dark chocolate muffins
- keto egg nog cookies
- keto strawberry muffins
- sugar-free candied walnuts
Alright, there is plenty more that I could share with you, but hopefully, this will give you an idea of what two over 50 year old adults eat on a low carb or keto diet.
Is it a Low Carb Keto Diet or a Lifestyle?
You know, it really has become a mindset that this is our life. This is how we eat. This is how we become healthier versions of ourselves. This is how we reverse diabetes and help to prevent a host of other health issues.
For me to be successful on my diet, I really do have to consider it a lifestyle. Something at some point has to switch in our brains that says, “No more. I want to be healthy. I’m going to eat healthy. There are no other options.” That’s where I am.
I call it a diet because first and foremost I want/need to lose weight. My goal is 40 pounds. It’s coming off v-e-r-y slowly. But my thought process is that this way of eating, regardless of how quickly I lose weight, is better for me. It’s a must.
Like I said, I am not a healthcare professional, but I have done a ton of research, my husband’s done 10 tons of research and we both desire to be healthier versions of ourselves so we can enjoy life, enjoy our grandchildren and grow old healthy and happy together. I’d call that a lifestyle, wouldn’t you?
Til next time…
