GET STARTED KETO CHALLENGE
Week one
Now that your fridge and pantry are well-stocked with lots of delicious keto ingredients, let’s get cooking! We have all the info you need. Check out your weekly overview with recipes and shopping list here
Get social!
If you have an Instagram account and want to inspire others in their health journey, feel free to document your everyday life during the challenge.
Tag @diet_doctor in your photos and/or use the official hashtag: #gskc. We’ll keep an eye on the tagged posts and share some of the best ones for inspiration.
Monday – day 1
- Eat: Enjoy the tasty menu below. Eat until satisfied. A low-carb high-fat diet reduces hunger. You usually won’t need to snack if you’re doing it right.1 If you’re hungry between meals, add more fat – like butter, olive oil or mayo – to your next meal.23 And consider increasing the portion size.
- Stay hydrated: When changing to a ketogenic diet from a diet with a lot of carbs your body will get rid of a lot of water — especially in the first days.4 So make sure to drink a lot of water. If you’re getting a headache, you probably need to drink more but it’s also important to follow the advice below.
- Make sure you get enough salt: We recommend drinking a cup of bouillon, broth, or adding more salt to your food every day during the first week. You can even shake a little salt into a glass of water and sip it. 5 This will help you minimize the risk of early side effects, like headache, lethargy, or irritability. Learn more.
When starting a low-carb diet, these side effects are common on days 2-4, but with the bouillon (broth) they are usually minor. Learn more.
Breakfast
Start the week with one of the best time-saving keto breakfasts of all time – keto egg muffins. If you want something more daring, feel free to switch to another breakfast option.
You can also have coffee or tea. Small amounts of full-fat milk or cream are okay.
Lunch
A simple yet tasty no-cook keto plate that should keep you satiated until dinner – keto turkey plate.
Lunch out is not recommended, but if necessary, follow these guidelines.
Dinner
This amazing cheeseburger salad is quick, inexpensive, and filled with all of the best flavors of a juicy cheeseburger. The ingredients come together for a familiar and favorite taste sensation that makes you wonder why you ever ate burgers on a bun!
Cook enough so you have leftovers for lunch tomorrow (that means plan on 2 servings per person).
Tuesday – day 2
- Eat: Enjoy today’s simple but delicious menu below.
- Stay hydrated: Don’t forget to drink enough water.
- Make sure you get enough salt: Have a cup of bouillon or add extra salt to your food or water.
- Fat is your friend: If you’re hungry between meals you need to eat more fat with your meals. Don’t fear fat. Learn more.
Breakfast
Keto egg muffins. If you want a different breakfast, you can always switch to another breakfast option, like classic bacon and eggs.
Coffee or tea is fine.
Lunch
It’s time to heat up the leftovers from yesterday’s delicious dinner.
Lunch out is not recommended, but if necessary, follow these guidelines.
Dinner
Quick keto chicken garam masala with coconut cream, turmeric, and garam masala, this dish has an exotic and satisfying spicy flavor. You’ll be amazed that something so tasty could be so quick and simple.
Prepare enough so there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow (plan on 2 servings per person).
Wednesday – day 3
- Eat: There’s plenty of flavor in today’s colorful menu below.
- Stay hydrated: Don’t forget to drink enough water.
- Make sure you get enough salt: Have a cup of bouillon or add extra salt to your food or water.
- Side effects: Today you may experience some temporary side effects of getting started on low carb, i.e. sugar withdrawal. You might feel a bit tired, etc.
Today and tomorrow may be the toughest days. Once you make it through, it will only get easier. Today you can even have a second cup of bouillon if you feel the need.
Breakfast
The week continues with the delicious keto egg muffins.
If you feel adventurous, feel free to switch to another breakfast option.
Coffee or tea is fine.
Lunch
Lucky you, it’s finally time to enjoy the leftovers from yesterday’s dinner.
Lunch out is not recommended, but if necessary, follow these guidelines.
Dinner
Keto tuna and avocado salad. Not a fan of mayo, but love tuna, avocado, red pepper and onion? What if we tossed all of those with a tart lime and olive oil dressing? You’d have a quick, simple, and budget-friendly meal in under 15 minutes!
Cook enough so there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow (plan on 2 servings per person).
Replenish motivation
Keep in mind that the first week of keto eating is the hardest. Once you’re done with the first week, you will most likely feel good… maybe even great! You may feel energized and you will most likely wave goodbye to those first pounds, too. Now it’s crucial to keep going!
For additional motivation and inspiration, check out a success story of your choice today.
Women under 40 
Women 40+ 
Men under 40 
Men 40+ Thursday – day 4
- Eat: Here’s another day packed with tasty meals below.
- Stay hydrated: Don’t forget to drink enough water.
- Make sure you get enough salt: Have a cup of bouillon or add extra salt to your food or water.
Lunch
The leftovers from yesterday’s dinner, the delicious salad is waiting for you. And it might even taste better than yesterday.
Lunch out is not recommended, but if necessary, follow these guidelines.
Dinner
Is it an omelet? Is it a pizza? Is it a quiche? Who cares?! When it tastes this good and it’s keto, too, call it whatever you like. This keto pizza omelet is tonight’s dinner.
Cook enough so there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow (plan on 2 servings per person).
Minimizing side effects
Yesterday and today may be the toughest days. However, it usually starts getting easier.
Are you experiencing other side effects than feeling tired and generally not great? Here are some specific side effects that people occasionally experience during the first two weeks, and how to cure them:
Induction flu 
Leg cramps 
Constipation 
Bad breath 
Heart palpitations 
Reduced physical performance Friday – day 5
- Eat: With the weekend around the corner, the menu is only getting better!
- Stay hydrated: Don’t forget to drink enough water.
- Make sure you get enough salt: Have a cup of bouillon or add extra salt to your food or water.
- Feeling better? Most people are past the worst side effects by now. Some even feel more energetic than ever. If not, make sure you’re getting enough water and salt. Noticing any other side effects? Learn more.
Breakfast
The last day this week with the tasty keto egg muffins. If you feel adventurous, feel free to switch to another breakfast option.
Coffee or tea is fine.
Lunch
Lunch will be super quick today with the leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. A simple and very tasty keto meal.
Lunch out is not recommended, but if necessary, follow these guidelines.
Dinner
Enjoy our delicious keto Italian meatloaf with baked tomatoes and pesto mayo tonight. Maximum taste with minimal effort – just the way we like it.
Cook enough so there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow (plan on 2 servings per person).
Saturday – day 6
- Eat: It’s finally the weekend and there’s so much to enjoy in today’s menu, below.
- Stay hydrated: Don’t forget to drink enough water.
- Make sure you get enough salt: Have a cup of bouillon or add extra salt to your food or water.
- Feeling energetic? Today you should feel mostly great again – perhaps even full of energy. If not, read up about early side effects and how to manage them.
Breakfast
Today the breakfast changes to the classic and delicious bacon and eggs. Feel free to switch to another breakfast option if you’re in the mood for something else.
Coffee or tea is fine.
Lunch
Leftovers from yesterday’s dinner, it’s time for another round of the yummy keto meatloaf!
Lunch out is still not recommended, but if necessary, follow these guidelines.
Dinner
Keto fried chicken with broccoli and butter. We know you’re going to love this quick-and-easy keto dinner!
Prepare enough so there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow (plan on 2 servings per person).
Sunday – day 7
- Weigh in, if you like: The weigh-in is optional, but perhaps you want to see what has happened this week? Check your weight and waist circumference.
Most people lose a few pounds (1-2 kilos) and sometimes even more in the first week of a strict low-carb diet. Of course this has a lot to do with how much weight you have to lose, among other things. If you only have a few extra pounds, you’ll probably lose weight at a slower pace.
Check out our short Top 5 tips for weight loss video — especially tip #2. - Eat: Enjoy the tasty Sunday menu below.
Shop
Time to go shopping for some great food again!
The ingredients list for week two contains everything you need for the second and last week of the challenge.
Note: When using or printing the ingredients list, make sure you select the appropriate number of people you’re shopping for. Also, you can select US or metric measurements. Consider checking what you already have in your kitchen before going shopping to avoid buying duplicates.
Breakfast
Jill’s cheese-crusted keto omelet. What a perfect way to start this day!
Coffee or tea is fine.
Lunch
That’s right, it’s time for chicken again! Leftovers from yesterday’s dinner.
Lunch out is not recommended, but if necessary, follow these guidelines.
Dinner
Keto carbonara with zoodles. Zucchini noodles or zoodles are more than just an “alternative” to regular pasta – they’re a culinary treat! With all the creamy textures and crispy-bacon crunch of the Italian classic, this quick and satisfying keto recipe hits all the right notes. The best way to end the first week of the challenge.
Cook enough so there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow (plan on 2 servings per person).
Bonus insight
What’s the point of low carb – shouldn’t we all just eat everything in moderation?
That’s what people often say. But unfortunately, this philosophy usually results in failure, especially long term.7 What’s wrong with moderation? In the video below, six of the top low-carb doctors in the world give their quick and spontaneous answers to that common question.
For more on why most people still believe in “moderation” and calorie counting, check out this interview: “We’ve been pretty much lied to for 30-40 years”
Return to Week 1 overview
, Jill Wallentin
, medical review by Dr. Bret Scher, MD
Evidence basedGet started keto challenge 2021 – Week 1 - the evidence
This guide is written by Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD, Jill Wallentin, Dr. Bret Scher, MD and was last updated on June 17, 2022.
All our evidence-based health guides are written or reviewed by medical doctors who are experts on the topic. To stay unbiased we show no ads, sell no physical products, and take no money from the industry. We're fully funded by the people, via an optional membership. Most information at Diet Doctor is free forever.
Read more about our policies and work with evidence-based guides, nutritional controversies, our editorial team, and our medical review board.
Should you find any inaccuracy in this guide, please email andreas@dietdoctor.com.
Obesity Reviews 2014: Do ketogenic diets really suppress appetite? A systematic review and meta-analysis [strong evidence]
Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases 2015: The effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite: a randomized controlled trial [moderate evidence] ↩
Studies now show that there’s no reason to fear natural fats:
Open Heart 2016: Evidence from randomised controlled trials does not support current dietary fat guidelines: a systematic review and meta-analysis [strong evidence]
Eating enough fat is not the only thing that contributes to increased satiety on a keto diet. You may also want to make sure that your diet contains enough protein.
Eating enough protein might sometimes be even more satisfying:
Advances in Nutrition 2015: Controversies surrounding high-protein diet intake: Satiating effect and kidney and bone health [overview article] ↩
A high-carb diet generally leads to higher insulin levels. Insulin causes increased retention of salt and fluid, as described in this article:
International Journal of Hypertension 2011: Insulin resistance, obesity, hypertension, and renal sodium transport ↩
This is mainly based on the consistent experience of experienced clinicians [weak evidence]. There is also some support from this study that found only minor increases in side effects, while advising participants to drink bouillon:
Nutrition & Metabolism 2008: The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus [moderate evidence]
Could the added salt be dangerous? Likely not, as it’s mostly about replacing salt that is being lost. Furthermore, advising people to restrict salt intake lacks good scientific evidence:
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 2008: Evidence for sugar addiction: behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake [overview article]
Clinical Chemistry 2018: Food addiction, high-glycemic-index carbohydrates, and obesity [overview article] ↩
Here’s a study that concluded that “the preponderance of evidence does not support the notion of dietary diversity as an effective strategy to promote healthy eating patterns and healthy body weight”:
Circulation 2018: Dietary diversity: implications for obesity prevention in adult populations: a science advisory from the American Heart Association [overview article] ↩