She asked: “Is stuff like that killing keto?” This was in response to my post about Perfect Keto Bars. I use their unflavored collagen powder daily in my first morning coffee ☕️ and use their Almond Butter Brownie protein bars 🍫 in place of breakfast/lunch most days.
I had a bit of a laugh at her question. 🙂 (screenshot below)
Also in today’s note: the ONLY keto shake my daughter likes and why it’s hard to find right now 😥 plus questions about the carb count on Evolve meals 😳 pictures of my daughter and I packing for her low carb road trip, plus FUN keto mail I just got! 📦 Feel free to skim or scan.:)
Who knows what she means by “killing” keto. 🤷♀️ The idea of eating LCHF (low carb, high fat – ie keto) to lose weight was first popularized in the 1950’s then made a big comeback in the 70’s with Dr. Atkins book. Obviously it’s only grown since then. I don’t think keto is going anywhere, lol. 😉
Atkins bars and Quest bars have been around for ages, so protein/keto bars are nothing new. I went through endless boxes of both back when I first started eating low carb more than 10 years ago – and Perfect Keto protein bars have way better ingredients. 💯 (they also hold me over much longer than any other bars I’ve tried, so they work great as an easy meal replacement)
This is just one example of what I meant in my recent post about some people in the keto community being a bit extreme and elitist about things. 👀 A tame example at least!
You may not use or even need collagen (yet) see: Why Collagen?, and you may not use meal replacement bars & shakes. That’s totally okay!
It’s also completely fine if you do, as long as what you use or eat doesn’t spike your blood sugar or stall your weight loss. THAT is the only thing that will “kill keto” (ie knock you out of ketosis). 😉
My daughter prefers shakes over bars, but she’s as picky about her shakes as I am my bars! More on that in a second, because someone else asked me about those shakes recently…
Don’t let anyone discourage you from YOUR goals, with THEIR preferences!
There have been plenty of times while traveling that I’ve stopped in to a CVS or Walgreens store to grab a box of Atkins bars and a bag of almonds or mixed nuts.
Whatever it takes to stay 👏 on 👏 track 👏 !!
My preference on the road is sausage patties and fried eggs from McDonald’s (whole eggs that are cracked on site) and people even bashed that! Go figure. 🤨 Speaking of, I just discovered Wendy’s now serves breakfast and has whole fried eggs too! 🍳
I say: do whatever it takes to stay on track in any given situation.
You can’t always be at home or in the kitchen, or have everything perfectly prepped for every situation – ALL THE TIME. Or maybe you’re one of those amazing people that CAN, which is great! For most of us though, there’s a lot of “grab & go” or thrown-together snack plate style meals using whatever is handy.
You can totally “wing it” and still “do keto” or eat low carb – and lose weight just fine. 👌
You can also enjoy low carb cookies, keto ice cream, sugar free chocolate & brownies, or whatever you need to power through a craving without caving – or to simply ENJOY keto life.❣️
The reason I’ve been eating Perfect Keto bars lately is because I have NO appetite until late evening most days, and horrible nausea around mid morning – and the the Almond Butter Brownie bar is the ONE thing I’ve found that gets me over that.
More on that in another note, because I’m going to start testing some different things – new things, but also things that worked before with a similar health issue. I’ll keep you posted on what works!
About Perfect Keto, here’s the link if you want to have a look around: 15% off at Perfect Keto. My discount code is LOWCARBTRAVELER for 15% off. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ve been using several of their products for years, so I’m happy to help if I can.
They have a satisfaction guarantee, so you’re in good hands!
I don’t use anything with exogenous ketones in it – and I don’t like their flavored collagen powder – it’s too sweet for me, so I get the unflavored collagen only.
I mentioned I’ve been using the Evolve low carb meal delivery, and that my daughter loves it as well. I ordered her a bunch of “grab & go” meals from their website menu to take on her camping trip last week. Those don’t require any cooking, but they’re perfectly portioned whole food individual meal trays – great for road trips, hiking & camping!
Anyway, several people have asked me about the carb count on those meals – or expressed concern about the carb count on some of them, actually. I get their Old Fashioned Chicken Salad every week, which is only 1 carb per serving – so the carb count varies on every meal.
This one (below) is 10 total carbs, 7 net carbs: Lemon Chicken with vegetables & peppercorn ranch. It’s meant to be a “heat and eat meal” but I ate it cold. 🙂 It was great like that on a hike!
They do have higher carb meals for the paleo and whole30 meal plans. You have to filter the menu by “keto” to see those that are lower carb.
Their keto meals are all 20 net carbs or less, but most are WAY less. You can check out the Evolve menu here and see the macros & ingredients for every meal.
I order almost every week. My discount code is LOWCARBTRAVELER for 20% off if you decide to try them out. You don’t have to subscribe to a meal plan or anything – you can just order only what you want right from the website.
One of their higher carb meals I like is the pot roast & carrots which is 15 net carbs. If I have eggs for breakfast, or bacon & eggs, or a 2 net carb Perfect Keto bar that morning, that still fits well into my keto macros. Even though it’s a little higher carb it’s a “real food” meal with very simple ingredients.
I haven’t had any problem with their low carb meals. I easily stay in nutritional ketosis using those, even if I eat as much as 25-30 net carbs in a day (as long as it’s healthy whole foods).
You can hand pick the meals you want, so you can choose the lower carb meals, and of course you can skip the meals with carrots (there are only 2 at the moment I think). Some are 6 net carbs, some lower or higher, but all comparable to what you might make at home when cooking meat & vegetables. The menu rotates too, so there are always different options to pick from.
They’re great to have on hand when you don’t have time to cook, or don’t feel like it!
You can see what I got this week in my unboxing video here.
📲 EatToEvolve.us
Our 20% off Discount Code is: LOWCARBTRAVELER
I get it’s not for everyone. As for the few “keto meals with carrots” (that raises a lot of eyebrows!), see: Are Sweet Potato Fries Keto Friendly? (Maybe…) I discuss carrots in that post too. 🥕
Carrots, Keto Bars, McDonald’s Eggs – Oh My! lol…
I’m specifically addressing keto convenience foods, “keto products” – and some of the more controversial options like bars and carrots, because I got A LOT of emails and messages and questions this week.(!) I always figure if ONE person asks, there are plenty more curious.;)
Those things are all fine in my opinion, and according to my blood ketone testing meter too. But I *am* picky about the products I’ll use, and my daughter and I both eat VERY simple the majority of the time: eggs, avocado, salmon, broccoli, grilled chicken salad, etc. 🥦
I’ve been using those Evolve pre-made low carb meals a lot since I’ve been sick, and they’re great for my daughter just starting out too, but they’re mostly just a meat and vegetable like chicken & broccoli plates or the “carnivore scramble” breakfast. Easy!
My daughter is staying with a friend right now, so she comes by about once a week to grab some meals & snacks because she only has a microwave there – but wants to stay on track.
She also came by and raided my pantry for sweets & snacks just to have on hand there, to make sure she didn’t cave in to cravings when other people were snacking.
It’s been interesting to see what her favorites are – and aren’t! She LOVES ChocZero sweets, and always grabs the meat sticks & beef jerky from my stash – plus the cheese chips & puffs.
I get all kinds of new snacks every month in my keto subscription box, so she has plenty to choose from. 😉 She likes the crunchy Ratio Bars too, but they’re not my favorite.
I just got a new order from ChocZero, by the way. We both love their Milk Chocolate Coconut Double Dipped Almonds and the new Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chips. I also got the brand new Keto Coconut Spread. 🥥🥰 Oh – and their Lemon Truffles and Coconut Truffles are back in stock! 🍋
They have new products out for Fall too: ChocZero Our discount code is TRAVELINGLOWCARB – it’s hands down, the BEST keto friendly chocolates & syrups you can get. 💯
Speaking of my daughter’s keto favorites… do you know what this is?!
It is an EMPTY 2.38 pound jug of Ketologie vanilla shake mix. 👀
She totally wiped that out! 🤣
They’ve been sold out on their website for awhile and she was pretty bummed – because she lost the most weight when she started having a shake in place of a big breakfast, because it also held her over through lunch and until a hot meal at dinner.
Plus she LOVES them. So do I – they’re super clean shakes, and so rich & creamy! ☺️
I was just waiting for it to get restocked on their site, but last week I discovered you CAN still get it on Amazon and at Netrition. Yay! So if you’ve been waiting on or looking for Ketologie shakes too, here you go:
* Amazon: Vanilla Ketologie Shake Mix
* Netrition has Chocolate AND Vanilla
Netrition is a great place to get all your keto favorites, often in singles too, so you can try things out or create your own variety box! They also carry staples like almond flour, baking powder, etc.
Ketologie is sold out on their website, but they do have the Vanilla Single-Serve Packs there for on the go. I love those when I’m hiking or for road trips & travel but the larger jug is way more economical. If you want the sachets (single serve packs) from their website, my discount code is LOWCARBTRAVELER there: https://www.travelinglowcarb.com/ketologie
📌 NOTE: Ketologie is based in New Zealand so I don’t know when they might restock once they sell out of what’s on hand at Amazon and Netrition right now.
They’re one of the few keto friendly protein shakes that don’t have SOY – or an entire paragraph of ingredients that make you go: 😳 lol. Plus they’re delicious!
Need Sweet & Salty Keto Snacks? This is a GREAT Deal:
One last thing… I got my October Keto Krate box today, and it has a FULL SIZE bag of ChocZero Peanut Butter Cups in it.❣️ I haven’t done an unboxing video in awhile, but I just went to look – and they have an amazing deal going on right now:
You can get TWO krates for the price of one. Double the snacks!
This link will activate the BOGO offer. 📲
I’m not sure how long that will last before they run out of the October Krate or stop the BOGO deal, but if you need a variety of snacks to have on hand – that’s a sweet deal!
Thoughts or questions?
Drop a comment & let’s chat!
I would love to hear what works best for you, what snacks & products you use or love most, whether you meal prep and cook mostly or “wing it” with easy grab & go foods – or a combination of both!
I’m definitely in the “both” camp.
I love simple meals at home when I have the time to cook, and feel up for it. Cheesy scrambled eggs are an easy favorite, or a grilled chicken salad on a bed of fresh baby spinach. 🥰🥗
I also love quick snack plates with things like: roasted pecans, almond butter, strawberries & cream cheese, meats & cheeses and blueberries. Easy!
Of course, like we discussed, portion control and mindful eating is super important. One of the things I love about Perfect Keto bars and ChocZero sweets is that they’re individually wrapped, so are the JustMadeKeto sugar free cake muffins – so I can just grab one anytime, or throw one in my bag on the way out the door, and I’m set!
My daughter LOVES those muffins too. Here’s a picture I snagged of her with a dressed up muffin (topped with peanut butter & whipped cream!) and her morning keto shake:
If you haven’t tried JustMadeKeto, it’s a sugar free bakery in SoCal. They have local pickup there and ship nationwide too (US). Right now if you order online and use my discount code she’ll throw in a FREE mini-frosting with your order! You don’t have to add it to your cart, just add the code LOWCARBTRAVELER and you’ll get a discount AND the free gift.:)
Sometimes in the mornings it’s nice to just grab something easy so you can get the day started. My daughter and I both do that – her with the shake, me with the bar & collagen coffee – then usually have a bigger healthy hot meal around dinner.
Other days I skip the bar, have chicken salad for lunch, then a hot dinner.
Tonight I had roast beef & carrots 😈🥕 plus my Perfect Keto bar earlier.
That came to 17 net carbs. 😇
…
I should close here. I finally got a little rest today and I’m feeling some better, so I wanted to share some updates from the week with you. 🙂 There are a lot of great deals going on lately, so hopefully that will help if you need to mix things up a bit. And I’m SO glad I found a few places to order more Ketologie shakes! My daughter has been waiting, waiting, waiting -lol.
Don’t worry, you’re not going to “kill keto” if you have a bar or a shake or enjoy some sugar free chocolate & cake now and then.;) haha!
I hope you’re having a great weekend. 💕
Are you cooking, meal prepping, dining out, or what’s on your menu?
As always, I look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Lynn Terry
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. Pam asked: “When is the next challenge?”
I’m working on that! 🙂 I wasn’t expecting to be out sick so much this past week, but I did post the Portion Control & Mindful Eating Challenge as a start to kick things off.
If you’re on Facebook, be sure to join us in the Low Carb Challenge Facebook Group too!
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
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