I Tried The Keto Diet For 7 Days

The Keto Diet seems to be be the new trend, everyone seems to know somebody who is doing it, or maybe you've even tried it yourself.
If you aren't familiar, Keto is a modified style of a low carb, high fat (LCHF) diet in which you aim to consume around 20g of net carbohydrates (or 50g total) while increasing your healthy fat intake to induce Ketosis - a state where your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs.
So I tried it.

"But wait," I hear you say "aren't you vegan? Doesn't everyone who follows this diet just eat steak slathered in mayonaise??"

Yup, I followed the Keto Diet and made it completely vegan.
Let me tell you, it was one of the most time consuming things I've ever done.

Oh, and I also follow a 16/8 split of intermittent fasting.

Day 1

After a very expensive trip to the supermarket because everything in my cupboards were carbs, I started my meal prep.

Every article I've read on Vegan/Keto diets recommended lots of greens,nuts and seeds, probiotic foods like sauerkraut and vegan cheeses, so I stocked up and my first day looked like this:

Breakfast:

Black coffee.

Oven roasted brussels sprouts & sauerkraut.

Lunch:

Zucchini noodles in an avocado & coconut cream sauce. 

Dinner:

Spinach and leek salad w/ falafel, walnuts & tahini dressing.

500ml of ginger & lemon Kombucha.

Carbs: 77g / Fibre: 17g / Protein: 36g / Fat: 129g

Verdict:

I had an open bag of falafel bites which I didn't want to go to waste, and too many unused calories for the day - otherwise I would have come in at just over target. I didn't account for the fact that although avo is a good source of healthy fat - its also relatively high in carbs.

I also learnt a teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt is too much for one salad.

Day 2

I took a second trip to the supermarket bringing my weekly spend up to $190, and honestly I don't even remember what I brought.

Breakfast:

Black coffee with coconut oil.

Oven roasted brussels sprouts & sauerkraut.

Coconut yoghurt.

Lunch:

Sesame tofu on eggplant noodles w/ sauerkraut.

Dinner:

Spinach, kale and broccoli salad w/ walnuts & tahini dressing.

Snacks:

Spinach & berry protein smoothie.

Carbs: 48g / Fibre: 18g / Protein: 68g / Fat: 132g

Verdict:

I remember what I spent the money on.

It was kale.

Anyway, it was a much better outcome for the day, and as it turns out: I love brussels sprouts.

Day 3

I spent another $7 at the supermarket.

Breakfast:

Black coffee.

Vegan egg breakfast quiche w/ Kale, mushroom and sauerkraut salad.

Lunch:

Spinach, kale and broccoli salad w/ walnuts & tahini dressing.

Dinner:

 Kale & leek salad w/ falafel, avo & walnuts.

Snacks:

Spinach & berry protein smoothie.

2x cashew & cacao fat bombs

Gardein 'chicken' strips

Midnight Snacks:

1x block of dairy free bio cheese.

Carbs: 121g / Fibre: 26g / Protein: 83g / Fat: 200g

Verdict:

 I made the mistake of sampling what I was cooking, and then feeling sad and eating a whole block of cheese late at night. Without the cheese I came in at 1986 calories, but still at 54g net carbs for the day. I brought the wrong kind of coconut cream due to my regular being out of stock and forgot to change the quantity used to make up for the carb difference.

Day 4

Fresh from last nights misery cheese binge, I switched up from salads because I was bored and needed something new.

Breakfast:

Black coffee w/ coconut oil.

Teriyaki 'chicken' & avo sushi w/ cauliflower rice.

Coconut yoghurt.

Lunch:

Zucchini noodles in an avocado & coconut cream sauce. 

Dinner:

Leek & Broccoli soup.

Snacks:

Cashew & cacao fat bomb.

Iced coffee protein shake.

Carbs: 41g / Fibre: 21g / Protein: 51g / Fat: 128g

Verdict:

Probably my best day so far, I had to finish my ready made avo zoodles because I didn't think the would last another day in the fridge. The soup was so good.

Day 5

I woke up with a headache today, but it was a wrestling show day so I had to get up and prep my meals for the day so I wouldn't be stuck in the middle of nowhere starving. I fasted until 12pm and then decided to do today a little differently by eating all of my prepped food as one big meal instead of multiple smaller meals.

Brunner:

Kale & spinach salad w/ avo, sauerkraut, walnuts & tahini dressing.

Teriyaki 'chicken' & avo sushi w/ cauliflower rice.

Cashew & cacao fat bomb.

Celery sticks & peanut butter.

Choc/coco protein shake.

Black coffee.

Monster ultra sunrise zero.

Carbs: 22g / Fibre: 19g / Protein: 54g / Fat: 75g

Verdict:

I got home really late, so I wasn't tempted to eat more, though I probably should have as I only just broke 1000 calories for the day, however my macro split was almost perfect. Eating everything in one go made me feel like what I was eating was much more substantial. I hate celery, and even disguising it in peanut butter didn't make it palatable so I gave some away.

Day 6

I woke up late and decided I would push my fast up to 24hrs for 'fun' so I stayed in bed until 1pm to conserve energy and watched the Bratz Rock Angelz movie. I stuck with the one meal idea as it worked well yesterday.

Brunner:

Kale & leek salad w/ coconut fried tempeh, avo, sauerkraut & tahini dressing.

Cashew & cacao fat bomb.

Teriyaki 'chicken' & avo sushi w/ cauliflower rice.

Peanut butter & choc protein smoothie.

Carbs: 20g / Fibre: 17g / Protein: 51g / Fat: 84g

Verdict:

I went to the gym straight after eating and weighed myself at the end of my workout, I'd dropped 1.5 kg from the last time I weighed myself (7 days earlier) on an empty stomach. I was happy with my macro split and was feeling pretty energized despite not having any caffeine today.

Day 7

I had to buy more supplies so ended up spending another $50 at the supermarket, I also did a second 24hr fast and didn't eat until 2.30pm (roughly the time I'd finished eating the previous day). 

Brunner:

Vegan egg breakfast quiche w/ Kale,sauerkraut, leek & avo salad.

Cashew & cacao fat bomb.

Oven roasted brussels sprouts & jalapeno stuffed olives.

Choc/coco protein smoothie.

Teriyaki 'chicken' & avo sushi w/ cauliflower rice.

Black coffee.

Monster ultra sunrise zero.

Celery sticks & peanut butter.

Carbs: 45g / Fibre: 31g / Protein: 57g / Fat: 144g

Verdict:

I needed to finish my pre prepped sushi before it went bad which threw my carbs out, however it was still only 13% of my total daily intake. Probably could have taken it easy on the olives too, but they were so good.

Final verdict:

It took a lot of time (and I mean hours) to pre-prep meals those first few nights as I didnt have much idea of what I should be making, and as a result some of the prepped stuff was hard to fit in to my macros if I wanted to eat anything besides salad. Everything tasted amazing, and I loved the fat bombs. My weight loss of 1.5kg (forgot to weigh myself on the final day to get an accurate number) was most probably water loss, but my stomach felt a lot leaner on the last few days - probably due to not bloating because of all the starchy carbs I usually eat. It did mean I couldn't eat out with friends because there are currently no Vegan/Keto takeaway or pre-made options sold accessibly, I had no choice but to meal prep everything. I think I had "keto flu" on Sunday/Day 6 but otherwise I felt good, I wasn't hungry and I didn't break out from consuming all the extra fat.

My spend for the week, because I needed to purchase so many different 'keto basics' as to get enough fat into my diet for the experiment to work ended up being $250. To put this into perspective, my usual weekly spend is around $60 because I eat a vegan wholefoods diet without the fancy extras.

So will I continue?
For now, no.
But only because I have still got plenty of carb dense foods in my pantry that aren't dry goods and need to be eaten so I don't waste the money I've already spent. Like the whole bunch of banana's that have been sitting there all week mocking me. I will however stick to the longer fasting periods and to having one meal a day.

Was this helpful? Have I missed anything?
Ask me questions or give me tips for my next try at Vegan/Keto in the comment section.

-Ash.