Lose up to 10 pounds on my 5 day keto soup diet! Perfect for when you want to break through a weight loss stall or plateau, drop pounds quickly for an event or vacation, or get yourself back on track after a weekend (or longer) of over-indulgence. Whole30 and Squeaky Clean Keto approved, this keto soup diet is also a great way to detox from gluten, dairy, sweeteners, and alcohol!
This 5 day keto soup diet is built around the delicious Turbo Atkins Diet Soup that I developed for Women’s World magazine years ago. Designed for quick weight loss, this soup diet plan is easy to execute and doesn’t require a lot of time in the kitchen – and who doesn’t love that idea?!
Thousands of people have had success losing up to 10 pounds (and MORE) on the keto soup diet, and over the past few years I’ve amassed a lot of information from those who have shared their results. The following are some frequently asked questions from people who are considering the keto soup diet. Please take a few minutes to read through this carefully to ensure you get the best possible results out of your keto soup diet!
Table of Contents
- Is the Keto Soup Diet healthy and safe to do?
- Can I make substitutions on the Keto Soup Diet and still see results?
- What should I do if I can’t find some of the ingredients called for in the Keto Soup?
- Can I do this plan if I am a vegetarian?
- How much soup will I need to do the Keto Soup Diet?
- How many calories should I be eating on the Keto Soup Diet?
- Do I need to increase my calories on the Keto Soup Diet if I am a man, or do intense workouts?
- How Often Can I do the 5 Day Soup Diet?
- Where can I get support while doing the Keto Soup Diet?
- Where can I find the recipes for the Keto Soup Diet?
- IBIH 5 Day Keto Soup Diet Plan
- Pantry and Shopping Lists
Is the Keto Soup Diet healthy and safe to do?
What gives this 5 day keto soup diet an edge over other keto fat fasts or even the egg fast is that it gives you the necessary nutrients, antioxidants, and electrolytes to feel your best on keto when losing weight and detoxing. It does that with plenty of healthy fats, but also provides lots of Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, B vitamins, and even choline – which nourishes your liver so it can burn more fat.
To further maximize fat burning and reduce inflammation, this 5 day keto soup diet allows no sweeteners of any kind, no nuts, and no dairy (except butter which is almost pure fat and shouldn’t affect your progress.) I know it sounds tough, but the results are worth it!
Who knows – you may find that eliminating some of these things is the key to finally making significant progress towards your goals! Then you can implement some of these changes as you transition back into regular keto, low carb, or even Paleo afterwards.
Can I make substitutions on the Keto Soup Diet and still see results?
Ok, it’s tough love time. I really, really do want you to succeed on this plan, but please don’t email me about how you simply can’t drink your coffee without heavy whipping cream and/or sweetener in it because “it’s just so gross without cream”, or it “makes you SOOPER SAD and ruins your ENTIRE DAY, so is it ok if you have it anyway?”
You CAN go without if you want it bad enough. I believe in you.
In addition, do some basic problem solving on your own please – I implore you. If you are allergic to eggs – eat tuna salad every day. If you’re allergic to tuna, make it with chicken instead or eat egg salad every day. Hate avocado? Have an extra egg or slice of bacon instead.
You don’t need me to approve these choices – do what works for you. But adhering the plan as written or as close to it as possible will yield the best results. Period.
If you decide to modify the 5 day keto soup diet plan to suit your personal preferences, great. You might put cream and sweetener in your coffee and still lose eleventy billion pounds in just three days. That’s awesome. Make it work for you and please be sure to tell us in the comments about what you changed and how it went after the fact so others can benefit from your experience.
This plan is written with my recommendations for best results in mind, and you don’t have to follow it exactly.
What should I do if I can’t find some of the ingredients called for in the Keto Soup?
There are substitution recommendations in the actual keto soup recipe post found here, but in case you missed them here are some guidelines when shopping for ingredients:
If you can’t find celery root where you live, you may substitute an equal amount of cauliflower, turnips, jicama, or rutabaga for roughly the same amount of carbs. DO NOT USE PARSNIPS – they are much too high in carbs and it could skew your results.
If you can’t find swiss chard, collards are an excellent substitute for about the same amount of carbs – DO NOT SUB KALE FOR THE SWISS CHARD – IT’S TOO HIGH IN CARBS AND CAN IMPEDE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS.
Can I do this plan if I am a vegetarian?
Yes! While the keto soup diet plan is more limiting without meat, it can absolutely be tailored to be vegetarian.
If you are fine with seafood you can substitute fish or shrimp in the soup.
If you don’t eat any animal flesh, you can simply omit the chicken, OR replace it with tofu or another non meat protein of your choice. If you are fine with eggs then simply increase the eggs to 3, omit the bacon from your breakfast, and eat an entire avocado.
Instead of tuna salad, have egg salad for all of the snacks.
How much soup will I need to do the Keto Soup Diet?
The Keto Soup Recipe will yield 20 cups of soup if you follow the recipe correctly and simmer it covered to avoid excessive evaporation. The keto soup diet calls for 4 cups per day over 5 days. The math works.
That being said, some people have reported they were a little short on the soup by the end of the week – if that happens, stretch it with extra broth or a little more protein (or make another batch), but don’t add extra veggies to the existing soup or it will change the carb count.
For best results, I recommend portioning out the soup for the week (even if it’s just into 5 containers, each containing your total soup for each day) all at once if possible. That way you can make sure you’re getting an equal amount of broth and veggies/chicken every day – otherwise you may find that you have mostly broth and nothing else by the last day.
How many calories should I be eating on the Keto Soup Diet?
Keep your calories between 1200-1400 per day, and your carbs under 20g – no nuts, dairy or artificial sweeteners is non-negotiable if you’re trying to follow this specific plan.
I’m including a daily snack, though if you find you don’t need it then don’t force yourself – but because the soup is low in calories, you will likely need the snack to get through the day. You can have this snack between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner depending on your preference and schedule. Or not at all – again that’s up to you. Feel free to mix and match the snacks or eat the same thing every day if that’s easier for you.
On a side note, you can substitute an extra bulletproof coffee or tea for the snack – the calories will be around the same!
Do I need to increase my calories on the Keto Soup Diet if I am a man, or do intense workouts?
If you are a man, or are working out frequently, you may find that you need more calories to be satisfied. It’s still important that you keep your carbs under 20g per day, even if you do increase your calories.
The best way to increase your calories on the keto soup diet without negatively impacting your results is to add extra bacon, tuna or egg salad, or bullet proof coffee to your day. Those items are high in fat and have almost zero carbs. Don’t increase your soup amount, because that is where the bulk of your carbs are coming from, and doubling up on that could kick you out of ketosis.
How Often Can I do the 5 Day Soup Diet?
Most of my other free keto weekly meal plans are luxurious compared to this one. They are designed to help you lose weight in a way that is maintainable longer term so you don’t go crazy from deprivation. This 5 day keto soup diet plan is different. It’s not meant to be adopted as a lifestyle change or to keep you going on keto forever – it’s too restrictive for that.
It’s a no frills means to an end – still tasty, but not fancy by any means.
That being said, there is no reason you couldn’t repeat this plan over and over if it works for you. If variety in your diet isn’t an issue, and you don’t enjoy a sweet keto treat now and then, then you will have zero issues with this plan. If you don’t enjoy cooking or just don’t have a lot of time – this plan is perfect for you because you make three things and they last all 5 days. ? ? ??
Where can I get support while doing the Keto Soup Diet?
If you want support on this 5 day soup diet with others who are giving it a whirl, you can join our closed IBIH Keto Soup Diet Facebook Group where people ask questions and post progress reports daily.
This group is integral for success because you can ask questions, post results and get kudos, vent your frustrations, and gut through those tough moments when temptation is staring you in the face and you’re ready to quit!
Remember to take before photos so that when you have amazing results you can share them with the group! Everybody loves a success story and yours could be the one to inspire someone else to give keto and this keto soup diet a try!
Where can I find the recipes for the Keto Soup Diet?
The keto turbo Atkins soup recipe is linked up throughout this post, but just in case you missed it – here it is again:
CLICK HERE FOR TURBO ATKINS KETO SOUP RECIPE
The recipes for the egg salad and tuna salad are linked to in the plan below, but here they are again in case you have trouble finding them:
Simple Keto Egg Salad Recipe
Easy Keto Tuna Salad Recipe
IBIH 5 Day Keto Soup Diet Plan
DAY 1 (1216 calories, 83g fat, 17g net carbs, 84g protein)
Breakfast – 2 eggs, 1 tbsp butter, 2 pieces of bacon, 1/2 avocado, unsweetened bulletproof coffee or tea (using 2 Tbsp fat)
Lunch – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
Snack – 2 large romaine leaves, 1/2 cup simple keto egg sala
Dinner – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
DAY 2 (1236 calories, 83g fat, 18g net carbs, 91g protein)
Breakfast – 2 eggs, 1 tbsp butter, 2 pieces of bacon, 1/2 avocado, unsweetened bulletproof coffee or tea (using 2 Tbsp fat)
Lunch – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
Snack – Four 5 inch pieces of celery, 1/2 cup easy keto tuna salad
Dinner – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
Day 3 (1216 calories, 83g fat, 17g net carbs, 84g protein)
Breakfast – 2 eggs, 1 tbsp butter, 2 pieces of bacon, 1/2 avocado, unsweetened bulletproof coffee or tea (using 2 Tbsp fat)
Lunch – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
Snack – 2 large romaine leaves, 1/2 cup simple keto egg salad
Dinner – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
DAY 4 (1236 calories, 83g fat, 18g net carbs, 91g protein)
Breakfast – 2 eggs, 1 tbsp butter, 2 pieces of bacon, 1/2 avocado, unsweetened bulletproof coffee or tea (using 2 Tbsp fat)
Lunch – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
Snack – Four 5 inch pieces of celery, 1/2 cup easy keto tuna salad
Dinner – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
DAY 5 (1216 calories, 83g fat, 17g net carbs, 84g protein)
Breakfast – 2 eggs, 1 tbsp butter, 2 pieces of bacon, 1/2 avocado, unsweetened bulletproof coffee or tea (using 2 Tbsp fat)
Lunch – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
Snack – 2 large romaine leaves, 1/2 cup simple keto egg salad
Dinner – 2 cups IBIH Keto Diet Soup
Pantry and Shopping Lists
Check your pantry for….
Dried onion flakes
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Red wine vinegar
Check your fridge for…
Dijon mustard
Mayonnais
Lemon juice
Shopping List
16 eggs
1 pound butter
1 package of bacon
2 lbs of chicken breast (you’ll need 4 cups of cooked chicken for the soup)
2 cans tuna fish in water
small package sun dried tomatoes (you’ll need 1/4 cup chopped)
8 cups chicken broth or stock (homemade is best, but store-bought is also fine)
3 avocados
1 head romaine lettuce
1 package celery hearts
1 small onion
1 bulb garlic
8 oz white mushrooms
1 large celery root
2 medium yellow squash
1 large bunch of swiss chard (or collards)
1 bunch fresh basil
8 oz green beans
Be sure to let us know how you do!!!
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Eden says
I wanted to comment because I am on night 3 and have incorporated intermittent fasting and no BPC and wanted to share with folks if they’re interested. At lunch I have my soup, a hard boiled egg, a slice of bacon (I precooked a bunch) and the avocado. I could do a quarter an avo at both meals but I haven’t yet. Anyway, I don’t think I could do this without having the slightly larger meals for lunch and dinner without being too hungry. At dinner I have the same. I could have a fried egg too and I may do that tonight to switch it up!
For my snack tomorrow, I added a couple more tbsp of mayo to the tuna salad to replace the 3 tbsp of butter we have as part of the plan daily. I also had an extra slice of bacon to replace the butter as well.
All in all it’s going well but I am getting a bit tired of the monotony. Thought I was stronger than that LOL. Either way I am hopeful I will see results and I can definitely tell it’s kicking me back into ketosis! Thanks so much for these recipes!
tiffany says
I like the way you changed it up a bit. I like monotony so hopefully I will start this again in a few days to kick start a sugar fast I am doing.
Mare says
So I really needed to curb my unhealthy snacking. I came across your website and liked this plan. I thought, those are all foods I love anyway! I loved it and followed it (with some exclusions…busy, didn’t need the lunch soup sometimes). I lost 4 lbs and just feel better. I am currently making an adaptive version of your sausage and spinach frittata. Planning is really everything! Thank you! I love your recipes and all the plans! I’m feeling good!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for sharing your results with us Mare!
Theresa Mikita Lepiane says
I agree the veggies get a little mushy with the cook time, except for the turnips. (Couldn’t find the celery). I knew that turnips take a while to cook–about twice the time you cook potatoes, so I started them earlier, but even so, the turnips where done to perfection and the beans and yellow squash were pretty soft.
I also asked for entrance to the FB group and have not yet been admitted.
Grace says
Thank you Melissa! I used this soup to great effect a number of years ago, and now this is a staple in our home. It’s so nutritious, filling, and delicious. An easy and robust instant meal when you’ve got a batch or two prepared.
I always make a double batch, because it’s a lot of work, and then have lots in the freezer. Here are the changes I’ve made to adapt to our preferences:
– We always blend it (with an immersion blender). I don’t love the big chunks of veggies, and blending takes care of that.
– I add the juice and zest of one lime – it really adds a new level of flavour!
– I make small, seasoned (spicy!) meatballs instead of chicken – always making sure to add them AFTER blending.
– We also add red pepper flakes
Jeanette says
Yes, you’re overlooking it. The snack is either 1/2 cup tuna salad with four five-inch pieces of celery, OR 1/2 cup egg salad with two large romaine leaves.
I have been eating the snack with my dinner soup because I’m hungrier then.
Emily says
Hi Lena, a kitchen scale makes it really easy to make your own food and track so you know what your eating if you track macros. I made chicken salad as an alternative to tuna:
1 can of Kirkland Chunk Ch Breast from Costco (7 oz drained), mayo (15 grams), chopped celery (25 grams), red onion (30 grams), yellow or dijon mustard (to taste), dill, and salt. AMAZING and super low carb/calorie (1 net carb and about 75 calories per 1/3 cup). Hope that helps!
Ania says
Two words – Thai basil, makes the soup taste like pho. Add pepper flakes for extra oomph.
First day done so far. Combining with IF. I did not have the snack. I had BPC at noon. Half the soup then eggs and bacon around 2:30 pm and the remainder of the soup at 5:30 pm. I am very full for now.
Thank you for the recipes and the plan, Melissa.
Geetha Parasuram says
Hi. I just completed the egg fast today and have lost 4 pounds – more important it got me over a weight loss stall. Thank you, Your egg custard and crepes will remain in my list for non fast days too. I want to start the soup diet, this week. A few questions.
Can the soup diet be done soon after finishing the egg fast – I was wondering if I would see as dramatic a weight loss, on the back of an egg fast.
Thank you for all the advice out there.
Esther A says
Excellent! I followed it once and need to do it again. The soup is delicious and I was not hungry at all. So, that means I must get at it!!!
Jane says
My second time on this diet. Love it. I usually meal prep on a Sunday. Last time I lost 5 lb. Very hard at my age. I think it is important to make soup as is, and I shopped around to get exact ingredients. I find it a little watery so drain a big cup of the broth every day. Nice for a snack and makes the soup chunkier which I prefer. It is so good. Amazing how the combination of ingredients cause weight loss but the same or fewer calories often do not.
Dana Romonosky says
8oz is the same as one cup
Jill says
Thank you very much! And I love the soup. Do you think after this diet you could add heavy cream to it for a creamy version? I think that would be fantastic. Thanks again
Linda says
I love this soup and I make it even when not on the soup diet!! Sometimes I change it into a creamy soup, I will use a stick blender to blend it a bit, I still like some chunks. Important, If I’m going to blend it I don’t add the chicken until the after it is blended. Mmmm! I have served it to guests that way too!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
No sweeteners of any kind are allowed on this plan. The would exclude all diet sodas.
Becky says
Not really. The calories are already so low that skipping meals would be counter-productive.
Shelley N says
I’m going to agree with Will on this. I’m on my second round of this diet and I do it with IF. As long as you are getting adequate calories in your eating window then IF is always beneficial. It’s been awhile since I did the 5 day diet the first time (with IF) but I know I lost a decent amount of weight, I’m guessing 7-8 pounds, but I don’t recall exactly. And I felt great. I fell off ALL the wagons, IF, keto, low-carb…. for too long so I’m trying to get back on track using this 5 day diet again. I’m on day 2 now but I’m traveling (I packed a travel cooler) so no scale, but I’m sure I’ll lose weight. Best of luck to you!
Will E says
I do and have had excellent results. I don’t consume any calories (so just black coffee and water) until “breakfast” (BPC & either eggs and bacon or avocado and bacon or her simple egg salad) at noon, then lunch (Turbo Soup) around 3 or 4, sometimes a snack (egg salad or 1/2 an avocado) around 6 but not always able or hungry for that matter, and finally dinner (Turbo Soup) at or before 8. I lost about 8 lbs doing that for 5 days. I did have to stretch the soup on the next to last day by adding 4 cups broth, 1 cup chicken (thighs), bacon, mushrooms, and onions, so basically the first few steps of the recipe without adding greens, turnips, or squash.
patti says
Hi Will. I agree with you that additional soup needs to be made when following the recipe above. I believe the reason is this: The diet actually states to drink 2 cups of soup for lunch and dinner, however, when following the recipe, it shows one serving is 1.5 cups. The total cups made by the recipe is 15 cups but if you’re on the diet for 5 days you would need 20 cups.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sorry but you are incorrect. The soup recipe makes 14 servings at 1.5 cups each which comes out to 21 cups. Even with a little evaporation that leaves the 20 cups you need for 5 days on the soup diet at 4 cups per day. If you are running out of soup, you can add more broth to make up the 20 cups – if your meat and vegetable measurements were correct you should not find yourself short of soup.
Jen says
I apologize if this question has been asked already but I have searched the comments and post and do not find anything. I prefer to use bouillon cubes to bone broth or stock – would that mess up the macros for soup or is it ok?
Thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Should be fine, just make sure they don’t have added sugar!
Jen says
Thank you!! Came out AMAZING! :)
Bel says
I have been doing the 5 day soup challage fo 4 days. Have lost 4 lbs. I was wondering post diet, how should I proceed. I found i had stalled and was actually gaining weight on a modified keto diet. I don’t know it it’s the nuts, dairy, keto baked goods (with monk fruit), or too much meat/protein. What should I do to maintain what I have lost?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Try switching to the Squeaky Clean Keto plan!
Sarah says
So far my husband and I are loving this we are on day 2 and we are feeling very satisfied – so thank you. Is there a printable version anywhere so I can keep it handy in the kitchen. Many thanks!
Kimberly Wilcox says
Day 1. This soup is freaking amazing! My first bowl, I forgot to add basil. Went to the garden. Put a few leaves in, and a pinch of sea salt. Omg… now it’s even better. Thanks for the great recipes!
Meaghan says
So I tried this for 3 days and lost about 4 lbs which was awesome. I had an audition and since I’ve put on about 18 lbs during the pandemic this diet helped get me back on track. I’m going to go for the full 5 days this week and will let you know my results but I felt satisfied every day and liked all the food…except the bullet proof coffee lol.
Jeanne says
Soup is very tasty . I left out the basil because I could not find any that looked good in my local grocery.
I also found that the volume was a little lower than expected. When I portioned it out, I found i only had about nine – 2 cup servings, or 18 cups of soup. I divided the nine servings into 10 containers and topped up each container with a little liquid to bring it up to 2 cups in each container.
Even though the soup is delicious as is, I am planning on experimenting with flavors to change it up a little. For example, one time I think I will add a spoonful of curry powder to a portion; next portion, I will add paprika; after that, I will try a bit of fresh cilantro and lime juice; and so on. Looking forward to tasting the results of my experiments.
Stephanie says
Which of your taste experiments worked best?
Chris says
Hi
Starting today. Made the soup in my Instand Pot and used skinless chicken thights. I was wondering if I am able to have the egg salad instead of tuna (don’t like it!!)?
Thanks
Chris
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes!
Lisa A. says
I’m just on day 2 of the Atkins Soup Diet. The soup is very delicious and I will probably make it even when I’m not following the diet.
What I am finding is I am so full after breakfast, I am not the least bit hungry for my lunch soup portion. Yesterday I was so full after the lunch portion and the egg salad snack, I didn’t eat my dinner portion of the soup. I guess the extra fats are keeping me satiated.
margo geoffroy says
Why doesn’t the soup make enough for the 5 days of the plan? It says that the soup makes 14 1.5 cup servings but then the diet plan calls for 2 cup servings for lunch and dinner so there will not be enough soup?
Mellissa Sevigny says
14 x 1.5 cups = 21. 4 cups x 5 days = 20.
Trish Frye says
I just completed day 5 last night and refrained from weighing until this morning. WOW! My delight at being down 9 pounds was totally worth the effort!! Thank you so much Mellissa! Making all of the soup ahead of time is genius. And I think it tasted even better over the 5 days! I’m going to be trying squeaky clean to transition. Wish me continued success!!
Kim says
I’m looking forward to trying this diet next week. I normally do intermittent fasting for 18 hrs and don’t eat my first meal until 12 or 1 pm. Can I add my breakfast meal to the lunch meal to get the same calories/nutrients for the whole day or just skip that meal all together?
Your site my go-to for delicious recipes. Thank you for all your helpful and FREE information. It’s truly a lifesaver!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes, you can definitely combine if necessary!
Kristin Ferguson says
I would love a recipe that uses weights instead of volume measures for this. Volume measures are so subjective–so much depends on how tightly you pack things into a cup!
Kristin Ferguson says
You can try bulletproof tea–it sounds like it would be disgusting, but it isn’t! I resisted bulletproof coffee for years, thinking it sounded awful, but I tried it and it is delicious. The butter gets emulsified into the hot coffee/tea and just makes it taste creamy, with no greasiness, and no fat floating on top. You just need to use an immersion blender or a regular blender (for immersion blender, use a deep enough cup and a low enough setting so you don’t splash it), and it gets a lovely foam on top and though the coffee/tea LOOKS dark and not creamy enough, it TASTES creamy enough.
Kristin Ferguson says
I am on day 4, and I found that the second helping of soup felt like a lot, so yesterday (day 3) I didn’t eat the snack, and wasn’t hungry. I plan to do the same today. I wonder if I could include a second cup of bulletproof coffee (half serving, using only 1 Tbs butter) instead of the snack. I do miss my afternoon joe! I am also finding the big breakfast to be quite a lot, but enjoyable. So far have lost about .5 lbs, which is a bit disappointing. Have been quite faithful, except that I had to make a substitution in the soup–I didn’t have sun-dried tomatoes and didn’t want to buy a pound of them just to use one ounce, so I chopped up four ping-pong-sized fresh tomatoes and pureed them, then added to the soup. I also make my own chicken stock and always have lots of it, so I used 11 cups of that instead of the stock plus water, figuring that stock has almost no calories. Have been strict in every other respect. No alcohol, no sweeteners, no dairy (other than butter as prescribed), no nuts (my weakness), no cheating. Hoping on day 6 I will have dropped at least a couple of pounds.
Lynn says
Was perfect for three days (ok I take that back, had whip cream and stevia in my coffee). Day 4 ran out of soup for dinner so had one chicken thigh and buttered cabbage. Day 5 chicken thigh and cabbage substitute for soup. Lost 7lbs. I typically lose very little. The calorie restriction plus the carb restriction worked for me but I don’t know what to do now 😞
Pat says
Have been eating hi fat low carb for a couple of years now, but strayed into extra carbs over the winter, and want to shed 10-15 pounds before vacation.
Followed this to the letter. Felt uncomfortably full the whole time. End of day 4 now, and thinking I should have cut all the portions in half; this calls for so much more than i normally eat. Started at 140 lbs, now I’m 144, darn it.
Karen Peters says
Hi. I eat Squeaky Clean Keto and decided to try this Soup diet for the 5 day period.
Although, I am disappointed that I only lost .6 of a lb it was nice to not have to think about what I had to make for my meals. Three different people living in my house with three different styles of eating can get tiring so I enjoyed the “break”.
And yes, I followed this meal plan as dictated and omitted the snack options as I felt I did not need it.
The soup was very tasty. I enjoyed it.
Thank you for your wonderful resources!
Karen
Mellissa Sevigny says
I’m happy to hear that you are satisfied with your results. To get better results next time, I recommend at least one of the snacks as the soup itself is so low in fat and calories that it can actually inhibit your weight loss rather than help it along if you are eating that little.
Alysha says
I have done the Keto Soup diet in the past and then started making just the soup to have on hand as I enjoyed it so much.
This time around, I would love suggestions for alternatives for the snacks of 1/3 cup egg salad and tuna salad. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I figure I can do the celery still, and perhaps a hard boiled egg or two since 6 eggs in the 3 serving recipe, but trying to think of an alternative for that fat portion instead of the mayo? Not to dip the celery, just to get similar nutrients for the snack.
Mellissa, I tried joining the FB group too to post the question there, but my request is still pending. Is it still active?
Thanks so much :)
SunnyV says
My second time for this diet. 2.4 lbs gone in 24 hours this time around. What I do to make it SUPER delicious, is add Garam Masala spice to it. OMG, it’s soooo good. Try it!
Verna says
I have to say that I am totally frustrated! Before starting the soup diet, I did start keto at the beginning of February and lost 10 lbs by Feb 14. I was so excited and motivated. Then…I didn’t loose anything. I tracked my food intake, drank water, exercised and nothing. So when I saw the soup diet, I thought great! I started it on Sat Feb 28.21 and got on the scale this morning in the hopes of being down at least 3 lbs AND NOTHING!! Not an ounce. I am so frustrated. I hate plain water but I drink 8 glasses a day. I work out at least 4 x’s a week. What am I doing wrong!?!? Please help, I am totally fed up.
Sue Hamilton says
I didn’t see a recipe for bulletproof coffee and I drink mine black, so I have been putting 1 tablespoon butter in each serving of soup. Will you please post a recipe for the bulletproof coffee we need to use on this 5 day soup diet?
Becky says
I don’t know how to make bullet proof coffee either, would love to have the recipe!
Natalie says
It’s easy
Take 6-8 oz of black coffee
1 tablespoon MCT OIL
1pat unsalted butter
Ta Da
Nicole says
This one is delish!
Kristin Ferguson says
Put your hot coffee in a deep container or a blender jar and add 2 Tbs melted unsalted butter. If your container is microwave safe, you can just melt the butter in that. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to emulsify the fat into the coffee (just buzz it on low for about ten seconds or so. ) I do not use MCT oil, just butter. It’s really delicious. I was so skeptical, thinking it would be greasy and that the butter would float on top and create an oil slick–no thank you! But no, it emulsifies with the hot coffee and has a good mouthfeel.
Ashley says
I saw a trick where you wrap the avocado in tin foil then bake or place in an air fryer.
Trish says
Hi, I just made the soup last night to start the 5 day soup diet today. I am excited to get started. Bullet proof coffee and breakfast already today. I can’t wait to have the soup for lunch!
Luis Cotto says
Hi! Just finished my first Keto Soup Diet! Lost 12lbs!!! Some days are hard but just stick to it! The results will be worth it!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Congrats Luis, that’s great progress!
Luis Cotto says
UPDATE!!! As of Today, February 4th, I’ve lost 25lbs! Looking and feeling great! Still 58lbs to go. I will not stop until I’m 100% healthy! Thanks so much Melissa!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Amazing! Congrats!!!
Khira says
HI – i’m 3 days into this diet – by the time the afternoon comes after my snack i feel so tired/sleepy; I have been doing a 30 minute Peleton since I started this diet – would I really be screwing things up if I had another cup of bulletproof coffee to keep my energy up??
Lynn Olszewski says
I had followed your 12 week plan and the egg fast with excellent success( hubby, too!). Planning to move forward with the 5 day soup fast( that soup is to die for!)and then the 30 day Squeaky Clean plan to get rid of our holiday/quarantine pounds we squired…your recipes are the best, Melissa! Thought Santa was getting me your books, guess I’ll just have to order them myself!😬
Mellissa Sevigny says
It’s evaporation during simmering – for some reason it’s different for everyone. Make up the difference with more broth!
Veronica says
Thank you Melissa!
You’re site inspired me to start a keto diet. I started in early July 2020,it is now November 30th 2020 so 5 months total so far, and I’m down 90 pounds!!!
I started with your meal plans but now that I have the hang of keto I just use your site for recipes.
Thank you for all of the motivation and your wonderful recipes!!
The keto diet has been life changing for me!
Lisa says
Hi,
1st- thank you for all your helpful plans and recipes. I am on day 3 of the diet and this morning I am down 4.5 pounds already.. I add keto collagen to my bullet coffee, this is new to me and I am loving it. I am following the diet to the letter and drink a lot of water after reading your other meal plans. I am looking forward to following your other plans as the recipes look absolutely delicious!!!
Thanks again!
Jessica says
I just finished day 5! I really liked the soup. I actually have some left over which I plan to freeze. I ended up skipping breakfast for IF but then making double portions of the egg/tuna salad and eating that instead of soup for lunch (and didn’t snack). Don’t get me wrong, soup is tasty. Just couldn’t do soup for every meal. I think I lost 1lb, but hard to say bc that is within my normal fluctuation.
Mellissa Sevigny says
You will get the best results if you follow the plan as written.
Debbie Sanders says
Dear Melissa!
I am eager to try your KETO soup diet plan. I can deal with all the ingredients except for mushrooms. I absolutely cannot stomach the taste or feel of mushrooms in my mouth. Is there anything I could substitute ? Thank you for your recipe and any response!
Cindy says
Read Jason Fung’s book The Obesity Code. He points out that even artificial sweeteners jack up your insulin levels. Which will stall fatburning. The body responds to the sweet taste in your mouth not the calories.
Tamala says
I’ve been doing keto since mid-July and lost 16 pounds, several inches, and two clothing sizes. I hit a plateau and decided to give this a try. I lost 1 pound. I did better by a pound on the egg diet, but it came back. **deep sigh** While I have lost another half inch on my waist, nothing I do seems to be able to get the darn scale moving again. Now I’ve added three days of my Peloton and if that doesn’t help, I will add a few day of HIIT training. I’m at a loss as to what to do at this point.
VLS says
Hi. I’m just giving my two cents. Our bodies often times are adjusting and adapting all the time. Just stick with your new changes and give your body time to adjust and I believe in time (soon) you will see positive results. Please be patient with your body and the adjustments you are making. I really hope this helps you.
Angel says
If you have already lost 16 lbs it might be time to re-adjust your macros to reflect this loss..Just an opinion of course ;)
teresa says
I’m on day 4! I love it! I was on week 7 of clean keto but was really losing my motivation and had started feeling cravings again. This has absolutely turned everything around for me.
I ended up putting the soup through a blender and it’s much better for me. The celery root makes it kind of creamy and this way I can be sure I’m getting equal amounts of everything. I didn’t put cooked chicken into the soup so I just add it to each serving.
Tina says
The blended soup was much better for me! I am not a vegetable soup lover and textures get me queasy at times. 1/2 way through this week I blended and it made it so much easier to get the soup down. I’m done with day 4 down 5 lbs! I’ll take it as a win!
Krista says
It’s 8oz coffee, 1tbsp butter, 1 tbsp coconut oil or MCT oil blended in a blender & enjoy!
Sherra Naegele says
How long can you store/freeze? I made a 2X recipe for myself & daughter. I don’t want to lose the soup/ingredients. Thank you
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can freeze this for up to 6 months but I wouldn’t keep it in the fridge for longer than 5 days to a week.
Sandra says
Yes I wondered about this. I am currently eating around 900-1200 calories and around 8-12g of net carbs. I have lost quite a lot but have hit a bit of a plateau so want to try this, but it seems it might be an increase in carbs and calories. Bel what was your experience?
Jen says
I just completed the soup diet! If anyone is skeptical… it works! Now I didn’t follow it exactly… I don’t do bulletproof anything and I don’t like eating breakfast, so I added the breakfast to my dinner, skipped the bulletproof and added extra butter to my eggs and extra mayo to my salads.
I chose to have a bit of almond milk in my morning tea each day, had a splash of cream in my tea on a couple of days, had 1/2oz of cashews one day, didn’t eat the dinner soup on two days because I wasn’t that hungry and ate the toppings off a slice of pizza on the last day (yesterday). All without asking for Mellissa’s permission, I might add! 😉
This morning, down 6lbs from the start! Imagine if I had followed it exactly!
Maybe mostly water and that’s ok.
Life has been hard for me the last 10 months. I had gone completely off track and gained a bunch of weight back. So what this has done is reigned in my portion control and gotten sugar out of my system, quickly. I’m back on track! Now to try some of Mellissa’s amazing Squeaky recipes from her new book that arrived a week ago!!
Thanks for all you do Mellissa!
Christee V says
Not sure if this is beating a dead horse, but I am allergic to mushrooms. I read the collards can be a replacement for swiss chard and cauliflower can be substituted for celery root, which isn’t necessary in my case… but can the mushrooms just be omitted or should they be replaced for some reason? I want to follow this to a tee… I have a dr appointment Friday and I have to get this rolling… so 5 days!!!
;)
Christee
Mellissa Sevigny says
yes you can just omit the mushrooms!
Michelle Evans says
Just a quick update. I started June 1st. Today is June 3rd and will be my third day on this “diet”. I weighed myself when I woke up on the 1st and yesterday and again this morning. Yesterday I lost 2.2 pounds. This morning another 2 pounds. So after just 2 days I’m down 4.2 pounds!!!! I am very much on the large side so my results are going to be different, but I’m telling you it does work. I have actually been keto since January 2nd and lost 25 pounds then hit a plateau and that’s why I started this diet. I plan on starting your 30 day meal plan after this “diet”. Thanks for all the help, articles, and books!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s awesome Michelle, congrats and keep us posted!
Hayal says
Is it crucial to stick to this daily order or would it be possible to change things around a little as long as we eat the exact same amounts in one day? I mean, the breakfast is a little heavier than we would normally eat, but dinner will probably leave us wanting to snack. Can we for example have one egg and 1 slice of bacon at breakfast and add 1 egg and 1 slice of bacon to dinner? Or skip breakfast altogether and have breakfast as lunch instead of the soup, and two servings of the soup for dinner?
Linda says
Here’s my favorite way to make BPT (bullet-proof tea): 16 oz. brewed Roobios tea, 1 T. Kerrygold butter, 1 T.coconut oil, small piece of fresh ginger, dash of cinnamon. Whir everything in the blender until frothy–AMAZING!
Linda Friday says
Sam, Melissa’s site is really geared toward following a ketogenic lifestyle—meaning you adopt this way-of-eating for life (or most of the time). THIS 5-day plan also adheres to a paleo protocol as there is no dairy on it. this 5-day plan helped me get over a 4-month stall in my weight loss. I lost 9 lbs. in the 5 days (the soup is delicious!). I have been “mostly” keto for almost 3-1/2 years and have lost 68 lbs. so far (still have a LOT to lose), and have had tremendous relief from various illnesses and overall inflammation. I will be 67 in May and take ZERO medication. I am healthier than I’ve been in nearly three decades. I would recommend adopting either a paleo or ketogenic “lifestyle” following the 5-day plan. Melissa has TONS of tasty recipes that you can follow and has other long-term meal plans that aren’t as restrictive. Paleo is a bit more forgiving in the amount of carbs you can eat form vegetables and fruit, but typically doesn’t allow dairy. Keto allows dairy, but is VERY restrictive in terms of the number of carbs you can eat—even from vegetables. Know yourself, know your health issues and goals, research both and then figure out your best next step. Best of luck!
Becky says
I finished the diet a couple weeks ago. I initially lost 12 pounds! I’ve since gained back 3, but haven’t been strictly keto in those weeks. I’m vegetarian, so I added smoked tofu (by Soy Boy) to my soup, but still ate everything else the same. One or two days of the diet I had a 1/2” square of 72% dark chocolate and it was so good and didn’t prevent weight loss. (12 lbs!)
My husband and I are doing the diet again starting this Friday. It’s very satisfying and I’d recommend trying it to get the weight to budge!
Becky says
Also…I don’t eat bacon, so I had 3 eggs in the morning with my 1/2 avocado. I cut the avo in cubes and squeezed lemon on it and s&p.
Gail says
I am not a coffee or tea drinker. What are my other options for breakfast or how can I get around not drinking the bulletcoffee or tea?
Deb says
I made hot tea instead of coffee.
April says
Add 2 TBSP of MCT oil
Amanda says
Hi there,
I am on day 4 and doing good, but I have only been drinking black coffee as I just can’t stomach bullet proof coffee, am able to just use half and half or heavy cream with no sweetener just to get some extra fat in? Also, is seltzer water okay to drink?
Thank you in advance!
Valerie says
Due to religious reasons I do not eat Bacon. What could I substitute with please? Many Thanks
Ashley says
I’d just add an extra tablespoon of olive oil. Or if there is a fatty meat that you could render the fat from that fits your dietary restrictions that might work, too. For example, if you diet allows for beef you could use beef tallow instead of the bacon fat.
Raymond says
You need some protein as well as the fat. Don’t add in anything vegetable to replace it. You might try beef bacon. If you don’t have it local try amazon. There is Halal Beef Bacon and I think you should be able to find Kosher Beef Bacon. And a lot is just Beef Bacon. The nutrition of the fat profile will not be the same as pork bacon. Look for a bacon that does not contain sugar.
JANE Kuzmenkova says
Turkey bacon
Kim says
I’ve done this meal plan a few times and always get fabulous results. The soup recipe itself is filling, tasty and works well to keep me on track and I make it even when not following the 5-day soup plan. I highly recommend both the soup and meal plan.
Kelly says
I blend my soup because it’s a little too chunky for me. But what I do is blend it before I put the chicken in and some of the vegetables so it’s not just puréed soup that way you’ve got something to chew on.
Connie says
How do you cook the chicken prior to putting it in the soup?
Kelly says
I use a rotisserie chicken, so much easier.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Keto is really about the amount of carbs first and foremost, there are different schools of thought on how much fat you should be getting. Since this is a weight loss cleanse and only 5 days long, it’s not critical that you follow the typical 70/20/5 macros.
Connie says
The soup be eaten either with or just after breakfast (mid-morning?) … then soup for lunch with the snack mood-afternoon … allowing for an intermittent fast.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes just be aware of the carb count since sometimes it’s made with lots of onions and carrots and can have a lot of carbs.
Edwina says
Yes! Several of us have done that before.
Nicole says
I was curious about this too. How do you get all the necessary fat in if you’re skipping breakfast?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can have a bulletproof coffee to break your fast or add a tablespoon of butter to your soup if you need more fat or calories in the day.
Juliana says
Starting day one tomorrow. Soup is ready and egg salad is almost ready. Hubby and I are doing this as a boost to the 30 clean keto. We didn’t do so well on that for 5 weeks. Yeah We cheated so its our own fault. Hoping this works for us. What are the snacks we can have before bullet proof coffee?
Juliana says
Day 5 on this diet. We both love it. Hubby has lost 5 I have lost 4.5 but Tomorrow is the last day to weigh. We are taking 2 days off and using recipes from SCKC for those two days with soup for lunch then back on this diet. We have been trying everything for a little over a year and this is the only thing that has worked so far. Not hungry at all. Ill keep you posted.
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s great news Juliana!
NES says
First time caller, long time listener. Jk. So I started this keto soup fast Monday, it is now Saturday. Only made modifications that were Mellissa approved. Cauliflower for celery root and collards for swiss chard. I have to say, not the best soup I’ve had in my life, but way better then some. I hate saying that, because i know how hard Mellissa works for us!! Soooo down to the GREAT NEWS i lost 12 pounds. I didnt eat the snack most days, only because i didnt wanna eat too late. But i am a true believer!! Thank you sooo much Mellissa!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Awesome progress, congrats!!!
Denise Freitas says
I just completed my 5 day Soup Plan and while my results were not phenomenal, 4 lbs is 4 lbs and I’ll take that. I did deviate some as both tuna and egg salads are not favs and I didn’t think I could eat them so my fat intake wasn’t up where it should have been. I did coffee and bacon for breakfast. I didn’t have any MCT oil on hand so I just had to go with cream and no sweetener in my morning coffee. I did try a cup of bulletproof coffee with butter and coconut oil, but I just cannot abide by the smell of coconut oil. Lunch was scrambled eggs cooked in butter with 1/2 cup tuna on the side. Supper was 2 cups of soup. Regarding the soup, i used Swiss Chard as my green and started with rutabaga as my root veg. I had to fish out the rutabaga because it never would get tender (my husband just picked up the biggest one he could find at the grocery so I should have cooked it a good bit longer before adding it to the rest of the soup). All the other ingredients were as listed in the recipe. I had home sun-dried tomatoes that added a nice tang to the broth. I’ve been doing Keto since March of this year and am down 43 lbs. Most I’ve lost in a very long time. I have a pre-surgery goal of 55 by the end of the year so I’ll repeat the soup plan in both December and November to aid in reaching that goal.. I’ll precook rutabaga longer so it is fork tender next time. I use the IBIH cookbook daily and love the recipes. I’m off to make up some vanilla ice cream base–it is so yummy and 1/2 cup is really plenty for an evening treat since it is so rich. Thanks Melissa for your work in promoting a Keto lifestyle. It has been a much easier journey that I ever believed it would be.
Sharron says
Hi! Can I substitute radishes for celery root? It’s what I currently use in place of potatoes.
Edwina says
Radishes have a higher carb count. You might want to check on that before you use them. They do work I’ve used them myself before I knew the carb count was a little higher.
Kay says
Radishes are actually lower carb than celery root so should be fine. 100g of radishes has 3.4g of total carbs (1.6g fiber) so 1.8g net carbs. 100g of cooked celery root has 5.9g total carbs (1.2g fiber) so 4.7g net carbs. For either option you’re dividing 2 cups (~200g) amongst 10 servings so <1g net carbs from either option in your soup.
Molly Butz says
I know there is no magic bullet and big, lasting results can only happen over a long period of time. But this? This is kind of a miracle. I was really looking for a good jump-start to dropping some weight before a big tradeshow coming up and it’s been just that. It’s the morning of day 4, but I’m down at least 5 pounds and I bet it’s more like 7 or 8. (I totally forgot to weigh myself the morning of Day 1.) Moreover, I feel great, I am sleeping wonderfully and I feel more focused having the fuzz of processed carbs out of my systems. Thank you, Melissa. This will for sure be a go-to for breakthroughs and quick slim-downs as I need them. Plus, you can’t go wrong with eggs, bacon and avo and the soup is truly delicious. (I cheated just a teeny, tiny bit and purchased a roasted chicken from the store and pulled the meat off, both white and dark. I’m sure it has a few little things in it I would be better off without, but it was easy to use and is flavorful in a way I can’t seem to replicate. I would totally do that again in a future round!)
Ashley says
I’ve been keto for 4 years. I once completed your egg fast for 30 days! lol. Completely unnecessary, I just wanted to see how long I could go lol. Ended up losing 11lbs in the first two weeks and nothing else the rest of the time, but it was worth it. First off, I LOVE the soup. I’ve never tried collard greens before, but in this soup they’re my favorite part! Secondly, I somehow gained over 2lbs and I didn’t even eat the eggs, avo or BPC. I instead did a full cup of the tuna salad recipe, but I subbed the tuna for chicken. I’m thinking it may be the cauliflower (couldn’t find celery root) in the soup. I haven’t eaten it in a long time and I am pretty sure it’s because it caused me bloating. I’ve even been intermittent fasting 18:6 as usual. Only on day two, so I’ll check back in at the finish line.
Liz says
Hey there, this is my Day 1 and so far so good. Soup is absolutely fabulous and will definitely be making it again just to eat, never mind doing another 5 day plan!!!!! Just a quick question, didn’t see any mention of it in the posts (but might have missed it). The only time I see coffee mentioned is at breakfast, does that mean we can’t have coffee at any other time during the day (regular that is)?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can have coffee throughout the day if you like but if you’re having bulletproof that’s a lot of extra calories that may stall you depending on your activity level.
Liz says
Thanks Mellissa!
Teresa Goines says
Can I use the tuna I already have? They are packet marked down to 50 cents each and I had bought a bunch of them. But they are lemon and dill. But are still in water instead of vegetable oil. My daughter and I are going to try this soup diet. I’ve been on Keto since June and have lost 50+lbs so far. My daughter went the other route and cut out a lot of sugar, white stuff like potatoes, bread, & rice. She’s losing but I want to say 20+, but she has more health issues than I do and needs to lose the weight more than me. I’m getting ready to start tomorrow but my daughter isn’t starting this til Sunday. I would like to know before this evening because I’m going to the store to get the rest of the ingredients I need.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sorry I didn’t get this sooner Teresa but yes, the packaged tuna sounds fine!
Suzanne Timmons says
I’m trying out the soup diet this week to get me back on track. I used spinach instead of swiss char or collard greens because I couldn’t find them at the market. Spinach is not the best choice because it doesn’t hold together. Overall the soup was tasty and satisfying. I used jicama instead of celery root and it was quite good. This a really good item to have in the freezer when you don’t feel like cooking.
I really enjoy your website because you provide several meal plan ideas and a lot of recipes. Thanks for making Keto tasty!!
Phillip Nollner says
hi mellissa, i love this soup and the diet…i am on day 3 and have lost 9 lbs. (still have 71 to go :) …i made each recipe verbatim except i added a lot of hot pepper flakes to the soup recipe and use a liberal amount of tobasco habanero sauce in my 2 cups each meal…i love what the added heat does to the delicious soup…i had expected to take a few days to get used to the bulletproof coffee as i have always used a dash of heavy cream and a tiny bit of sugar in my morning cup…but i was surprised…i added 1 tbsp coconut oil and 1 tbsp of unsalted butter and loved it at first sip…i may never go back :)
thank you so much for this diet plan…i’ll let you know when i hit my 80 lb. goal…after these last 3 days i have so much more confidence in achieving it!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Those are great results Phillip! I’m excited for you – definitely keep us posted on your progress!!!
Bel says
Hi Mellissa,
First of all my husband and I have been doing the soup diet for 4 days. The food is delicious (especially the amazing tasting soup) and keeps us satisfied. I have lost 2.6 pounds and my husband 5 pounds. My taste buds have been reset. I find the lettuce sweet as well as some of the vegetables in the soup. Though I’m not hungry, I do miss chewing. I normally snack on nuts and dark chocolate. In transitioning back to regular keto I don’t know which foods may trigger me to gain again. Is it dairy, keto baked goods, nuts and dark chocolate? How do I figure out what food is stalling my weight loss?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Reintroduce food groups one at a time and give it at least a few days before trying another one so you can isolate the triggers!
Frances Newman says
If you blend it all in a Nina or magic bullet it becomes super creamy! I add cinnamon sprinkle, butter and MCT oil and you would never realize there is no HWC!!
Sandra says
I had a successful 7-month run on the keto diet but those blasted last 10lbs had taken up permanent residence! I took on the 5-day soup diet twice over the course of one month. Here’s my experience:
First time around I made one modification…used grilled boneless/skinless chicken thighs in place of chicken breast. Lost 6lbs after five days but, unfortunately, gained 3lbs back over the next three days of my return to a more traditional keto diet. After 8 days, I tried again with a huge (but DELICIOUS) modification….I used grilled sirloin tips and beef broth in place of the chicken versions. WOW! I lost 4lbs this time but did gain 2lbs back this time over the next three days. It is now 12 days later (one full month) and I am still down the 5lbs but never lost the total 5lbs I gained back. Five pounds in one month is not bad at all….especially after that dreadful plateau. For me, the weight loss was just too much/too quickly to sustain even with the return to traditional keto meals. I thank you Mellissa so much for this recipe (although you’re probably rolling your eyes at my major modification–no regrets!)
Patti says
The gaining back is only fluid.
I have the same experience, but if I’m still down in the long run it’s worth it. I’m trying not to be so controlled by that number on the scale.
Kathy H says
Mellissa says in her post above if you don’t like or can’t eat avocado add an extra egg or another piece of bacon. Lots of info in her post.
Angel says
Thank you Mellissa! I love IBIH so much!! I lost 4.6 pounds in a week using these recipes. I was also still able to workout daily and didn’t feel hungry. I substituted turkey bacon for bacon in the breakfast part only, I added 2 chopped pickle spears into the egg salad, and added curry powder in the tuna (I love curry). The soup was fantastic and so good that I didn’t get tired eating it twice a day for 5 days! I have keto test strips, and probably because of my substitutions, I never got into ketosis. But, I still lost weight and stayed true to a healthy lifestyle and I think that’s what matters! Just thought I’d share my results.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for sharing Angel, glad you were able to make it work for you!
GG says
Seriously, do people read what that author has taken the time to write?
Specifically…3. If you can’t find celery root where you live, you can substitute an equal amount of cauliflower, turnips, jicama, or rutabaga for roughly the same amount of carbs. DO NOT USE PARSNIPS – much too high in carbs.
Heather says
Not surprised she did not answer your questions – in the article, she warned you! Susan, not everyone knows their veggies, but, goodness, you can google if yellow squash is a zucchini, or not … She asked you to make your own choices. She advises this, you choose that, experiment and see how it goes for you. If it doesn’t work out (no lbs lost), try again, following her suggestions to the letter. If it still doesn’t work, you decide that this experiment on the Keto plan doesn’t work for your body. There is no one size fits all. Do a bit of research and you will find out the answers you need (a simple google can help you). Lots of advice and knowledge out there for you. (PS – if you’re still wondering, as far as I know, a yellow squash is like a green zucchini – an actual squash would be too high a carb for a Keto suggestion plan, my guess is). Not trying to be rude, just answering the Q for Melissa’s post. She can always chim in, of course …
Brianna says
I just finished the 5th day ?? The soup is delicious! I’ve bought more ingredients and I’m going to make another batch to keep in the freeze for “emergencies” aka laziness ? I lost 9lbs, 3.6lbs of BF and my BMI went down 1.1 BIG SHOUT OUT to Mellissa, you are the Keto whisperer ?? Up next…3 day Kickstart, wish me luck!
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s fantastic Brianna! Thanks for sharing your progress and keep us posted as you move on to regular Keto!
Allison says
Start of day 3 for me. Down 4.8 lbs so far. I have had to make a few adjustments.
7am – coffee with 1 T unsalted Kerrygold butter. Have to choke it down – the thought of 2 T makes me sick.
9am – 3 sausage links (eating at work, so bacon and eggs just doesn’t work)
12pm – 1/10 portion of the soup (should be 2 cups)
2pm – 1/2 avocado with salt
6pm – 1/10 portion of the soup (should be 2 cups), 2 slices bacon, 1 egg fried in leftover bacon fat
I really do like the egg salad, so today I will probably eat that with my supper (instead of the 2 bacon/1 egg). I just don’t find the soup satisfying to eat at all, so I need to combine it with something else or be able to eat something afterwards.
I have tried to keep my macros similar and stay with the same foods (except for my bacon/sausage sub).
I liked the soup best the first time I ate it; however, I am very tired of it now and have discovered I do not like basil. I am going to try to pick it out of my serving today before I heat it up. (I sprinkled it on top of each container, so hopefully this will work.) Only chages I made were to leave out the onions (personal preference) and had to sub in cauliflower for celery root. I probably also got a bit too much squash in there, but found all the veggies a bit hard to measure. Weights would have helped to match your recipe exactly.
The lack of artificial sweeteners is the hardest thing for me. I have successfully done low carb before and they did not seem to hinder me at all, so I will be adding them back in, but I will abstain this week. I’m drinking coffee, tea, water, and sparkling water (not the sweetened kind).
Only negative I have experienced is dizziness. First night it was only when I laid down. Second night I had several bouts – when I laid down and also when I got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. I take magnesium, so my guess is maybe I am low in potassium. If I were to ever do this again, I might buy potassium supplements, double the amount of mushrooms in the soup, or try to add a spinach salad with a vinaigrette daily.
Phillip Nollner says
the butter is also for the coffee…here is the quote from mellissa’s bullet-proof coffee recipe:
Bulletproof coffee is coffee made with MCT oil (or coconut oil), and grassfed unsalted butter. It has thermogenic (fat burning) properties, and gives you ridiculous amounts of energy. Plus it tastes amazing.
To make it: Combine 6-8 ounces of coffee with 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (I use Kerrygold), and 1 Tbsp of MCT oil (coconut oil works if you can’t get MCT oil). You can also add sugar free sweetener – I make Mr. Hungry’s with Splenda (he prefers it) and cinnamon – it’s yummy.
Lynn Marie says
Lost 40 lbs in 2018 watching my carbs. Then on Oct 16th during an electrical city wide blackout fell down stairs. 2 broke ankles and left tibia and fibula, surgery, 4 weeks hospital and rehab, and now stuck in a wheelchair in a hotel until I can walk and do stairs. After 7 weeks of swollen ankles and unable to access low carb food I was going nuts. Found the 5 day soup diet and mentioned to my sister that as soon as I could walk and go home I was going to do this diet. She looked it up and fixed everything for me.
Thank you for posting this diet plan. I lost 10 lbs and my ankles look almost normal. I feel so much better. With the swelling down I’m able to manage a walker better and made it up 2 steps with help yesterday, so planning on attending my niece’s bridal shower next week. Don’t think I could do it without getting the swelling down thanks to this diet.
Love reading your recipes and have several planned to make when I get home. Keep up the good work. You have made a positive impact for many people.
colleen says
I just read your post and I certainly hope the keto soup helped with weight and inflammation! Its great to hear that you have a sister close that could help you through all of this. Just wanted to say I hope you are well. I said a prayer that you are doing well now!
Happy says
This is a fantastic, fulfilling, and stress-free eating plan with many uses beyond just getting over a stall.
Background: I started eating Keto with strict (weighted food) tracking 6 months ago (honestly, more low carb than Keto for the first few weeks while I figured out my personal fat/protein ratio). I experienced a slow and steady 4-5#/month drop, even with using Swerve products, nuts, and dairy, and was 5#s from my ambitious goal weight mid-December. At Christmas I feared a setback while spending 9 days in the mountains (limited food selection), with a kitchen-bully (mother-in-law), in a stressful environment (living with extended family for 9. Whole. Days).
Fairly certain I would have gone insane without this plan.
I measured the ingredients and made the soup my first night (doubled the batch in two separate pots because heaven forbid I didn’t offer it to anyone else; only change was chicken thighs) and portioned the servings over my stay. The egg/tuna salads I whipped together every two days, incognito, in two discreet lidded glass bowls (admittedly, I ate them with a spoon or inside the avocado portion saved from breakfast). I even let my MIL feed me the eggs and bacon because she gets offended otherwise. This was such a win! I stayed out of the kitchen and actually spent valuable time with my family! I didn’t think about food once (prepped meals for my kiddos while making my soup and hubby ate what his mommy made him =)
Results: I knew things were going okay when my ski pants (from undergrad school, 20+ years ago) fell off on day 6. Scale wise, I was happy to just maintain my weight. However, I retain water after long flights, so I checked a few days later and I’m 2#s below my goal weight.
This experience was awesome! I was concerned that without my daily 6 almonds, I would feel off balance. But I think the veggies in the soup kept my nutrients in check. Next time I travel with extended family, have a big project at work, take-on a lengthy home project, or something similar where there’s little time for food planning and prep, this will be my go-to eating plan. Thanks bunches!
Mellissa Sevigny says
It might feel redundant with all that soup but there is no reason why you couldn’t!
Lynne McCurdy says
How about smoked salmon? I bet it would taste awesome!
Poppins says
Sue, I agree about the celeriac … not a big fan. However, I did find that after letting it simmer for about an hour it softened a little and was a little more palatable. I know it’s the main filler and I can tolerate it. The broth in this soup is divine!!!! I didn’t actually measure out my first bowl but it was probably about 1.5 cups and my tummy is just full enough. Thank you Melissa for this recipe! Not sure I can get the rest of the family on board but that just means more for me. The biggest down side to this recipe is prep time. I’m recovering from surgery and very well may have overdone it today ?. The results were worth it after the pain meds kicked in ?. Happy Eating and Happy Losing!
Cookie Killer says
I don’t understand the ban on sweeteners such as stevia or Swerve in your bulletproof coffee. I’m assuming that means you can’t drink any sodas sweetened with Stevia or erythritol either? A group of ladies I work with are going to start this after Christmas and the most common question is – what can we drink besides the coffee on the breakfast menu?
Mk says
Many people find that even “natural” sugar-free sweeteners stall or prevent weight loss. According to Jason Fung (MD and authority on fasting to for weight loss and to reverse diabetes) these sweeteners still cause an increase in insulin which PROMOTES FAT STORAGE and prevents fat loss. One theory behind this is that the body releases insulin in response to sweet taste as it anticipates that sugar is coming. The insulin shuts off fat burning and further mucks things up by increasing hunger since the body was prepared for food that it did not get.
Substitute the coffee with tea (Black, green, or herbal, hot or cold) or with water. Can do a squeeze of citrus in it or infuse with berries and/or cucumbers. If doing an infusion just place the fruit in a pitcher of water, don’t squeeze/muddle them which adds carbs. Do check ingredients on tea as many(especially herbal) do contain sweeteners.
Kat says
Sweeteners can still spike insulin. Personally, I find that they stop me from being in ketosis a lot of time. Drink water!
Karen says
Eleventy Billion pounds in 3 days! I’m in, lol…Seriously though, I’m going to be following this to the letter, and hopefully I can break this sputtering weight loss stall…
Erin says
I absolutely love this soup, whether I am trying to drop a few pounds or not. I keep it in single portions in my freezer for quick meals.
Ann says
The person who wrote the ugly comment above clearly is an outlier. Your work and tone Melissa are awesome. Thanks for giving so much!
Alyson Story says
I’m pretty sure I’ve read all the comments and questions in both the Egg Fast directions and the soup directions and didn’t really see IF addressed. I am usually 18/6 or 20/4 mostly because breakfast and lunch are not options at work (no cooking, refrigerators, etc.). So, my question is… if I eat two ‘meals’ at the beginning of my eating window and two more at the end, should that be effective? In other words, is the focus on the frequency of small meals throughout the day or eating the correct amount of each of the foods to meet the macro/calories for the day?
This is my first comment/question because you do such a fantastic job! Thank you so much for your time and hard work – it’s likely more appreciated than you realize.
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can definitely do the 2 in the beginning and two at the end – also can combine the snacks or eliminate them based on how hungry you are within your eating window. You can definitely adjust it to your IF schedule and even if you’re doing OMAD (one meal a day) just make sure you’re keeping some of the higher fat snacks or meals in there in addition to a serving of soup so that you’re getting enough fat in the day.
Courtney says
You wouldn’t. But if he felt he needed more, add a piece of bacon or an egg to breakfast got some additional protein.
This plan is already pretty high in protein. Especially with the snack, so some additional celery with the snack could work too.
Trish says
I love your candour Melissa, i can only imagine the volume of email you receive! Thank you!!!!
Bri says
I think you’re awesome. Keep being you Melissa. Can’t wait to try this 5 day plan. I’m going to start on Monday and will report back!
Thank you ☺️
Filiz Aslan says
Hi All,
This is my 3rd day.Here is the results. At the begining my weight was 67,9 kg, body fat:31,7 water:47,5
I ate only 2 eggs for egg salad as snack, 6 eggs was too much for me! and drink aprx 3 lt water in the day, had 2 coffee with milk every day and now Im 66,6 kg, body fat:30,2 water:47,9!!! I LOVE this results and this is not a diet anymore for me its a life style:))
Susan says
The egg salad is made with 6 eggs because it’s a couple of servings. You’re only supposed to eat 1/2 cup of it as a snack
Amanda Shaw says
I love that this soup is helping me break my stall! Thank you for the time and effort you put into your programs!
RK from Worth in Progress says
This worked so effectively that not only was I utterly dumbfounded by how much weight I lost but also I shot a video about it and posted it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syEWJZxEbs0
I start talking about the keto soup diet at 2:18.
Thank you Mellissa for developing the diet! It worked amazingly, the soup is SO delicious – I’ve made it several times after finishing the 5-day diet.
Most importantly: now I know that if and when I ever need to lose a few pounds quickly, I can be sure that this 5-day diet is guaranteed to work and deliver results!
Best wishes and keep rocking,
RK from Worth in Progress
Kimberly Horn says
Well, I was able to do this for 3 days. The first day I forgot to put the basil in at lunchtime and remembered it for dinner, it did make a difference and was more flavorful. The second day, I just wasn’t all that hungry so I ate the eggs and bacon, then the egg salad with romaine. However, I couldn’t stomach having the soup again so I just skipped it. The 3rd day, I ate the eggs/bacon, tuna and celery, and soup for lunch. Then, just couldn’t do it anymore, I had to throw it away. I couldn’t handle the Swiss chard (now brown in the soup) and the chicken I used was a pre-cooked frozen (don’t do it, yuck). So, I would definitely cook my own chicken breasts and use those instead if I were to do it again. Either way, I lost 3 pounds in those 3 days and for the next 2 days I’ve just continued eating eggs, bacon, egg salad, tuna, celery – then adding in some Front Porch Pecans with Sea Salt (the best) for extra fat. Lost another 3 pounds in just a couple of days. I had been on a stall for about 2 weeks on Keto and I think I was eating too much cheese. So since the start of this soup diet and then continuing without cheese in my diet, the weight is literally falling off each day. I’m not even exercising and I sit at a computer all day.
Thanks Melissa for jump starting the weight loss and helping me get through my stall!
Danna says
I’ve been using IBIH recipes and meal plans on and off throughout my three year Keto journey and have mostly maintained my 70 pound weight loss! Finally getting around to posting to say thank you and share some love back to the community! :-)
I’m going to start this soup diet tomorrow because lately I’ve slacked off on portion control, have been eating for fun and not hunger, haven’t been careful to limit protein enough, and have gained 10 pounds. Time to get back on track! Here’s what I’m doing to modify the menu and why.
I’ve learned I do best with what I call Strictest Keto:
* count total carbs, not net – subtract only oat fiber and psyllium husk (totally insoluble, goes right through you) and the sweeteners (stevia, xylitol, and erythritol, which also don’t absorb or trigger insulin, though sweet tastes tend to encourage me to eat more than I should, so none of those during the soup kick-start!)
* limit to 20g carbs per day, with 7g total per meal (to keep blood sugar stable)
* maintain ratios of 75% fat, 20% protein, 5% carb (too high in protein and I stall or gain)
So how does this 5 Day Soup Menu work for me?
* I calculated the soup recipe myself to note total carbs: exactly 7 per bowl. Whee! My only substitutions are zucchini for the yellow squash and 1 Tbsp minced onion for the 1/4 fresh, ’cause that’s what I have on hand and I knew I wouldn’t use the rest of the fresh onion.
* The soup’s protein-to-fat ratio is too high in protein for me, even after using the USDA nutritional info for mixed meat chicken roasted with the skin on (which is what I plan to use instead of chicken breast), so I added three more Tbsp olive oil to the recipe and plan to add 1 Tbsp coconut oil when I eat each serving. That’s all it took to get the macros right for me.
* For breakfast, I’ll only eat 1/4 avocado because of the total-not-net carb thing.
That’s it! And another shout out to the folks who struggle to limit protein. I feel ya! It’s nuts how big restaurant serving sizes are in the US, and that has really skewed our sense of proportion. One serving of protein is only 3-4 ounces (or the size of a deck of cards). Most steaks are at least 12oz, 1/2 a roasted chicken (minus the bone) is around 17oz, and chicken breast is my worst enemy because one breast is at least two servings and they are very lean so I have to be careful to add more fat. Usually the combination of portion control and adding just one Tbsp of olive or coconut oil is enough to balance things out. (Once I learned that coconut oil trick, managing my macros became so much easier!)
I hope this helps. I never thought I’d want or need group support, but reading blogs like this and joining a couple of really positive online Keto groups was definitely a key to my success and my continued maintenance. Keto on! (Or Low Carb or Paleo or whatever you found that works for you!)
Denice Moscarelli says
OMG!!! Thanks so much for this! I have THE HARDEST TIME with too much protein. I can’t eat eggs, and I have not been losing weight even though I keep my net carbs down to less that 20 a day. It’s so hard for me to eat something that doesn’t totally screw up my macros. I’m totally going to use your coconut or olive oil trick!
Todd C. says
Had to do a double take on my scale this morning!
My backstory.
I have been obese for 20 years. Closing in on 50, I decided to take off as much weight as possible in the last year of my 40’s. I am a retired MMA fighter and instructor. I am a highly disciplined professional, however, my diet has always alluded me. No matter how hard I have tried in the past to lose… I fail. I frequently break concrete blocks with my hands and have many black belts in very dangerous styles of the martial arts, but I haven’t been able to break through my weight issues. With the physical damage, I have endured over the last 30 years, I now have pain everywhere. Swelling everywhere. Arthritis everywhere. And, I have been quite concerned for my cognitive decline, as I have taken many severe blows to the head over the course of my martial arts career.
Being new to Keto–I have made many mistakes. In doing so, I learned I needed a regimented eating plan that would carry me from one week to the next. I wanted to save money on my grocery bill, save time in my kitchen, and cut calories. I am a voracious eater. Whatever meter exists in most to govern the amount of food they put in their bodies, does not exist in me. I’m being honest with myself for a change. I know I need help with portion control and until I gain control of that… I’m fighting a losing battle. I am not known for losing.
I found this site purely by accident. However, after what I saw at my weigh in this morning–I am convinced I was destined to find this glorious piece of work. My deepest heartfelt thanks to Mellissa Sevigny! This IBIH 5 Day Keto Soup Diet is quite literally a stroke of divine inspiration! As a result of this 5-day quest, I have learned how to set my cravings aside, trust in the process, follow the process–to the letter, and relax. This plan is delicious, nutritious, and a common sense application for breaking through some tough weight loss barriers.
I was looking for something easy, healthy, and practical. I found it here! Now, your site is my main bookmark. I am looking at next week’s shopping trip tomorrow and I am following your plans precisely.
I have enjoyed your frank and honest approach to this epidemic of obesity. This 5-day plan is a power punch in the face of stagnation and failure. Thank you for this crucial tool in helping me fight decades of losing and regaining the same weight over-and-over. This piece of work is not only genius, it is a powerfully effective secret weapon I will keep at the ready when my weight loss slows or stagnates. Now, for my weight loss total since starting this plan.
I just started day 4. I have lost 12 lbs. I was so stunned this morning, I almost spit out my Bullet Proof Coffee! So… I weighed again. Down 12 lbs. So… just to be sure, I moved my scales to a different part of the floor and checked to make sure the setting wasn’t off somehow. Down 12 lbs. in 4 days. I just can’t argue with those numbers. I know much of that was water, however, I have hypertension and any loss of water weight is a good thing for my health! I am also drinking 64oz. of water a day. So, I am staying hydrated. Been testing with Keto strips and my Keto numbers are strong! Other approaches I have taken haven’t yielded results anywhere near these!
Thank you for all you do, Mellissa Sevigny!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Please excuse my brevity I’m on my phone in the back of a taxi in El Salvador but wanted to say thank you so much for this and that I’m excited for you! Please keep us posted on your journey!
Rita van der Lee says
It worked i’ve lost 8.6lbs in 5 days. Just wanted to get back on track. The soup was easy te make and so were the eggsalade and tunasalade. I’m from the Netherlands and could not find swisschard or collard. I used turnip tops.
Thnk u Melissa
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds like you had the keto flu and the headache is likely from detoxing off of sugar, gluten, dairy, and who knows what else all at once. Totally normal. Depending on how carb heavy your diet was before trying the soup diet you won’t feel better until the fourth day. The soup diet is a detox plan beyond regular keto. This doesn’t mean keto isn’t for everyone or even not for you – this is a major detox and you just didn’t do it long enough to get over the hump and experience the benefits. You may want to try regular keto using my three day keto kickstart and the the keto weekly meal plans which don’t detox you off of dairy and sweeteners, just off of gluten and carbs.
April says
Thank you for taking the time to respond. One more day and I would have made it!! Gah! *shakes fist* Oh well. I really could not take the nausea. I have read over the three day keto kickstart and am interested in trying this. I will for sure give Keto a shot.
Also, would like to say I enjoy your keto for life cookbook. The recipes are easy to follow and (from what I have tried) are delicious. :)
Tiffan in Katy says
Here’s a Swampy Substitute from Houston – Replace the chard with collard greens, use turnips, and sub the vinegar for Crystal Hot Sauce. Double the bacon. I just keep adding homemade chicken stock (used rotisserie chickens and I make a boatload of broth from the carcasses and a bulb of garlic). This only really works if you double up the recipe for a big pot, I made this soup for my hubby and I after some summertime derailment. Delicious, and it got be debloated in a day!
Kellye Taylor says
OK, I made this soup a few weeks ago and I did ate for 5 days. I lost 7 lbs and kicked off my return to keto in a great way. Honestly by day 5 I could barely eat the soup, and I think it’s the swiss chard. Just not my thing. Next time I will change the recipe being very careful about carb count in the veggies (I loved the jicima – celery root was woody so I’ll look for a better one). I binged on salad the first day off the soup, which caused it’s own problems, but I love veggies so much. In a couple weeks I’m gonna try the egg fast, then I’ll “re-imagine” the soup and see how it goes. Thanks for you recipes and encouragement.
operaross09 says
Hi there, I started the 5 day soup diet today. I made the soup yesterday and it’s drlivious. Full disclosure, I wasn’t familiar with almost any of the veggies. Bless the stickers in Kroger for being patient. I’ll update Saturday with my outcome. Melissa, I love your website. I’ve tried at least a half dozen recipes on your site and I’ve loved them all!
Until Saturday…:)
Caroline says
Just finished the 5-Day Soup Diet and lost 8 pounds! I did some substituting a couple times but stayed within the parameters. I’ve lost 49 pounds so far on the low carb diet! Thanks for this nice jumpstart to get me back on track after a couple weeks of straying. ?
Tiffany says
Tried this end of last year and had great results! The soup is super easy to make and delicious. Looking forward to making this again soon ?
Carol Verge says
Melissa, you made my day. I was looking around your site and saw this 5 Day Keto Soup Diet, and can’t wait to start it. Need to go buy my ingredients.
But when you typed “You might put cream and sweetener in your coffee and still lose eleventy billion pounds in just three days. “, I just laughed out loud because it reminded me of my Mom, except she would say “a kabillion”. Thank you for making me smile today, and for your awesome site. God bless you.
Mellissa Sevigny says
We also use Kajillion when we’re really talking about a LOT ha ha! Glad I’m not the only one and that it made you smile! ?
Joy says
Did you forget the other ingredients? :-) Or did you cook it for a really long time? Yes, veggies do boil down quite a lot, but I think you’d have to boil the soup for hours to condense over 11 cups of liquid plus 15 cups of veggies and meat to just 12 cups.
Teresa says
I made this soup over the weekend (after stalling in my weight loss after three weeks of keto) and started the soup protocol today. This soup is completely yummy and satisfying to me, and like some other people here felt really full after my snack but ate the second two cups of soup anyway.
I haven’t weighed myself, but I feel better today than I have in over a year. I also wore a pair of pants to work that I have not fit into since before last winter, so there’s that. THANK YOU, Melissa for all that you do. I LOVE your recipes and your writing. <3
Mellissa Sevigny says
Congrats Teresa! Feeling great and fitting into pants again is the best kind of results!!!
s500 says
So very pleasantly surprised by this soup!!!! It’s delicious, hearty, and just tastes like freshness. I had never even heard of celery root, but I found it and- after googling how to clean and cut it, am so glad that I know about this gem of a veggie. I had also never tried Swiss chard or squash (I know, I lead a sheltered life lol), but am now excited to try more recipes with these awesome ingredients. Thanks for helping me to broaden my horizons a bit! I have a feeling this soup is going to become a staple in my life.
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s awesome! Always happy to introduce people to delicious new ingredients!!!
Nikki says
I started the soup diet on Monday April 23rd and have followed it fairly strictly. I added a couple of cheese sticks and did keep 1 tbsp. heavy whipping cream in my coffee but those are the only deviations. I have lost 8.8 pounds so far and today is my last official day so I will know what the total is tomorrow. Only exercise I have done is two 20 minute walks. This was just what I needed to get me back on track with Keto! Thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Congrats Nikki!!!
Steph says
So I made the soup I ate eggs and avacado water and coffee and used turkey bacon since I don’t eat pork . I was wondering about the snack I don’t eat mayo nor do I eat fish What could I substitute for this maybe a couple slices turkey or chicken cold cuts ?!?
Stacey says
Thank you so much for this. I have been doing low carb for a little while, due to slightly elevated blood sugar. I am going to try this 5-day diet, starting tomorrow. I will keep you posted on how much weight I lose.
Stacey says
Ok, 4 days down and just have to finish day 5 today. I have lost 4 pounds as of this morning, even though I cheated just a little. I don’t think much of that was water weight loss, as I have been doing keto since March 1, and I heavily salted everything I ate over the past 4.5 days (that’s how I like it!!). I exercised 45 minutes to 1 hour 3 out of the 5 days. I have eaten 2-6 pieces of dark chocolate every single day on this diet (1.5 grams fat and a little less than 1 carb per piece), and I have eaten a couple of pickles on most of the days. On day three, I subbed my favorite creamy cinnamon drink for the dinner soup (about 10 grams fat, 15 grams protein, 3 carbs, and some no-calories monk fruit sweetener) because I couldn’t stomach any more soup that day. Yesterday, I had a late night and didn’t get around the eating my second bowl of soup before falling into bed. Poor planning on my part. I know those are a lot of deviations, but other than those, I stayed on plan 100%. So I guess I get a B- for following directions. Today, I plan to stay on the diet perfectly, except for my dark chocolate and pickles, of course! Tomorrow morning will be the moment of truth… how much total weight will I lose??? Of course I would love to lose another pound or two overnight, but if I only lose 4 solid pounds of fat in 5 days of moderate deprivation, I will certainly be VERY happy. I am envisioning sixteen cubes of butter (four pounds is a lot of butter!) that just disappeared off my big butt. Hurray!!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Congrats and way to make it work for you!
Lisa says
Hi Mellissa, thank you for all you do. It takes talent and dedication to create healthy recipes, and I for one am going to shamelessly compliment you for it. I lost 10 lbs the first time doing the IBIH 5 Day. The weight has plateaued with a switch up in the work out routine so let’s do this again. You’re fabulous, clever, and helping me cook yummy stuff that makes me feel good. There is no downside to this relationship. Have a great day.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Lisa!!!
TJ says
Starting tomorrow! I’ve been doing keto since October. No weight loss, but lost some inches. I workout 5-6 days a week so I think I’m building some muscle instead. My biggest problem on keto is that I do NOT get full like most people (including my husband). He’s done and I’m still sitting there feeding my tummy-lol! My portions are big, but I’m hungry. I don’t know how to deal with that. The fat increase is suppose to make you feel full, but for me it doesn’t and then I go way over my calories. UGH! I’m hoping this 5 day plan can help me cut back on my calories, decrease my cheese intake, break my habit of having a dessert everyday. and drop the last few pounds that are hanging around. I love your recipes! Thank you Melissa! One quick question, can you put stevia drops in the BPC?
Jules says
And one more question…is the serving size supposed to be 2 cups or 1.5 cups? The nutrition info you state says 1.5 cups, but the diet says 2 cups. Will I run out of soup with 2 cup portions? Thank you for clarifying.
Jules says
Hello, Mellisa. Thank you for the meal plan and your excellent other recipes. I apologize if I missed this discussion elsewhere on your site, but I have been eating a keto diet (5% carb, 20% protein and 75% fat) for the last several weeks, with positive results. I am curious why you call this a keto recipe, when the fat and protein are roughly equal percentages (5% carb and roughly 40-45% each for protein and fat)? Does this diet put/keep a person into ketosis or can it kick them out due to too much protein? Low carb does not mean keto, so curious how this works. I aim to be in ketosis, so didn’t want the proportions of this plan to undermine this. Many thanks.
Kim says
Listed are the macros in grams, but if you convert to calories (each protein gram is 4 cals, while each fat gram is 9 cals) you will see the fat cals are much higher leading to 75% fat.
shelley says
I am on day three. I ate breakfast and finding myself not hungry. Felt that way on day two also.
Is it ok if I just eat breakfast, snack and dinner only? or is it beneficial to eat exactly to the T of the menu for 5 days for best results?
June says
I feel the same way.
Can’t seem to eat all that food.
Can I just do the breakfast, lunch, & afternoon snack?
Melissa says
This popped up in my Facebook newsfeed, so I read through it and decided to give it a try! I needed a ‘get back on track’, ‘purge my body of sugar and carbs’ after a month and a half mess up during a house sale and purchase and very stressful move. So I’m hoping this will do the trick.
As I type this I’m having my day 3 breakfast. Day 1 I was starving to death by bedtime, Day 2 was a little better but my attitude was stinky (carb and sugar withdrawals), Day 3 and I’m really tired of butter and eggs and I’m having a hard time even eating all of the breakfast (not hungry at all today). But I am determined to fight through for the good of my body and getting back on track :)
Thanks so much for posting this and I will update my progress at the end of the 5 days!
The soup is absolutely delicious. I subbed collard greens for the swiss chard and radishes for the celery root because my store had neither. Both are great subs!
Kathy says
I started on Monday. I had been off of Keto for about two weeks. I got Keto flu day 2 and could not eat the soup. Hard enough to get water down. On day 3 and feeling better. I was able to get two soups and eggs and avo for breakfast. No snack today. I never want to go through that again. Sticking to Keto.
Liz says
So I’m starting this Monday and looking forward to it! Reading through comments I did see someone mention coconut milk in their coffee. I use nut pods, no carbs or artificial sweetener. It is Keto friendly, so I will be using that. Just with my limited time in mornings, bulletproof coffee won’t work and I’m meal prep girl so I can grab and go each day before work. I’m interested in changing up my diet. I have been doing just a basic 1200 cal diet but am at standstill with weight loss. So I need to switch it up! I love hot sauce, I was wondering if that is ok to use in the soup??? Tabasco, sriracha I love it all! Thank you!
CeliaT says
I had a package of ground turkey that I had browned and put in the freezer, so I just used that. Tasted great!
Toni says
I made this twice, back to back. The second batch I ended up freezing in individual and double servings for lunches and dinner. Super stoked to come home from holiday yesterday and only have to grab a container out of the freezer for lunches this morning. I’ll be making another batch this weekend.
I am curious is anyone has made it with anything other than chicken? Beef or pork possibly? I have a bunch of moose in the freezer too. I’m considering changing it up, just because, but wanted to see if anyone else has tried it. It’s PERFECTLY tasty the way it is, but as mentioned other meats can be substituted.
Eva says
Click Control + as many times as needed to reach a readable size.
Glenna says
I’m looking at the egg salad recipe and the ingredients don’t include the bacon and lettuce, but the picture does and it says it’s optional in the directions. So, to follow your diet exactly, does it include the “optional” ingredients, or do you just stick to the salad only part?
SBray says
Best addition! A Tablespoon of Kerrygold butter added to the soup! Delicious!
Barbara says
Any ideas how to make the soup in the Instant Pot? Thanks.
Delaine Ross says
I did that! Super easy. I sautéed the oil I’ve oil, bacon and chunks of chicken and the. Added the ingredients. Manual high 25 minutes NR.
Sophia says
I didn’t follow this recipe to a T but the soup was delicious!!!
I was wondering if this can be freeze so I don’t have to make a fresh pot every weekend.
Mellissa Sevigny says
yes you can freeze it!
Sally Massey says
Hello everyone….I am finishing day 3. I had to make more soup to finish day 4 and 5. For the life of me I can’t seem to make the same amount of soup as the recipe says it will make. 1st try was 12 cups. Tonight I made it and only got 14 cups. But I am not really complaining. I have lost 5 lbs. with 2 more days to go. YEAH !!! I think the soup is really delicious.
I am trying to modify the Bullet Proof Coffee, so that it doesn’t give me Diarrhea. The first day was horrible. So I cut back on the amount of oil and butter. And I am trying to slowly add more, until I hope, I can put the full amount in my coffee. I love the taste of the coffee. I have been putting part of the coffee along with the melted butter and MCT oil in my Frother, it’s amazing. I have also learned that I need to drink my BP Coffee with food. NOT on an empty stomach. I will definitely try this diet again in a couple of weeks.
Lola says
ITs the mct oil that gives you the runs. Back off on that and just do a teaspoon, then gradually work your way up. The powder (Perfect Keto is the best because it only uses acacia fiber as a carrier while other brands use yucky fillers) will be easier to digest tjan the liquid by FAR. I do 2 big scoops of MCT oil powder with no problems burn cannot tolrate the liquid form! Also, sip your coffee slowly over an hour rather than chugging it. That hopefully will help you enjoy your coffee “runs free”.
Rita Clark says
My husband and I lost 7lbs each after 5days. I followed your recipe and it came out really good, Very tasty. Thank you for this recipe.
Rita Clark says
Forgot to add, we had to make more on the 3rd day cos it was two of us. We did the 16:8 fasting, that is eat dinner by 6pm or 7pm and eat breakfast the next day by 10 or 11a.m. The bullet coffee helped a lot with energy. We went to gym twice within the 5days. We had celery sticks and tuna as snack no egg salad. Like I said we both lost 7pounds.
Kelly says
I am on day 5 of this soup diet… I was encouraged by all of the people who have lost weight on it. I was hoping to lose 3 or more pounds this week, but only lost 1. Some is better than none I guess. I followed it to the T, so I’m a bit disappointed there, BUT I have noticed other PROS, like, I don’t feel bloated at all, I have more energy, and a clear mind! (No fog brain!)
So in all, it was a good experience for me, but I’m not sure I would try this specific plan again. I do better with Variety.
Atheha says
Hi! I came on here wondering the same. I literally did this plan to the T. The only difference is I didn’t feel hungry enough to eat the snacks. I’m not sure if that’s the reason, but I didn’t now lose one pound the whole 5 days. I’m trying not to let this bother me, but I’m certainly upset. Did you try this again and found results?
Mellissa Sevigny says
“I literally did this plan to the T.” I’m sorry, but no you didn’t. You need the snacks to get the fat and calories – otherwise the plan is too low calorie and too low fat and your body will hold on to every pound.
Elizabeth Miles says
What is bulletproof coffee??? Someone enlighten me…is this something I need to buy or is it just coffee with butter or fat of your choice???
Thanks!
Kristen Pentz says
It’s black coffee, with 1tbs of butter, 1tbs if MCT or coconut oil, blended. It’s amazing!
Julie says
Day 1 underway! I went to the store this AM, and none of the options for celery root were available! I would think being winter months, there would have been a larger selection of root veggies. They had Daikon, Yukka, and Parsnip….. none of which I’m familiar with carb content, they also had jicama, which I don’t like… (scared of! LOL) – but they also had rutabaga! One of my old-fashioned faves…. my grandma used to sear it in bacon grease! …. Carb content… less than celeriac! SO…. I got that home and shredded it. I also accidentally added sage (frozen from my garden last summer) instead of basil. THIS SOUP IS GOOOOOD! lol Can hardly wait for dinner. :)
Michelle says
Hi,
The soup is delicious, even my kids love it and they don’t do soup. I doubled up on the soup to make enough for two adults – is that ok? On day 3 and haven’t weighed myself yet and won’t until I’m done. All the food on this plan is really good and all that fat first thing in the morning keeps me so full that I have to remind myself to eat lunch. Thank you so much!
Tonya says
My soup ended up 3 cups short. I think the issue may be that the recipe says a serving size is 1.5 cups but the meal plan calls for 2 cups. I LOVE the soup so making another batch isn’t breaking my heart. Your site is the most creative and encouraging I’ve found. Thank you for all the work you’ve put into it!
Kristie Carwithen says
Day 7 ~ down 9.8lbs!!!!! INCREDIBLE!!! I have a lot to lose so I think I will try this menu again for a second week. I changed the celery root for cauliflower, the chards for spinach and omitted the wine… otherwise, I followed this diet to the letter. Day 5 I got super hungry so I ended up having an extra potion of my chicken salad (instead of egg or tuna) and one or two extra pieces of bacon. I made sure I kept up with all my electrolytes and vitamins and never once had a ‘weak body’ feeling or moment. One or two HUNGRY moments..but nothing I couldn’t handle. I made sure to precook a container of bacon AND I made egg/bacon muffins (scrambled eggs cooked in muffin tins) before hand so that every day I could just grab and eat. I am soooo grateful for this plan!!! I found it super easy to make and soooo easy to follow. Wish me luck for week TWO!
Jessica says
I like the idea of making the eggs and bacon together in a cup if you don’t have time to make breakfast in the morning. Good tip!
Des says
I was 185 when I started this diet. And do to family Birthday there were two nights of modifications had a taco salad no cheese, no sour cream, used salsa for dressing and didn’t eat the shell. Today I am down to 175! So it does work!!
Emjay says
Just starting my first day, and although it taste great, I’m a bit of a chili snob. Is there anything you suggest I add in order to make this soup spicy without ruining the nutritional value? Thanks in advance.
Audrey says
I added a chopped jalapeño and it added that extra kick I wanted perfectly!
Louise Mourgues says
I’m on day 3 and only just realised that celery root is celeriac in the UK. I did make the soup using cauliflower as the sub and courgette/zucchini instead of yellow squash and the soup tastes wonderful. Should it have taken me 1 1/2 hours to make the soup (admittedly no prep thereafter)? A lot of initial sweating down and veg chopping but not sure if I’m in the right time limit so not sure I would make again due to time issue.
I like your no-nonsense and decision not to hand hold us desperate dieters… time we take our fate in own hands! ahaha tough love.
ps I love the tuna lettuce wraps. genius and does bridge lunch and dinner soups nicely. But I did still go to bed hungry the first night.
Kitty says
Does anyone know what modifications (if any) would be needed to make the soup in a slow cooker? I’m thinking I’d still sauté the bacon, onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic before putting them in the slow cooker. But, I’m wondering if I should delay adding the Swiss chard (and potentially yellow squash and green beans) until later in the cooking process. Will these veggies get too mushy if they’re in the slow cooker for 4-5 hours? If anyone has any thoughts on modifying the process for the slow cooker, I’d appreciate it. Thanks
trinabobina81 says
I haven’t seen any comments from anyone being a weighloss patient and how not being able to eat these meals as a single portion work for you? If I broke the portions in half and made multiple small meals should I get the same results. I have been stuck in a rut for a while fluctuating up and down 10lbs for the past 4 months. Any advice. I had sleeve surgery and nothing thus far has been unedible which I wish that did happen for me sometimes… lol
Lynne Brown says
I am in the same rug as you. Had sleeve surgery back in 2014. Stuck at 75 lbs lost but gained 10, just finished two weeks of ke to and lost 10 lbs but got ket o flu and gained back 2 lbs now stuck. Will try the soup to get me going again. Contact me and we can do this together.
Tatiana Buffin says
In other news, my ketone reading is moderate. Before it was negative. I have had the goal of drinking 9 cups of water per day. Since it is hard for me to drink water when it is this cold, some of those are in the form of unsweetened herbal teas.
Tatiana says
I am at the start of day 3 and I would say that this diet should work for anyone who tries it. I have made modifications and still had success.
I did not weigh myself at the start because I had anxiety about my weight. I believe I was at least 173.
I’m a young college student. My goal was not to lose a lot of weight really fast. I just needed to get back to 169 before meeting my boyfriend’s father who is coming to the U.S. for the holidays.
I didn’t measure or weigh the chicken for my soup. I was sharing with family so I bulked it up by dropping a whole rotisserie chicken in at the end. (Instead of using chicken breast. I also added water when it was time to prepare my portions for the week. (I just used 10 separate containers). I also didn’t want egg salad and don’t really like tuna without eggs so I mixed the two together and ate it with spring mix.
For breakfast coffee was hard. I used cream and sweeteners when needed but sweeteners were easier to cut out of my diet than cream was. Coconut oil kept me satisfied. Sometimes I would just eat that separate though.
I would say that I have a bit of a night binge eating issue. The first night I tried not to eat a brownie… I took a bite and felt guilty and spit it out. That night I went to sleep just to stop myself from eating.
The next night I was out with family and ate lunch and dinner late. I needed something and we were at the grocery store and I bought cashews.
Even though I clearly did not follow the diet to the letter, I did stay low carb and lost the weight I wanted to lose in only two days. I plan to do the other 3 days to the best of my abilities and then make an chicken pot pie recipe I found on the Atkins website for Christmas. The rest of my family is having (store bought frozen)lasagna. My body does not respond well to cheese/gluten combinations well. If I have lasagna at all it will be because I made my own with zucchini in place of noodles which I probably like better anyway.
Long term, I plan to follow other meal plans on the site in combination with other Atkins recipes.
John says
So after yesterday (day five), I am down 5.4 pounds, which for me in less than a week is pretty good! I am travelling for work next week unfortunately so will not have as much control over what I eat, and will have plenty of temptation (i.e. the company year end/Christmas party) so between now and then I have another five days, I’m just going to do a repeat. We’ll see if the loss slows down a bit or continues at the same pace, I’ll update here in five days!
John says
I’m on Day 4 and have already dropped a little over 3 pounds! I followed as written except couldn’t find celery root so subbed jicama (fewer carbs!) and that turned out great. Also, there was no yellow squash, but zucchini seemed to be nearly identical nutritionally so went with that. Made my own mayo for the egg/tuna salad, cause I couldn’t find a store brand without soy or canola, and that’s been really tasty. It’s been really helpful to not be winging the keto and counting out and measuring every single thing I put into my mouth has been very helpful in staying on track.
Wanted to thank you for all the work you’ve put into this, your other meal plans, and your site in general. (Also for putting up with some of the questions you get haha).
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much John – I’m glad you’re having success and thanks for sharing your hacks!
Lisa says
Question: can I used leftover turkey breast to replace the chicken?
Annelise says
Hi there,
I started the 5-day ketonsoup detox on Monday. Weighed myself this morning (Friday) and lost 4,2kg – that’s 9 pounds!
Needless to say I havd a lot more to lose. I will do it for another round next week.
Thanks a lot for this great plan. I loved that everything was done ahead of time. The soup tastes great!
Looking forward to getting on the scale tomorrow morning.
?
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s exciting Annelise! Congratulations on a fantastic loss!
Heather says
I have a question. I usually don’t eat breakfast. I go to the gym 1st thing in the morning and then eat lunch. Do you have to eat breakfast in order for this to work?
Thanks in advance
Judi says
I didn’t go through and read all the comments so this may have been answered, is the bulletproof coffee in addition to breakfast or as another option? Just want to get it right! The soup is delicious!
Lisaf says
Just started this today. The soup is very tasty. Is there anything else you guys recommend drinking throughout the day besides water? Can we drink diet soda or add the sugar free flavor packets to the water?
Mellissa Sevigny says
No sweeteners of any kind so no diet soda or sugar free flavorings if they are sweetened with any kind of natural or artificial sweetener. Unsweetened flavored seltzer would be fine.
RDLV says
no sugar free sweetners so no you cant have either
Oma Wilcox says
I love this diet. I’ve done it twice and lost 3-4 lbs each time. I wanted to continue to do this every other week until I reach my weight goal but was wanting to change up the soup a bit for some variety. Are there other acceptable soup recipes?? Thanks for this plan!!!
H Sherlock says
Is there a subsitute for the Mayo in the Egg and Tuna Salad? I generally do not like mayo and usually use mustard, avocado and olive oil in my egg, tuna or chicken salad.
Aj says
OMG, great recipes, a meal plan, and a wicked sense of humor… what more could a reader ask for?! I read through all the comments. Then I had to go read about Spider Rain. I’m sold – I’ll be a regular reader (and sharer) from now on. Now if I could only find a source for Unicorn Butter…
Mellissa Sevigny says
If you do find unicorn butter please share ha ha!
Rachel Blackett says
Thank you for this! I am *trying* to get back to full low carb (after 3 years) as I completely fell of the wagon (And got run over it somewhere along the line….) and ended up gaining 43 kgs (94lbs) and feeling like crap all the time. I have somehow managed to lose 14kgs in the past year by getting sick all the time so I don’t want to gain it back. Am hoping this will help get me back on track (for good this time!) Fingers crossed avocados aren’t too expensive at moment here as I looooooove them hehe! It will be interesting for me as when I do eat lchf I don’t tend to eat alot as I get super full (At one stage in 2014 I was only having 800-900 calories a day but couldn’t force myself to eat more as I was having 2 main meals a day plus 1-2 snacks. I couldn’t believe how low in calories I was but I was stuffffffed! Which is weird coming from someone who was 90kgs-108kgs at the time, depending on where i was in my weight loss (Currently am at 119kgs )) This plan is probably alot more than what I would tend to eat but I am so keen to try it (I don’t drink coffee so that would cut some of my calories, will have to find an alternative)
I loved your humor in this post! I often look through comment sections in blog posts and just sigh and go “Good grief”. I feel so sorry for the bloggers out there, especially when 50 different people ask the same question and don’t bother to look at comments to see if its already been asked and answered! *cue eye roll* Its the first thing I do, then I ask my questions!
On that note- Has anyone tried blending the soup and had it turn out ok? I sometimes have sensory issues when it comes to soup, so prefer smooth soup. But don’t want to waste ingredients if I can’t blend it (And then unable to eat it because of the chunks) Thanks heaps!
Rachel Blackett says
Thank you heaps! Will be going ahead with it on Monday ✊
Naomi says
I blended my soup this am and then just added the chunked chicken to each portion. And it is delicious!!
John says
Good to know! I love the soup but always wonder if I am getting too many servings of veggies, too much/not enough broth, etc every time I measure out my 2 cups. I think I might blend it just so I get a consistent amount of everything in every serving.
lisa says
Thanks for doing all of the “leg” work! I’ve recently started taking Tamoxifen as follow up to breast cancer treatment, and it is causing some real weight issues – so I’m going to try this diet for a week or two to see if it helps. I love the fact that you have done all the math, I cooked yesterday, everything is portioned in the fridge for the week – and I tried the bullet proof coffee this morning (thinking that I would hate it) and it is actually pretty good!
One less thing to think about, and no reason to make excuses – just follow the plan!
Fddnmd says
I just wanted to swing by and say thank you. I’ve been so bad and gained 21lbs back after losing 108lbs. Thanks to your soup and meal plan, I’m on day 2 and am already down 4lbs in 1 day. Thank you for your help in getting me back on track. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.
Michilene says
Wow! This website is amazing. I have been looking for a simple way to start the keto diet and you have it ALL laid out for me.
Thank you for your passion in helping others achieve their goals. I am looking forward to trying so many new things!
Ali says
Hi,
May I ask if the soup ingredients should be masured by weight or volume? For example, is it 8oz of green beans or 1 cup chopped?
Thank you!
Alexis-Morgan Roark says
Thank you for this site and your incredible generosity. I totally appreciate your sense of humor and apparent struggles as a blog owner. Some of these comments-oy!! My heart goes out to you!! As soon as I am in a position to do so (hubby was laid off), I will purchase the cookbook bundle to support you. Because of your site, I have newfound hope in my post pre-diabetic diagnosis life. That made sense, right??
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Michelle says
Hi Mellissa, thank you for all your hard work!!! I lost 1.9 kgs on this 5 day diet woo hoo. I have been struggling with losing, and needed a kick start and a re focus and this was perfect!!! my only cheat was a can of diet coke on day 5 grrr missed that rubbish so much. I am now on day 2 of your week one plan. You have made things so easy, your shopping lists are a god send, recipes are fantastic! Thank you so much I really appreciate all you do for US!
Scotti says
So tjose of you that have tried this how much have you lost!?!?!
BRENDA Foster says
I have loss 5pounds in aweek, am going to keep doing this five day keto soup for the rest of this month. Feeling excited.
Kari says
I lost 3 lbs, that may not seem like much but I could tell my stomach didn’t feel as bloated. I was really happy. I am going to do it again this coming week. Plus the soup is really good.
John says
I didn’t start super overweight (I’ve been doing keto for a while, just fell off the wagon pretty hard between Thanksgiving (in Canada) Halloween, and travelling for work as well as some long weekend travel to places with lots of culinary options) but in 4 days I’m down 3 pounds. I still have about 10 to go to reach my goal. I think I might do another 5 days of the soup plan and then just switch over to one of her other meals plans for variety.
EpicuriousByNature says
Oh bother… I happen to love the caveat on getting people to take care of themselves rather than you babying them through every moment of the day! Holy smokes, the comments and ridiculous questions alone are what stop me from writing a blog. A recipe titled Garlic Almond Chicken and they say, “I’m allergic to Almonds and Chicken, what can I substitute?” Are you kidding me, why do you bother even reading a recipe with two of your allergens in the title? Good on you, Mellissa! Stand your ground… haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate!
EbonyA says
I know the you said not artificial sweeteners – So I assume Stevia or Erythritol will be acceptable then?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Actually, I said “no sweeteners of any kind” which includes both of the ones you just mentioned if you are following the plan exactly as written.
Alexis-Morgan Roark says
Thank you for that clarification. I was afraid you meant exactly what you wrote. ?
Christine Castaneda says
Oh my ladies! Can’t we just all get along? I mean seriously! If you don’t like Melissa’s responses, go find another blogger.
Thank you Melissa for posting this 5-day Keto Soup Plan. Couldn’t come at a better time. I’m heading on vacation next week – 3 days at a winery in Temecula, Ca is going to get me in trouble, lol. I am soooo following this plan when I return. And thank you for all your awesome and delicious recipes. Not sure if you remember me but I followed your 12 week Keto Meal Plan back when you first posted it (Jan 2014) and lost 30 lbs. Maintained it til this year. Gained half of it back, having too much fun with life. :-) Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your hard work and effort on creating your recipes
I love sharing pics of the recipes I make in the various keto/low carb facebook groups I’m in and I always include the link to the recipe when I share it. And even then I get hit with all kinds of questions, repeated questions too, so I totally get it. I have found that if I take time to read all the comments, I will find my answer. :-)
Anyways just wanted to say “THANK YOU”! Have a great day!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Of course I remember you Christine! You and Kathryn kept me entertained during all 12 weeks of posting those plans lol! Thanks for sharing my recipes in your groups and for always being so positive! ?
Betty says
Can I use 2 tablespoons of ghee in my bulletproof coffee?
vanessa says
Just finished this yesterday. Only weighed myself in the beginning and at the end. Lost 4.2 lbs!! I’ve really been struggling with weight loss lately on keto and suspected dairy and ‘occasional’ treats as the culprit. Not gonna lie, this was tough. The soup was really good but I never craved it. This really made me realize how often I eat just to eat and how unhealthy my snacks were. I didn’t give up my fake sugar during this time and still lost. Thanks for the jump start!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Congrats on the loss Vanessa and I’m glad you also found the plan useful to find some other areas of improvement moving forward! Thanks for letting us know!
Denise says
I am doing this diet it’s my third day and I gained a lb :( doing what it tells me. Wonder what I am doing wrong?
Mellissa Sevigny says
It seems impossible for anyone to gain weight on 1200 calories per day and if you are measuring and following the plan exactly as you say. It could be that you are backed up or maybe hormone fluctuations if you’re near that time of the month. Were you already in ketosis when you started? If not it takes around 3 days to get into ketosis so you may lose most of your weight on the fourth and fifth day.
Anita Jeanette Bogue says
Also, as a woman, our weight fluctuates with hormones and menstrual cycle. So be gracious with yourself.
N says
Try getting a colonic or a therapeutic coffee enema.
Melissa Nunes says
Am I crazy? Where is the soup recipe? I read this twice. I see the “check your pantry for” list but no directions on making the soup
Mellissa Sevigny says
It’s linked to in blue throughout the post and plan but maybe it’s not showing up on your browser for some reason? Here it is again: IBIH Turbo Atkins Chicken Soup.
Monica Hall says
I am going to try this just because your article made me laugh so hard…well, and I need to. ;)
Kreshelle Marquis says
Isn’t this kind of high in protein? In terms of Keto being high fat moderate protein very low carb, most of the protein counts are roughly equal to the fat counts.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Protein requirements will vary by person, but you can add more fat in the form of an extra bulletproof coffee or an extra half avocado if your personal macros call for it.
JMC says
Thank you for this quick start plan. You made it super easy with the recipes and the grocery list! A total no-brainer! It was so helpful for me as I work very erratic hours and don’t have much time. The soup took me the longest time to make because of cutting everything up but the good news is that I lost 4 pounds!!!! Thanks again for making it easy!
Mellissa Sevigny says
You’re so welcome and congrats on the 4lb loss!!!
Esme Gonzalez says
Ok quick question, I’m on day 3 of the soup and seriously in the bathroom soon after! It feels like a stomach cleanse lol could it be the collard greens? Hear of this with anyone else? Hasn’t stopped me from eating and I don’t mind it but I was thinking its couldn’t Just be me lol
Terri says
Hi Just completed the 5 day plan. I used chicken thigh fillet instead of breast and kohlrabi instead of celery root, I did use a tiny bit of cream in coffee and milk in tea I also didn’t do the tuna salad just the egg.. I mixed around when I ate things. I also follow 16:8 so a typical day would be BPC at 9am, soup for lunch, egg salad in afternoon, soup when I got home from work then bacon and eggs and avo for “dinner”. I have lost 1.9kg (4.2 pounds) after 5 days and am blowing 1 red flash on Ketonix breathalyser. Soup was great got a little tired of it but still v nice. Gave me back control doing this plan. Think I might try to do for 3 days a week from now on. Thank you very much
Mellissa Sevigny says
Nice job Terri! And thanks for sharing your tweaks with us!!!
Laura says
I was so hungry last night. I don’t think this is enough food. Any hints or suggestions?
Laura says
The soup is soooooo good. Everything is. I just was hungry still.
dnelson says
Question? Can you still drink your Keto Max or OS on the soup diet?
Kathy says
I was wondering that too?? I am also wondering what we could use in place of avocado? I can’t stomach them :(
Laura says
Thank you for putting countless of hours into this blog, it’s fantastic!
I’m day two of the soup diet. It’s delicious. Massive bonus that I love eggs.
I didn’t have any Dijon mustard for the snack eggs so I used curry powder.
I’ve had to fight my kids off both the soup and the eggs, they love it too.
Will report back at the end of the diet.
Thanks again.
Elle says
I have been “off the wagon” for about 10 years, after 10 years of mostly LC. Of course, I have gained a massive amount of weight, and have associated health problems. I have tried to restart many times, the longest I last is a few days.
After a day of general low-carb, meat and veggies only, I started this plan yesterday.
The first day, I simply was not hungry, so I ate the breakfast at 1230pm and snack at 130pm only. Didn’t get hungry the rest of the day, so I drank a cup of the soup broth last night, which I didn’t mind the broth.
Today I had breakfast at 1230pm, and a bowl of the soup at 130pm. I’m sad to say I don’t like the soup. The bloating in my tummy is gone, but I can’t bring myself to eat any more of it.
I guess I will try to construct some simple meals based on the macros of a serving of the soup. Nothing at all against the plan, I just don’t care for the soup. I wish there was a cold gazpacho type soup cleanse… It is so hot…that would be so great with grilled chicken. As a matter of fact, I think I will look for something like that.
Good luck to everyone!
Mariah says
Made the soup tonight and it is DELICIOUS! I subbed the celery root for equal parts cauliflower. The way the cauliflower breaks apart in the soup gives the illusion of rice, win! I baked all of my morning eggs for the week in muffin tins with the butter as I hate cooking in the morning. I think this will be plenty of delicious food to keep me full and happy for the week..I start tomorrow, I will let you know how it goes!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Keep us posted Mariah – love your idea of baking the eggs in advance!!
Mariah says
Half way through the soup diet and am loving it!
The only thing I am struggling with is the butter for the eggs. I did bake mine instead of scrambling so the butter has just settled on top of the eggs and hardened. I heated everything up and tried to eat all of the butter on the first day but it was way too much for me in the morning. I can see how scrambling might be better with this amount of butter. Since then I just pick the butter off while it’s cold. I still feel like I’m getting enough fat from the bacon and avocado though! Breakfast keeps me full until 12:30-1 pm, then I eat my snack, and usually eat my lunch soup around 3ish.
After work on Monday I was able to complete half of a Kayla Itsines BBG workout (week 5 legs and cardio). I could only do 15 minutes instead of the full 30 as I did feel a lack of energy and strength, but I pretty much expected that and just listened to my body. Tuesday I played a 50 minute game of softball at 7:45 pm without eating dinner yet. I did get hungry at the field but I brought water with lemon juice and pink salt which helped keep my head from getting foggy.
For my dinner soup I’ve been eating it with parmesan cheese on top and just a dash of sriracha for a little kick. The parm I have has no carbs and sriracha has 1g per 1 teaspoon. Let me tell you these two things make the soup KILLER.
I actually don’t own a scale but my tummy looks like its totally deflated and I feel great so far!!!
Misty says
I’m starting tomorrow. My only question is unsweetened coconut milk ok in coffee instead of butter and coconut oil? It has 1 carb per cup.(its not dairy!!) Anyone used it while following this 5 day plan?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Theoretically this could work – it’s dairy free and low carb so it shouldn’t have a negative affect at all. Let us know how you do!
Misty says
Thank you so much! I will keep you posted! The soup is fantastic!! Feeling a bit hungry on day 1, but I plan to spread my breakfast out throughout lunch tomorrow!! Thanks again.
McKenzie says
I just made my soup this afternoon and am looking forward to trying this out over the next week.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Awesome! Let us know how you do!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I lived in SC for 5 years Maddie and never have a met a more hateful and intolerant group of people than there. They will call you darlin to your face and stab you in the back as soon as you turn around – and I also know what “bless your heart” REALLY means when someone from SC says it, so thanks for that. Who is the hateful one now?
Carol Brown says
Ok I am scared to ask this question and I think I read all the comments so here it goes lol. I hate eggs and I KNOW I can substitute chicken for the egg salad. The question is….how much chicken equal the amount of 6 eggs so that the nutrition stays the same (example 1 c chicken for 6 eggs or 1 skinless chicken boneless chicken (costco) is equal to six egg). Also is it fine to just to leave the eggs out for breakfast or should I eat one more piece of bacon? I am new to these kinds of diets so be gentle lol
Maddie says
I would be scared to ask, too, Carol. I would suggest you find a good online nutrient calculator. I have used fitday with no issues in the past. I’m sure there are many others. I use weights and not measures, so I will answer the best I can.
But, to answer your question, in my opinion an egg can be swapped with an ounce of chicken. The fat will be lower in the chicken breast, but you could add a little more fat to your day, or not. You could also try thigh meat. That would be closer to a perfect match.
As far as breakfast, I would think an extra piece of bacon would work in place of an egg. Or the above mention chicken meat could be substituted. Or breakfast sausage.
Keep in mind that the diet was written a certain way, to maximize results, at least in the author’s opinion, and your results may vary if you substitute foods. That said, people have likes and dislikes and those should be taken into account. No one will stick to a diet of food they don’t like for very long!
Isn’t it sad when a reader has to preface a comment “I’m scared to ask” and end it with “be gentle???” I could use a stay at home job. Perhaps the author would be willing to hire me to answer the questions she thinks are so stupid?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Again Maddie, I didn’t use the word stupid anywhere here and I resent you being so purposefully inflammatory when this is the third such comment you took the time to post here in this thread. In the blogging world, we call people like you trolls – people on the other side of the screen, emboldened by anonymity who say rude things to try and cause trouble and controversy. Did I get a little tough love in this post? Maybe – but I didn’t call anyone or their comments stupid, nor would I. While I appreciate your detailed answers to some of the questions here (though again I think your motives are more about poking at me than a desire to help others) – I wonder how much time it took you? Maybe 5 minutes? More? Let’s just take that 5 and multiply it by 50 per day – you’ve got over four hours there – almost 30 hours a week. Because what people like you don’t seem to understand is that I don’t just have this one post with questions to answer – I have 12 weeks of meal plans, a 3 day kickstart, and the egg fast diet. Oh and over 400 other recipe posts – all with open comments sections where people leave questions and comments. Also a forum to manage. And a Facebook page. And Instagram. And email. And various other social media outlets. And while I enjoy interacting with my readers and don’t mind answering questions not already answered in the post, the bulk of my time needs taken up by running the business end of this website (hours of work behind the scenes that nobody sees) creating and photographing recipes to share (for free) with my readers, and working on my cookbook project so that I can actually earn a living – all which takes well over 40 hours a week. I also have a son that I homeschool. And we live in a third world country where my husband and I do volunteer work. So people who aren’t walking in my shoes but feel free to rudely comment here to tell me how I should be running my blog and who think they would do a better job because they answered 2 comments so they obviously have this blogging thing down? That’s a lot like somebody with no kids who babysits for an hour and then says things like “I would never let MY kids do that.” Then once they become a parent they (hopefully) realize that they were incredibly judgmental and superior – and that they had no idea what they were talking about.
Maddie says
Then why did you take such a long time to compose that butter rebuttal? Did you just snap or something?That’s what I don’t get. You seem so helpful and sweet, then BAM, the meanest reply I have ever seen from a blogger who claims to want to help people. Mind boggling. But anyway, you’re right, I don’t know you and you don’t know me. But I didn’t show my butt in front of the world, cutting someone down who asked a silly question about butter.
Cheeers.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I was traveling to Honduras when I saw the question and let it through moderation from my phone at the airport, but wasn’t able to respond from my computer until days later. This comment was a one off from someone who signed up and then disappeared right after – and I suspected it was a troll (wikipedia definition for those who don’t know: a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion, often for the troll’s amusement.), looking to be funny because of the way the question was put. I answered it in kind and never heard from this person again – which further leads me to believe it was someone who read the post and my pleas to do some thinking and research on your own, and thought it would be funny to ask this question – not somebody serious about doing this plan or getting help about how to purchase and portion out butter.
Maddie says
The more I think about it, I think that comment was an attempt at dry humor, based on the revisions you made to your post, and the frustration you felt–or at least seemed to. And the humor of it went right over my head at first, because as I read it, a tone of voice began to form in my head, and then it was AHA! It’s too ridiculous to be anything else. Kinda like the unicorn post, but written in first person, instead of 3rd person. First person made it less obvious, at first glance. Not quite trolling, IMO, but some very clever, very sarcastic person, probably of very high intelligence. And even though it took a few days, I do think it’s pretty funny after all.
Apologies for my snark!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thank you for this Maddie, I appreciate it more than you know!
Shari Ann says
Late response, but BRAVA Melissa!!
#murderedbywords #badassbloggerbabe
#thisishowitsdone
Pat says
Perhaps you could just answer the girls question and move on. Why dis Melissa. She does all this for us for free. Whatever she gets from sponsors etc. it is still free for us. All of this was so unnecessary…
Jamie says
I hate to bother, but I hate mushrooms are there any good substitutes for them or just leave it out and move on?
Maddie says
To save the author the anger of having to answer your stupid (to her) question, I will suggest that you choose any very low carb veggie that suits your taste, like cauliflower, or any low carb veggie from, say, the Atkins induction list. You can look up the carb value of mushrooms, and then choose the amount of cauliflower that has the same number of carbs. Or increase one of the veggies already in the soup in the same way, matching carb count for carb count.
If it were me, I would substitute something, because the missing “bulk” may decrease your sense of satiety and increase hunger.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I never used the word stupid Maddie, so I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t put words in my mouth or make assumptions about my feelings based on your own opinion. I do however agree with the rest of your comment, thanks for taking the time to answer this question.
Tatiana says
I hate mushrooms too. In any recipe that calls for mushroom or eggplant (both of which I cannot stand) I substitute zucchini.
April says
Wow I love the soup but honestly you do not need to be rude. Snarky comments to your readers really are Not necessary.
Tracy says
I may have some trouble finding the celery root where I live. Is there anything I can substitute in its place?
Terri says
I use kohlrabi
Meli Mari says
Maybe I am alone in these thoughts or maybe other posts have been deleted, however I found this post borderline offensive. I have been a reader and and fan of this site, even promoting it to my friends as I found you relatable with great content. For the record, I have never before commented or emailed. I assume this blog is now a regular source of income for you, and that all those annoying people who email you contibute to that income. Not that I can’t understand your frustration with people who email without reading the full post, I guess I just thought someone who knows ales their money through blog traffic and returning viewers wouldn’t be be quite so harsh and unwelcoming. I don’t know that I will be returning and certainly will not longer recommend this blog to my friends.
Kristie says
You are definitely not alone Meli Mari. I found this incredibly offensive. Talking down to your readers like they are idiots. If you hate your job this much you should probably quit. If you were tired of the emails just don’t reply. No need to be so outrageously rude.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I love my job, I never said my readers were idiots, and I think you’re overreacting just a tad with phrases like “incredibly offensive” and “outrageously rude.” Your lack of appreciation for my no nonsense approach is noted – thanks for the feedback.
Terri says
I am an admin on a FB page and you do get tired of the same old questions. I fount a bit confronting but thought it was a good dose of Tough love! I like the strictness of the rules, etc and yes I bent them a bit but so what I didn’t feel I had to ask your permission to do so as you say. I like dit. Thanks for the great site
Kris says
You are appreciated by me!! And you show much more diplomacy than I would. Thank you for all you do, Melissa. (I just followed your egg fast and lost 8 pounds in a week, and now I’m prowling for another “project”. You never fail to satisfy!!)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Kris!!!
Marcia says
Thanks for this! I’ve gotten way off track and always come back here for recipes and ideas. I’ll be doing this for sure and I love your bold snarky comments <3 Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into this. I lost a good amount of weight last year and got my blood pressure back down to normal using your recipes mainly.
Kim says
Day 1! Very filling. :) I added my avocado to soup. Was yummy. thank u for this. I def needed a kickstart!
Ree says
How’d it go, Kim?
Dawn says
Question………and I hope this isn’t a repeat question, but why tuna in water??? I have eaten tuna in olive oil for sometime now and wondering if it’s a no no in general? Thank you!
Lisa says
I’m thinking about a two-week rotation between this and your egg fast so 10 days of this diet, three days of the egg fast, and then the 14th day I would eat normally and maybe have a cheat meal, then start over. Thanks for putting this together! I enjoy your blog.
Gaye Miller says
Made my pot of soup today. Starting the diet tomorrow. I substituted turnips for the celery root and kale for Swiss chard, as I live i rural area and could not find those ingredients. I have been doing LCHF way of eating for 11 months and have lost 65 lbs. Want to lose 15 more lbs. For the last month I keep gaining and losing the same 2 lbs. Hoping this will jump start me to finally reach my goal.
Nicole says
Thanks for linking to the soup diet forum in the last comment! You make my life so easy!
On day 3 of my second Egg Fast today (Oh my word. Snickerdoodle Crêpes. Just gah.) I have 12.6 lbs until I reach my goal weight, so hopefully the rest of the Egg Fast then the Soup Diet will take care of that – then it’s just maintenance…so looking forward to eating bacon again! Your recipes have saved the day so many times – mad props lady!
Jill Hunt says
This is day 5 for me and I’ve lost 8.1 lbs. The soup is really good and more filling than I anticipated. Thank you for helping me kick start my healthy lifestyle!
Mellissa Sevigny says
That is fantastic Jill! Congrats and thanks for letting us know how you did! If you haven’t already, can you please post on the soup diet forum with your progress so that people who are considering it can be inspired by your success?? Thanks so much!!!
Margarita says
Is there a button to get printable versions of your plans? I have been copy and pasting. Thank you for all your hard work, I mean you really have done a wonderful job. Part of my failure is having to order ingredients, but you use items that can be found pretty much everywhere and I am really thankful!
betsyann says
Made this soup today and its really delicious. Starting soup diet tomorrow. Did egg diet for a week and lost weight. Going to weigh myself tomorrow.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Excited for you – let us know how you do!!!
Dawn says
Tackling this MONDAY!! Thank you for posting! I am losing weight at a turtle pace and leaves me wondering if dairy is my issue. I had a mental pep talk yesterday….if can give up carbs, surely I can give up dairy….. The struggle is real. I love dairy!! :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
I feel your pain Dawn – why does cheese have to taste so amazing ha ha!
Heather says
Just wanted to thank you for posting this! I leave for vacation in about two weeks, and while I’ve lost about 20 pounds so far this year, I’ve stalled out recently and I suspect the culprit is at least partly cheese and nuts. I’m going to modify this a bit to suit my preferences and give it a try next week. I’m especially thrilled that the soup is so vegetable-heavy and healthy – a struggle I’ve had since going low carb is feeling like I’m eating too much cheese and meat, and not nearly enough vegetables, so this is quite exciting to me.
Also, mad respect to you and anyone else who has a popular food blog. I love to cook and share recipes with my friends, but I couldn’t handle the inane comments that might follow. I don’t know which kind must be more irritating – the ones that go “I don’t like green beans. Can I substitute Cinnamon Toast Crunch instead?” OR the ones that go “I hated this recipe, it was so gross. I swapped out the mushrooms with eggplant, the chicken with liver, the tomatoes with Cheetos and the basil with some dust I found on my floor. NASTY recipe.” Anyway – you do a great job, thank you!
Heather says
“…but I couldn’t handle the inane comments that might follow if I had a blog*”
Apparently, I also can’t handle finishing my sentences properly.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the validation Heather – for reals! ? Let me know how you do and what adjustments you made!
Rachel Blackett says
Oh. My. Word.
This comment! Totally made my day even more with Mellissa’s awesome “Please don’t email me….” part of the post hahahaha!
Cat says
I am excited to start this plan, as I’ve gotten really off track with a lot of travel and too many restaurant meals. I will be heading out soon to buy the ingredients for the soup.
Just one question – my local store doesn’t carry salted unicorn butter, only unsalted. Can I add unicorn tears for additional salt and magic?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I can’t comment on the efficacy of unsalted unicorn butter with additional unicorn tears because I’ve only ever used the salted unicorn butter myself. In theory, this would be amazing, but I can’t take responsibility if it backfires on you. Do report back with your results and also please provide links to a reliable source of unicorn based products as Amazon is currently out of stock. ?
Gettinstrongerlivinketo says
I just scooped out my portions of the keto soup and I must say it is amazing. I will be starting tomorrow and i am thrilled. I had a tummy virus that hit hard for 6 days and i have been unable to eat fats or really anything at all. I took a taste of the finished soup and my tummy felt quite happy. I love a good clean soup like this. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Kia says
I was looking forward to starting the 5 day diet but I notice this soup is really low in fat. Why is that?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Because I don’t like an oil slick on top of my soup when I eat it. There is plenty of fat built into the rest of the plan tho.
CAMMIE TURNER says
One day already down2 pounds.want do again do you another5day plans different breakfast snack and soup
Stephanie says
Thanks for this! I’m dying with the comments and rebuttals. Barb. Unicorns. Butter!
I’m starting Saturday and will report with results :)
Genevieve Olanigan says
Hear of anyone doing intermittent fasting while also doing your soup diet? I was thinking of doing the 16 fast and 8 hours eating still having a breakfast lunch and dinner. Think its too much? I want optimal weight loss for these 5 days. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.
Genevieve Olanigan says
Sorry for typo….16 hour fast
Amanda says
Hi! I’ve actually been doing 18:6 with this plan this week :) My eating times are between 9:00 am-3 pm. I started on Sunday and will end on Thursday. I feel great and definitely satisfied. Good luck!
Mellissa Sevigny says
It should work fine!
chaneldale says
So there should be no problem with me fasting and having (A) 1 egg, 1 bacon with 2 cups of soup at 2pm. Snack at 6pm and (A) again at 8pm or 9pm and I usually go to bed around 12. I don’t drink coffee or tea so I’m just sticking to water
chaneldale says
Forgot to ad the avocado in (A)
Lynne McCurdy says
One of my favorite things to do is add a fried egg to soup; You could even stir a raw, beaten egg into your hot soup, just before you eat, ala egg drop soup… crumble the bacon in too. I think that’s what I’m going to do, as I IF.
Heather says
Thanks so much for this! On day 2 today!! I am really enjoying the soup. Decided on my own ;) to make a few very minor substitutes (i.e. cauliflower instead of celeriac because I couldn’t find it in my hasty trip to the store on Sunday and zucchini instead of summer squash). This post made me laugh as did the comments :) Looking forward to sharing my progress! I really needed this reset after a vacation with a few too many carbs.
Lynne says
Well, my son and I stated this today. But, oh that soup. We ate almost the whole pot
at dinner. Oops, tomorrow’s another day.
Rebecca says
I’m so glad I stumbled across this. I started following your Keto meal plans after the beginning of the year and I was doing great for a while. I lost 20 lbs in 4 weeks, then I stalled. My sister suggested a cheat meal then resume the diet. I completely misunderstood that and ate my way through almost every county at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival (which was a bad idea). Once I did that, I lost all self-control and have been eating garbage since then. I’ve gained back my 20lbs plus some and I’m miserable. Low and behold…the answer to my prayers appeared on my FB timeline. Wish me luck!!!
Elisabeth says
My daughter is doing keto (has lost 50 lbs) and eats mainly cheese and eggs and low carb veggies because she does not eat meat or fish. She would love to try this because she’s hit a plateau. In her case, substitutions would be necessary because she is a vegetarian. Is it possible or no?
Mellissa Sevigny says
The egg fast would be better for her I imagine since it’s already only eggs, cheese and fat.
Elisabeth says
Thanks, that’s what we thought but she wanted me to ask. :)
Belinda says
Hello Melissa. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. The only sundried tomatoes I can find are the ones in oil in the deli or in a jar with oil. Is this what you mean for us to use?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Mine were dried and in a package but you can use the ones in oil, just drain them and chop them.
Amy says
Can you advise on how to make bulletproof tea?!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Never had it. Google is your friend.
Cynthia says
Could you use a different meat in the soup?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I don’t see why not – the carbs won’t change but the fat and calories might but that shouldn’t make a significant difference in weight loss on this plan.
Barb says
But, if I am wearing blue sox and you were wearing red, will the plan still work???
Just kidding, couln’t resist ?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I never wear socks so I can’t say for sure – try it and report back! ?
Barb says
ok, going sockless went pretty well…… ?
Seriously, soup was. Awesome!
Barb says
PEOPLE! Stop with the substitution questions! Do it her way or don’t!
Anyway, Thanx so much for this recipe and 5 day plan. GREAT way to kick start and get back on plan! Love your recipes and all the time and effort you put in to them! ? Barb
Tracy West says
Starting this Mon Jun 19th, can’t wait!
I’ve been following a LC diet for 6 weeks and have lost 16 lbs but I’ve been stalled for 2 weeks. This is exactly what I need to do, no dairy no nuts and no artificial sweeteners (I switched from SPlenda to Stevia). Maybe this will get me going again. And actually I’m hoping this will break me of my cheese addiction!
I live in a remote area where I can’t find celery root so I’m going to substitute it with turnips. And no, I’m not asking/bugging you about it, I actually Googled alternatives to celery root. Amazing how that works lol!
Thanks for all your hard work and wish me luck! Love your blog!
Tracy
Mellissa Sevigny says
Turnips will work Tracy – let us know how you do!!
Marie says
Do you have any suggestions on how to cycle this and how to transition back? Thank you for all the help!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Start on day one, end on day five, eat regular keto the rest of the time.
Karen says
I’ve really tried to like avocado but I just can’t eat them. Is there anything I can substitute them with? Thanks
Mellissa Sevigny says
I suggest you reread the post.
Melissa says
I’m SO EXCITED to try this menu plan!! I’m embarrassed to say I simply NEEDED a specific, every meal spelled out plan, at this time in my life. Perfect timing! Thank you!
Melinda says
I’ve always made bulletproof coffee with a scoop of plain wpi in it (my original recipe came from Impossible HQ, and that’s how he makes it). Might be a stupid question – is wpi considered dairy?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I have no idea what wpi is?
Melinda says
Sorry, it’s Whey Protein Isolate. Protein powder. I’m just not sure if, being just the protein component, it still counts as diary.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Nope – too much protein.
Dkp says
Do the meals have to be spaced out for every 3-5 hours like in egg fast? What if one gets hungry even after consuming all of these? Should we include more vegetables or fats ?
Mellissa Sevigny says
If you get hungry, it’s working – if you can’t stand it, have another snack. Don’t go over 20g net carbs per day so NO more veggies. Fat = calories, if that’s ok with you then go for it. NOT nuts, NOT dairy.
Anita says
Sounds great! I’m going to try this the next time I hit a stall. I have that Womans World issue saved in my kitchen drawer. I have to say that I about peed myself and killed myself laughing at your admonishments about the tweaking and know exactly what you are saying. :-)
Liz says
I’ll be starting this on the 24th. I can’t wait!
Diego says
Can men do this too or should they adjust quantities? I just wonder if a 220 lb man can use the same diet as a 100 lb woman.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Guessing any woman who only weighs 100 pounds wouldn’t be doing this plan lol. But if you’re very active or you find it’s not enough calories for you, then I’d go 3 cups of soup per serving and maybe do the snacks twice if necessary – once between breakfast and lunch and again between lunch and dinner if you must.
Anya Carrel says
Just a quick question about the yellow squash…is it like a yellow zucchini squash or more like a butternut? Thanks!
Amy says
I would think butternut would have too many carbs for such a strict plan. I’ll be using the yellow zucchini kind.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Definitely not butternut – yellow summer squash, similar to zucchini yes.
Billie says
Love this post, but have a “small town” problem here. No stores around here carry celery root. What should I sub for that, or do I just leave it out altogether? Thanks for all your wonderful recipes and posts.
Beth Boies says
I’m worried about not being able to find celery root, too.
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can sub turnips, cauliflower florets, or even jicama if you can find that!
Barbara says
Great idea!
I have checked two stores and can’t find it (one carries it, just out). My brain wasn’t functioning yesterday (I guess I pinched too many unicorns to be thinking straight!) and I was wondering what I could sub in. I bought some radishes to make a yummy fried radish dish with garlic scapes … I left the scapes at the farmer’s market. I actually teared up a little.
Michelle says
Have same issue. Googled substitutions and it suggested turnips, parsnips or rutabaga. Turnips appeared to be the best low carb option that the store had.
Ann S. says
Now I’m afraid to ask a question……But here goes. I HATE BP Coffee, I’m a full on black coffee drinker. No cream, no sugar, no flavoring. Sooooo, I’m assuming if I don’t do the BPC, can I just add that fat to my breakfast? Or skip the fat that’s part of the BPC? Or do I need to try and get that same amount of fat in that meal, going back to my question about adding it to my cooked breakfast.
I’m sooooooo excited to try this. We’ve leave for vacation in a week and thanks so some recent stress, which lead to some stress eating, my clothes are a bit tight and I want to try to lose a couple pounds between now and then.
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can drink it black and you shouldn’t need to add extra fat – but you can use the fat in your breakfast if that’s your preference.
Heather says
Leaving a blog comment for the first time only to say that the comments that are basically telling people to use common sense had me laughing so hard this morning!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Welcome Heather! And as you can see by some of the comments, my pleas in the post went unanswered! ?
maryjmoreland says
I’m sorry what is the recipe for the soup
Renee says
Can’t wait to start this on Monday. I was thinking about doing egg fast but this looks so much better! I will let you know my progress!
Renee says
I for got to say thank you so much!!
Flavia says
Beautiful, thanks a lot, Melissa! I’ll get organised to try this and will report back on the results!
Flavia says
I have a question tho, and hope it’s not too silly, does the soup hold up well in the fridge for 5 days or did you freeze some for the last couple of days?
Also, If you don’t mind sharing with us, how many kilos (or pounds) you lost in the 5 days?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I won’t be able to do this exact plan until I get back from my trip to Roatan but when the Woman’s World test subjects did a soup diet (that had more carbs and calories than this plan) some of them lost 10 lbs in one week. I’ll post my results as soon as I get back and do it myself in a couple of weeks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Also, yes the soup is fine in the fridge for the full five days – but if you decide to go longer I’d definitely freeze some to thaw halfway through the week!
Cyndu says
Can you use spinach instead of Swiss Chard in the IBIH TURBO ATKINS DIET SOUP – LOW CARB & PALEO recipe and get the same results?
Tara says
She said in the article you can, it will just get slimy and make the broth muddy.
Elle says
I think if you want to use spinach, just levee it out, and throw it in when you’re ready to eat!
Elle says
I had my first bowl today and I did add some spinach as I was reheating the portion. It stays bright green and is not slimy or muddy. Hope this helps!
Flavia says
I love your plans and been following it for the past 3 years! I loved your rant re comments cos I read some sometimes and I shake my head, I thought about writing a blog but I wouldn’t have the patience to cope with some of the questions, too silly! I support you 100%!
julie says
How much weight can I expect to lose if I follow this for 5 days?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I’m not making any predictions on this Julie because everybody is different and will lose at different rates – but with these macros it should be more than you would lose on a regular keto diet alone. If you want, hold off until this first round of people does it and reports back and you’ll have more info to go on!
SusanD says
Thank you sooooo much, Mellissa! I love your other keto plans, but have been feeling too lazy to do all the cooking and prep, so this is exactly what I need right now to fit into my shorts :-D
Suzanne Jenkins says
I’m so excited about this diet! After doing whole thirty for six months, I’m eating way too much artificial sweetener. I saw this in my mail box and yes! I’m going to start Monday.
Penny says
Is there a way to print this out without all the ads?
Ann says
Copy the parts you want and paste into Word.
Theresa says
I had no idea there were even ads. You should try AdBlock!
Carolyn says
THANK YOU THERESA!!! I have had such trouble with ads slowing down my slightly older computer and making pages crash. AdBlock is my new fave!
Dee says
Really excited to try this. A colonoscopy prep and long bout of IBS has packed some weight on recently and I need a jump start. I’ll modify slightly bc IBS has forced me to make some changes in fat macros but, honestly, I’m a boring predictable eater who can’t exceed 1200 calories a day without gaining so this framework is PERFECT. Thanks for posting!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Easy peasy then! Hope it works for you and let us know how you do!
Holly says
Would you happen to have the nutritional information for each 2 cup serving of the soup? I’m trying to substitute something that’s a bit cooler because eating soup in the summertime makes me have a heat stroke haha
Lisa says
This has got to be one your funniest posts yet, but I sympathze with your frustration. Right up there with ‘Spider Rain’ which had me in tears?. Thanks for the recipe and the laughs.
Pat says
Now I have to go find “Spider Rain”
Mellissa Sevigny says
Lol Pat that one was from the low carb pumpkin quick bread recipe!
Jenuinearticle says
Thank you Melissa! This is exactly what I needed right now too… I’ve had the sneaking suspicion lately that some of my inability to lose on low carb has been due to either dairy or sweeteners, so this is a good experiment for me to try! The only thing for me will be looking up the bulletproof coffee…
Mellissa Sevigny says
I have those same triggers so it will be interesting to hear back from you if you drop much faster after cutting out dairy and sweeteners for a bit! When I get back home after this trip to Roatan I’ll post a quick recipe for my BPC but what I usually do is 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and 1 Tbsp MCT oil to about 12 ounces of coffee and blend it with my immersion blender in a large cup. Some people use coconut oil and when I don’t have any of either oil I’ve done it with just the butter and love that flavor too – just be sure to use the unsalted!
Linda Martin-Peoples says
Any particular reason to use the unsalted?
Mellissa Sevigny says
The unsalted just makes it taste like there is cream in it, with the salted it tastes strange to me – like butter ha ha. It won’t ruin it, I just prefer the unsalted to make it still taste like coffee.
Linda Martin-Peoples says
I guess that’s why they have “chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla”! To me, unsalted butter tastes very flat. I don’t use it for anything, but I have noticed a few people using it for BPC. Now I see that it is just a matter of taste or preference! Thanks for answering, Miss Melissa! Love your work!
Nora Durham says
Don’t hate me. BUT can we use anything either than egg salad or tuna salad? I have have broadened my food repertoire but I can’t bring myself to eat cooked tuna or egg salad.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Any snack that has less than 2g carbs and 200 calories that adheres to the no nuts, dairy or sweeteners rule will work.
Misty says
What about unsweetened coconut milk. I am in Arizona it’s 1000 degrees and I drink my coffee iced. Bullet proof doesn’t work iced so I use coconut milk. 1 carb per cup.
Beth Boies says
It ztates you can use chicken and you don’t use cooked tuna when you make tuna salad. You use it right out of the van. I use to like tuna salad but it tastes so fishy now but I am going to try again.
Lugenia says
Give Aldi’s canned tuna a try. I don’t find it to be ‘fishy’ like a lot of the others are. Good luck!
Jessica says
Canned tune is cooked…
Dr Lata Sinha says
Thanks for sharing this. I am following the Keto diet and have lost 50 lbs and reached my goal weight.
I had created a version of this keto soup diet for my personal use and it was working brilliantly for me but it call it more of an SOS plan. When I have to attend weddings or parties where my diet goes out of the window, I realize the following day that t have gained a couple of lbs. I get back on track but to remove those extra lbs, I make myself a batch of bone broth and add some low carb veggies to it. I have that for lunch and dinner and within a day or two I am back to my desired weight.
This is a life saver for me and so many other.
Thank you.
Barbara says
“I implore you – DO NOT EMAIL ME about how you simply can’t drink your coffee without heavy whipping cream and/or sweetener in it because it’s just so gross without cream, or it makes you SOOPER SAD and ruins your ENTIRE DAY ? so is it ok if you have it anyway??
BWWAAAAHHHAAAAAA
Every.Single.Time. you or my other fave blogger posts a great recipe and I read in the comments, “Can I use Unicorn tears instead of Unicorn hair because I can’t bear to shave a Unicorn but I am willing to pinch it until it cries”, I scream. And not always silently. I sometimes scare the dog, but he runs when the printer turns on so what is a girl to do?
Seriously, people, our bloggers spend enough time, money, effort coming up with recipes. You (not our fearless bloggers but the crazies out there) need to learn to do your own experimenting. TRY a different veggies. Leave the mushrooms out if you can’t breathe after looking at them. If the strings of celery remind you of things better left unsaid, then by all means don’t eat them.
Thank you for this post. It has been a bad few months and I need to get back on track. This will help.
Do I have to eat eggs? And I don’t like soup …. /snark
Lisa says
LMAO!!!?? I sometimes read through the questions people ask and think, if I were that blogger and could shoot them thru the computer….
Mellissa Sevigny says
Oh my goodness that unicorn bit made me literally laugh out loud! Pinch a unicorn until it cries!! ? ? ? I may steal that one for some future blog post rant – I’ll be sure to credit you ha ha! It’s so true though! I can’t even some days with the stuff people say – and if only I could post excerpts from the emails I get you wouldn’t even believe it! Sometimes I read them to Mr. Hungry and he’s like “are you kidding me?” The struggle is real! ha ha! Thanks for understanding my pain – best comment ever!
LisaG says
Melissa, I am sure you and Barbara are kindred spirits!! The unicorn bit made me laugh too! I love the sense of humor so much!!
Victoria Ersoy says
Melissa, in my country i can’t find yellow squash, what can i use instead?
Mellissa Sevigny says
If you have zucchini you can use that interchangeably with the yellow summer squash!
SusanD says
OMG, exactly what I was thinking but you said it so much better! And I love your unicorn bits, made me snort coffee all over my keyboard!
Chef Rocco GF says
Susan, I hope that was Bulletproof Coffee…. lol. Agreed, the Unicorn comment was crazy funny!
Pat says
Barbara, you said it best and said it all. Reading the insane questions people ask drives me NUTS too. I can only imagine how much Mellissa appreciated your post. I certainly did. I wholeheartedly agree.
Nicole says
Barbara – you win the Internet.
I too cannot believe some of the comments. There is a whole wide internet out there people – look up substitutions if you need to or recipes for items you may not be familiar with. The desire people have to be spoon-fed and the entitlement to individualized content blows my mind.
Good on you for your message – though I suspect the people who need it most won’t think it applies to them . . .
Mae P. says
I agree with Nicole, Barbara wins the internet! Feel for you Mellissa. Use the snorting unicorn bit. LOL, Barb & Susan! Melissa, thanks for your site and what you’ve put up. Many people do appreciate you; I’ve been where you’ve space traveled. Grins. Mae
Robin says
OMG you are funny, and even more relevant since she bolded the part about the coffee and literally the first comment I read was what to do if you don’t drink coffee! I swear people just go down to the diet part and ignore all of the words, bold or not, leading into the diet. Cripes!
Linda Martin-Peoples says
BAHAHAHAHAHHAAH….LUVIT!!!! :P
Crystal says
This is the greatest comment I have ever read. I want to scream at people: use your own brain, it’s OK and I promise you won’t break it.
Trish O'Kane says
So excited to start this plan. I just finished writing my shopping list. Unicorn tears Check! Thanks for your Humor Barbara and and Big Huge Thank you Mellissa for your passion, talent and patience!
Natasha says
??????
Jeff says
wow you do sound like a cranky person
Mellissa Sevigny says
Jeff if you saw my inbox you would totally understand! ?
Brandie says
I think you’re being nice Jeff. I had other words
Tracy says
This sounds great and super delcious. What are your thoughts doing this coming off an egg fast?
Mellissa Sevigny says
No reason why it wouldn’t work great after the egg fast Tracy!
Dawn says
I’m going to try it! I’m on day 4 of the egg fast and plan to follow through right until the end! Other than the alfredo which I’ll make tonight as soon as I buy the marscaoone I have all my food made! I’ll do Day 6 and 7 as the coming off plan (btw loved your article I hate avacado so bacon or yet more eggs it is – I’m a weirdo I love eggs so this fast has been so stinking easy for me )
Anyway I’m going to try and go right into this after I finish out the egg fast plan! Cannot wait!
Rose Marie says
I.I just started an egg fast….this will make a great transition plan!
April says
Thanks! It’s just what I need right now. I haven’t been able to eat correctly enough for this whole past year so I’ve lost and gained, lost, gained, that same 5 lbs a gazillion times. I needed something to jump start things…and the egg diet just didn’t appeal to me even though I absolutely love eggs. thanks for figuring this out! Love your site!
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s so frustrating April, I have done that myself over and over too! Hopefully this plan will get you over the hump and back on track!
Pat says
The answer to my prayers. This could not have arrived at a better time. I’m in the process of selling/buying moving and stress eating resulted in carb creep that I do not need. Starting this immediately and will use often over the next 60 days to settlement.
Thanks so much. It is especially great to have something simple as I’m trying to deplete the fridge for the move. PERFECT TIMING. Grateful for all your recipes and e-books.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I feel your pain Pat – selling/buying/moving is crazy stressful and so easy to fall into the habit if takeout pizza, etc. I hope the ease of this plan will really work for you and that your closing goes smoothly!!!
amendez says
I am excited to start this plan on Sunday! 2 Quick question….which BPC recipe do you use? And when breakfast calls for 2 TBS of butter, where exactly do I use this? To fry up eggs? Thank you so much for all you do!!
amendez says
Oops! It’s 1 TBS butter! Not 2.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes, you use the 1 Tbsp butter to fry or scramble the eggs in (or spread it on the hard boiled if you prefer!) I don’t have a specific BPC to link to – I use 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and 1 Tbsp MCT oil blended into about 12 ounces of coffee usually.
amendez says
Thanks! ?
Sally says
I don’t drink coffee, or tea should I just stick to lots of water? I hope this isn’t a dumb question.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Just omit the coffee or tea.
Becky says
What nutrients were included for the coffee/tea in the information for the day?
Christina says
Make “Eggs in a glas”!
I boil the eggs so they are still a little soft inside, put them in a glas with the butter, some salt and some chives and “scramble” all with a fork, so tasty!!!
Lisa says
Hello,
This looks great. I’d like to do it. Any replacement suggestions for those of us that don’t drink coffee? Or, can we just omit it? I’ve never heard of bulletproof tea. Can you share a recipe for that?
Thank you!
TINA LINDSAY says
YES YOU CAN USE TEA. IF YOU LOOK AT PINTEREST THERE ARE TONS OF RECIPES!!!
Belinda says
Check out Teechino as a coffee sub, it’s awesome!
AliRaskie says
I drink Teechino. You can buy it at Whole Foods. It’s a great coffee alternative!
JMC says
I use Matcha instead of coffee! :-)
Alex says
I do bulletproof tea with English breakfast tea. Basically everything from the coffee recipe is the same except that I use tea. It tastes phenomenal, kind of like chai.
Christine Castaneda says
I make BPT as well using Tazo Chai. Love it!