If you’ve been around here a while, you know that free keto meal plans are a staple of I Breathe I’m Hungry content – and this series of 12 weeks of meal plans was one of the first. If you’re OG enough to remember those early days, thanks for sticking around (or returning) and if you’re brand new to IBIH — welcome. I’m really glad you’re here.
This completely revamped Week 1 Keto Meal Plan is designed for people who want a clear plan without overthinking it. It’s realistic, structured, and intentionally simple — especially for January, when motivation is high but energy is often low.
If you prefer a looser guide with room for flexibility, this plan can still work for you. Just be sure to read the plan notes which give direction on swaps and adjusting macros within the plan.
Welcome to Week 1
If you’re just starting keto, this is exactly where you should be.
Week 1 is not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about:
- eating real, satisfying food
- keeping carbs low enough to get results
- and building confidence that you can actually do this
This plan is straightforward on purpose. You don’t need special ingredients, complicated cooking skills, or a ton of free time. You just need to follow the plan as written and give your body a chance to adjust.
If this is your first week of keto, it’s normal to experience detox symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and cravings (keto “flu” is a real thing) while your body adjusts to using ketones for energy. There are ways to minimize the discomfort and make the transition easier.
For more information about keto flu, the role of electrolytes, and other keto specific topics, check out my beginners guide to keto in the 3 Day Keto Kickstart.
A Note If You’ve Seen This Plan Before
This is not a minor update.
This Week 1 plan has been rebuilt from the ground up with new recipes. The goals are the same — simple, low-carb, high-protein meals — but the execution is completely different and far more realistic for real life.
If you’ve done my Week 1 plan in the past, this version will feel entirely fresh.
More weekly keto meal plans will follow using this same structure, so you’re never guessing what comes next.
How to Use This Plan
- Each day below tells you exactly what to eat
- Daily macros are already calculated
- If you follow it as written, no tracking is required
- Net carbs stay under 20g per day
- Calories average 1,600–1,700 per day, with normal variation
Standard Items
Standard Side Salad (1 serving)
- 2 cups chopped romaine
- 1 cup sliced cucumber
- ½ cup sliced celery
- 2 tablespoons keto-friendly dressing
Macros assume up to ~170 calories from dressing. If your dressing is higher or lower, adjust accordingly.
Romaine for Tuna Salad (1 serving)
- 2 large romaine leaves, or
- 1 cup chopped romaine
Whole leaves = wrap style.
Chopped = fork salad.
Coffee Notes
Coffee is shown with heavy whipping cream because it’s predictable and keto-friendly.
Macros in this plan assume 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream per cup
(≈ 50 calories, negligible carbs).
If you prefer a different creamer or use more than that, you’ll need to account for the difference yourself.
Daily Treat
- 1 Pistachio Truffle
Included in daily macros.
This is optional, and you can omit it completely or replace it with another store bought keto treat that has 2g net carbs per serving. Some people appreciate a sweet reward built into the plan, but if you can take it or leave it, I’d skip it.
Avocado Breakfast Swap
If you don’t like avocado or can’t eat it, you may omit it or substitute:
- 1 additional egg, or
- 1 additional slice of bacon
No other adjustments are needed.
Week 1 Daily Menu
Daily calories are calculated based on defined portions and recipe macros. Small variations may occur depending on brands and preparation.
Where no quantity is specified, it’s 1 serving as defined in the recipe.
Scroll to the bottom for the Shopping and Prep Lists
Monday
Breakfast:
2 eggs, 2 slices bacon, ½ avocado, coffee with cream
Lunch:
Tuna salad (½ cup) + romaine (see note above)
Dinner:
Cheesy Ranch Chicken & “Rice” + Standard side salad (see note above)
Treat: 1 Pistachio Truffle (optional)
Daily Macros:
1,612 calories • ~15g net carbs • ~84g fat • ~84g protein
Tuesday
Breakfast:
2 eggs, 2 slices bacon, ½ avocado, coffee with cream
Lunch:
Tuna salad (½ cup) + romaine
Dinner:
Cheesy Ranch Chicken & “Rice” + standard side salad
Treat: 1 Pistachio Truffle (optional)
Daily Macros:
1,612 calories • ~14.5g net carbs • ~84g fat • ~84g protein
Wednesday
Breakfast:
Cream Cheese Pancakes, coffee with cream
Optional: zero-carb pancake syrup
Lunch:
Cheesy Ranch Chicken & “Rice”
Dinner:
Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Chicken (see prep notes below) + standard side salad
Treat: 1 Pistachio Truffle (optional)
Daily Macros:
1,698 calories • ~14g net carbs • ~92g fat • ~97g protein
Thursday
Breakfast:
Cream Cheese Pancakes, coffee with cream
Optional: zero-carb pancake syrup
Lunch:
Cheesy Ranch Chicken & “Rice”
Dinner:
Beef Stroganoff Meatballs + Cheesy Cauliflower Purée
Treat: 1 Pistachio Truffle
Daily Macros:
1,721 calories • ~12–13g net carbs • ~96g fat • ~80–85g protein
Friday
Breakfast:
Cream Cheese Pancakes, coffee with cream
Lunch:
Tuna salad + romaine
Dinner:
Beef Stroganoff + Cheesy Cauliflower Purée + side salad
Treat: 1 Pistachio Truffle (optional)
Daily Macros:
1,603 calories • ~14g net carbs • ~88g fat • ~76g protein
Saturday
Breakfast:
Cream Cheese Pancakes, coffee with cream
Lunch:
Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Chicken
Dinner:
Beef Stroganoff + Cheesy Cauliflower Purée + side salad
Treat: 1 Pistachio Truffle (optional)
Daily Macros:
1,674 calories • ~15g net carbs • ~92g fat • ~83g protein
Sunday
Breakfast:
2 eggs, 2 slices bacon, ½ avocado, coffee with cream
Lunch:
Beef Stroganoff + Cheesy Cauliflower Purée
Dinner:
Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Chicken
(Or the Week 2 dinner if you’re prepping ahead)
Treat: 1 Pistachio Truffle (optional)
Daily Macros:
1,706 calories • ~13g net carbs • ~90g fat • ~92g protein
Week 1 Shopping List
Protein & Poultry
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – ~2½ lb
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – ~1½ lb
- Ground beef – ~1½ lb
- Bacon – 1½–2 lb
- Eggs – 2 dozen
- Canned tuna – 4 cans (5 oz each)
Dairy
- Cream cheese – 2 blocks (8 oz each)
- Mascarpone cheese – 8 oz
- Shredded cheddar cheese – 16 oz
- Sour cream – 8 oz
- Heavy whipping cream – 1 pint
- Butter – 1 lb
Produce
- Avocados – 4
- Romaine lettuce – 3 hearts or 2 large heads
- Cucumbers – 3–4
- Celery – 1 bunch
- Broccoli – 1 large head
- Cauliflower – 2 large heads or 2 large bags florets
- Garlic – 1 bulb
- Yellow onion – 1 small
- Sliced mushrooms – 8 ounces
Pantry (check before shopping)
- Olive or avocado oil
- Chicken broth – 2 quarts
- Beef broth – 1 quart
- Ranch seasoning
- Salt, pepper, paprika
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder, onion powder
- Mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Keto-friendly salad dressing
- Zero-carb pancake syrup (optional)
- Shelled pistachios
- Low-carb sweetener
- Vanilla extract
Week 1 Prep Plan
Sunday
- Make 4 batches Cream Cheese Pancakes (1 batch equals 1 serving)
- Make 1 batch Cheesy Ranch Chicken & “Rice”
- Make 1 batch Tuna Salad (2 servings)
- Make Pistachio Truffles
- Cook bacon in advance if desired
Wednesday
- Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Chicken NOTE: The soup recipe does not call for chicken except as an add on. Simply make the soup as called for. Cook the chicken breasts (2 lbs from the shopping list) separately (baked, sautéed, or steamed), then chop or shred and add to the soup when serving or portioning. Alternatively you can purchase cooked chicken breast pieces or rotisserie chicken and chop that and add it to the soup. The calories might vary but the carbs will stay the same.
Thursday
- Make Beef Stroganoff Meatballs + Cheesy Cauliflower Purée
- Make second batch Tuna Salad (2 servings)
Extra Servings
After completing Week 1, you may have some food left over from the following recipes:
- Cheesy Ranch Chicken & “Rice”
This recipe makes 6 servings.
4 servings are used in the Week 1 plan. - Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Chicken
This recipe makes 6 servings.
Not all servings are used during Week 1. - Tuna Salad
Each batch makes 2 servings.
Two batches are made during the week.
How to Use Extra Servings
- Extra servings may be eaten on days you’re hungrier.
- They can be used to replace another meal you’re tired of.
- Soup and chicken-based meals can be frozen and used in future weeks.
If you choose to add extra servings or swap meals, simply keep your total daily net carbs under 20g and adjust macros as needed.
What’s Next
The Week 2 Keto Meal Plan builds on this same structure with new meals and flavors.
If you’re new here, stick around — this is meant to be sustainable, not a crash diet.
Virginia says
Thank you <3 More than you can imagine, you have offered me hope. When I first looked at LCHF, I found your site and read through the plan, using the baiscs to create my own menus, somewhere along the way, I got lost. Today, in hope of maximising the many benefits of this way of eating, I found you again. It was so wonderful to read your commentary again, you have a wonderful, realistic and relatable style. Hearing that you have times when you feel like you need to 'start again' also gave me comfort, there is hope for me yet! I'm very happily looking forward to following your menu and getting back on track <3 again, so very grateful for your presence and generosity <3
Mellissa Sevigny says
You’ve got this Virginia! I’ll look forward to hearing about your progress!
Jemmah says
Hi Melissa,
I have never laughed so much reading your 3day keto blog, thank you it was very much needed. Im only on day 3 myself of my new keto venture, but I must admit my body has gone into shock. I have not eaten cheese,cream or butter in 7 years!! I’ve gone from eating porridge oats with fruit and whey protien everyday morning, to cream laden coffee, with added cheese on my eggs. But even on my mere third day, I am definitely noticing I am fuller for longer. My only bug bare at the moment is going shopping and reading the nutrition labels to find that the majority of food has added sugars even meat like sausages even if the packaging states they are 100% meat?? Go figure? Anyway I wanted to also thank you for your above 7 day plan, it’s great and has enabled me to get some ideas on how tweak my diet plan by keeping it varied. It has definitely gave me food for thought…pun intended. ? I will feedback in around two weeks when my body has adjusted to the onslaught. I am currently weighing in at 168lbs and my target goal is 145-150lbs. Fingers crossed and let the constipation commence.
Joe says
Wow, this was exactly what I was looking for. I lost 70lbs on low carb last year and I discovered that (unfortunately) I am one of those blessed souls that can only lose weight under 20g a day.
I have looked all over for a low carb-low calorie diet plan and the ones i’ve found consider low carb to be under 100 or even 150g per day! Well that won’t do me any good, lol. This looks great and I have had these foods before so I know that they taste great. Excited to use this as a resource to get back on track, thank you, thank you!!
Pallas says
Duuuuude, thank you. Thank you times 1,000. After a grumpy two weeks of trying to figure out low-carb-everything myself and still feed my teenagers a ‘normal’ dinner I was about to throw in the towel. Then I found your site, you’re doing me a huge service having all this info (AND the plan & prep, c’mon?!) in one spot.
You’re my low carb lifesaver.
Teri Law says
Oh my gosh, I did all the recipes from your 7 day meal plan and I make enough for my whole family. This is the BEST food ever!! I have followed your website for a few years and made many items, all of which were fantastic. But the chili over spaghetti squash, So freaking good!! I did not think I would get anyone to eat spaghetti squash and I don’t even like it. But this was just delicious! Everyone loved it! And the spinach frittata, the cuban pot roast, meatballs, the califlower recipes, everything was just out of this world! Please make another meal plan! I was able to get my whole family on board with low carb just because I fed them your recipes. Thank you so much!
Allena says
Woo-hoo! Made it through my 3-day kickstart (actually am on day 5 because of my leftovers, haha), but it put me into ketosis a couple days ago, and I’ve been staying there- being sure to check my Keto Stix daily. 7 pounds gone (though I know some of that is water weight), but today I fee great and am going to get this 7-day menu going! I love this diet, and the food you have on here is awesome! Finally something I feel like I can stick to. Thank you!!
Tracie says
Hey! I did the week one and I’m down 8.5 lbs. I’m thrilled!!
One thing tho: add peppercorns to the pantry list and the Kraft Mexican cheese mix to the dairy. I didn’t peruse the recipes first and found myself running out for those ingredients.
Thank you so much for this! This is really the kind of diet plan I needed: real food, recipes, grocery lists and prep instructions. I can’t thank you enough! Even the substitutions I made weren’t difficult to fit in because so much of the base plan was done for me. I’m not sure I would have been so successful and so eager to continue if I hadn’t found your blog.
Lori_VT says
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for an amazing program and recipe archive! It makes transitioning to Keto so much easier! I wonder if you can direct me where to find some of the weeks’ plans; I don’t see weeks 3-6. I love the variety, and the recipes really whipped up quickly. I don’t eat nightshades, so I’ve made a few substitutions. I hope to see some results soon! I’m going to try my keto sticks to see if I register in ketosis yet, but I have never seen them change color.
Jami l Chavez says
I am so blown away at your selflessness! It is absolutely incredible that you would take the time to do this for people you have never and probably will never meet. May you be blessed with blessings upon blessings! I’ve just joined your Facebook page and will join anything and everything else you have. Your writing style is a freakin hoot! I LOVE IT!!!! So very entertaining. Thank you, really, I sincerely thank you for all the hard work you put into this.
Mellissa Sevigny says
You’re welcome Julie – hope you see great results on the plan!