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.
Josephine Angeles says
Hi Melissa,
Thanks so much for this plan and the prep ahead. I appreciate that a lot. I have a question: Instead of using cauliflower, is there another vegetable I can use for the Gratin and the Anti-Pasti recipe? I am on a low FODMAP diet, and cauliflower happens to have high FODMAP. Please advise.
Thanks,
Jho
Tara says
Greetings! I’m getting all prepped to do this plan and I noticed that for the Sausage & Spinach frittata serving, this web page says a 3″ square serving, but the PDF says a 4″ serving. I looked at the actual recipe.. and regardless of the inches.. I figured out it’s 1/12 of the recipe.. but I just wanted to let you know.
Marcia says
I don’t like cream in my coffee. Can I use organic coconut oil,Avocado or Olive oil in place of the heavy cream?
Mellissa Sevigny says
yes!
Davina says
Hi, I would just like to say THANK YOU for making the 7 day meal plan so easy and using up the leftovers for each day. So many meal plans have so many different recipes and do not yield any leftovers or they yield too many but don’t incorporate them into the other menus. As a busy Mom this is much appreciated! Same goes for your kickstart 3 day meal plan
Nicolle says
Hi, today is my first day with this meal plan but I have a question regarding to day 5…the dinner; the cuban pot roast. I cooked it today but don’t want to freeze it because it won’t taste good. I am Mexican and my parents told me that frozen COOKED beef won’t taste good again. So, can I replace some of the meals like, on day 5, I can do it as day 2? My family is not going to eat the chuck roast :\
Please help.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sure you can change up the days.
Miranda Shoppee says
Hi
I’m going to give your 3 Day Keto Kickstart a go next week. Day One Breakfast includes coffee with heavy cream. I don’t like coffee, what can I replace it with?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Tea or nothing is fine.
Tammy says
Just wanted to say thanks for the fresh start on keto. I’ve never done it before. I started out with your book and saw the blog name in there. This has helped me so much. I’m not perfect on it but I am going with the flow. I got off track with the recipes for the week but I just replace one with the other. LOL! Thanks again.
~Tammy
Mellissa Sevigny says
Welcome Tammy!
Tina rist says
Hello! First off thank you for your time and energy you give to this website! First time ever reading about keto and not being scared off! I did a 57 hour water fast and am now on day 3 of your 5 day egg fast. Im down 11 lbs so far! Im making my menus and planning ahead using your 3 day kickstart menu plan and then wk 1. With that being said and i hope it’s ok to ask bc there are so many comments that i couldn’t read them all. For breakfasts is it ok to do bulletproof coffee instead of the coffee with heavy cream n sweetener? I didn’t think i would love it and i do! The other i can do too but just prefer the bp. Thank you again!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Hi Tina, yes you can do bulletproof coffee on the plan!
Shari says
Am I the one millionth to say thank U? THANK U! we have been struggling with Keto since January, so much wrong information and no meal plans that made sense, what do u mean Wonder bread is OK????? So I will gratefully be the one billionth to say thank U for doing this and I promise to never ask U a question I can figure out for myself.
Brenda L. says
I wanted to know that you are most likely a life saver. I have multiple health problems that have reared their ugly heads over the past 12 years: breast cancer, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, lymphedema, diabetes, ulcers, back surgery, and most recently a very slow heartbeat resulting in a pacemaker. I have been totally frustrated with the lack of understandable resources for meal plans to deal with these problems. I was researching the Keto eating style when I came across your web site. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT! I had already purchased my weekly groceries so this gave me time to study, print and even try a few of your recipes before committing full time to Keto. YOU have made this so much easier to begin that I can’t thank you enough. I have two young grandchildren living with me and even they liked your recipes. I am multiplying the ingredients in your recipes to accommodate everyone. I plan on fully starting the Keto diet next week after my next trip to the grocery store. I look forward to seeing the results. My weight has consistently increased over the past 12 years and I have had it. I even gained weight during chemotherapy when everything tasted like cardboard or aluminum foil. This has to work. I have not seen anything as user friendly has your meal plans and shopping lists. Thank you for all your time, effort, and commitment to the Keto diet.