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Once upon a time a minimalist (me) went keto…

I loved how keto made me feel. I loved that I wasn’t hungry 24/7 and that my insatiable cravings for Cheetos and Oreos disappeared.

I loved how I could maintain my weight almost effortlessly.

 

I didn’t love all the keto clutter.

You know, all the rules and expectations out there in the keto space.

  • You have to intermittent fast.

  • MCT oil in yo’ coffee or bust.

  • You have to eat 80% fat every day. Or is it 70??

 

The so-called keto experts (and they’re everywhere!) made me feel like I was doing keto wrong.

I wasn’t keto-enough if I ate tortilla chips on date night.

I sometimes snacked during the day. (The horror!)

To this day I have still not tried MCT oil.

I’ve never been much of a rule follower.

 

One day I had a revelation…

I was smack-dab in the middle of a home renovation which forced me to take a look at all the crap in my home. Did I really love the faded yellow plastic Cedar Point souvenir mug from 1994? Did I want it taking up space in my soon-to-be beautifully painted and redecorated home?

Hell to the no.

I channeled my inner Marie Kondo and started tossing stuff like I was a woman possessed.

I purposefully asked myself things like “does this Bon Jovi Bounce Tour concert t-shirt from 2002 spark joy?”

Not if it accentuates my love handles, it doesn’t.

I found that trashing sh*t that didn’t serve me was incredibly freeing.

Now I have less clutter.

I love what I have.

Everything in my home either serves a purpose, or I love the way it makes me feel.

I wondered: What if I applied that same thinking to keto??

 

I decided to become a keto minimalist.

I kept the keto guidelines that make sense to me and tossed “rules” that don’t work for my body or my life.

I eat keto foods that make me happy, like my homemade blue-cheese garlic dip.

I intermittent fast when my keto ass feels like it, not when some self-proclaimed guru tells me I should.

I eat carbs every damn Saturday night with zero regrets.

I enjoy super crispy (ok burnt!) bacon, but I don’t eat it daily.

I never, ever limit low carb veggies.

I rarely track my macros. Instead I listen to my body.

I do keto my way. I am happy, and my body feels nourished and healthy.

 

And, f*ck it, I made up my own definition of keto minimalism.

While my closet is lean and mean and minimalist, I don’t have an entire wardrobe of black and white like you see on YouTube and Instagram.

I like bright pink.

I like loud patterns.

I have 12 pairs of boots and I’m not getting rid of a damn one of them.

 

As with my home, I am the one who defines what keto minimalism means to me.

 

And you get to decide what keto minimalism means to YOU.

 

My alter ego is The Keto Minimalist, but you can call me Jacqui.

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If you read this far you might be curious about who I am. Sorry to disappoint, but I am not Jennifer Aniston writing a super secret blog!

I’m just a minimalist who loves experimenting with healthy (and sometimes not-so-healthy) eating and how best to fuel my body.

I obsessively take photos of all my meals (much to my family’s dismay), I have an adorable-yet-senile puggle named Boo, and my favorite TV show is literally anything on HGTV.

I live in Kansas City, home of the best barbecue in the country, which makes low carb eating a challenge sometimes. (You can read how to eat keto at a BBQ restaurant HERE.)

I’ve had a life-long curiosity about food and nutrition, and studied dietetics at the University of Central Missouri.

I have an obscene number of diet books on my Kindle and the joy I feel reading about gut health or the link between uncontrolled blood sugar and dementia is second only to my love of beachy romance novels.

That said, I am not a dietitian or a doctor. I don’t give out medical advice and I would never dream of telling you how to do keto.

That’s the cool thing, you can figure keto out for yourself!

 

Do you want to be a keto minimalist too?

Do you want to ditch constricting rules that don’t make sense to you?

Do you want to only eat the keto foods you love?

Do you want to stop spending 3 hours a week pinning recipes you know you damn well will never make?

You can totally do keto any way you want, if it makes you feel happy and healthy.

And you never have to buy a bottle of MCT oil.

 

Let’s be keto friends!

I want this blog to be a happy place with no crazy keto rules. I’ll share my keto minimalism journey and offer tips and ideas. Like with MCT oil, you can decide if you like what you read, or not.

I hope you bookmark the blog and check back for new content.

And be sure to grab a free printable minimalist keto shopping list while you’re here.

 

Happy keto eating!

—Jacqui (The Keto Minimalist)