The Best Keto Diet Tricks We Learned on Reddit

According to many Redditors, staying hydrated is key when you’re going keto. That’s because when you’re eating low-carb, you lose more water. According to Carol Johnston, a nutrition professor at Arizona State University, this is the kinda complicated, scientific reason: “When carb intake is restricted for a few days, glycogen stores in the muscle are reduced. Glycogen is responsible for water retention, so when its levels fall, so do our water levels.” Plus, drinking enough water just makes you feel better (dieting or not). As Redditor 77rogue77 says, “Drink all the water.”

Whether it’s cauliflower, spinach or broccoli, keeping a couple of bags of frozen vegetables on hand makes whipping up a keto meal a breeze. There’s no washing or chopping, and no worrying about how long they’ve been sitting in the bottom of your crisper. Redditor rarcke makes frozen veggies into an easy meal, saying, “I throw on whatever dairy I have lying around (butter, cream, sour cream, cheese, etc.) with salt and pepper and whatever [is] in my spice cabinet.” Gourmet? No. Genius? Yes.

Everyone who’s ever dieted knows the light at the end of the tunnel that is a “cheat day.” But the keto Reddit community stresses that consistency is key (because you need to get to a state of ketosis). Redditor shinsoo says, “Ditch the Cheat day. Try expanding your calories once a week instead while staying in keto.” Instead of breaking your keto streak (go you!) and undoing all your hard work, give yourself a break on something else, like how much food you consume. Maybe that means an extra afternoon cheese snack or a couple more slices of avocado with your morning eggs. Go wild.

Just like keeping frozen vegetables on hand for convenience, stockpiling leftover meals will take a lot of the guesswork out of going keto. Redditor LIFTMakeUp says, “Always make more than you need for dinner. Leftovers are a lifesaver when you get caught up late at work, etc.” We happen to agree: If you have a keto-friendly recipe you already know and love, you’re halfway there. Just scale the recipe up so you can account for lunches and dinners on nights when just saying the word keto zaps all your energy.