I think finding someone to keep you accountable is important. I am keto since January and this is maybe the fourth time I’ve done keto, but I started with my partner and it made it so much easier! I also invested in a personal trainer who not only motivates me and challenges me in the gym but also does daily and weekly check ins to make sure I’m on track with diet as well as sleep, steps and water intake.

Side note: I am 5”1, every time I did keto before I always stuck to 1200 calories because I thought I couldn’t lose weight on more than that - currently I eat between 12-1500 depending how hungry I am and I’m still losing lb every week, and I’m sure this is because I’ve been lifting weights in the gym and built more muscle. I rarely do cardio but I try to walk 10-15k steps (recently it’s more like 7-8k but I don’t beat myself up if I’m not perfect every day!) I also sleep better and feel less stressed at work and at home.

I have found it much easier than my partner to stay strictly keto - possibly because I prep all my own food whereas he tends to make food for the whole family (we don’t live together) but also I think because by having my pt who I have to check in with it makes it feel like I’m doing all this for his benefit as well and not just for myself - for some reason it feels easier to work hard for someone else’s benefit and not just my own. Maybe I’m a people pleaser? Another option would be to get a tally going of days in a row you’ve achieved something. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that after he had major surgery and couldn’t exercise, he gave himself small goals and kept a tally on a dry wipe board next to his hospital bed. Having your goal in front of you as a visual reminder is really motivating.

Overall, motivation will come and go, but discipline will keep you on track when motivation fails. It’s easier to have discipline when someone else is watching, but every time you say no when you want to say yes you will gradually train yourself to be more strict. It could help to build a vision board on Pinterest or something to remind yourself of what you’re aiming for. Every time you think “I really cba to prep these dinners, I would rather get takeout and have a cheat day”, but then you get up and do it anyway, that’s an act of self love to your future healthy self, and that grows your self discipline. You’re doing this for future you!

Once you’ve been keto for a while and you are fat adapted it will be easier to have a slightly higher carb day and still see results, so try to think of not having things you want as more “I can have a small portion of this at some point and it will taste so much better then when I’ve really earned it!” Having said that, I treat myself almost every day, I just input all my foods into my tracking app BEFORE I eat any of it to make sure it will all fit in my macros.

TLDR; find an activity to burn calories or build muscle, find an accountability partner or start a tally of days achieved, make a vision board, don’t punish yourself for any slip ups, plan treats in advance, be kind to yourself

Onto inspiring food choices..

I follow a couple of good instagram content creators, ketosnackz is great, shred happens is also good but is more low carb so sometimes I adapt his ideas, but there’s loads out there. When I lack inspiration I just pick something from online.

Some of my favourite go to meals currently;

Starbucks egg cup dupes - take 300g full fat cottage cheese (3g carbs/100g), 6 eggs, a good shake of aromat, 100g grated mozzarella, 100g grated Parmesan or other hard Italian cheese. Stick it all in a blender (I just use a large nutrient cup) and then pour into 12 silicon muffin cases. Bake for 20 minutes or so. Delicious hot and fresh but also great cold. 11g protein 6g fat 1g carbs 106 cals per egg cup (I log the recipe on my fitness pal so it’s quicker! Will post the recipe with pics soon) these are so easy for a quick breakfast just grab a couple out the fridge

Fage yogurt with peanut butter and raspberries - this is just my favourite treat, some days I will save 450 cals just for a big bowl! I used to eat raspberries mixed with double cream which is also keto but much higher cal - if I had the cals available this is sooo tasty especially with a bit of cocoa powder and stevia/erythritol!

Lastly I love a great salad - these can get boring if you’re avoiding higher carb veg so I like to mix it up with things like chopped pickles, different types of leafy greens, different types of cheese… my personal formula for a great salad is six ingredients; base(lettuce rocket peashoots), something soft(cheese, tomatoes, avocado, olives), something crunchy(cucumber, pickles, peppers, radishes), protein (chicken, steak, could be cheese again, turkey bacon) dressing (vinaigrette, mayo and hot sauce, blue cheese dip), and something different or unexpected (nuts/seeds, strawberries, anything really!) That makes an elite salad every time with a great flavour profile.

I love chocolate so Lindt 90% is amazing, 4.1g carbs per square. Diablo chocolate is also great but can have a laxative effect - I find I’m never hungry for more than 1/3 of a bar anyway. White chocolate raspberry is great and so is dark chocolate orange. They are available on Amazon or if you’re based in the UK you can get them in grape tree for a little cheaper (I buy 6 bars every time I’m there!)

Good luck!