Libby's Keto Network
Encouragement for YOUR Keto Journey
Our Journey Begins!
Hi! My name is Libby. I am so glad that you have found this site!
The idea for a website like this began in the spring of 2018 when it became clear to my family and friends that the KETO diet I had been on was making a difference in not only my weight but my overall health. I began fielding questions as to what I was doing to achieve such success, and what was this ketogenic way of eating all about? For those who know me it will not come as a surprise that I had done a lot of research…hours of it! And while I did read a few books when I got started, the majority of my learning had come from YouTube videos and various resources on the internet. During my conversations with others, I now found myself enthusiastically writing down names of my favorite YouTubers, texting links to the best recipes, and advising on where they might look to get more clarity on various topics.
As someone who has spent much of her life emphasizing the importance of systematic and thorough training, I realized that if I was going to really help people explore and implement a ketogenic diet, I would need to bring together the best resources and create training tools in a format that would be accessible to everyone. This website is my first attempt in rising to that challenge.
Please enjoy the site. Come back often. Become part of the community we are building here. Offer suggestions and ask questions. The definition of “network” is a group or system of interconnected people or things. You are now connected!
Click HERE to get started.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Last Minute Halloween Ideas
In a couple of days, it will be Halloween. I’ve never been one to think of it as a holiday in the same vein as Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, but I do know there are a lot of people who enjoy all the festivities that surround it – especially the candy.
Some of you who have little ones might be tempted to indulge in what the kids bring home and some of you will no doubt have the opportunity for treats at your workplace. One way to combat the temptation is to have your own low-carb alternatives available. I know it’s a bit last minute, but I wanted to give you some options that might work to keep your Halloween a bit more Keto friendly this year.
For some fun Halloween treats, check out the KetoConnect Halloween Mummies and Leanne Vogel’s blog on some unique offerings for all your spooky events.
Some miscellaneous candy recipes I’ve tried are Matt’s Chocolate Bars at KetoConnect and Dr. Berg’s Candied Pecans. Both were awesome! If you like coconut, one of our own website admins, Pam (pambketo@gmail.com) suggests the Coconut Crack Bar from the BigMansWorld.com
If you are up for a bit of experimenting, there are lots of Keto Gummy recipes available on the internet. Recently I used a recipe from Leanne Vogel’s great book, The Keto Diet. While I couldn’t find a YouTube clip for it, I wanted to give her a shout out because the recipe was simple and tasty and her book was one of the first ones I read in my keto journey. Pick it up sometime soon, but until then, begin your perfect gummy search on our candy playlist here.
If you want to pick up sugar free candy premade, please be very sure you are checking the ingredients. Most of the tastiest ones are made with maltitol, but please know that it is an ingredient that elicits the same glucose/insulin spike that regular sugar would. And remember, these are treats-take in the carb count when considering your macros for the day.
One of the best candy bars I have found is Lily’s Chocolate Crunch-similar to a Nestle’s Crunch, it has a well balanced sweetness even though it has Stevia which is usually not my favorite. So far I’ve only seen them at Sprouts, but I usually pick a couple up every time I go.
Check out our Candy Playlist for more candy ideas and be sure to have a fun, safe and KETO Halloween!
Brownies!
Want the highlights of this post? Click Here or Scroll to the Bottom
My favorite sweet treat has always been brownies. I have fond memories of my mom pulling out the red Duncan Hines brownie mix and after she finished making the batter, she would let me lick the beaters. Then the long wait would come-they had to cool and set up before I could get a taste. I must have been quite the impatient pest, because I distinctly remember her putting them out on the back porch to get them to cool off quicker. When they were finally ready I would ask for a corner piece. That soft, yet kind of crunchy corner was what I had been waiting for. Yum!
My love affair with brownies continued over the years. Even when I lived by myself I would often pick up a mix to make, thinking it would be a great dessert for a week. But usually I would finish off the pan by the next day; such is the life of a carb-a-holic. When I went Keto, I began to search for a recipe that could satisfy my hankering for brownies but not be the thing that would throw me out of ketosis. As usual it was KetoConnect to the rescue. Their recipe became my go-to when I was needing a brownie fix. Check out their recipe here.
Earlier this year I saw that Lakanto had come out with a prepackaged brownie mix. Now I’m not sure what compelled me to immediately put in an order – it might have been that red packaging that caught my eye or perhaps the fact that it was made primarily with monk fruit -Lakanto’s signature offering and my preferred sweetener. I hoped that the mix would be as good as the pictures looked and that first batch did not disappoint. It was easy to make and the recipe perfectly captured the brownie texture – even those soft/crispy edges. It was actually just a bit too sweet for me (a common problem with some prepackaged Keto treats), but a bit of salt on top quickly balanced the flavors and even heightened the intensity of the chocolate. The packaged mix is a bit expensive, but the serving size is only a sixteenth of the recipe so it was well worth it.
Wait, what? A sixteenth of the pan? Libby, what the heck…you know one brownie doesn’t satisfy – that pan will be gone in no time. Yes, I know that was true pre-keto, but let me take a moment to bring you one of the many KETO BENEFITS:
When you become fat adapted using a ketogenic diet you will find that not only do the carb addictions become less or non-existent, but when you do have a keto treat you are satisfied with much less. I have often made up a batch of something truly delicious to find that after one serving I am wholly satisfied and do not need to binge. Mind you, this is NOT because these treats are not good, but because my higher fat diet satiates me throughout the day, giving me the freedom to eat treats in moderation.
This leads me to a KETO TIP:
Be prepared to freeze a good portion of the treats you make. You will not have a need to binge on those cookies and cakes as you did pre-keto. Plan to give the extra away or freeze some up for the next time you are wanting a bit of sweetness.
So why did I pick now to post about brownies? Well a couple of nights ago, I happened on a video of Wes Shoemaker over at High Falutin’ Low Carb doing one of his epic food battles where he was comparing some of the best brownie recipes in the keto universe. Please check it out here. Wes is one of my favorites on YouTube. His personality lights up the screen as he educates and entertains. I once spent a whole day binge watching his channel – I’m smiling now just thinking about it! I like how Wes does his battles – he doesn’t give exact recipes which sends his viewers to the recipe-author’s website. He’s a great supporter of the Keto community and for that you will no doubt see him highlighted here on LKN.
Wes compared three recipes. The first one was Avocado based. I’ve heard a lot about those over the years, and will try it soon. The second was a flourless one, great for those who might have nut allergies. The third one was from Typically Keto, and since I had all the ingredients in the house, I quickly went to work replicating the recipe.
It was easy to prepare and it won my heart as soon as it had cooled enough to taste. And no, I did not put it out on the back porch to cool! For my spin on the recipe, I replaced the erythritol and stevia with just monk fruit. The texture was spot on, including those soft/crispy/chewy edges. The one odd thing on this recipe was the change in the texture after refrigeration. It got a bit granular – this was most likely due to the switch in sweetener. But a quick 15 sec in the microwave, and Voila!-the brownies of my childhood.
As a rule, I believe that desserts should be a treat and not necessarily an everyday menu item, but I also believe that having your favorite carb items reimagined into your new favorite Keto treats is a big part of making this way of eating a lifestyle and not a diet. As you know know, the LKN philosophy is that Keto is about long term health, not just a quick weight loss plan.
KetoConnect – #1 Keto Resource – Highly recommend them!
KetoConnect Brownies – Awesome!
Lakanto – Check out their brownie mix and sweeteners – both my favorites!
Lakanto Brownie Mix – A bit expensive, but they nail the texture.
High Falutin’ Low Carb – So fun – I recommend ALL of his videos.
Brownie Battle – Compared three different recipes. I tried out the third one – loved it!
Keto Benefit – You don’t have a need to overdue treats anymore
Keto Tip – You won’t need to eat the whole pan of the treats, so freeze them for later.
1 Year Ketoversary – The Offer
When I was a kid, my mom and dad would load up the trailer and we would head out on various road trips. We would travel to the east coast, west coast, Florida Keys, and my favorite – the southwest region of the United States. Often on a long stretch of highway I would ask my dad how long it would take us to get to our destination. Sometimes he would have me take out the road atlas and I would use the little map wheel to get an idea of the miles. At other times he would just point out the mile marker sign that we had just passed and tell me what the mile marker would say when we arrived at our next stop. I would then look for the next sign, then the next, the next, and the next-it would keep me occupied for miles.
On my Keto journey I have some fun mile markers already:
The first time the pee strip was pink – proving to myself I was in Ketosis; the first time I had forgotten to eat a meal; the first fifteen pounds of weight loss; and of course the day I went into “Onederland” (when I dropped below 200 lbs). In addition there was the day I donated all of my larger clothes and all the diet books I had read over the years..
In July of this year I hit the one year anniversary of my Keto way of eating. It was a huge milestone for me. It was exciting to me that not only had I lost so much weight, but had stuck to a plan for a whole year. Along the way I had come to realize that Keto had become not only a lifestyle, but a passion to help others to achieve their health goals.
To mark the occasion I recorded a couple of videos to share my progress with my family and friends and to invite them to reach out to me if they felt I could help them in their Keto journey. I was pleasantly surprised with how many reached out to me and it became a catalyst in bringing this website to fruition. I’m sorry to say that the originals of these videos were lost when I transitioned to a new phone, but they are still available on my facebook page if you are interested. See the links below.
I do hope one day you will share YOUR Ketoversary celebrations on our network. Perhaps you already have some. Share them with us on the forum, or email me . I would love to share them so we can celebrate with you!
Libby’s Journey
To get things rolling I would like to tell you a little about my Keto journey. You see, I have been overweight for pretty much my whole life. I don’t really remember any stigma associated with it in my formative years. As a matter of fact, I remember that one of the greatest praises I got from my dad when I was a kid was that I was a good eater and never wasted anything on the plate. However, I do remember my parents always being on some sort of diet and a subtle love/hate relationship with food that we had in the house. I distinctly remember the taste of the “candy” that I used to sneak from my mom’s purse – which I found out later was Ayds – an appetite suppressant that I’m sure my mom used to give her an edge in her search of weight loss.
In my junior high years, I was probably in the best shape of my life as my brother turned me on to tennis. I began to play religiously through the summer and eventually earned second place in a small community tournament. But when the opportunity came to play on the high school team I realized that the discipline that it would take to get in competitive shape was not for me, so I dropped out and kept my focus on academics.
My first job in high school was McDonalds. That was the beginning of my carb addiction. Back then, you could have unlimited drinks and a free meal for each shift. I loved a Big Mac, fries, and a Coke on my breaks. After graduation I moved to the breakfast shift. Now it was pancakes and sausage every day. After 5 years at the Golden Arches, I began my thirty-three-year career in retail. Now I do realize that there are retail employees who are healthy and in good shape, but for me, after working 10 hour days most days, any running I did was through a drive through to get dinner.
Over the years I would have periods where I would “get determined” to get healthy and lose the excess weight I was carrying, especially as my knees began to hurt more, and I found myself struggling to get through my open to close shifts. Like many of you I tried lots of different diet philosophies and bought the latest books and exercise videos: Eat less/Move more; Meal Replacement Drinks, Protein Shakes, Richard Simmons (ok, so probably not a whole lot of you tried that!). Then there was The Carbohydrate Addict Diet, and Atkins. I did have the most success on Atkins and the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet which gave me a clue that reducing carbs was the answer. What I didn’t know was how to enjoy that way of eating to the point that I could continue for more than a few months at a time. I was clueless as to how I could sustain any weight loss I did achieve, so for many years it was 5-10 pounds down, 10-15 pounds back up. Net result was that my weight continued to creep up to my heaviest of 235 pounds in 2016. I was 53 and miserable.
In the Spring of 2017 my long career with a great company ended when they closed their doors. I was determined to view this change as a good thing and an opportunity to spend some time on my health. I was motivated to lose weight primarily to prepare for a multi-day backpacking trip on the Colorado Trail. As I did research on how to lower carbs in my diet, I kept coming across this term Keto but I didn’t really understand what it meant. “Coincidentally” a lady I sought out to talk with about her trail experience mentioned that she had lost a bunch of weight and had come off of her diabetic meds by following a ketogenic diet. I sensed that it was something that I needed to look into and I spent the next few weeks binge watching Keto and Colorado Trail videos on YouTube.
Fast forward a couple of weeks and my trip on the trail was complete. I now had time between posting resumes to begin my Keto diet in earnest. Research and recipes became my passion. I look back and laugh at how little I knew – another testimony to the fact that you don’t have to buy anything but food to do Keto! I just focused on lowering the carbs and eating fat to satiety. I no longer worried about calories, but just ate when I was hungry and stopped when I was full. And while I ate, I watched YouTube videos – hours of them! KetoConnect was my favorite, they gave me the tools I needed to understand the basics and their recipes were easy to prepare and very satisfying Dr. Berg was my go-to on all things health related and his simple explanations helped me understand the science of what was happening in my body. There were so many others and I hope to introduce you to all my favorites!
Like many who begin this Keto journey, I lost the first 15 pounds very quickly. Then gradually it tapered down to 5-10 pounds each month. Now that I only have about twenty more pounds to lose, I see around a 2-3-pound weight loss each month; sometimes more, sometimes less. Overall, I have lost 50 pounds eating a Ketogenic diet and another 20 before Keto that I would also attribute to a low carb way of eating. My energy level throughout the day is high and I no longer suffer from the fatigue and hypoglycemia that used to plague me. My inflammation markers continue to improve which in turn reduces the aches and pains that can sometimes affect those of us with Fibromyalgia and Hashimoto Thyroiditis. My focus these days is on continuing to adapt Keto to help me achieve my health goals. Yes, losing those last few inches of excess fat is important to me, but the highest priority is supporting my body as it heals from the damage I have inflicted on it through the last fifty years of eating the Standard American Diet (SAD).
The change this Ketogenic way of eating has brought to my life is truly amazing to me. So much deeper than the weight loss. It has brought a fundamental change in my relationship with food. By leveraging the proper fat/protein/carb ratios, I have been freed from my addiction to sugar and junk food. My mind is clear as I give it the healthy fat it craves and my quality of life continues to improve as I have the energy to pursue my passions.
So, that’s my story. I am inviting you to start a Keto journey of your own. My heart is that this site will give you the tools to get started and then to provide resources that will help you make Keto your own. If there is one thing I have learned over the past year or so – everyone on a health journey is different. You have different needs and different health challenges. There is a general framework to Keto that probably needs to be the “trailhead” for everyone. After that, Keto can be adapted to support your specific challenges where you will find the path that is most enjoyable for you.
Check it out. Start the journey!
Here are some pictures of my journey…some are really hard to see now, but I share them as an encouragement to you of the effectiveness of a ketogenic lifestyle.
Pre-Keto
January 2017
September 2018
LKN Profile: KetoConnect
KetoConnect.net – By far my favorite people in the keto community! When I first started this way of eating this dynamic duo was my go-to for all things ketogenic. In their relaxed and inviting manner they helped me understand the key components of the diet and through their many videos I found answers to almost all of the questions I had in the beginning. Their pizza recipes were the first ones I tried and I credit them for showing me that cooking keto could be fun and easy. I call them my “Keto Kids”, because after spending hours with them through video, I feel like they are family members. Thank you so much Matt and Megha for the time and effort you put in to making content that helps so many people. Libby’s Keto Network is a testimony to your ability to influence and inspire others to become keto advocates!
My Favorite Connections with KetoConnect
Instagram: 9 minutes at 9:00 a.m. each day – So fun! A relaxed chat time when they answer questions and share some of what’s going on with KetoConnect.net. Some of the best times are when their “kids” Julius and Miley get some screen time.
YouTube: This is where my journey with them started. There are hours of enjoyable videos with recipes, tips, and plain fun keto stuff. Don’t miss their live Sunday segment when they invite us to cook along with them. Lots of great information to be gleaned as they answer live questions from viewers. This segment is also available on Facebook live.
Cookbook: Keto Made Easy – Fantastic, quality cookbook with some of the best recipes in the Keto community. I love that they are relatively simple and so well formatted for those of us who might be a bit kitchen-challenged. I know of people who just use this cookbook to make their first few weeks of meals when beginning keto. Don’t miss their Fat Bomb Bible available as an ebook from their website.
| From KetoConnect.net: “KetoConnect provides a global hub for people looking to transform their lives using the ketogenic lifestyle. We are committed to publishing helpful resources, developing delicious recipes, and offering friendly advice to people striving to live healthier, happier lives. Matt and Megha founded KetoConnect in 2016 after they realized their results from the keto diet were too good not to share. Their fun personalities and laid-back lifestyle make learning about nutrition enjoyable for everyone. Follow KetoConnect on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter where we share the latest ketogenic research, our favorite recipes, and answer all of your questions about dietary fat, calories, fiber, and sweeteners. Tune in every morning at 9am EST for our Live Q&A on Instagram and listen to the Keto for Normies podcast where we have inspiring, in-depth conversations with other members of the low-carb community” |
Donate to This Website!
It takes money to keep this website up and running. Please consider a one time or monthly gift!
