Keto Diet Plan: A 14-Day Beginner Meal Plan With Macros, Costs and Shopping Lists

The short answer: a keto diet plan keeps total carbs under 50 grams a day (often 20 to 30), gets most calories from fat and keeps protein moderate. The 14-day plan below does that with 16 simple meals, about 1,360 to 1,860 calories a day, and costs about $61 a week for one person to shop.

• Key numbers: 9 to 19 g net carbs a day · 90 to 120 g protein · 61% to 73% of calories from fat · about $7.14 a day for the food you eat
• Top moves: repeat 3 breakfasts, cook dinner once and eat it twice, and buy one 3 lb bag of chicken thighs plus eggs by the 18-pack.
• Free and paid next step: get the free calorie tracker (we email it to you), or plan both weeks with the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99).

This keto diet plan was priced on November 5, 2026. The sections below cover what keto means in numbers, who should check with a doctor first, the 14-day menu with macros and cost, the 16 meals, two shopping lists, a budget version, a prep schedule, side effects and what to do after day 14.

What a keto diet plan means in numbers

There's no single official keto diet. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's review of the ketogenic diet describes the common version this way: total carbohydrate under 50 grams a day, sometimes as low as 20 grams, with about 70% to 80% of calories from fat, 5% to 10% from carbs and 10% to 20% from protein.

On a 2,000-calorie day, Harvard's example works out to about 165 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbs and 75 grams of protein. Protein stays moderate because the body can turn extra amino acids into glucose.

Why our protein runs higher: most adults eating fewer than 2,000 calories still need enough protein to protect muscle, and the cheapest keto foods (eggs, chicken thighs, ground beef) are protein-rich. If you want a stricter ratio, swap 1 oz of chicken at dinner for 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil.

Net carbs, briefly: net carbs are total carbs minus fiber. Harvard notes the term is unregulated and the math isn't exact, especially for sugar alcohols. That's why the plan lists both totals. Every day stays under 50 g total, so you don't have to trust the net number.

Check with your doctor first if any of these apply

Harvard's review recommends that anyone starting a ketogenic diet work with a physician and a dietitian, so changes in blood work can be monitored and the plan can be tailored. That advice matters most if you:

• have any ongoing health condition or take daily medicine, since Harvard recommends a plan tailored to your existing health conditions
• have kidney or liver disease, which Harvard lists among the open safety questions
• are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are planning meals for a child or teen, periods Harvard flags as possibly too restrictive for keto
• have type 1 diabetes, since Harvard notes ketoacidosis most often occurs in people with type 1 diabetes
• have high LDL cholesterol, because Harvard notes a high saturated fat intake may raise it

This page is a meal plan, not medical advice. It shows what a typical keto week looks like and what it costs, so you can bring a concrete plan to that conversation.

For the science behind the plan, our ketosis explainer covers how long it takes, the common signs and how ketosis differs from ketoacidosis.

Keto diet plan for beginners: 8 rules that make the 14 days work

1. Count total carbs for the first week. Aim for under 30 g total. Labels list total carbs, so there's nothing to calculate.
2. Build every meal on a protein. Eggs, chicken, ground beef, pork, ham or tuna.
3. Add a fat you'd use anyway. Butter, olive oil, cheese, avocado, mayonnaise or cream.
4. Fill half the plate with a low-carb vegetable. Romaine, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans and peppers.
5. Cook once, eat twice. Four dinners each week become the next day's lunch.
6. Keep two snacks ready. Almonds and hard-boiled eggs stop most "I'll just have a cracker" moments.
7. Expect a rough first week. Harvard lists headache, fatigue and constipation among the early effects of cutting carbs hard.
8. Write it down. A calorie tracker or a paper planner shows you which meals keep you full.

How we built and priced this plan

• Nutrition: every ingredient was weighed in grams and matched to its USDA FoodData Central entry (SR Legacy values for calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate and fiber). Daily totals add up the meals.
• Prices: Walmart.com shelf prices for Great Value staples checked November 5, 2026. Fresh meat and produce Walmart didn't show (ground beef, chicken legs, pork chops, ham, romaine and tomatoes) use the September 2026 national averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics average price data. Ground beef averaged $6.79 a pound.
• Food eaten vs. cash at the store: "cost" in the menu tables is the food on the plate, plus $0.05 a meal for salt, pepper and spices. The shopping lists show what you'll actually pay, whole packages included.
• Your price will differ. Region, store and sales move every number. Track yours in a grocery price book.

Week 1 keto meal plan

Lunches marked "leftover" come from the dinner the night before, so cook two portions of those dinners.

Week 1 adds up to about $51.00 of food eaten. Days 2 and 3 share one double batch of sheet-pan chicken legs.

Week 2 keto meal plan

Week 2 uses the same 16 meals in a new order, so you already know every recipe. The pork chops and the taco skillet move up, and the chicken leg tray comes back at the end.

Week 2 comes to about $49.00 of food eaten. That's $100.01 over 14 days, or about $7.14 a day.

The 16 meals, with macros and how to make them

Each row is one serving. Fat and net carbs are in grams.

Want more keto dinners to rotate in after two weeks? Our keto diet recipes page has 60, and the keto chili freezes well.

Keto shopping list, week 1

This is the full first trip for one person. It includes items that last both weeks, like olive oil, almonds, mayonnaise and butter.

Keto shopping list, week 2 top-up

You'll have olive oil, almonds, mayonnaise, butter, bacon, sour cream, heavy cream, broccoli and chicken thighs left from week 1. Week 2 only needs this:

Two trips come to $121.86, or $60.93 a week. Most of the difference between that and the $100.01 of food eaten is olive oil, almonds and mayonnaise you'll still have on day 15.

Keto meal plan on a budget: 8 ways to spend less

1. Make chicken thighs and legs your main meat. At the BLS average of $1.74 a pound, bone-in legs are the cheapest protein in this plan. The sheet-pan leg dinner costs $1.82.
2. Buy eggs by the 18-pack. At $2.47 for 18, an egg costs about 14 cents. Three egg breakfasts run $0.96 to $1.51.
3. Use frozen vegetables. Frozen broccoli, green beans and riced cauliflower don't wilt, so nothing gets thrown out on day 6.
4. Buy cheese in blocks. An 8 oz block of sharp cheddar was $1.97. Shred it yourself.
5. Skip "keto" packaged snacks. Almonds, eggs and cheese do the same job for a fraction of the price.
6. Swap the almonds to cut $9.48. Almonds are the single most expensive item on the list. Hard-boiled eggs or cheese can fill every snack slot.
7. Plan leftovers on purpose. Eight of 14 lunches are planned leftovers, which keeps lunch near $2.
8. Shop with a list sorted by aisle. Our guide to how to grocery shop on a budget covers price checks and store brands, and meal planning on a budget shows how to plan around sales.

For context, the average U.S. household's food budget is in our average grocery cost per month guide.

Meal prep schedule: two sessions a week

Sunday, about 75 minutes

1. Bake 6 spinach-cheddar egg muffins at 350°F for 20 minutes.
2. Boil 6 eggs (our guide to how to boil eggs has exact times).
3. Cook the bacon on a sheet pan at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes.
4. Wash and dry the romaine, then slice peppers into strips.
5. Portion almonds into 1 oz bags.

Wednesday, about 30 minutes

1. Cook a double batch of the next dinner.
2. Make a fresh tray of egg muffins for Thursday to Saturday.
3. Check the fridge against your list for the next trip.

The Wednesday session means nothing you eat on Saturday was cooked the previous Sunday. Our full guide to how to meal plan covers the same rhythm for any diet.

Foods that fit and foods to skip

This follows Harvard's summary of what most ketogenic plans allow. It also notes that keto lists vary and sometimes conflict, and that fattier choices like olive oil, avocado, nuts and fatty fish lower the saturated fat in the plan. For more breakfast ideas, see keto breakfast. If keto is too strict, our low carb meals allow more carbs. Comparing diets? A carnivore diet meal plan goes a step past keto by cutting out plant foods entirely.

Keto flu and other side effects

Cutting carbs this far can cause hunger, fatigue, low mood, irritability, constipation, headaches and brain fog that last days to weeks, according to Harvard's review. People often call this the "keto flu."

How this plan is set up for that first stretch:

• Every day includes vegetables. Broccoli, spinach and green beans add fiber, which Harvard lists among the nutrients that can run low on keto.
• Calories aren't slashed in week 1, and every day has a snack, because hunger is the first symptom on Harvard's list.
• The menu repeats familiar meals, so you aren't learning new recipes while you feel tired.

Harvard also lists longer-term concerns: kidney stones, bone loss and higher uric acid, plus low fiber, B vitamins, iron, magnesium and zinc if the menu is too narrow. That's another reason to rotate all 16 meals instead of living on bacon and eggs. Call your doctor if symptoms are severe or don't ease.

Eating out on a keto diet plan

• Burger places: order a bunless burger or a lettuce wrap. Skip the fries and get a side salad.
• Mexican: order a burrito bowl with no rice or beans. Get extra fajita vegetables, cheese, sour cream and guacamole.
• Breakfast diners: eggs, bacon or sausage, and a side of avocado or sliced tomato instead of toast.
• Chicken places: grilled wings or grilled chicken with a vegetable side. Breading and sauces add carbs.
• Drinks: water, unsweetened tea or black coffee. Harvard notes most keto programs restrict regular wine and beer and drinks with added sugar.

How to adjust the plan for your calories

This menu runs 1,362 to 1,856 calories, which suits many smaller adults trying to lose weight. A larger or very active person will need more. These swaps keep carbs almost the same:

Your calorie needs depend on age, size and activity. Your doctor or a dietitian can set a target, and the calorie tracker helps you see how close you are.

What to do after day 14

Harvard notes that keto has shown short-term benefits for some people, but after one year the effects weren't significantly different from conventional weight-loss diets. Long-term safety is still listed as an open question. Some people stay on keto, some move to a less strict low-carb plan and some return to a standard balanced diet.

Whichever you choose:

1. Look back at your tracker. Which meals did you actually enjoy?
2. Keep those meals and drop the rest.
3. If you add carbs back, start with whole foods such as berries, beans and whole grains rather than sweets.
4. Get follow-up blood work if your doctor asked for it.

Real example: Malaysia, who runs HomeBase Paper Co., writes the week's dinners on one planner page and the grocery list on the next. For a plan like this one, the double-batch dinners are the ones she circles, because those nights cover tomorrow's lunch too.

Comparing keto with Mediterranean, DASH or vegetarian? See our diet plans hub for a side-by-side look. For more dishes to rotate through the plan, browse our low carb recipes collection.

Plan both weeks and print your list

A 14-day plan only works if it's written down where you'll see it. The Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99) has a weekly meal planner, a monthly menu, a meal prep checklist, an aisle-sorted grocery list, and pantry and freezer inventories. Copy week 1 onto one page and week 2 onto the next.

Save the meals you'll make again in the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99), with section dividers, recipe cards and a fillable type-in version.

Want both? The Family Life Admin Bundle is $15.99 ($23.95 bought separately). It includes the meal planner, the recipe binder, a kids chore chart, a newborn baby tracker and pet health records. See all our printable planners or bundles.

More meal planning help:

• High protein meals for non-keto days
• Healthy snacks for the rest of the family
• Meal prep on a budget for batch-cooking basics
• Freezer meals to cook ahead