UPDATE: I just want to say that I am humbled by your overwhelming support in the comments (with a few notable exceptions 😅) and I promise I will respond to them soon! Thank you so much for sticking with me on this new path! 💕
There are going to be some changes around here on I Breathe I’m Hungry, and since many of you have been here for years and years, I feel I owe you an explanation as to what and why.
When I started IBIH back in 2011, it was just a hobby and a place to connect with friends and give a home to the recipes I’d created over the years. By 2012 I had gained some followers and discovered that people were searching for low carb recipes that tasted good and helped them reach their goals – and there weren’t a lot of websites focusing on that at the time.
So I leaned into that niche and I Breathe I’m Hungry became a destination for people looking for delicious low carb, gluten free, and keto recipes. Eventually I created the free 3 Day Keto Kickstart and 12 weeks of keto menu plans – and then came the egg fast plan, the keto soup diet, and more recently the Squeaky Clean Keto plan and 30 day challenge.
I was so committed to keto recipes that I published two books on the subject – Keto for Life, and Squeaky Clean Keto, which were both well received.
Things were going great. So great that thousands of people and companies started creating keto recipes – some good, some not so much. Traffic to my website started to decline, but we were doing ok and there were plenty of people who were still coming to IBIH for keto recipes.
And then the pandemic hit.
Suddenly nobody wanted keto recipes anymore, and everyone was baking banana bread and crafting their own sourdough starters. Even my family went down the rabbit hole of baking and cooking elaborate non keto meals because what else were we going to do stuck at home for months at a time?
And so after publishing new keto recipes to the sound of crickets, I eventually put the website on autopilot and started pursuing other interests.
Since then we moved back to NY from Honduras, and bought an old 1870’s colonial estate that needed a lot of work. So we’ve been restoring that for the last 3 years, while renovating and launching 2 new short term rental properties, and more recently I’ve been building a micro flower farm on the property to sell specialty cut flowers locally here in the Hudson Valley.
It’s been very busy, but also very rewarding – and we are exhausted. Which hasn’t left a lot of time for making new recipe content here on the website.
Is I Breathe I’m Hungry Finished?
No. But…
While I want to get back to creating recipes, I honestly haven’t done keto in several years (though my closet is telling me I probably should be) and there has been a sharp decline in searches for keto recipes, so it feels like a waste of time to create more.
Also, ironically my house is huge with rooms I don’t need upstairs (and no closet space, WHY? ðŸ˜), but my kitchen is tiny, which is a constant source of frustration and has stifled my creativity and desire to work on cooking and photographing new recipes. So I need to be really inspired if I’m going to push through, and I haven’t felt inspired by keto in a long time.
In spite of those challenges, I have been feeling itchy to cook and get back to work doing what I love, and I need a direction to go in.
If you’ve been around the last few months you know that I have talked a lot about higher protein recipes, and I even started a new meal plan called Prioritizing Protein.
I also posted on social media that I was under contract with my publisher for a new high protein cookbook that was going to release in December. I am still publishing the cookbook, but I have delayed it to put my energy into rebuilding I Breathe I’m Hungry.
But what does that even look like?
Finally, She Gets to the Point
I’ve toyed with the idea of posting non keto recipes here on I Breathe I’m Hungry for years, but I’ve watched others go down that path in the past and get raked over the coals by their followers so I never did it, even when I lost my passion for keto.
Now that so many people have moved on from keto, and I have stepped away from the blog for an extended time, I’ve decided if I’m going to return and do my best work creating new recipes, then I have to do what inspires and excites me.
I also need to be posting recipes that resonate with people’s needs today, so that blog traffic will recover and I can continue to afford to put time into creating new content. Because without that income, I can’t justify the time it takes to keep working on it.
So while all of the existing keto content will stay on the website, and I will occasionally be posting new keto recipes as inspiration strikes, moving forward I Breathe I’m Hungry will no longer be primarily a keto recipe destination.
That may be tough for some of you loyal followers from the early days to accept, and please know that I don’t make this decision lightly. I have appreciated you being here and commenting and making this website and the Facebook pages into a thriving community. I hope you will stick around and see what’s next, but if IBIH is no longer for you then I totally understand.
Based on my polls and research though, many of you came for keto and kept following even though you don’t do keto anymore. You will hopefully love the new content. If you liked and trusted my keto recipes, then you will be as excited as I am that unrestricted by a need for non traditional keto ingredients, I will be able to bring delicious new recipes that are more accessible and seasonal.
That doesn’t mean I will be posting overly indulgent and unhealthy recipes here either though.
I’m currently inspired by higher protein recipes, that are moderate in carbs and fat – which is a healthy trend that I can get behind, and that many are finding a lot more sustainable than keto for the long term.
I will also be getting back to the Prioritizing Protein Meal Plans in the coming weeks, with the goal of having at least 6 weeks of meal plans available by the end of the year.
In a Nutshell aka. TLDR (too long didn’t read)
I Breathe I’m Hungry will maintain the keto and gluten free recipes and meal plans that are currently on the site, but moving forward I will be posting a variety of recipes that may or may not be keto. I am currently focused on healthy higher protein recipes that may include natural sugars, fruits, starches like potatoes and rice, and even sometimes *gasp* gluten.
Where possible, I will include modifications for those who are keeping to a low carbohydrate diet, or even gluten free or dairy free if applicable. I will also continue to provide nutrition information for the new recipes.
It will take some time to build up a catalog of the new high protein recipes, so meanwhile I will still be sharing existing keto recipes on social media and by email, so don’t be surprised if you see keto recipes still popping up.
As I release them, I will tag the new recipes and meal plans with “new” in the email title and social media description so keep an eye out for those coming soon.
If you are not already subscribed to my newsletter, now would be a great time to do so! You can find the subscribe box at the bottom of the post or on the front page of the website.
AGD says
I’m here for it and looking forward to seeing where it leads. Evolving and following your talents and interests is exactly what I want for you and me both. Go Mellissa!
Kim says
Looking forward to your prioritizing protein plan.
Kat C says
Of all things, you have to do you! And be you! I realize this is a commercial site, but you are the central figure and you have to do what makes you happy and healthy. I will continue to follow and assess each new recipe for my particular needs. But please keep up the flavor profiles I have always followed you for!
Geraldene Dougharty says
After all these years, I will follow you in almost any direction you see fit to go!!!
Thanks for everything you have already done and for all you will accomplish.
Chris says
Thank you for the change! You have wonderful recipes but I have found lately that I need to modify them to my current health issues. More protein in my diet is good as I’m getting older. Looking forward to the new IBIH.
Ramona Inman says
I was so desperate to lose weight and feel better when I found IBIH. I have loved all of your recipes and enthusiasm over the years. I will continue to follow you. Mellissa, you are an amazing person and I admire all your honesty. I have Celiac, please noooooo gluten.😉ðŸ¤
Donna says
I have followed you from the beginning and love and use your recipes on a regular basis. I’ve not stuck to keto 100% of the time over the last 10 years. I’ll continue to follow you and look forward to some new content. Congratulations on all of your new adventures!
Tara says
I am SO excited for this change!! I haven’t been keto since the pandemic. But I did switch to high protein, which, frankly, I think is healthier and more sustainable than keto.
You were my absolute favorite keto recipe creator, so I’m beyond excited to see what you come up with in your recipes with fewer ingredient restrictions!
I’ve continued to follow, mostly because you’re funny, lol, and I find your content entertaining. But I haven’t been making your recipes very often anymore.
I think success, at least in blogging/influencing comes when you’re excited and authentic about your topic. Good for you for being brave and making the change. I’ll be here waiting impatiently, lol. Also- I’d love to see some of your home renovations and flower adventures. It doesn’t have to be *only* recipes! Best wishes for TONS of success in the new direction!!
Diane says
There were only 2 sites that I always relied on for my keto/low carb lifestyle, you and All Day I Dream about Food. To me it is sustainable as I have been on it the majority of 32 years. I will continue to follow you and see if what you post is useful for my low carb lifestyle. I will have to print off quickly the last 4 weeks of your 12 week program so I have it in the future. This is a sad day for me.
Best Karen says
You helped me break through 5 years of learning how to eat again after a failed back surgery that changed my activity level to almost nill, s complete hysterectomy, and muddling thru the 50s while being an empty nester. I tried traditional keto with husband. He lost 40 lbs in 6 months I gained 2. I tried fat bombs like other sites recommended, I did the protein to carb analysis thing, but it was YOU and reading one of your blogs on you got started on your journey and broke your own advice as a dietician to empower your own eating for very traditional clean omnivores diet that is high in protein and starts with the wholesome and versatile egg. As a homesteader I got that! A chicken gives us so much. Anyway, I did the egg fast for the better part of 9 days and did a few tweaks…like adding celery and a pickle to egg salad. Day 14 I suddenly dropped 7 lbs. A week later, another 5. I moved into a low carb diet…40 carbs a day, eating about 100 grams protein. I spent 4 months losing 50lbs and over six months, I learned where I could I cheat. It’s been 3 years. I have 5-6 lbs that find me when I go on vacation or get out of my routine, but I know HOW to eat.
I am excited to see how things evolve. I’m always looking and tweaking my recipes, especially around the holidays when everyone wants traditional high sugar high fat favorites. So I hope, that you can bring some good recipes in that respect. It’s hard for me as my mom eats gluten free as helps tremendously with her rheumatoid arthritis, my daughter is young, but the product of two parents that have struggled with weight for most of our lives, so I try to give her little nuggets of goodness that her dad and can eat but are a compromise to some of her cooking.
So please, keep up the amazing work, in all aspects of your life.
Emma Jones says
This site and All Day I Dream about food, are truly what I attribute getting pregnant at 44, in 2016, naturally, and having an amazing pregnancy and healthy baby. I am not keto anymore, but I do prioritize protein.
Did she say she was going to take the 12 week program off of the site??
Diane says
I hope she doesn’t! But if she is switching things up to prioritize protein, she might so not to confuse anyone. I just want to make sure I have everything I need in case she does!
Kandy Nyberg says
I am anxious to follow your Prioritizing Protein, and will buy your new cookbook. I like the idea of more protein, but haven’t been trying very hard! I’ve loved all your recipes, your cookbooks, and I know I’ll love the new plan. It makes sense!
Amanda says
Came for keto, but stuck around even though the pandemic made it essentially unsustainable. We couldn’t find anything at the stores so we went to low calorie higher protein. Thus, this news excites me. Sticking with you and happy you’re getting back to what makes you happiest. Thank you for keeping it real!