Keto Mediterranean retreat 2022 – unforgettable Greek experience
Keto Mediterranean retreat vol. 2 was equally exciting and successful as our first retreat. Was it the energy and friendliness of participants? Was it Greece, or was it our great passion to show how enjoyable the KMD lifestyle can be? We think it was all of these things and more! Our Keto Mediterranean retreat in ancient Marathon was designed as an unusual experience. Not a typical Greek vacation! More like a dive into a time machine and experiencing the local lifestyle. Learning all about old-fashioned shopping, farmers’ markets, fishermen’s taverns, eating on the beach and cooking at home. Not to mention historical places, secret paths to the most beautiful views and places where you can swim like a dolphin.
For us, this was more than a Keto vacation. It was a true connection between people who want to combine their low-carb or Keto diet with the Mediterranean lifestyle. We had so many subjects that on many occasions we wouldn’t even notice how time or space moves. When I say space, I literally mean space. 😀 Here’s what happened: We were taken by the sea stream for a kilometre down the beach because we were chatting while swimming. But hey, we are Ketonians, we swam our way back with no problems.
Every day a new experience
Each day was a new discovery and a new opportunity to share. From tips to trips. We did it all together. We visited Athens, wandered around historical places in Marathon and even went to a wonderful concert in honour of the legendary Mikis Theodorakis. Furthermore, the farmer’s market experience was particularly vivid! Each day we went swimming and each day we ate at least one meal at the villa. We cooked together and we also enjoyed traditional Greek taverns. We would gather around the piano and sing along. Then we would remember the music we loved as teenagers and discover so many things in common. We also visited a retro hotel that had this 1950’s vibe and spent a day swimming in their old-fashioned but crystal clear swimming pool. We performed some Richard Hadvina techniques in the pool and everyone loved it!
Keto Mediterranean retreat and the science behind it
We did not have a classical lecture or keynote presentations. Apollonas was constantly giving valuable information while he was socialising with the participants. They were able to ask him questions regarding the advantages of his KMD approach to Low-Carb dieting. He shared a lot of pearls of knowledge from therapeutic nutrition which is his speciality. By the end of the retreat, all participants decided to try out his 5-week “fat-burning” program. In this program, the emphasis is placed on protein. At the same time, carbs are very low, and fat is also reduced a bit. We’ll hear from them after they try it! Some of our Greek Goes Keto family members had great success with this program.
Mediterranean low-Carb cooking
Yes, this wasn’t a strict ketogenic diet retreat! We were eating a relaxed Mediterranean low-carb diet during our Keto Mediterranean retreat. An approach designed by Apollonas and me that works perfectly for the summer vacations. Participants did not miss carbs or alcohol at all! On the second day, we had our zero-carb tagliatelle. We served them with bolognese sauce made with zero tomatoes and lots of ground mutton! we mixed some yolks with red paprika powder and the magic happened! Let us not forget, our cooking fat was sheep butter which made everything even tastier and healthier!
Was this 7 days of cheating?
Our Keto Mediterranean retreat did not include high-carb foods, sugar, heavily processed foods or trans fats. Simply, we enjoyed fresh and seasonal vegetables and fruits. However, the protein was always the main star on our plates. Naturally, we ate salads and side dishes made of zucchini and white eggplant from Santorini.
We also made low-carb and Keto desserts. Oh yes, they were 100% clean and tasted better than those sugary treats people usually eat during summer vacations. We had different coffees, ice teas, lemonades… But our famous sea buckthorn juice was each day on the table. When we cooked at the villa, we would have dishes with meat or fish, salads, side dishes and occasional dessert with berries, goat or sheep yoghurt… Also, some of our creations included mascarpone or tahini paste. But hey, this is not cheating! This is just enriching the Keto diet with some Mediterranean treats for 7 days.
From the first moment, we met our participants we felt like old friends. Even though we never met in person prior to our retreat, we felt connected. During the retreat, we had long conversations, but somehow we always agreed on what to do, where to go and how to do things. Who knows, maybe Hermes himself was making sure our communication goes perfectly smooth
Beautiful new friendships born during Keto Mediterranean retreat
Ellison came from the UK but she’s originally from the USA. We had just about thousands of subjects to talk about and so many things in common. Knowledgable, kind, open-minded and interested in anything we offered to do! Ellison was a perfect Keto Mediterranean retreat participant! She was willing to learn and willing to share some of her experiences with us! She was recommended by a doctor to try the Mediterranean diet, while she felt so much better on Keto. So, she found us online and decided to join. Her dedication to her children, husband and grandchildren did not affect her teenage spirit. During the retreat, we felt like we are 15! Her beautiful smile from each photo can demonstrate what we mean.
Kelly flew all the way from Jamaica and she was the heart and soul of our retreat. What an inspiring lady! We met on Twitter and even did a podcast episode together. After that, Kelly wrote a wonderful review of our latest cookbook for her blog. And finally, when we met in person, we realised this is a start of a beautiful friendship! The energy and the positivism this wonderful Jamaican brought with her are just unforgettable. Kelly is a very successful Keto coach in Jamaica. We believe that she is also a perfect life coach! Spiritual, kind, talented and so beautiful in all possible ways.
Stylianos (AKA Steve ) joined us from Thessaloniki but it felt like we are sharing the villa with the citizen of the world. So talented, well mannered, cheerful, handsome. Who wouldn’t want to spend 7 days with our singing and dancing Steve? He always had ideas about going out, where and what to see, what to do and how to fix small issues. We are looking forward to spending another 7 days with Steve during our Carnivore retreat in August.
Extra guests, but such a great connection
Vicky and Sayeda, two amazing businesswomen that connected Greek passion with German business progressiveness were a superb addition to our retreat party. Sayeda is just starting the Keto Mediterranean diet because she had a sort of negative experience with the standard Keto in the past. As a busy manager, she’ll need it to maintain health and get her energy levels up! Vicky, on the other hand, a talented beautician, singer, cancer survivor, mother, and the best friend anyone could wish for. She does KMD for months with Apollonas. Her strength, dedication and inspiring story can be seen in our Facebook live video we did from the villa.
Words can’t describe feelings after our Keto Mediterranean retreat
Maybe the photos could give you a bit of the atmosphere, but the actual feeling is difficult to describe. Can we describe it as loads of fun wrapped in learning? Cultural exchange topped with friendship? How about laughter, singing, excitement? Perhaps Greekness to the full potential? The connection stays and new ideas arise! Stay tuned and follow us on all social media so that you can learn about our next retreat! Don’t forget, we added a new phrase to our slogan!
