My Keto Adventure

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I started my Keto Diet on June 18th, 2018.
It’s been 37 days, and I probably should have been keeping a journal/log this whole time, but instead I waited until I had a nice break in time to write out some thoughts on the whole adventure. 

What I can tell you is that this entire process has been at least worth it, and at best a revelation about health and self care.
       In February of this year, I looked down at the scale with great anxiety and when I saw the number…the highest number that I’d ever seen on my scale, I knew it was time to get serious. Now, I know that many people say, “don’t look at scale, just measure and check how your clothes fit”. The scale was just a confirmation of the no bueno I had been feeling and seeing in my tight clothes.
It was at this time that I decided that I would start being more conscious about what I was eating. I always believed that exercise had it’s place but that the real battle was food intake. So, for 2 months I really watched what I ate..but nothing changed. I was eating less food, eating healthier options, cutting out soda, bread, and sugar…but nada. This is right about the time when I first starting hearing about Keto from many of my friends. ( **Keto is not for everyone. I was very skeptical about Keto when I first heard about it. Many of my friends were trying this Atkins sounding version of dieting that for one thing, didn’t sound sustainable, and for another seemed super unhealthy.) Instead of adopting this “fad diet”, I just decided that I would dedicate myself to working out. 

On April 1st I began my workout-every-weekday challenge. I totally rocked it. I did actually workout every single week day, and I was feeling better. However, my clothing didn’t fit any better, I felt just as lumpy as before and it was VERY discouraging. At the end of May I was becoming quite depressed. I’d spent a year in great emotional stress, gained a bunch of weight, and now that I was doing everything I’m “supposed to” do and it wasn’t working…super discouraging. At the beginning of June, I checked the scale again, I had gained weight and the measurements and clothing were still not changed. I definitely cried. The thing is though, I was determined. I refused to buy bigger clothes, and I refused to weigh more. So I started to research body type, blood type and pre-menopausal weight issues. 

I googled, I reddit’d, I asked all the things. Then I found a recommendation for a documentary called The Magic Pill. Half way through this documentary I realized they were doing Keto. Of course in my research I had learned some things that relieved some of my concerns, but I still didn’t want to try it. Yet, this documentary was rather convincing…especially as it addressed a great many health concerns, not just weight loss. 

It was at this time that I decided to seriously consider trying Keto, safely and well informed. There is so much information on the Keto lifestyle. Vlogs about how to start, what to expect, conquering the funky phase, supplements, and support. Articles are everywhere on how to understand the process that your body is going through on Keto and how to read signs in yourself to keep a balance of energy and fuel. Finally there were the testimonials, countless stories about the terrors, and the success of this thing. 

Probably the most influential factor was the body type testimonials, and how their stories sounded just like mine. So, I decided to try it for 6 weeks. If I could just do it right, get over the “keto flu”, exercise and try it out…then I did my due diligence and I could move on. 

        On June 18th, I was ready to start.
Days 1-10: It was a whole learning curve of buying the right foods, supplements, electrolyte powders, and preparing to feel awful…and I did feel awful, for like 10 days. I did not love it, but I had committed to 6 weeks, so I stuck it out. I stayed in learning phases, asked questions on blogs, researched more, and more, and more…and then suddenly the fog cleared after those 10 days. 

Days 10-24: The next phase was feeling like I had NO energy, all of these blogs say that you’ll feel sooooo full of energy, I did not. When I worked out, I passed out. I was tired all the time…for about 2 weeks. 

Days 24-31: Finally after the big shift, I started to feel energized. I didn’t feel hungry, I wasn’t exhausted, I got a burst of energy, and the scale changed. After 10 days I had lost 7 lbs…water weight to be sure, but it never came back. In the next 2 weeks I’ve slowly and steadily lost 5 more lbs. 

Days 31-present: I can exercise again! I was so exhausted, so completely unable to do more than the daily things, that I was getting anxious about not exercising. Disneyland changed that! On a trip to SoCal, my husband and I were treated to a day at Disneyland! I was SO nervous, afraid I wouldn’t be able to last the whole day. To my happy surprise I lasted the whole day, stayed in Ketosis, and had more energy than I’ve had in 30 days, so bring on the regular workouts!!
So far, this has been an awesome experience, but very little of this awesomeness is actually due to the weight loss. I can’t even. Guys. Really. I can’t.

  • ·         In 30 days, I have not had one debilitating headache. I have had neck aches, but no headaches. Dude.
  • ·         I have terrible heat stroke/temp issues and can not ever be in direct sunlight or heat for more than 15-20 minutes. I walked around Disneyland in 83+ degree heat in direct sunlight wearing only sunscreen for 13 hours…no burn, no overheating
  • ·         The temp issue: my body doesn’t regulate heat properly. (this is why heat stroke) I don’t sweat normally, so a standard workout didn’t just warm me up..it overheated me. It’s gone. I sweat now…it’s weird. Also, I can totally workout without getting dizzy and sick now. It. Is. So. Awesome.
  • ·         Clarity, complete and total clear thinking and more creative inspiration than I’ve had in years!
  • ·         My feet and hands don’t swell, my circulation is better.
  • ·         FOOD tastes better. My coffee addiction is gone. I’m almost never hungry…like really not hungry?!
  • ·         I sleep SO much better. I need less sleep, and it’s better sleep. Rest is amazing.

This is just the most glaringly obvious things happening with me. I do not know how to express my feelings except I feel like I’ve got a new lease on life. I feel like I’m alive in a way that I’ve never been before.
No, I will not live like this forever. I am SUPER having Mash n Gravy at Thanksgiving. I will DEFINITELY be eating Christmas Cookies. However, everything will be done more carefully, in moderation with regard to health and ability to recover. I love fruits and vegetables, and they are very limited on this diet, so it can’t be a forever process. 

Do I recommend Keto? No, not to everyone. 

I highly recommend finding out your body type: Endomorph, Ectomorph, or Mesomorph. 

Then find out what primary hormone body type you are: Adrenal, Ovary, Liver, Thyroid.

Do a TON of research on what to expect when your body changes fuel types. Make sure to prepare to add supplemental vitamins and minerals when the body is needing them. 

Now that I’m very close to the 6 week mark, I may stay on this Keto kick for a while longer. It’s just not a difficult practice and I’m loving the results. I do, however, look forward to adding fruit in a few more days. I do love some luscious mangos.

Thanks for hanging in if you read all the way through.
L

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