Keto Blessings

10 Months on Keto

It has been 10 months since I got on the keto diet, and I’m super excited as I write this post. The Ketogenic diet has transformed my health and my outlook in life. For those of you who have read some of my blog posts, you may recall my main goal of getting on the keto diet was to lose weight. I was going to try it for a month, but something happened along the way and here I am 10 months later still following the ketogenic lifestyle. 

For those who are new to the term Ketogenic (or Keto ), is a low carb, moderate protein, high-fat diet. There are many variations of the ketogenic diet but the common goal of the diet is to get you to where you are using fats as an energy source instead of glucose. I give credit to Dr. Don Colbert and his book the Keto Zone diet, which takes the confusion and guesswork out of the keto diet.

I was debating whether to wait for the one year mark to write this post, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt the need to share this in case there was someone out there wondering if there is a way to get their health back. I must confess that I do not know much about medical stuff since I don’t have a medical background, but I do know for sure that my health is way better now than it was 10 months ago.

10 months ago, I needed to lose about 20 pounds to get to my healthy weight. Today, I am 20 pounds lighter. I’m now in control of my weight. I know my limits as to what I can eat to maintain my healthy weight.  To maintain my weight I needed to figure out my Keto Carb Limit. This is the number of carbs I can eat per day, and not gain or lose weight.

During this 10 months period, I’ve learned that keto is not just for weight loss. It can be used as a holistic approach to overall health. 

Through Keto I have;

• No seasonal allergies.

Seasonal allergies had been part of my life and I accepted it as something I had to live with. I started experiencing these allergies about 20 years ago and every few years they would get progressively worse. It had reached a point where I had to see a doctor because over the counter pills were no longer working. I was thankful that I had a doctor who listened and gave me suggestions for more effective medication, but I felt frustrated that there was no cure for my symptoms. You can imagine my excitement when one day the allergies went away. Change of diet was the missing remedy for my symptoms.

• No more back and pelvic pain

Another symptom that went away was back and pelvic pain. I had back pain for several years and had x-rays done but the doctors could not find anything wrong with my back. They said it was muscle strain or something. I started doing yoga, which seemed to help but the pain would come and go. I was told once you get back pain, it never goes away permanently. I later found out that I had fibroids which were causing the back and pelvic pain. Currently, the fibroids are still there, but the pain is gone.

• More mental focus

Before getting on keto, I lacked mental focus and had a difficult time concentrating. I felt like my brain was ‘dozing’ all the time. I could not read without my brain losing focus. I used to say I’m a slow reader, mainly because my brain could not stay alert long enough to read a whole page. I would find myself reading sentences over and over again for the brain to register what I was reading. Now I’m mentally energized and focused. I’m able to read and absorb information faster. My memory is better than its been in a long time. I probably would not have the mental energy to start this blog were it not for the diet change.

• No more digestive issues

Keto can be a restrictive diet and this is how I felt when I started eliminating certain foods from my diet. It did not take long for me to realize that the restrictions were working in my favor. A few weeks in, I was no longer sluggish, bloated and gassy. I used to tell myself I may have digestion issues that probiotic and digestive enzyme supplements could not fix. My first month on the Keto diet was like an experiment and did everything by the book, so I had no cheat days. I ate veggies and berries for my carbs, meats, fish, poultry, and eggs for protein and some fat, and healthy fats from avocados, olive oil, MCT oils, avocado oil, some butter, and ghee. By doing this, I unknowingly eliminated foods that I was sensitive to. I felt better overall.  This was another surprise from the keto diet. I have continued to try different keto friendly foods and I’m slowly discovering the foods I’m sensitive to and which ones my body likes.

Some Keto challenges:

• Despite getting all the health benefits, keto is not a perfect diet for everyone. Some people experience the keto flu, which only lasts a few days, but if you can fight through the keto flu, it gets easier. I was fortunate not to experience the keto flu. Other people have trouble digesting fats, but taking digestive enzyme supplements and probiotics help. For me, the ‘downside’ has been having lots of mental and physical energy that I find myself going on little sleep, which is not good. I don’t have trouble sleeping, but I still feel like the energizer bunny that keeps going and going and going. I have to make a conscious effort to go to bed before midnight.
• The other concern is I eat less than I used to and less frequently. With no food cravings, I’ve learned to eat when I’m hungry. Most days I feel okay on just two meals.  I’m thankful I found great all natural supplements that are very potent and full of phytonutrients, which I take to fill the nutrition gap. My taste buds have also changed and the foods I could not stay away from, are no longer a temptation because they don’t taste as good as they used to.
• The thing about keto is once you are in ketosis, the body becomes very efficient in weight loss when you stay below the macros required. This can lead to excessive weight loss which is not a good thing. Yes, you heard me, and you may be saying, that’s a good problem to have when you are desperately trying to lose weight. Fortunately, it’s a problem that can be easily resolved.  For me, it somehow became a game to see how much weight I could lose, and I found out I could lose as much weight as I desired by adjusting the number of carbs I ate. I was able to go back to weighing 145 pounds. Once I made up my mind that I was not going to lose more weight, I started adjusting my carb intake to where I was no longer losing or gaining weight. It took me about two months to find my keto carb limit.

All in all, I’m happy with the results I’ve experienced so far and I can’t wait to update you on the one-year on keto milestone coming up in a few months.

We cannot guarantee the same results but if you are struggling with some health challenges, the ketogenic diet is worth exploring. Feel free to reach out if you need help.