Ketowithdebby

Hello!

I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog and today I decided to just do it! January seems like a good time to start a new commitment. 

Those who know me, know I have been eating Keto for nearly a year. I lost 62 pounds and have been in maintenance mode now for about the last 6 months. 

I am not proud of this one - but this is me before Keto!   

and me now. I am wearing my Parachute Pants from 1984

!

I do have one slight advantage; I have my own personal Keto chef! My husband is retired and since I am still working full time, Ed has taken over in the kitchen. I search online for recipes I think sound good and he fixes them. But even without a Keto chef, you can follow this way of eating. It truly is one of the easiest lifestyle changes I've made. And believe me, at 54 years of age, I have tried about every diet out there.

Some people will try and tell you this way of eating is unhealthy - but I honestly feel so much better and so much healthier eating this way. I just don't see how this can be unhealthy. However before Keto, I was overweight and being overweight IS unhealthy. For me, this is just the healthier option.  But as with any diet or lifestyle change, you should check with your doctor to make sure Keto is right for you.

Honestly, any way of eating can be unhealthy if you make poor choices. I think that's a key factor and one reason you want to log your food. Monitor what you are eating. Just because we can eat pork rinds and bacon on the Keto diet doesn't mean we should indulge in them every day.

That said, if and when you do decide to try switching to this way of eating, I recommend your first step is to download a food tracker. I personally like and use Myfitnesspal. You will want to plan your day ahead of time. Log your food before you eat it so you can make changes if needed. Possibly decide today what you will eat tomorrow. Make sure your macros are on target. Then stick to your meal plans. 

If you are using Myfitnesspal, you will need to go into settings and adjust your macros. They should be 5% carbs, 20% protein and 75% fat. You do not have to count calories. The biggest priority is to get your macros on target, but honestly, if your goal is weight-loss then you will want to do both; Limit calories and keep your macros on target for the ultimate weight-loss. 

During my weight-loss mode, I try to limit my calories to 1200 with 15 g (or less) total carbs, 60 g protein and 100 g fat. Also I should point out that I count total carbs not net carbs. I am currently back in weight-loss mode for a bit, because I tend to play with about 5 pounds in my maintenance mode. My original goal was to get down to 120, so I've been bouncing between 120 and 125. This year, my plan is to keep it between 115 and 120.

If you have done any research already, you have no doubt seen all the Keto products they are trying to sell you. I'm telling you, you do not need to buy them. No pills, no powders, no mixes, no 30 day plans. And just because something says "keto" doesn't mean it is. Read the labels and decide for yourself if it fits your macros.

I am sure you have also heard of “Keto Flu”. I never did experience that, either. I did drink my daily dose of “Ketorade” ~ I'm not sure that's why but it certainly didn't hurt! Basically, just mix 2 TBS of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar with water (I use my 30 oz Tumbler) add in 1 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt and ¼ tsp of  Lite Salt. I also add a package of Crystal Lite to mask the taste of the apple cider vinegar. I chose a flavor that has added electrolytes ~ and I only drink that flavor as Ketorade. That way I don't notice the taste is “off”.   This flavor just always tastes like this.

During my first couple of days on Keto, I did not watch my macros. I just focused on what NOT to eat. In a future blog posting I will post lists that tell you what to eat and what not to eat.  But for now, please just go into Google and do an image search for "Keto Food Lists".  That is what I did and I have several that I referenced.  Since I didn't create them, I don't feel I should post them to my blog.  Eventually I plan to make up my own colorful chart.  Anyway, after the first couple of days, I started logging everything and trying to get my macros right. I first just wanted to see how difficult eating this way was going to be. For me, it's really not that hard.

I will also post a few examples of what I would eat in a day in a future post. I'll be honest.  I do repeat the same things a lot. Once you find what works - and the macros are right on target, it's just easier to repeat days/meals.  Ed cooks the same thing every morning until I request a change. We will do the same thing for probably a month or two before I request something new. It works for him ~ as he doesn't have to try to decide what to make and it works for me because it's easier to plan the rest of the day around it. I already know what my breakfast is going to “cost” me. I get about half of my daily allowances in the morning – between breakfast and my 2 to 3 cups of coffee.

I think Intermittent Fasting (IF) is also key. Once you get into Ketosis (Fat burning mode) your body burns the fat you are eating first. Once it uses that up, it starts burning your stored fat. If you are eating every couple of hours, you won’t be getting into your stored fat as much. The longer you can go without eating, the more stored fat you will burn. Some people do well with OMAD (one meal a day) and some do 2MAD (2 meals a day) One way to get started with IF, OMAD or 2MAD is by not eating breakfast as soon as you get up (extending the "fast" you were doing while you slept.) Put eating off a couple hours first and just keeping pushing it later until you are comfortable with your eating window. Try to get to a 4 to 8 hour eating window. And fast the other 16 to 20 hours.

At first you will want to eat the full 75% of fat. The fat helps to curb your hunger. You can boost your fat by eating fat bombs, but that could also slow down your progress. I personally avoid the fat bombs. When I am fighting hunger or cravings, I boost my fat with butter. I drink my first cup of coffee with 1/2 TBS of butter and stevia. (Whipped with an electric frother!) So yummy. My 2nd and sometimes 3rd cup of coffee I add a bit of Heavy Whipping Cream instead of butter and Stevia (again, whipped with the frother!) If I am feeling hungry and I think it's too late for coffee, I add butter to a cup of chicken bullion.

Once you are in Ketosis (and you will know it because you are no longer hungry all the time) you can cut back some on the fat. 5% carbs is a limit. Don't go over on this one. 20% protein is a goal. You want to try to hit your protein goal as much as you can. The 75% Fat is a limit. Not a goal. Don't go over 75% but you don't have to hit your limit. The more fat you eat, the less stored fat you will burn. Your body will burn what you eat first. When it uses it all up it starts burning your stored fat. (However, I have read that your body does need at least 75 g of Fat.)

Well I know this has been a long "first" post, but I wanted to do a full intro to Keto with enough information that if you were thinking of starting Keto, perhaps this would give you incentive and enough knowledge to get started.

*Disclaimer: I am by no means a "Keto Expert". I'm not a doctor or nutritionist. In fact I have been called out by the "Keto Police" because some of the things I eat may fit my macros but aren't true Keto. They say I'm either Dirty Keto or Lazy Keto. All I am saying, is this is how I've been eating for the past year. I went from a tight size 12 down to size 2 & 4. (It varies depending on the make of the jeans) my scales topped 180 when I started weighing. I honestly don't know what my start weight was as I avoided the scales. But I was obese. By eating this way I've gotten as low as 118 and my goal is now to get to 115. This is what I do and this just works for me. Hopefully it will also work for you!