New Years Resolutions!

Happy New Year!  

How many of us have losing weight as one of our New Years Resolutions?   I am sure Ed and I are not the only ones that are planning to make some serious changes with our eating habits again. 

If you have been thinking that in 2021 you want to drop some weight and get healthy and are planning to start a serious diet (or better yet, just change your eating habits). Let me tell you, Keto will do the job! 

When we got home from Vacation in 2018, looking through our photos, I could not believe what I was seeing.  I did not recognize myself.  That's when I decided to start a "diet".  At first the pounds came off slowly, but in January 2019, I switched to eating Keto.  That's when the pounds started melting off.  

Once I reached my goal I got a little too comfortable in the Keto Life.  I stopped counting my macros and started just eating "Keto Friendly" foods.  While that way of eating works for some, it apparently does not work for me.  I have gained a few pounds back.  My 2021 goal is to get it back off and keep it off.    

Since I have mostly been eating Keto, but I have not been riding my bike.  I have to wonder if that's part of my weight problem, not just my more relaxed way of eating.  We shall soon find out, because in addition to eating right, I will also start pushing those miles again.

Anyway, if you are new to Keto, let me touch up on a few of the basics.  I believe it is more about what you are NOT eating, than what you are eating.  You can find the list of foods you need to avoid HERE and you can find the list of foods you can eat HERE.  

As I said above, it's not just about eating and not eating these foods, though.  It's also about eating these foods in the right proportions; your macros.  You want to be eating 5% Carbs, 20% Protein and 75% Fat.  

Yes, you read that right.  

Keto is a Low Carb/High Fat Diet.  You will be training your body to burn FAT for fuel, not sugar.  This means, after your body has burned all the fat you have eaten for the day, if it needs more fuel, it starts to burn your stored fat.  How cool is that?

On Keto, you do not have to count calories.  If you want to get the best results, you will count your macros, though.  Some people can drop the weight on Keto without counting macros, but that is what I've been doing lately and it is not working for me.    What works best for me is to log my food into MyFitnessPal and try to keep my macros as close, to 5% Carbs, 20% Protein and 75% Fat as I can.

Once you get into Ketosis (Fat Burning Mode) you will notice that you are not hungry all the time. So, if you can get yourself to stick with this way of eating for at least 3 days. It does get easier.

When you are able to skip a meal you can put IF (Intermittent Fasting) into play.  With IF, your body will have to dip into your stored fat for fuel.  That's when you should notice the pounds melting away.

But for starters, I would suggest eating 3 meals a day.  I think it would help to make this way of eating seem less like a diet. 

For breakfast you could eat either bacon & eggs or sausage & eggs.  Be sure to check the carb count in the sausage though, because not all sausage is created equal.  And yes, you may add cheese to your eggs, if desired.  Cook the bacon and/or sausage first then fry your eggs in their grease. You may have coffee with breakfast, if you like.  If you drink it black, it's carb free.  But if you like cream and sugar, for a few carbs, you may add a TBS of Heavy Whipping Cream and Stevia. Or better yet, just add a TBS of Butter.  Butter adds Fat but no carbs.

You definitely want some protein for lunch.  You could do a grilled chicken breast, pork steak, pork chop, ribeye, hamburger patty, there are so many options.  However, my go to for lunch is a couple of Johnsonville Better Cheddar Brats and a few slices of pepper jack cheese. 

For starters, I would make the evening meal simple, too.  It is a whole lot easier to count carbs when you aren't making dishes with multiple ingredients.   Instead, just pick a meat, pick a vegetable and add a fat. The fat could be as simple as melted butter on your broccoli.  Or a spoonful of guacamole on your chicken. 

The main thing is to end your day with your macros as close to 5/20/75 as you can.

Things to remember:.   

5% Carbs is a limit.   Try not to go over 5%.

20% Protein is a goal.   You want to get at least 20% protein.  If you are still hungry and you have reached your limit on Carbs and Fat, then you should eat more protein.  

75% Fat is also a limit.   You can go up to 75% but do not go over.  That said, if you can be satisfied eating less than 75%, even better.  The less fat you eat, the more stored fat you will burn.

While you do not have to count calories on Keto, obviously, the fewer you eat, the faster the weight will come off.

So here is an example of a day of eating simple Keto.

If you can eat low carb like this for just 3 days, I believe you will reach ketosis and find this way of eating is quite easy to stick with.  Especially when you see the numbers dropping on the scales.

One last thought. I do suggest you drink one bottle of Powerade Zero Sugar a day.  This will help keep your electrolytes up.  I personally like to add 2 TBS Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar to that bottle of Powerade Zero Sugar.