Losing 45 lbs is a tall order for just about anyone. It’s especially so for someone who’s had an up and down (mostly up) relationship with food and her weight. I talked a bit last time about how I’m not great at weight loss. I have tried so. many. things. So why will this time be any different?
Because I’m not doing this for me. I’m not doing it to look better, feel better, to lose dress sizes, etc. (although all of those are TOTALLY VALID REASONS to want to lose weight). I’m going to benefit, but I am doing this so that my body will be more healthy and better able to carry a baby for someone else. Whitney and her family are counting on me to be as healthy as possible to carry a baby for them.
So how the heck will I do this?
Enter the Keto Diet. This way of eating has been gaining a lot of popularity recently. It’s actually been around for a while (it was popularized by the Atkins diet a while back). It is a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet. I’ve heard about it a lot from my various social media groups, and women I know are having great success on it and are healthier than they have ever been. I wasn’t convinced at first, so I channeled my inner Hermione. “When in doubt, go to the library.” – Ron Weasley
I borrowed Keto Zone Diet by Jon Colbert. This book was awesome. The first part gives a really basic introduction to the Keto diet and includes a lot of Colbert’s personal experiences with it, both for himself and for his many patients. The second part gets into the science behind the Keto diet, and was very helpful for me to get on board with this way of eating. The third part digs into actually eating this way and gives a whole bunch of example meals and recipes. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about the Keto diet or ketosis in general.
What is ketosis? That sounds like a fancy science word. It’s the word to describe when your body is converting fat into glucose to use as fuel. When we eat a lot of carbohydrates (even good for you ones like high-fiber grains, fruit, and vegetables like sweet potatoes and squash), the carbs are turned into glucose (sugar). Our body burns whatever it needs for fuel, and then it converts whatever is left over into fat. Basically, carbs turn into fat.
When we drastically cut down the amount of carbs we consume, our body turns to the stored fat to get energy. Our body doesn’t want to do this because it’s not nearly as easy as burning sugar that we consume, so it’ll fight you a bit when you first start eating a low carb diet. You often end up experiencing what’s known as “carb flu.” It’s a nasty feeling, but when you power through, your body adapts.
Tomorrow morning, September 3, I’m starting to eat on the Keto diet. I’ve planned out my meals for the next week. It includes a lot of salads, a lot of scrambled eggs, a ton of healthy oils like coconut and extra virgin olive oil, and absolutely no sugar. I’m adapting a lot of recipes that I used when I did the Whole30 a year ago. I’m really excited! And I’m excited to update you all weekly on how things are going. Let me know if there’s anything specific you want to know.
What do you think about the keto diet? What’s worked for you in the past? What are you favorite low carb meals?
It’s Not My Baby 