Keto Diet
This is not my normal fashion blog post, but I really wanted to share my thoughts and impressions of the KETO diet. I did a video about my experience here in case you missed it.
About the KETO Diet
If you don’t know anything about the KETO diet, you can find more in-depth, scientific articles about how the diet works with a quick Google search. But, the main concept of KETO is to eliminate all sugars and most carbohydrates. By eating fewer carbs, your body will stop fueling itself on carbs/sugar… and turn to fat for fuel. It’s a state called Ketosis.
I came across KETO when I was looking for ways to get rid of the 7+ pounds I have gained recently. There are a LOT of avid KETO supporters and testimonials of how it is changing lives.
If you want to know more about my KETO diet experience, you can watch my video here or just click/tap play in the box above.
My Thoughts
I want to give you the straight scoop as well as the pro’s and con’s. This is MY experience. Everybody is different. I know that many of you LOVE KETO.
PROS: Over the course of three months, I felt great! I was totally satiated. I had amazing energy. I slept like a champ. I also felt clearer. The puffiness and bloating were non-existent. I lost 7 pounds and was back down to my fighting weight.
CONS: Trying to stay in Ketosis was TOUGH! I basically had to consume fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, which I tracked with KETO strips (peeing on a stick) and an app called Carb Manager. Once you dive in, you’ll discover how hard this is. The KETO Flu is a legit thing and seemed never-ending. I felt sluggish, tired and awful for at least a week. I also got SOOOOO sick of all the foods. I am certain that if I enjoyed cooking, I could have been more creative with the meals. There are a ton of recipes online, but alas, I detest cooking so I was eating eggs, more eggs, and even more eggs… I am only now (six + months later) able to entertain touching eggs. I also ate a LOT of meat and cheese. Bottom line, I got bored with the food choices. And, when I went off KETO and starting eating some carbs again, I gained the weight back immediately. Like within a week or two. (Of note: I was not eating heavy, starchy carbs like bread, pasta or potatoes.)
Intermittent Fasting
All that said, I think it was an awesome experiment and it was EYE opening in terms of how much sugar I was consuming. I think that information is invaluable and I’m using it to modify my diet now. I am currently doing Intermittent Fasting where I don’t eat anything (including cream in my coffee) until 12pm and finish eating around 8pm. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes. Intermittent Fasting or IF is pretty much what I’ve done my whole life, except I always used coffee creamer. I’ve never been a huge breakfast eater.
I’m also trying out a new exercise program that feels quite gentle and lovely called P.Volve. So far, I’m noticing major changes in my butt (more lifted and toned) and seeing a few new lines come out in my stomach. It hasn’t been great for weight loss so I’m adding hiking and walking 3 times per week to the mix.
You can read more about P.Volve here.
KETO Recipes
For those that love KETO, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite recipes from the diet.
Vanilla Fat Bomb
I am a sugar addict! I LOVE sugar so giving up sugar was pretty hard. I always allowed myself one small sweet treat at the end of the day. While I was on KETO, that treat was the Vanilla Fat Bomb. You make them using a sugar substitute called Xylitol or Swerve. It tastes creamy and delicious, satisfies those sugar cravings and will keep you full the entire night! I also liked Choc Zero bars.
I used these trays for the fat bombs.
BulletProof Coffee
It’s ironic, the one thing I was the most skeptical about, BulletProof Coffee, turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the KETO diet. I LOVED my coffee with the butter, collagen and MCT oil and it REALLY fills you up! Now… I add collagen and MCT oil to a decaf coffee at lunchtime now because of the Intermittent Fasting. I am currently skipping the butter.
My favorite collagen powder is this one by Vital Proteins. If Vital Proteins isn’t available, this one was my backup. The collagen powder improves hair, skin, and nails. My hair is definitely shinier.
The key is BLENDING the ingredients in a Nutribullet. I used this one from Amazon and it made my coffee creamy and frothy in seconds. While traveling, I brought this milk frother. It doesn’t work as well as the Nutribullet, but it was fine for travel.
More LifeStyle Favorites
5 Simple Habits That Can Help Change Your Life here.
10 Strategies to Help… When You Feel Overwhelmed, Sad or Depressed here.
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Please share YOUR experience with KETO below. We would love to hear from you!!
Thanks for this video. I was just going to start a keto diet next week. I can’t seem to loose the belly fat that accumulated around my waist.
My dr. recommended the keto diet for a temporary weight loss. He didn’t recommend i stay on the diet for more than 2 months. wHAT HE DIDN’T SAY IS THAT YOU
GAIN ALL THE WEIGHT YOU LOose BACK GRADUALLY. it’s hard to give up so many of the foods I love, but it’s worth a Try.
Thanks again, I enjoy your video”s and trust your opinions.,
Would like to share a couple of resources that have reaLly hElped me in my post MENOPAUSAL journey to a better level of health – healthier weight (clotheS are fun again!), and also better strengtH, balance, aNd flexibility. 1- My Body Tutor. I cannot say enough positive about the way thAT Personal touch has helped. Until you get to the goal you set, it’s not free, but the continued support is!! as much or as little as you choose for as long as you want. Check out the website mybodyTutor.com to read the details. Adam gilbert, the fouNder, is a very caring and a very real talk dude! 2- Flipping fifty- completely tailored to primaRily weight training for post menopausal women. Big take away for me – more is not necessarily more regarding results! Based on CURRENT fitness research. Debra atkinson has over 30 yrs as an eDucatoR and trainer. At first i felt guilty not hitting my workout Room any less than 5 days a week, but not dince ive begun to put The principles into action. Gone are the days Of overusing cardio in vain attempts to lose fat. Yay! Long post but Felt compelled to share some of the good that ive experienced!
Hi Erin,
A little back ground on me. I am 54 (in less than two months), i have three children 22,19,20, and have been happily married for 28+ years. I gRew up an athlete and contInued into my adult life with sports and working out. I am 5’3” and have gained and lost 20 lbs multiPle times throughout the years. I Have ranged in sizes frOm a 2 to a 6. I have experimented with just about every diet out there: low fat, low carb, adkins, weight watchers, HCG, diet pills, excessive cardio, keto, intermittent fasting, and i am sure i am missng a few. In that time due to aging and poor (goofy) diets i was slowly loosing muscle. I also struggled with diagnosis of MS (long storY, ok now), hypothyroidism, lyme, and now menoPause. Until recently… i feel i have finally Found a liFe long solution. I started on my own then i worked with a trainer on lIne. I simply count my macros iifym (it is hard at first, but if your at all intelligent your learning curve will be sHort). Iifym stands for if it fits my macros, which allows you to eat and drink anyth you Want as ling as it fits your macros. For example i allow myself 149 carbs, 53 fat, and 107 PROTEIN which comes to 1501 calories per day, which puts me in a calorie deficiT so that i will lose around .5 to 1 lb per week. I also took up lifting weights to build back my muscle, for a stronger metabolism and muscle. I still do some cardio, but i dont live by it. You also have to be ready to know that it is not an overnight quick fix! I have been doing it (correctly) for about 6 months but it WASN’T until around month three that i was able to figure out what was WORKING best for my body. Then i started losing weight, gaining muscle, and most impOrtantly losing inches! I am current down 9 lbs, and 17.5 inches (8 areas)! As for meNopause…totally sucks! I recommeNd the following: 1) Get your hormones checked and get on some bio identical to help you even things out, will probably have to get checked every 3 to 6 months. 2) Remember that your body is going through a major shift and anytime that happens it will become inflamed in order keep thinGs the same. YouR body is only trying to protect you. So dont start a diet that will make your body panic. Intermittent FASTING might work for a while but It is not susTainable (you are already not liking part of it), and it will make your menopausal body panic and hold onto weight. Drink a lot as many of glasses of water you can a day. During menopause you do start to dry out (another cause for inflaMmation) so drink enough water so it can relax and not be in that fight or flight mode. Although, Dont over drink because your body wont like that either. Work really hard on getting 8 plus hours of sleep, take non habiT forming unisom if you have to. A menopause body loves rest, and decreases inflammation. Are you beginning to see a connection? I also figured out if i workout too hard by increasing my weights too much i wont lose! I hOpe you find this information useful! Almost any SOCIAL media site will have info on iifym, fiNd one that worKs for you. I wish you the best and understand it is a journey and now iS the best time to start feeding and EXERCISING you body so it can be calm and non-inflammed as possible. Fyi…i am giving myself two years to really get where i want to be so i am in it for the long haul! However, i am already loving how my body looks!
Thanks for sharing your experience with the keto diet – I’m sure it’s difficult for many people to follow – I personally have been doing keto, and then low carb since january of 2018 – I’ve lost 70+ lbs. with a few more to go. I think for many women when they hit menopause, that a low carb lifestyle should be started. my doctor highly recommended it! i’ve had more energy than i’ve had in years and feel great! i would highly encourage you to keep up with the low carb life and this may be the perfect time to learn to cook more wholesome foods – that’s the key 🙂
Be sure and check out bobby parrish flavcity on yt. I thinkk youll enjoy him as i do. As We Age we must accept the changes.
eRIN THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOU WEIGHT GAIN JOURNEY WITH US THROUGH your newsletter. I too have been experiencing these SYMPTOMS and i refuse to say well that is just how it is. i will do EVERYTHING in my power like you to figure this one out. i appreciate you being honest with us.
I am so happy to hear that you have tried keto. I went through menopause at 48 and gained 20 pounds which I could not shake. I then had breast cancer when i was 73 and have been put on a drug that is an estrogen blocker which put me back into a menopausal state. I started to gain a pound a week then I discovered the Keto way of eating and over the past year I have lost that 20 pounds. I have not been this weight for at least two decades. I do intermittent fasting and I do not like to cook but there are so many sites that give recipes that I am never bored. I wich you well. I love your channel and I watch them all. YOu are a sweet person. 😉
You are gaining weight because as you get older you are losing hormones. That’s normal but it stinks, so we fight back. Find an anti-aging doctir who will test you and supplement your hormones (estradiol, progresterone and testosterone) transdermally. And keeps testing regularly until you are at the right levels. If the doctor suggests pills or shots, run away. You need the slow release of hormones thru creams. Then your diet and exercise will work as they should.
I did the keto diet a year ago and I lost 32 pounds. I only did it for six months, and I continued to work out and incorporate more carbs each week. I have gained about 8 pounds back but I feel stronger and leaner, so I’m hoping some if it is muscle. I’m pretty happy with the results but I agree it’s not for everyone.
Hi Erin, glad to read up on your keto adventure. I have lots of friends who are trying it. Some it works for, others not so much. me personally, i have never tried it. i have been using a product (or do I say products) from isagenix. The products are truly amazing. i have never felt hungry, once in the 2.5 years i’ve been on it. i have lost almost 30 lbs and have kept it off with fluctuating maybe 2-3 lbs back and then lose them again once i cleanse. i sleep like a baby, which i never did before. i have more energy than i have in years, and i’m going to be 61 in october.
basically, every day i drink 2 shakes a day or have 1-2 meal replacement bars, and yes, they are absolutely delicious, chocolate, lemon, caramel crunch, etc. i eat 3-4 snacks a day (fruits, nuts, or similar) and have 1 knife and fork meal a day.
i kinda sorta do watch my calories when i’m traveling, but i never restrict myself when/if i am. my knife and fork meal is somewhere between 400-600 calories, sometimes it’s dinner, sometimes it’s lunch and sometimes it’s breakfast (if we’re traveling and i find a special place i want to eat at.)
please know, i never push anything on anyone, i offer the information and my story. however because i love this so much i am passing on my info. this might be something you might like? especially because it’s so easy to maintain. it’s not a diet, it’s a true lifestyle. it’s super easy, your kids can drink the shakes and you can drink/eat them while on the go.
if you have interest, please go to: https://eleanorrosegodfrey.isagenix.com/ the research on isagenix is silly crazy, they’re a legit company, your items are delivered straight to your door. you have a full, no questions asked, 30 day money back guarantee. Nothing ‘needs’ to be refrigerated either, so it’s super easy to travel with.
Again, i don’t mean to push, nor am i, i am just sharing my info with you.
have an amazing day! Eleanor