Amy's Keto experience

18 months ago I tried a new hormone doctor that I thought would certainly help me get my weight under control. I ate moderately clean, worked out religiously without skipping a day in the gym. She put me on a few hormones and suggested a Keto diet. I didn’t know too much about it and didn’t want to, having no bread was something I didn’t think was sustainable so I dismissed Keto altogether. 18 months later I was up another 5# and still working hard. I was over it. I saw a lady on FB declaring she knew the secret, as everyone does, to quick weight loss and no workout. Really? I thought that was dumb. After researching her I was ridiculously skeptical of the no working out part but could totally wrap my head around her food, the how’s and why of it all. So I jumped in, I mean I jumped and didn’t look back. I bought her program and didn’t deviate from the plan 1 time, for one second, or one ounce.

Scared... I was scared to try something new. I was scared to hurt my metabolism. I was scared to lose muscle mass.

Weight. Start weight was 178 on April 1, on May 5th I hit my goal of 155, a few days later got down to 151. I don’t like the way I look under 153 so I have to try to stay above that. I feel I could easily go down. I like a more fit look, than just thin, there’s a fine line and for me it’s literally a few pounds. So bottom line, I lost 25# and I’ve maintained that for 3 months. 

Exercise. I had surgery on April 4 so I couldn’t workout for 6 weeks. I almost put off surgery so I could continue to workout (because I LOVE WORKING OUT) but Teri, my husband, and everyone else in my life told me how crazy that sounded. After the 6 weeks I slowly started back with body weight exercises (squats, push ups, pull ups) and after 8 weeks loved that style so much I continued pushing myself harder. I recently started adding heavier weights and I feel great! My muscles missed weights!

Easiest.. food choices. I can eat simple and eat it everyday. So if something works, I can do it over and over.

Hardest... learning a new style, counting macros, learning a new app, measuring EVERY EVERY EVERY gram of food and logging it. Not eating when I want. Not eating when I want. Eating window, I do a 20-4 intermittent fast the majority of the week so I do go to bed hungry most nights. No Spark was the hardest.

Hungry... my calories were HUGELY reduced when I started. I starved the first 4 days, I’m not going to lie. I might have cried. But after the 4th day my brain settled and realized I wasn’t going to stuff my belly and I felt great after that. Like I said, I usually only eat 1 time a day, if there is something going on with family I’ll eat 2 times a day. I prefer once. I’ve learned to deal with hunger, it’s not that bad;)

Favorite food. My favorite meal is
Chicken breast, bacon, artichoke hearts, capers, and zucchini noodles. I have to measure each ingredient (even the oil) and then cook it. It’s delicious!!

I don’t miss eating the way I used to. I’m in maintenance so I do vary from time to time. I always get a headache and belly ache. I actually can’t think of a time when I went off plan that I didn’t feel sick in one way or another. I don’t think I could force myself to eat the bun on a burger. Sure, I love chocolate ice cream and peanut butter, and I do have it on occasion. I didn’t have a gram of sugar, or anything that turns to sugar once digested, for 43 days, my first sugary food gave me a migraine. It was a crazy revolution for me.

Keto did I restrict calories... ummm. hail to the yes!!! I keep my calories under 1100 most days. Carbs are no more than 20, I try to keep that under 12, proteins never get about 30, and fats stay between 60-65 on an average day.

Biggest differences.. for me it’s the bloating. I had no idea all the grains and sugar were making me feel so ill all the time, once I cleansed from them I felt better, lean, with more energy, all the time. I would wake up and my wedding ring would slide, my eyes weren’t swollen.

Keto long term health... I’m not a doctor:)I do know that it’s working for me. There’s so many truths out there, you have to find what works for you. I’m off all my hormones and my blood work is normal.

Hair loss. About half of the people I know eating high fat no sugar has lost hair. Mine started 3 months into it, I don’t know if it’s a regular shedding process or if it’s because I eat high fat and no sugar. I haven’t noticed a huge change in my hair composition, so for me I’m fine with losing a little hair to feel better. It will come back!

I also take supplements. Again, that’s a doctor thing. And each one will tell you something different. I’ve learned to listen to my body. The amount of information out there is overwhelming and you need to do what works best for you.

I drink a gallon of water by noon every single day. I make it a priority to drink over a gallon a day.

I got severely light headed for a few days after starting this, sugar detox, lack of calories, it wasn’t fun. I take electrolytes 2-3 times a day.