Keto...just do it

I often get asked, how did you start keto? I can’t really say that there was some elaborate plan, I kind of just started. I know that reading all of the information that is available on the internet can be a bit confusing and overwhelming. Keto is not a one-size fits all type of lifestyle change. How are you supposed to know, total carbs versus net carbs, how to calculate your macros, if you should do intermittent fasting or count your calories? It is intense. Having been in your shoes at one point, I know that it can be so overwhelming that it may actually change your mind about starting, but don’t let it deter you.

A ketogenic lifestyle is one of the easiest that I have ever followed. I didn’t have to buy any fancy products. I didn’t have to significantly adjust anything that I was doing on a daily basis, I just had to eat food. Now yes, the food that I was eating changed slightly, but the fact that I could eat and lose weight was the best thing that could have happened to me and I want to help simplify this for all of you as well. The keto lifestyle, when done properly, is a lifestyle that burns fat to provide you sustainable energy. Instead of loading your body up on carbohydrates and added sugars, your body will take all of the foods that you are eating and give you clean healthy energy by putting your body into a fat burning mode.

What do you eat?

For the most part, the keto lifestyle is all about eating high fat, moderate protein and low carb. I have found great success with a 75-20-5 model. My main goal is to not consume more than 20g of net carbs per day. This is where the debate comes in. You will find that some people that say that you should be counting total carbs and others will say net carbs. I am a firm believer in listening to your body and doing what works the best for your body. If you plan to count net carbs, you would look at the nutrition label, make note of the serving size and based on that, you would calculate: Carbohydrates – Dietary Fiber. This will give you the net carbs for the product.

Majority, if not all of your carbs will come from vegetables. I like to keep it simple and stick to the basics. I eat a lot of romaine lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini. Each of these vegetables has a pretty low carb count. I allow myself to have fruit a couple of times a week or more if I really want them, but I stick to berries since they are the lowest in carbs.

I'll be doing a keto for beginners series for the month of May as I kick off my 30 days of keto program. If you want a free sample meal plan, subscribe to receive emails down at the bottom of the page. If you want to take part in the 30 days of keto with me, just follow me on Instagram.. I will post more info and a few graphics there. If you want to start keto, but don't know where to begin and would like a coach who has been where you are, fill out the information request on tube work with me page and we can get started right away! I can't wait to see your results in 30 days :-)

My weightloss before I got pregnant with my daughter. I was only doing keto during this time.

Living the keto life

I get asked quite often why I chose to do keto. The answer is pretty simple: it works! I originally started keto because I had tried every other diet that I could possibly try and they did not work. I have been overweight for most of my life. Growing up, I was always bigger than my sister. After I turned 10, it seemed like I could just look at food and gain weight. I also started my period really early. Now that I am older and have been to a few really great doctors, I am aware that it was probably a result of my polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

After being diagnosed with severe PCOS when I was 21, I made it my mission to try and lose weight. My doctor said that would help with a lot of my symptoms. I was in the Army at that point and was the smallest I had ever been in life, but I was determined to lose more weight, so I did it in a very unhealthy way. I was basically working out really hard and starving myself. It was not a great plan and once I was hurt and could not work out as much as I was before, I had to eat even less in order to maintain my weight loss. I became one very hangry person.

After about 2 months of weight loss, I went back to the doctor only to find out that I had more cysts than before. This was because I was not giving my body the foods that it needed to even begin the healing process, but I had no clue where to even start. I was then put on very high dosage of metformin and birth control to help somewhat regulate my cycles. That was awesome until I wanted to try to have kids. It had done nothing to actually assist in correcting my fertility issues. Now granted, I was not in a place to be having kids right then, so I did not ask any questions at the time. However, when my husband and I decided we wanted to start trying, I kicked myself for not being more inquisitive when I was first diagnosed. I will make a different post about that struggle at another time.

Fast forward four years, I had gotten out of the military, I was depressed and had just moved to a new state where I did not know anyone but my husband. I gained so much weight and I was unhappy with myself, so I knew that I needed to do something about it. Insert the keto diet here! It was simple and I got to eat real food. I was all for it. In the beginning, it was harder for me because my husband was here and I felt like I had to cook two meals. He is much more in shape than I am and he can eat basically anything and gain no weight.
I was on and off keto for months. He then had to go to school. I decided that while he was gone, I was going to get into a good rhythm that I could still keep up with while he was here. He was gone for 3 months and in that time I lost about 35lbs! I was ecstatic. Of course, this was new to me still and I thought oh well having a dessert here and there won’t kill me. Well a dessert here and there turned into me realizing I had a binge eating problem. Food has always been something that I control with my emotions and I can go from one extreme to the other, I either eat everything or nothing depending on my mood. I fell off of the keto wagon for about 8-months. I then decided that I wanted to try again and this time really stick to it. I did and I lost 40lbs. Around this time, we decided that we wanted to try again for our first child.

I did not really think it would happen for us at all, but I wanted to try. After two cycles, I was pregnant. This was amazing for me. I did not continue with keto while I was pregnant because I did not think that I could. Looking back, I wish that I had. About 2 years after having my son, I decided to do keto again. I lost about 80lbs from March through December 2017 and I had no plans of reverting back to my old ways. Well, in February 2018, I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter. It was the biggest shock of my life.

The one thing that I love about keto is that anyone can do it. You don’t have to buy a bunch of random things in order to make this work. You just have to eat food. Now, your mindset about food has to change. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is so common and thought to be the best thing for us, but the portions that we see as normal are not. I love the way that I feel and look on the keto diet, so I actually decided to learn how it works. I got my ketogenic living certification and I have enjoyed helping other lose weight and keep it off. I am basically starting all over because of the weight that I gained with my daughter, but I have set small goals for myself and I can’t wait to see how my body transforms this time.