Late last year I was talking with some friends about their successes and challenges with different eating plans. I knew I needed a change. What I was doing was drinking a lot of Starbucks, eating fast food, and other not so healthy options,
I was not exercising because my foot and ankle, along with other joint aches, made it feel impossible to move. I was taking ibuprofen by the handful.......boy does that sound like a junkie or what?! My gut was not healthy even though I had blood work done to see what my food sensitivities were. As I said before, there was a laundry list of foods to avoid, candida expanded that list, and there were signs of gout. I was a walking mess. I was VERY frustrated with my limitations and was rebelling. I can't think of any other way to put it.
Being unhappy was an understatement. I did not like how I looked, did not feel well and needed to make some changes.
Many friends have been following a low carb way of living. This appealed to me. I made the choice to follow this and take my chances with the other things going on. Low carb does eliminate all the starchy veg. Low carb macros look like 5% carbs, 70% fat and 25% protein. This is different than Atkins in the fact Atkins is high protein.....I am looking at high fat. Natural, good fats. Real butter, real cream. This way of eating is called KETO (or ketogenic diet). As I progress along, I keep tweaking MY process as I am FINALLY listening to my body.
Some of what I find going on is that I do not need 3 meals and snacks a day! What a concept!! If I am not hungry I am not eating. I will say that again.......IF I AM NOT HUNGRY I AM NOT EATING. This was such a foreign concept. I did not now my body did not need carbs!
I am not eating sugar, flour (white), grains. I use oils and fats that do not come from foods that cause inflammation. The protein is good, natural, no hormones or antibiotics. It is actually not the leanest protein BUT with the fat and carbs I am not eating more than 4 oz or so at one time. I eat until I am satisfied.
I can say I did blood work last week. Following these parameters of Keto, my glucose numbers are going down; A1C is going down. This is all without medication....yay! My cholesterol went down, my HDL actually came up and is almost where it should be; triglycerides were cut in half. The changes were amazing. My thyroid numbers were great like my thyroid woke up and started working. I still have a few things to work on BUT my doctor said to me that this was the best choice of eating plan for me and my body. HOW exciting is that?! I am thrilled beyond belief.
I have found, although nuts are a good option, for me they are not. I don't have control with them and I will leave it at that. They are ok as a random, occasional treat but nothing I will incorporate regularly. I love eggs and find that hard boiled eggs are hard for me to digest. I know there are still gut healing things going on and eggs were high on my list of trigger foods BUT other cooked eggs are not a problem. Sour cream is fine but creme fraiche (or the combo of creme fraiche with marscapone cheese) does cause some belching. These are things that I can fix with taking care of my gut health. Some dairy is not my friend.......cow cheeses are not all friendly but goat cheeses are fine. I have found such an array of goat cheese.....cheddar goat cheese, crumbles, soft spread.....love them all.
Best part too is I have less joint pain to the point that I am going to the gym. Right now just riding the recumbent bike but off gym days I am walking.......a lot. My steps have almost gotten up to 9K per day. My goal is 6500-7000 steps per day for now. I will be increasing that gradually. My joints ache now if I MISS going to the gym. What a concept!!
So many positive things happening with this lifestyle change. I am happy, feeling good. I see so many changes in my face, my clothes. I feel pretty enough to curl my hair and put on make up. People are noticing!! There is more laughing, more happiness. I thank God that my friends shared their experiences, my doctor approves of my changes and I can be calm and KETO on!!
