You’ve probably been existing under a rock if you don’t have at least 5-10 family members, friends, or co-workers who are trying some form of “Keto”.

And I was that person you knew who was giving it a go.  I was even encouraging others to join me in trying it out a few weeks ago.  So if you are taking a moment to read this post you are probably either considering trying out the Keto Diet yourself, or you may be wondering why I am not doing it anymore haha.

Well, I first started hearing and noticing more Instagram related posts about the Keto diet in the summer of 2017.  That fall, during the weeks we were planning to move back into our Harvey-damaged house, I thought “What the heck, might as well give it a try since these next few weeks are going to be pretty tiring and hellish anyway!”

What is the Keto Diet?

For those who don’t know much about what the Keto Diet entails (or maybe those who think all you do is eat a bus-load of bacon) let me break it down for you in a very, very, simple explanation:

The Ketogenic diet is based on strictly eating a very low about of net carbohydrates per day.  Ideally someone following the diet closely would eat 20 (or less) net carbs per day.  Also, this way of eating is focuses on having 70% of your daily caloric intake come from healthy fats, 25% from protein, and 5% from carbs.

The theory is that if you eat this way then your body, which primarily runs on carbohydrates, will have no choice but to use your body fat as fuel to run the show once you have entered into a state of “ketosis”  This actually reminded me of good old Doctor Atkins.  I first tried out a low-carb way of eating as an overweight teenager after reading part of one of his books *_*

There are many food list resources available online (Diet Doctor has one of my favorites!) And the easy part of following this way of eating is that I enjoy all of the foods that you primarily eat on Keto.

What Was It Like?

It was quite hard to get used to eating that much healthy fat though.  To lose the majority of the 100lbs I have lost, I focused on eating lean proteins, moderate healthy fats, fresh fruits, and tons of veggies.  With Keto, I needed to track my food much more closely and fruit is basically not included at all, save a few berries here and there.  That was probably one of the major deal breakers for me!

Both times I tried this way of eating I found that the first 2 days were the hardest and then after that it was much easier and my carb/sugar cravings were much lower.  But for me, it is one thing to not crave such foods, but actually avoiding them 100% is much harder.  It would be so much easier if I lived a lifestyle where I never had to encounter bad carbs and social eating situations where I was surrounded by others enjoying the heck out of their treats and drinks.  Out of sight, out of mind, you know?

When you cut your carbs down to 5% of your daily intake you will quickly drop several pounds of water weight in just the first few days.  I did!  It was nice to see that movement on the scale and definitely a motivator to continue.

I did not feel 100% in my workouts while on the Keto diet, and probably did experience some degree of the “Keto Flu” as my body reacted to losing it’s favorite energy source and dopamine hits.  While there are many athletes and exercise enthusiasts who feel wonderful and focused on their workouts while on Keto, I was not one of them.  To be honest, I did not give it weeks and weeks for my body to adjust.  I just didn’t feel like dealing with it anymore and wanted to feel like my normal self while running and lifting weights.

Did I Stick With It?

Overall The Keto Diet did help me lose a few pounds and inches.  The most valuable thing it did for me was help me detox from how many sweets and breads/crackers/chips etc. I was eating.  When I ended my tango with this high fat low carb diet, it was much easier for me to be more “responsible” with my carbs.

At the end of the day, sticking 100% compliant to the Keto Diet felt like to much “work” for me in terms of meal prep and just eating in general when not home.  Maybe another time in my life will arise when I feel like trying it again and giving more devotion to trying it out long term.  I know there are many individuals who have found great weight loss success with this way of eating.  You probably know at least 2 or three of them yourself.

Have you tried Keto or are you considering it?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic in the comments!