Keto or Hell, No?

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By Janet Grace

High fat, adequate protein, low carbs, plenty of water. That’s it. That’s the whole easy peasy diet.

After a few days of following the above recipe for success, one’s body goes into ketosis whereupon the body uses the fat currently stored within the body to burn the fats consumed. Fat burns fat at a faster rate than not.

The first week may have you losing five to ten pounds or more in weight loss. What your body is expelling at this point are all the excess water, toxins, bloating, inflammation stored in your cells.

If you continue with this diet, it will take many more weeks for your body to completely clear out all the nonsense you’ve spent years putting in there. Within days, you will feel clearer minded. Drink plenty of water to assist with the expulsion of those toxins.

Suggestions include eating small snacks or meals every two to three hours to raise the fuel burning metabolic rate. The more you eat, the faster you lose.

Other tricks include intermittent fasting, which consists of eating for x amount of hours and refraining from eating for another amount. I.e. Eating Times: 8 a.m. 11 a.m. 2 p.m. 5 p.m. 8 p.m.

That’s 12 hours that your body is working to constantly release toxins, stored fat, weight.

No food afterwards until 8 a.m. the following day.

Some prefer to complete fast for a few days and then intermittently for 3 days, abstain from eating the following day, returning to the intermittent fasting, the next day.

Don’t worry about the scale. Measure yourself with a tape measure instead. That is where you will see the results.

Sample of What’s Allowed: all meats, fish, seafood, all dairy products, nuts, veggies galore, berries, select fruits in moderation, coffee, tea using whipped cream instead of milk, selective sweetener substitutes, almond flour, coconut flour, oils, butters, nut butters, keto ice cream, low carb breads, all spices.

What to avoid: anything white including pasta, rice, couscous, potatoes, beans, cane sugar, honey, molasses, high calorie syrups, high sugar foods, sweetened cereals, high carb breads, white flour, corn flour, wheat flour. What these foods do is cause bloating. The carbohydrates in even small portions inflate the fat cells like putting air in tires, of course you’ll plump up.

There you have it: G’bye, Take it easy, Ciao. LOL. Kidding.

Before the pandemic quarantining began, I was wearing size 10 jeans I normally wear during winter with another pair of heavy sweatpants underneath. I could barely button them alone and the “muffin top” I’d developed, felt awful. That didn’t mean I was donning my running shoes and setting out. I was merely noticing.

My nighty romance with a few glasses of wine to drown the sorrow of losing two of my fur babies within a two month span weighed heavily on my heart.

It wasn’t until the end of April, that I decided there was no way on this good, green earth that I was going to gain another ounce on my own watch. Out went the wine and every food item I no longer wanted, went straight to the descendants. From soup to nuts, I ransacked my cupboards and cleared them out.

My daughter’s birthday gift was to pay for an Instacart delivery loaded with all the new keto friendly items for the healthier me. I know. She’s so awesome, but I’m a bit biased.

I’m mostly vegetarian, for the animals. I say “mostly” because I was raised on steak, chops and all that and while I refuse to purchase any meat products, if I go dine at someone’s house and they place meat on my plate, I’ll not say: ‘oh, heavens, no’. I’ll thank them and the Universe for the meal and eat around it, no drama.

What is important to know about Keto is that it is a lifestyle, not a quick diet. I guarantee you that if you refrain from eating in this manner, after following it for however long you have, a week after returning to high carbohydrates (over 30 carbs per day for a few days) you will begin to see the scale rise very quickly, the clothes will tighten and all your hard work will be for naught. You might even gain more weight.

Why even bother?

Well, let’s say you’re a meat eater. There are still more of those than not.

A sample menu would be:

Breakfast: meat (any kind) protein, low carbs
Eggs, any style, cheese, any kind, vegetable, i.e. mushrooms, peppers, onions, spinach, tomatoes.
Keto low carb toast
Coffee, tea
Carbs 8 max

Snack: cheese, veggie or yogurt
Carbs: 4

Lunch: veggie quiche, vegetable bullion, coffee or tea or no cal flavored water or electrolyte water.
Carbs: 0

Snack: tuna salad, low carb bread or cottage cheese or lettuce and tomato or all of the above.
Carbs: 8

Dinner: small salad, Steak, veggie, keto ice cream.
Carbs: 8

Notice, there was no calorie counting but don’t think you don’t have to be careful, you do. Don’t overdo it. Keep your objective and goal clear.

There are keto groups on social media where people share before and after pictures that are simply astounding after having lost hundreds of pounds in one or two years.

It took me from April until July to lose 15 pounds because I see this as a lifestyle choice, so I practice what’s called “dirty keto”, (of course) which means: I’m having that donut, today. Sue me! I’ll pick it back up tomorrow, and I do! It slows the progress but makes the journey yummier and this here, heathen is all about the yumminess in life.

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