When I got back from vacation on July 8th, I weighed myself and rung in at a hearty 270lbs. I’m was out of shape, on high blood pressure medication, and generally had the energy and motivation of a sloth on Ambien. Then a little voice in my head said it was time to change that. I decided to take on the “keto” lifestyle and as a result, 1 month later I’m 250lbs. I still have a ways to go but so far I’m thoroughly enjoying the results.
My energy levels are way up, my motivation to do… anything has drastically increased. My blood pressure is stabilizing, my cholesterol is down, and the digestive issues that have plagued me my entire life are nearly a distant memory. What is “keto?” A very low carb, high fat and protein diet. You cut carbs to the point your body is forced to burn stored fat as fuel. That’s the TL;DR version. I’m not entirely sure how far it is off of Atkins, but I know the last time I attempted any low-carb diet I went from 260lbs to 220lbs pretty damned quick. It took me a good 6 years to get back up to my lounging weight.
Anyhow, cutting carbs hasn’t been a huge deal for me. My sweet tooth is all but non-existent. I don’t miss bread, pasta, even pizza (I’ll get to that later). If I have breakfast, it’s usually bacon and eggs made in bacon grease. Lunch? Double bacon cheeseburger in a lettuce wrap. Dinner? Chicken, Pork, or Steak that I usually incorporate bacon into (especially the leaner pork/chicken in order to drive the saturated fat content up). I don’t get hungry a lot – if I do, usually a handful of salted almonds does the trick.
Pizza? I still have it but I make it myself. Either the Fathead variety (crust composed of almond flour and cheese) – or my preference the Chicken Crust variety. A crust entirely made of shredded chicken with garlic, basil, oregano, parmesan, and an egg. Top it with cheese and bacon – it’s heavenly and supremely satisfying (and very low carb). If I do get a craving for something sweet, I’ve gotten into making these little chocolate cheesecake bites with bakers chocolate, cream cheese, and erythritol sweetener… again very low carb, but completely satisfying.
So right now I’m basically a month and a week in, down 20lbs, and if my current weight loss rate continues I’ll be at or below 200lbs by Christmas while eating things I already enjoyed all the while cutting the crap that kept me fluffy. I’m gonna miss my gut…not. 🙂
