Why I Love Keto



A Low carb or Paleo diet can be a tasty and an easy lifestyle to maintain. It is one that I confidently recommend to anyone looking to improve their health. The cornerstone of this way of eating, is about avoiding grains, removing processed and refined foods and replacing them with whole foods.
I found that following a Low Carb or ‘Paleo’ lifestyle (I use the word lifestyle as I see this as a permanent change and not a diet), for a couple of years, was a great stepping stone for me before deciding to try Nutritional Ketosis or ‘Keto’ for short.

A Ketogenic diet goes a step further from a Paleo diet in reducing carbohydrates to generally less than 30 grams per day. Keto facilitates a secondary metabolic pathway for fuel in the body. This style of eating can decrease inflammation and assist our bodies in healing disease. While this way of eating may seem restrictive (eliminates fruits, starchy vegetables, all grains and legumes), I have found it to be a simple way of life, with numerous benefits.

Body Sculpting and Health
Being ‘in Ketosis’ is great for maintaining lean muscle mass and reducing excess fat on your body. I am able to maintain a lean body without doing excessive cardio workouts or depriving myself of good nutrition. As far as overall health, I have noticed several things. I no longer have heartburn and have eliminated my need for acid reflux medication. Because the Keto diet eliminates excess water, I feel thinner and don’t get that bloated feeling after eating. My asthma is much better controlled and I am no longer dependent on inhalers. My hair and nails are great, I still haven’t had to colour my hair and I’m forty-nine. I don’t get sick very often and usually I can bounce back pretty quickly when I do. The last time I went for a physical, my blood pressure and blood work were all great.

Eliminating Cravings
A Ketogenic lifestyle can do way more for you than just weight loss though. By allowing your body to use ketone bodies rather than glucose, we eliminate the continuous need for more carbohydrates in our diet. Carbohydrates are the one macronutrient that our body can produce itself. What that means is that there is really no physical need for us to consume carbohydrates. I posted that statement on my Facebook page once and it wasn’t well received by some of my carb lover friends. Being free of that craving for carbohydrates has to be one of my top reasons for loving a ketogenic lifestyle. Before becoming ‘keto-adapted’, I had cravings for food all day long, even if I had just ate. I especially craved carbohydrates, with the evenings being the worse time for snacking.

No more Guilt
With the cravings and subsequent indulging, came guilt. I think most people can relate to this. You wake up Monday morning with super intentions. You have a healthy breakfast, take a healthy lunch to work and even manage to avoid the office donut box. Then you make the family a nice healthy dinner but afterwards, you still feel hungry. Maybe you get yourself a healthy snack but at some point, you find yourself reaching for that cookie or bag of chips that your kids left on the coffee table and before you know it, you feel like you just failed yourself. For someone addicted to sugar and carbs, it can be a vicious cycle. One that Keto has saved me from!

Free from Hypoglycemia
I probably still have low blood sugar but I no longer have symptoms that use to control me when I ate carbohydrates. I’m sure many of you have experienced a dip in blood sugar; it can give you a headache, short temper, a feeling of faintness or shakiness. It is not a pleasant feeling and in order to avoid it, I use to carry snacks with me everywhere I went. Now, I can leave the house without anything but my water bottle and not worry about what time I will be home again. This is just so freeing. Even if I forget to bring a lunch, I know it won’t hurt me to skip lunch, likely, I won’t even feel hungry if I’ve had breakfast. Often, I only eat 1-2 meals a day now because I’m simply not hungry. Last Monday I had a long work day and I came home and said “I’m hungry” to no one in particular but my daughter heard me and she said “I never hear you say that!” which just goes to show, I rarely find myself truly hungry unless I am fasting. Fasting is just such a great way to get us back in tune with our bodies and to finally notice what true hunger feels like (but I will talk about fasting in another post).

More Productive
Without having to stop for snacks and even meals during the day, it frees me up to get more done. After going Keto for three months, I began writing again and finally finished a novel that I had been working on for years. Having that project off of my plate was a huge accomplishment and got me excited to finally start some new ventures such as this blog. I also feel more productive at my full time job and feel like I can accomplish way more in a day than I did before. My thinking is clear and creativity seems to be flowing from me like a river!

Energy
It’s so nice to be able to truck through the day without feeling the need for a nap. Even when I am short on sleep, like last night (because I was out at a Stevie Nicks concert until 1:30 am!) I didn’t need to lay down or have a coffee in the afternoon. In fact, I worked all day, made two lasagna’s (one regular for the kids and one yummy mushroom one for my boyfriend and me), did laundry and vacuumed. Oh, and I worked out! Today was leg day so I did some leg lifts, lunges and plyometric exercises. I feel so much more alert and active now. A ‘pep in my step’ so to speak.

A Secret Weapon
Since being keto, I’ve started to take more notice of people and their behaviour with food. The way that they say “oh I shouldn’t” when the cookies are passed around but they take one anyway and how they carry breath mints or candies in their pockets for those low blood sugar moments. People know that sugar is an issue, I just don’t think they realize how big of a problem it is. I encourage you to watch the documentary TheTruth About Sugar.
When I walk past the plate of cookies at work without noticing them, say no thanks to a slice of birthday cake or bake a cake for my family without even a lick of it, I kind of feel like I have a secret weapon that only I know about. People will comment on my willpower, but it really isn’t that at all. I needed willpower when I was eating carbs because I craved them but now I just don’t. Food has become the fuel that it was intended to, freeing me to focus on other things.

Now, I'm not saying that Keto is for everyone. It's not easy for some people to get past the carb flu but if you are looking to free yourself from your sugar addiction once and for all, and willing to go the distance, I would definitely encourage you to give it a try.

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