Before we go any further, let me just say, I can’t stand dieting! It usually involves major food restrictions, which is not fun. I consider myself a bit of a foodie, as does my husband, and we seriously love to eat some good grub. But there are a few times in life when changing the way we eat for short while can help us feel better physically and mentally in the long run.
For example, are you a new mom, who a few months in is realizing that breastfeeding, does NOT in fact always equal the baby weight just magically melting off by itself? (Ahem, that was me). Trying to lose weight after having a baby can be difficult. For me, I was back in the exercise swing of things, but still on my pregnancy diet of addictive, processed carbs. I needed a gut reset, a palate cleanse so to speak. So at five months postpartum with an extra 25 pounds hanging on, I decided to take the keto plunge! If you’re here reading this, it’s possible that you are thinking about trying the keto diet yourself and wondering what it’s all about. I’d love to share with you some of the lesser known takeaways from the keto diet that I discovered on the fly.
But First, A Little Background Info
I have been strictly gluten-free for about seven years. Eating gluten gives me all sorts weird symptoms like stomach aches, heart palpitations and a snotty nose. I also somewhat avoid dairy for similar reasons, but you just can’t keep me away from cheese altogether. Nope, no way! Staying gluten-free and low dairy is also recommended for my autoimmune disorder – Graves Disease (more on that another time). I love to eat foods that make my body and mind feel good. It’s very intuitive at this point, and I never really feel like I’m missing out (except maybe things like street fair funnel cakes and a good crusty, gluten-y baguette; yum!).
During pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period, carbs were my best friend. So many of the yummy veggies and meats I used to love just tasted plain weird. Many days I would have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, mac & cheese for lunch, and pizza for dinner. For dessert, I would down an entire bag of chocolate covered pretzels in one sitting. My sugar and carb cravings were at an all time high. But once I stopped breastfeeding and the hormones died down, what I was eating just made me feel sluggish. I knew I had to make some changes to get myself feeling better again, both physically and mentally.
Back to Keto and the Takeaways
The basic gist is that it’s a low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet. After a few days to a week of following this way of eating, your body will go into ketosis. The easiest way to figure this out is peeing on keto strips every day. While in the state of ketosis, your body burns off fat like crazy! Being gluten free, I naturally tend to have a low carb diet anyway. In many ways, being keto was closer to my normal eating habits than my carb takeover days. The goal was to re-set my cravings, get back in tune with how different foods made me feel, and jump start weight loss. The bottom line: it worked. I lost 12 pounds in five weeks. If you’re thinking about giving it a go, there are tons of great resources online from professionals to get yourself started! (Try here, here, and here!)
But in the meantime, as you may now know, I’m all about sharing knowledge from my experiences to help others out. So, even will all my googling, here are five takeaways from keto diet that were completely unexpected for me:
1. Talking to your doctor first is actually important
The keto diet does some funky things to your body. I jumped into keto without discussing it with my primary care physician, thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal. In all my research, it seemed only people with diabetes or blood sugar issues would need doctor supervision. I was wrong! A few weeks into the diet, I had my annual well visit. When I mentioned going keto, my doctor let me know that a ketogenic diet can sometimes effect the thyroid. As someone with Graves’s Disease (hyperthyroidism), I had to be extra careful and have my bloodwork monitored more frequently than usual. Ooops. So just make sure to double check with your doc and get the OK!
2. Don’t fear the keto flu
Ok, so have you heard of the keto flu? It refers to the flu like symptoms one can get when the body transitions to ketosis. Nausea, stomach cramps, body aches, brain fog, the list goes on. It can last for several days. I was terrified of the keto flu (hello fearful Jessica!), but it turns out all the worrying was for nothing! I was in ketosis within two days and encountered zero flu like symptoms. There’s no guarantee you will feel it, so don’t be deterred by it! Check out this helpful article on ways to curb the keto flu if there is still concern.
3. It can be hard to make sure you’re eating enough
Part of the reason the keto diet works so well is that you always feel full. But I never actually realized how tricky this can get. Once in ketosis was in full swing, I would often forget to eat as the day went on. I sometimes literally had to force myself to eat dinner. We’re not trying to starve ourselves people! Not eating enough can cause the body to break down muscle, which probably isn’t your goal. I would suggest tracking your macros with an app like Eat This Much when you start out. It will help you make sure you’re hitting your all fat/protein/carb targets as well as getting enough calories before you get the hang of how your body responds to keto.
4. Go easy on the low-carb sugar
When it comes to my main meals, I’m big on healthy, whole foods. But when it comes to dessert, all bets are off! I need my sweets, especially chocolate, because life is all about balance. So, when I discovered the world of keto snacks sweetened with sugar alcohols, and I went a little crazy! That’s when I also discovered, that erythritol is not always your friend. I had major digestive issues whenever ate anything with too much fake sugar. Just trust me – take it slow with the keto sweets until you are sure your body can handle them!
5. Yes, you CAN cheat… sort of.
As I said, I fucking hate restrictive diets. I was adamant that I needed cheat days on keto, even when you aren’t supposed to (it can throw the body out of ketosis for a bit). And while keto treats are great, they don’t always agree with me (see above). Also, let’s be honest, there’s nothing like the real deal! So, when my girlfriend wanted to grab dinner halfway into my keto plan, I tested the cheating waters. I had mostly keto-friendly food for my main meal but indulged in two glasses of wine and had gluten free cake for dessert! It was ahhh-mazing. I was out of ketosis for one day, and felt ok. I cheated again maybe two times with no significant set backs. Everybody is different, but just know that it absolutely possible to have occasional, small indulgences on keto and still see results!
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I hope these takeaways have been helpful and motivating if you are looking into the ketogenic diet. It was an interesting experience and worth trying if your doctor ok’s it. After my keto weight loss, it took several more months before I lost the rest of my baby weight. But what’s important is that I felt the desire more than ever to eat things other than carbs and sugar, and my workout performance improved due to my healthier food choices. Losing weight, especially postpartum weight, is a slow and steady process. Remember to be kind to yourself during that time. You got this!