I started this post about a month ago and then life got nuts. So I am trying again. LOL
I took a month off from doing the keto diet. I honestly just COULD NOT deal with it while we in the middle of buying a house/moving, etc. It was so overwhelming I couldn’t mentally handle it.
Keto is a lot of work. I mean, once you get a handle on it and have a rotation of meals and snacks, you don’t really have to think about it TOO much but you still have to track everything and check everything to make sure your macros are correct and you are eating the correct amount of fat and low carb counts. So it takes a lot of mental energy. And I just couldn’t do it while I was doing everything else.
So I took a break. For about a month. (Honestly, back in the day when I lost 100+ pounds originally and just counted my calories, that was A LOT easier, you could eat whatever you wanted and just counted your calories, didn’t take a lot of mental energy or thought.) I ate whatever I want, not much different but I did eat carbs. And I enjoyed the hell outta ’em!
And my pants were tight.
So here I go again. I am back doing it and I won’t be taking a break (as far as I plan right now). We are going to Hawaii for my birthday and I’d love to lose some weight before our trip! That is my goal. I have 5 months! Let’s do this.
I recently found this Kombucha that is lower in carbs and sugar:
It’s about half of what a normal kombucha is. Awesome! So still not ideal but a treat once in awhile.
So at the end of July, I got back on the keto diet. I didn’t weigh myself but I knew I was back up. I’ve since weighed and I estimate that I’d gained about 4-6 pounds eating all the carbs. Maybe it was bloat? Who knows. But after a month or so back at it, my pants aren’t tight anymore. I will be weighing myself in a week to see if I’ve made some progress.
I definitely feel better when I do keto, even though it’s harder than just counting calories. Not eating a lot of sugar and carbs makes my body feel better. So even if I eventually go back to doing some kind of modified diet, it will be limiting the carbs and sugar.
This week I went to a naturopath doctor. I’ve been curious about it for awhile but didn’t want to spend the money. I know a lot of people that have had great experiences and even though I have no major complaints about my health care/doctor, I do feel dismissed about a lot of issues. For a few years now, I’ve felt really tired and worn down. I feel dismissed when I talk to my doctor about it. She says “Well, you’re almost 40” or “you have a toddler” or “you have a history of depression and anxiety”–none of which is A DIAGNOSIS. And I always leave feeling unheard, angry and lost. Blood tests are always in the “normal” range. Thyroid seems “fine.”
The good thing about a naturopath was that I felt HEARD. The appointment was over an hour (not 10 minutes or less like my doctor) and she listened to my history and complaints. She had some ideas and did a bunch of blood work (most was covered by my insurance thankfully because if it wasn’t I would not have afforded the visit! Naturalistic medicine is pricey!). I’ll have results in two weeks and a follow-up.
She said she was concerned about my insulin levels. And she said that some of my symptoms pointed to PCOS. So we will see what the tests show. I’m not 100% on board with the naturopathic way yet. We will see. But I’m willing to give it a TRY. I just want some answers, I want to try some things and see if anything works.
In the meantime, I am continuing keto. I will be re-evaluating some of my medications to see if they are necessary still (like my acne meds) and I think I might try going off some of them to see how I feel. (And see if I lose some weight as a result.)
bethh
I hope the naturopath finds something that is helpful! I agree, the current state of medicine is not super great if there’s not something obviously wrong they can treat. It’s got to be tough to be a doctor these days.
If you ever want to explore something other than keto, I’ve tried and enjoyed a thing called the Whole Life Challenge a couple of times this year. I like that it’s not about weighing and measuring, but instead you eat from a list of allowed foods (and there are 3 levels of intensity for the food lists). It is very hard to eat out, but that’s the case on many programs! But it also focuses on hydration, exercise, stretching, mindfulness, and sleep – so it really is a well-rounded 6-week exercise. You can do it solo or be on a team with others (you log comments in the app each day and if you’re on a team they can see & comment). They run the challenge a few times per year and then you get a break between sessions. Might be something else to add to your arsenal at some point!
Lisa Eirene
I haven’t heard of that diet. Is it similar to Whole30?
bethh
I haven’t done Whole30 so I’m not sure! I don’t think it’s quite as rigid. On WLC they compile a list of compliant/non-compliant foods. Players pick whatever list works best for them/feels like the right level of challenge. You can get a link to the food lists here: https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/daily-habits/nutrition/
The two times this year I joined a challenge, I did the mid-level lifestyle omnivore one. I miiiiiight try performance when it starts up in October (I think it runs Oct 10-Nov 27 so it ends before Thanksgiving).
Doing lifestyle means my carbs are oats, rice, or corn tortillas (I eat oats every day, rice and tortillas rarely); dairy is limited to butter and plain yogurt; I could have one glass of wine per week but come ON that’s just silly, so I skip completely (or take a ding in my scoring if I have some). Nuts are allowed, and meat – it feels pretty doable based on my typical diet. It definitely keeps me away from processed foods and sugar and alcohol and dairy and lots of carbs – the typical offenders!
I found it had me cooking more than usual and eating a lot more meat than usual. I might try to do more vegetarian days to add to the challenge – or not, we’ll see!
Lisa Eirene
I will look into it.
We don’t eat out much these days, so that’s not an issue. When I do eat out, it’s fairly easy to find something “keto” to get. Caesar salad with chicken or salmon or a steak salad with avocado is usually a safe bet. I do miss Mexican food. It’s hard to go to a Mexican restaurant and do keto (skipping the chips and salsa, skipping beans and rice etc).
Marianne
I think the best diet is everything in moderation. Drink water, prepare FOOD in ADVANCE, exercise at least 30 to 45 minutes a day, measure everything and be determined, Don’t got go out to eat. Believe me I have done every diet known to man and after 2weeks I give up. I found the Keto diet just wasn’t for me.
Lisa Eirene
I definitely think too restrictive of a diet is hard to maintain long term. My hope is that I can just lose these last damn 20 pounds on keto and then do some kind of modified plan. Sort of keto but not as restrictive. WE’ll see.