5 Years… 5 Lessons!
This is a big week for me. Five years ago I began my ketogenic lifestyle journey. Five years ago today I decided that slowly inching towards death at nearly 500 pounds was no longer the life I wanted. I chose to fight for my life and my health, and I was armed with the ketogenic diet… ok let’s put that in quotes, “ketogenic diet.”
Why quotes? Because in the beginning I did not really know what I was doing, I just knew I needed to cut the carbs! What were macros? Why should I avoid some oils? Who’s teaching the best net carb magic? So many missteps but so many more victories. This past five years has been a journey of growth and learning in so many ways and in this blog I want to share five very important lessons, about keto specifically, that I have learned.
Sugar is Insidious
One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that manufacturers will hide sugar ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE! No sure, the plain and simple solution is just always eat single ingredient foods you prepare yourself… but is that realistic?? We all use condiments, convenience foods and more that we need to be vigilant about. Read your labels! Sometimes it is obvious, that honey mustard probably has sugar in it, but what about avocado oil mayo? There are brands that add sugar. Realize that there is no true regulation of the label keto, heck there are products with the word keto in giant letters on them at Costco that have 3 or 4 kinds of sugar in them, and I am not talking about artificial sweeteners, I mean actual sugars. Even seasonings and spice blends can be a place to find maltodextrin, dextrose or more. So where to start? Learn the names that they use for sugar and keep them handy when you’re label reading. Here’s a link to a list of 71 names for sugar you might see. 71!!!
Don’t Chase Numbers
As human nature dictates, we tend to love to see concrete answers to our questions. When this comes into play with keto usually involves testing our level of ketosis, be it with urine, blood or breath. I remember when I first got a ketone meter and I started testing. I let the results of the little blood droplet completely dictate my “success” that day. I got more focused on the number than on how I felt, my energy level, my increased mental clarity, etc. which are all better indicators of how my body was responding to my diet and exercise than a snapshot of the moment on a ketone reader. I’ve learned that much like when you get on the scale and the conditions affect your weigh in’s, many factors impact our “level of ketosis” when a reading is taken. When did you last eat? Last exercise? Time of day? What did you eat? All questions that come Into play. Ketone testing gives us a picture of what is happening in that moment. Also I learned that our bodies will move in and out of ketosis throughout the day. Chasing a number reading became something to obsess over instead of something truly useful. I learned that testing my ketones became more useful when I was introducing new foods and experimenting with fasting than giving me a general barometer of how I was doing. If you find that you’re obsessing as well, it be time to look at other factors that give you a better picture of how you’re doing than just a number.
There is No One Way to “Keto”… But There Is…
The dictionary defines “ketosis” as “A metabolic state characterized by raised levels of ketone bodies in the body tissues.” So yes, in the end ketosis is one thing, the lesson I have learned is that achieving that metabolic state and the benefits of it is not just as simple as “eat less carbs” when we put it into practice. This is why when you google how to “do keto” you’re going to find many different answers and honestly it can be confusing and overwhelming. Track everything, don’t track, avoid all sugar, use sweeteners to curb cravings, avoid sweeteners to kill cravings, eat all the fat, your body has enough fat already… many different directions for getting to the same place. So how do you sort through it all? Don’t look for the perfect answer, look for a plan that speaks to you. Look at what it requires and decide if you can sustain it for 30 days. After 30 days of any program you will be able to see if it is helping you move towards your goals. If you’re seeing some benefits but not exactly what you want to see, be open to adjustments. Don’t throw your work away, don’t label yourself a failure! If it is just not working for your life, look for another plan!
Calories Count?
When I started keto there were many voices telling me that I could just eat food that fit into the ketogenic lifestyle until I was satiated and my weight would drop off. They said that the ketogenic diet did not require any attention at all be paid to calories. And honestly, they were right to an extent for me when I got started… I had been eating so much food regularly that simply cleaning up what I ate, cutting out grains, added sugar and processed carbs did make my weight drop. BUT the hidden secret I was unaware of was that I was in a caloric deficit. I may not have been counting calories but the calories counted! Achieving weight loss, through any means, requires a reduction in the calories you’re consuming. For me that meant that once I hit a certain point relying on satiation and hunger cues was not enough to keep my progress moving. Yes, it is 100% possible to overeat on ketogenic food. And no I am not talking about keto treats and bars. etc. I mean meats, cheeses, fats and even vegetables. I needed to actually start looking at how much I was eating, and in what proportions. Tracking macros helped get a greater understanding of what was optimum for my body. If not tracking works for you, great! But if you find it doesn’t, be open to other ideas!
Freedom Through Restriction
This last lesson was a hard one. Too often you hear that a ketogenic diet is unsustainable because it’s too restrictive. “You can’t cut out a food group and survive!” The food group they reference is sweets, pasta, breads and potatoes. This honestly doesn’t sound like an actual food group to me but that’s besides the point. For some people, moderation is an innate gift or a learned skill they can manage. They can have one cookie, one candy bar, one scoop of mashed potatoes and move on with their day. For people like me, that one cookie lights the fuse on a bomb that explodes into the behaviors that got me to 540 pounds. And when the smoke clears I waste more energy blaming myself for not being “in control” or “weak.” When I removed those foods from my life I discovered that the burning obsession I had for them was not just emotional but driven by my body. Carbohydrate restriction gave me relief from the driving hunger within me, from the food obsessions that ruled my life. So yes, I restricted food items but I found freedom. I learned that I faced challenges that took work but I found strength I never knew that I had when found this lifestyle. Choosing to eat the foods that fuel my body and keep quiet the hunger and obsessions is just that, a choice. And it is one I will be forever grateful I made. If you feel the same when you eliminate some foods from your life, foods that are not essential for fuel or nutrition, enjoy that and don’t ever let someone else tell you that you are wrong for not eating as they do.
So there you have my reflection on five years into this completely unsustainable punishment focused lifestyle… I hope you read the sarcasm there. I started with the intention of saving my life and soon found that living a ketogenic lifestyle was about more than that. For me, it was about finding the freedom to thrive. If this is something you’d like to talk about connect with me on Instagram at @GormyGoesKeto, I would love to hear from you!
