FOUR YEARS KETO!

New Years 2017 I was traveling with my family in the Bahamas. I was often making excuses to get left behind or disappear because I just physically could not keep up with them. During that trip I had a long discussion with my dad about some decisions they were making that would require my assistance and I realized that I would not be around much longer to help if I didn’t make change. I did not make that change right away but on February 15th of 2017 I took a huge step forward and began following a ketogenic diet. Fast forward 4 years and a lot has changed not only with my health and weight but my life in general. I wanted to share with you this week my top ten lessons from “going keto” that I think could benefit you if you are doing the same. 

Learn to Read Nutrition Labels

It sounds simple but this is one I think a lot of folk skip. Not only understand the carb count in your food but look at all of the listed macros, and micro-nutrients. Did you know that ingredients are listed on a food label based on the amount they contain? I did not! If you cannot identify an ingredient on a label do not just assume it is good for you. Get used to Googling and tracking down the truth. It will be a powerful tool in the long run. There is a specific facet to label reading I felt deserved its own number on my list. And that is…

Memorize the Names Used for Sugar

If you Google “names for sugar” you will see article upon article listening the many ways sugar can be identified on an ingredient label. At last count there were over 75 different ways to list this one insidious ingredient. Many we know like sucrose, dextrose and high fructose corn syrup but it is good to acquaint yourself with all of them including some you may not know like brown rice syrup, agave, evaporated cane juice and maltodextrin. 

Use a Food Scale, Not Just Measuring Cups

I was very quickly a master at over packing a cup when it came to almost anything but especially vegetables. A cup of broccoli florets, versus diced broccoli, versus riced broccoli are very different amounts and can make a difference when you think you are tracking your food and macros. I learned that a food scale keeps me honest when it comes to portions. You can find a way to cheap a measuring cup but it’s near impossible to cheat a scale. 

Meal Planning and Prepping Does Help

You wouldn’t step on to a battle field without a weapon and you shouldn’t step into a new week without a plan in hand. It’s cliche to an extent, but taking a little bit of time when you can to do some batch cooking goes a long way when your week gets hectic and you don’t feel like cooking. Often that is when the “I could just’s!” start to pop into your heard. I could just grab something quick somewhere. I could just eat what my family is having and get back on track tomorrow. I could just order a pizza, one time won’t hurt! This is too familiar to me, so I very quickly learned that a few hours of cooking on Sunday armed me for the battle ahead. And I get it, I severely dislike reheating vegetables and eggs, but having them sliced, diced, etc. really saved me time. I like to tell my clients it’s easier to make changes to an established plan when chaos shows up than it is to start over from scratch in that moment. 

Ask For What You Need

Whether it is at a restaurant or a family member’s house, do not be afraid to advocate for yourself instead of resigning yourself to less than ideal choices. Ask how a dish is prepared, ask for substitutions, just ask. The worst thing that can happen is they say no and then you have a place to plan from going forward. Most restaurants are used to people ordering unless burgers or asking what’s used on their chicken wings these days. Four years ago it was a little different but I found it was important. Not only so that you can meet your food goals but also so that you get used to making your needs a priority. This is something I am sure a lot of you can relate to. We grow up existing in a place of silence or complacence to please others. Asking for what you need is less of an imposition than we imagine it to be in the end. You’re important, don’t forget that!

You’re The Subject of Your Own Experiment

A very hard lesson I learned along the path of my journey was that getting caught up in trying to do the exact same thing as other people was getting me nowhere fast. I had to learn to explore and examine the lessons and trials of others as places of inspiration but not answers. Until I did something for myself I had no way of knowing if it would bring me success or failure. I had to be willing to try new things, often more than once, to determine if it was a useful choice on my journey. I had to be ok with learning through my own experience instead of that of others. This not only helped me immensely when it came to reaching my goals but also helped prevent me from falling into the “comparison trap” that comes from a place of jealousy. 

Calories Count

I might upset a few folk here but at the end of the day if weight loss is the goal calories matter, whether you need to count them or not. Eating a ketogenic diet will definitely affect your appetite and satiation, and for some folk this provides a natural mechanism for being in the necessary calorie deficit to achieve their goals. For others, like me after a year into my journey, I realized I could very easily out-eat that natural satiation and ruin my weight loss progress. I needed to start tracking my calories and paying attention to them. Not every person needs the same amount of calories and in many ways when you follow a plan that includes macros and calories you are playing a guessing game of averages as you discover what works best for you. Be ok with it you are like me and need to track your calories. It is not a failure or a character flaw. It is the use of a tool that can bring you great success when approached from a methodical mindful standpoint. Oh, and if someone out there tells you calories do not matter at all… consider if their advice is worth taking. 

You Can Course Correct

I think I had a propensity in previous attempts to better my health to just try something new and if it didn’t work the way I wanted it to, I would quit. When I finally realized that it was possible to make changes to my plan without quitting it was a whole new world. I could try things like eliminating sweeteners or nut butter, limit dairy, raise my protein and lower my fat, and keep moving forward. If you hit a bump in the road driving and just take your hands off the wheel you’re bound to crash. Gripping tighter with maybe a new swerve or two gets you back on course quick!

There is No One Way to “Keto!”

At its core yes, ketosis is a metabolic state brought about through carbohydrate restriction but we all know that in our vernacular “doing keto” means so much more. These past four years I have learned that many people approach the ketogenic way of eating differently and that my way isn’t the right way for everyone. Which in turn means I did not need to chime in and correct someone else when they were not soliciting advice just because they were doing something I wouldn’t. I think this is a natural instinct that if we let run wild it becomes the dreaded “keto police.” The lesson in the end is worry about your own plate and let other people sort out theirs. You will be way less stressed and enjoy your own ride a lot more that way!

CONSISTENCY OVER PERFECTION!

Have I said it loud enough? Have I said it often enough? The biggest and best lesson of my ketogenic journey is that it is the consistent application of habits and routines that brings the greatest success, not the drive for perfection. Giving ourselves grace when we make miss steps or lose our way is so crucial to our physical and emotional well being. Knowing that one poor choice does not define our overall success is the biggest blessing. 3 really bad days out of 365 isn’t bad at all! Taking a view from a macroscopic perspective instead of fixing on small choices can help us through some very dark days. Change is not easy. It takes time and effort, and it takes repetition. Building small habits that lead to bigger ones over time will lead to long lasting sustainable change. Focusing on being perfect over making progress will just lead to failure in the end. 

I hope that these reflections on my four years are useful to you wherever you are on your own journey, be it day one or day one thousand. If you think that my insights might be useful to you as well, check out my coaching page here and let’s talk!