A week of Keto

I have been playing around with Keto since mid-September.  What does playing around mean? I cooked the recipes (from The Keto Diet Cookbook), ate the food during the week, but took the weekends off, had a few eat everything sweet and carby in the house days, and didn't really stress too much about it.  

This week is my first week strict.  Which means I am trying my best to hit those fat ratios, even if it means throwing some coconut oil in my nightly tea - eek that was weird! 

I may have mentioned in my previous post that my goal for the first two weeks of this "experiment" is to follow the classic keto profile - the core of the keto diet and foundation of all fat fueled profiles.  The Classic Keto path is the fastest route to ketosis (without taking supplements), and it is heavily restrictive.  This means my diet is made up of 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbohydrates.  I am encouraged to have a daily dose of the rocket fueled latte, and participate in intermittent fasting (this I will give you more information on in a later blog).  

I chose this profile because I am new to the Keto diet, and it is important to me to get my body into a state of ketosis. I also work out. I run and I lift weights. When you compare which path best suits aerobic and anaerobic exercise, they are not the same. Of all the profiles, the classic keto is the only path that shows benefits for both.

So what does a typical day of eating Keto look like for me?  How about some pictures...

BREAKFAST - Rocket Fuel Latte

LUNCH - Keto Shrimp Chowder

DINNER - Chili stuffed avocado, one pot chicken dinner, early morning jambalaya, and walnut "cheese" Brussels sprouts

If I am hungry I snack on hard boiled eggs smothered in ranch dressing, keto all spice muffins, and occasionally some spoonfuls of nut and seed butter - i can't help myself.  I love the stuff 😉

So the big question is, what benefits am I getting from this diet? Since I started "playing around" with keto I have lost 5lbs.  Yep, 5 lbs eating chicken wings!  LOL. This week I have lost 1.4lbs (which is great for me, during my week of being a woman).  The biggest benefit for me is that I am no longer bloated and uncomfortable.  Even with a fairly strict paleo style diet, I often feel bloated and uncomfortable.  I have also noticed that I am not over eating as much, and I am finding myself thinking much less about food.  I'm sleeping like a baby - although i generally do when I am eating clean.  I still don't know how this diet change is impacting my workout routines, as I am not consistently back into my routines - so I will keep you posted.

Anyways, I think I have babbled enough for today!  

Happy Eating :)

JoJo

 

My Introduction to The Keto Diet

So I am embarking on a new nutritional adventure.  The Keto Diet, or Ketogenic Diet.  What is it?  In its most simple terms, it is high fat, low carb, moderate protein approach to eating.  The goal of the diet is to transition your body from burning mostly carbs and some protein, into burning fat.  As you transition to burning fat, your body's preferred and most powerful fuel source, you get the positive side effect of losing a few of your own extra pounds of fat, increased energy, brain power and strength.

Does it work?  I have absolutely no idea, but I am willing to give it a try.... or at least I am now.

When I first heard of the Keto Diet I was really unsure.  I know that fat doesn't make you fat. I know sugar does, but I still could not quite wrap my head around the amount of fat that you needed to include in your diet.  It also seemed like a lot of work.  I mean loads of work.  You have to plan and prep and measure and make sure that all of your macro nutrients fit the Keto ratio, otherwise you will never reach ketosis - the ultimate goal of eating Keto.  All of the resources I looked up online just overwhelmed me, and the thought of giving up sweet potatoes was unimaginable.

Then I came across the most amazing book at Costco (although our store is now sold out. The Keto Diet by Leanne Vogel.

I picked the book up out of curiosity. I had written Keto off as something that I couldn't do.  Then I looked at all the recipes. DELICIOUS!  I love recipe books, so I bought the book and took it home to do a little more research. Even if I did not want to do Keto, I still had another fantastic recipe book to add to my collection. (for more information you can check out http://ketodietbook.com/ )

This book was so easy to read, and by the time I had made it through the first section, I realized that I could do a Ketogenic approach to eating.  It doesn't have to be that hard.  The recipes within the book literally set you up for success. Each recipe contains all the nutritional information, and even provides your fat-carb-protein ratios.  All you have to do is cook the recipes and make sure you balance out!

Another thing I really like about her approach is that she realizes that a traditional approach to a ketogenic diet isn't for everyone.  She offers 3 different paths to follow: Classic Keto,  Pumped Keto, and Carb up Options (with 3 to choose from).  If I really wanted to, I could still add some of my beloved sweet potatoes into my daily routines.

After reading, I decided to give it a try.  I also chose the Classic Keto approach to my plan.  That puts me at fat - 75%, protein 20%, and carbs 5%.  

I cooked a bunch of the recipes and stocked my fridge/freezer for a week.  I did take the time to input all my recipes into myfitnesspal, just so i could be sure I was meeting me end goal.  It was way easier than I thought it would be.  My meals we delicious.  I replaced sweet potatoes with chicken wings, and I even lost a few pounds - bonus!  The best part of it, my tummy was happy.  No gas, no bloating, no discomfort.  Even when eating strict Paleo, I still experienced some of those symptoms.

I have stuck to the diet during the week, but weekends I have taken off for one reason or another, girls trip, treat weekend, and this weekend was Thanksgivng.  Today marks day one of my strict "Classic Keto" approach to eating.

I hope to be able to share my journey with you.  Some more information about Keto in "jojo terms" for anyone who is interested in trying.  I also hope to share some of the delicious recipes, and a few recipes I have made up along the way :)

Happy Thanksgiving
JoJo



 

It has been a while.... Too long!

And once again I fell off the wagon.  I continue to want to share my blog, share my recipe successes and flops, my ever changing diet, and what I am doing for exercise in my life, BUT I never make time to do it.  I am not promising that I will be successful, but I sure am going to give it one last try!

What I have realized lately is that a few of the people I share my blog with actually enjoy it.  Some use it as a source for recipes. And of course, some people just outright ignore it - and that is ok too!  It's not everyone's cup of tea to listen to me babble along about my life and what I am enjoying to cook in that moment.

I also realized that my blog also gives me an outlet.  It allows me to share things I am learning, and sometimes I may go a little sideways and vent.  All of this is ok!  It is what it is for each person that reads it, and it is what it is for me on the day I write :)

So a quick update...
My darling little girl is now almost 6 1/2 - crazy to think I started writing when she was just a teeny tiny one!

Not exactly a single mom any more, but not in the way you may think.  hahah. My parents recently moved into my house.  Although I am still financially responsible for my household, it sure helps out that I don't need to stress about before and after school care.  I can work evenings when I need to, and I can give myself a little more time for me.  Its great to have so much help around the house with yard work and things like the dishwasher and the kiddos laundry!

I'm still working as an SLP for the same great place.  I am now also providing in-home supports for families which I absolutely loved.  This summer I did some summer camps for a great organization, and I loved it.  Hopefully more of those in my future too :)

I have also started coaching Track and Field in the past year. Track was always my sport and I loved coaching as a younger person.  I found that getting back into track was not only giving something back to the support that provided my with so many opportunities, it was also giving something back to me - a small piece of myself.

I have recently switched to the Keto Diet, but I will be sure to share all about that in a separate post. 

I'm continuing to pursue my running goals, and crossfit-ish workouts in my garage.

So really... not much has change.  What has changed is that I am excited to be finding some me time in my life, and hopefully I can share some of that here :) 

Take care, and we will chat soon
JoJo :-)