Week 2 of Keto

Here I am.... I survived 2 weeks of Full or Classic Keto, and I have to tell you.... it is not that bad!  I actually like it.  I love the food.  I love how I feel.  I love seeing the pounds slowly fall away!  So what exactly am I doing?!?

My daily keto routine....
Breakfast: rocket fuel latte or bulletproof coffee

Lunch: one of the delicious recipes from The Keto Diet Cookbook  - it is usually a soup, one pot chicken meal, or the early morning jambalaya

Dinner: 3-4 small samples of recipes from The Keto Diet Cookbook  - I really like the variety, but I must admit that it almost always involves chicken wings - and ranch dressing.  I use my avocado oil mayo base then add the seasoning to make ranch (Add a little coconut milk, a pinch of dill, (optional: parsley and chives)  granulated garlic, onion powder, (optional: ground mustard seed, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper) - and blend!)

You will notice that I am not eating breakfast, but don't be alarmed.  That is part of intermittent fasting (and the rules around what you can/cannot eat vary during a fast).  I will fill you in more later.

So I mentioned I liked  how I am feeling... so how is that?
Great!  I have much  more energy for my day to day routines and activities.  I'm not having the 2-3pm crash. Even without breakfast. My mind feels clearer, and when I sit down to get some work done, I can really get it done.

I don't think about my next meal all day long, or when I can eat my snack (most days I don't even bother).  I eat when I am hungry, or when its time to eat with the family.  If I miss a meal, it is not the end of the world, and I don't really struggle with hunger.  The best part is, I don't overeat later in the day when I have missed a meal.

My last post I had talked about how running sucks - well it still does
Running is still a little tricky for me.  My legs are feeling heavy, and my runs are taking a lot of energy!  I've been super frustrated with running, and not really been super motivated to get out an run either.  Only running once a week doesn't help.

Because Keto is making me feel better in everyday life, I do not want to give it up because my running sucks.  I'll just have to change my running to fit my keto diet.  

So what does that mean?  It means I've changed my plan.  I've decided to back off running a bit.  Taking it down to shorter runs until I get comfortable and get my groove back.  I've changed the settings on my watch, so now my focus is to just run. No intervals, no times, no goals, just running. I will push my body to where my body feels it can be pushed on that day.  I have taken all pace goals, and race goals out of the equation.  I just need to run, and get my legs back without any pressure to perform.  The key is to find a positive in every run I do.

So basically.... I am sticking to my Classic Keto lifestyle, at least for another week.  As I continue to learn the ins and outs of Keto, I will take it week by week and make modifications when and where I feel the need to.

Stay tuned, 
JoJo

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