I threw myself into making keto more sustainable and less boring, and I continued making changes to my lifestyle. I stopped relying on the scale to make me feel successful. I focused more on how my clothes fit and the smaller sizes I could wear. I reached what I felt was a good point and was able to maintain it. Maintaining a lower weight was something I had never been able to do before.
I realize now that eating a lot of sugar was holding me back. The more sugar I ate, the more I wanted. Living a ketogenic lifestyle is the only thing I’ve ever tried that actually helped with my food and sugar addiction. Keto keeps me feeling full and satiated and keeps my blood glucose stable; therefore, I don’t have the intense sugar cravings that I used to.
I was obsessed with food. It’s embarrassing to admit, but it’s true. I hope that admitting it will help others who are dealing with the same shame to admit it, too. In my opinion, there isn’t a lot of support out there for food addiction. People who are addicted to food are sometimes viewed as lazy and lacking in self-discipline. I know that every individual is different and that the same treatment will not work for everyone, but I am passionate about sharing what worked for me. After spending decades on the dieting roller coaster, I truly believe that if I can change, anyone can. My hope is that you don’t wait as long as I did to find your answer. Getting started is the hardest part, but if you commit, it will get easier!
Living with Crohn’s disease
NOTE: This is my own personal experience and is not intended to be taken as medical advice.
I was diagnosed with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease in 2004, at the age of twenty-nine. With that diagnosis, my life and my young family’s life were turned upside down. Until that time, I was seemingly healthy, other than my weight. I had two young children to care for, ages eighteen months and five years. Some of those years are a blur. It was a painful time in my life, and it’s still hard to think and talk about. My illness strained my family emotionally and financially. I was constantly in and out of the hospital. To this day, I still sometimes struggle with the guilt I feel over missing so much of my kids’ lives when they were young. My faith, my family, and a few close friends are what got me through those hard times.
For about a year, I did everything I could to avoid biologic drugs. I was scared to death to take Remicade infusions because I had read a lot about them and knew that they came with risks. I tried every natural remedy and every piece of nutritional advice people threw at me. It wasn’t working; I kept getting sicker and sicker. I wanted so badly to be well for my kids and husband, so finally I gave in. I had to try something more because I was at the end of my resources, and I was desperate for any possible relief. On most days I felt like I was dying, and I couldn’t function well enough to take care of my kids. We didn’t have family nearby. At that time, not many other medications had been developed for Crohn’s disease.
The Remicade did help, but not immediately. I would say the improvement was very gradual; I could function and take care of basic responsibilities again, but something was still missing. Over the years I kept looking for ways to feel better—some magic vitamin or supplement that would help. Trust me, people were always giving me advice, even when I didn’t ask for it. I tried every new thing that came along. I struggled with fatigue, sometimes severe. My doctors didn’t have answers for me and would say that the Remicade was working and keeping me in remission—their definition of remission. But I didn’t have full quality of life. Given how good I feel now, I know that I had a lot of inflammation in my body back then.
In 2013, I had colon resection surgery. My diseased colon had so much scar tissue built up that it had become a dangerous risk for complete obstruction. I’d known the surgery was a possibility since I was first diagnosed, and the thought of it scared me to death. The doctors removed 1 foot of my small intestine and 2 feet of my large intestine. I didn’t have to have a colostomy, but I knew it could happen with a surgery like that. I required another major surgery in 2015 to correct complications that had developed from the colon resection. That was during the time I was really getting into the ketogenic lifestyle.
The big question people ask me a lot is, has keto helped your Crohn’s disease? Let me start by saying that I did not start keto to help with my Crohn’s disease. Truly, my reason for starting keto was just to lose weight. Even with Crohn’s disease, I was still overweight. But to my surprise, I found that after committing to keto for an extended period, my health has benefited in ways I hadn’t imagined. I feel stronger and my mind feels clearer. Keto hasn’t “cured” the Crohn’s disease, but I feel better than I have in years!
Yes, I still take the infusions. At this point in my life, I’m not willing to risk stopping them because Remicade is the only medicine that has given me any relief. I was told that it sometimes stops working for people after a few years and that it normally doesn’t work for as long as it has for me. Before keto, and even after I started taking Remicade, I still struggled with inflammation and fatigue. Crohn’s is an autoimmune disease, and inflammation is my body’s way of fighting. I’ve had to follow my heart and do what I feel is right for me. The ketogenic lifestyle has improved my overall sense of well-being. Now, I have more good days than bad, and I don’t have the extreme fatigue that I used to suffer from. Oh, yes, occasionally I still have a bad day, but I can usually connect that to stress or just being overly busy.
My family and friends have noticed the positive changes in me as well. They comment on how much better I look and seem to feel. I have been offered antidepressants a few times, but I never took them. I’m not knocking them—they have their place—but I told the doctor that I knew why I was depressed: because I was sick all the time! I applaud people who never have to take medicine for their autoimmune disease and have healed their bodies with food alone. Having an autoimmune disease is terrible and complicated because no two people are alike. I would never judge anyone else’s path to wellness. I say this because I don’t want people who need to take medicine to feel bad because others are having success without it. This goes back to doing what works for you. Medicine and nutrition together are giving me a better quality of life. Having an autoimmune disease took its toll on my emotional health over the years, but the ketogenic lifestyle has helped me feel better mentally, too, and for that I am grateful!
Getting Started with Keto
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, high-fat way of eating. Most people on keto eat 20 to 50 grams of net carbs per day. When fed this way, the body produces ketones to use for energy rather than relying on glucose.
Before you start keto, I recommend that you do your own research. Knowledge is power. Keto isn’t one-size-fits-all, and one person doesn’t have all the answers. In the Resources section on here, I recommend a few books and websites that can help you learn more.
Figuring net carbs
On a ketogenic diet, it is common to count net carbs rather than total carbs based on the idea that certain carbohydrates like fiber and sugar alcohols do not increase blood glucose levels. Here’s how you calculate net carbs:
Counting macros versus intuitive eating
You’ll often hear people in the keto community talking about macros. Macro is short for macronutrient, and macronutrients are the nutrients your body needs to thrive. The three main macronutrients are fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
Macros are usually expressed as percentages. Common macros for a standard American diet are about 35 percent fat, 15 percent protein, and 50 percent carbohydrates. Macros for a ketogenic diet are usually about 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbohydrates.
You can use an online keto calculator to calculate your personal macros, and you can use apps such as MyFitnessPal, Keto Diet App, and Carb Manager to track your daily percentages. Some people find that this approach works well in the beginning to help them grasp the keto lifestyle, and then they transition to intuitive keto.
It is often referred to as “lazy keto,�
�� but I prefer the term intuitive. This is my preferred approach. I have tried both, and intuitive keto is what I decided I could maintain long term. People who intuitively eat keto track net carbs, usually 20 to 50 grams per day, but keep a mental count instead of writing it down or using an app. For me, it’s about listening to my body and learning what makes me feel good. It requires patience and a willingness to make changes as necessary. I eat normal-sized portions of allowable foods (see here and here). I make conscious decisions about what to eat, and I eat until satisfied but not overly stuffed. Also, I no longer mindlessly snack.
I’ve found that the method you prefer can greatly depend on your personality type. Some people truly enjoy tracking macros! You have to know yourself and your triggers. Set yourself up for success. For me, counting every day felt too restrictive and led to bingeing. Intuitive keto is more sustainable for me. I know others who succeed on keto only when they count macros. Sometimes it takes trying both ways to decide. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: keto is not one-size-fits-all. We are individuals, and we have individual needs. Use the method that works better for you!
Here are some tips to help with the transition:
KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Overcomplicating things can lead to frustration and cause you to throw in the towel before you even get started.
PLAN AHEAD AND BE PREPARED.
EAT REAL FOOD
and avoid processed and prepackaged foods.
KEEP A DAILY JOURNAL
and write down how you’re feeling, what was hard for you, and what was good.
Testing for ketosis
Are you in ketosis? These are the most common ways to tell:
• How you feel—This is my preferred method. When I am in ketosis, I have increased energy and better metal clarity, and my hunger and sugar cravings diminish. It’s an overall good feeling, and once you’ve experienced it, you’ll know it! One downside is that you may experience bad breath, sometimes known as keto breath.
• Ketone urine strips—Ketostix, sold at most drugstores, are strips that change color if ketones are present in your urine. They aren’t always accurate because ketone levels in the urine don’t necessarily match ketone levels in the blood.
• Blood ketone meter—The most expensive but the most accurate way to measure ketosis is to analyze your blood for ketones. You use a lancet to prick your finger and then test your blood with a meter. Optimal readings are between 0.5 and 3.0 mmol/L.
You certainly don’t have to use either of these testing methods. Many people have success by eating a ketogenic diet alone and do not track ketones.
Tracking your progress
Weight loss is a common goal for people following a ketogenic diet, but there are other measures of success as well. Here are some tips for tracking your progress:
• Weigh yourself no more than once a week; daily water weight fluctuations can be discouraging. I’m not saying that losing weight isn’t important, but don’t let it be your only measure of success.
• Take your measurements. Sometimes you’ll discover inches lost even when the number on the scale hasn’t moved.
• Take a lot of pictures of yourself before starting keto and throughout your journey. Photos showing your progress can be very motivating!
• Take stock of how you feel. Are you feeling better overall? Do you have more mental clarity?
Non-scale victories, also known as NSVs, are my favorite! It’s not all about the number on the scale; pay attention to your non-scale victories, too. It’s the little changes you notice along the way that will help you stay motivated and change your quality of life for the better. Here are a few examples:
• Clothing getting looser
• Clothing sizes going down
• Someone noticing that you’ve lost weight
• Airplane seatbelt fitting without an extender
• Having more energy
• Feeling healthier and stronger
• Being able to do more physical activity without feeling overexerted
• Anything else that improves your quality of life!
Dealing with slow or no weight loss
I get so many questions from people who are discouraged about not losing weight or not losing it fast enough. This isn’t a race. Yes, you want to make sure you are progressing, but everyone is different and loses weight at different rates. Sometimes I think people get discouraged because they see testimonies of people losing 100 pounds in six months on keto. While I’ve seen that happen, I see a lot more people like myself who lose weight slower. Progress is progress, no matter how long it takes. I used to get frustrated, but eventually I realized that as long as I didn’t quit, I found success.
Finding encouragement to stay the course
My hope in sharing these words is that someone reading this will be encouraged. If you feel moved by anything I’ve said, then this section is for you. You are worth it—you matter!
FIGHT THE FIGHT
The fight is worth it. You’re worth it. If you fall down, get back up and try again. I know it sounds cliché, but staying in the fight truly has been the secret to my success. People always want to know the secret. It’s not a huge deal; it’s about consistently making the right choices. The little things add up. As with any lifestyle change, consistency is key. I wrote this book for people who follow a ketogenic lifestyle, but the same rules for success apply no matter which method you choose. It’s about deciding you want it and how badly you want it.
FIND YOUR WHY
Discover your why. Why do you want to do this? Your why has to be so big that quitting is not an option. Not everyone’s why will be weight loss. Some people try keto for health reasons. Some are looking for a better quality of life. There will be roadblocks along the way. You may have to tweak some things to find out what truly works for you. Patience is required! Dig your heels in deep and determine in your heart that you will not make excuses or give up. Your why needs to drive you. If you don’t really know your why or don’t have a strong why, spend some time defining it. Journal every day. Read over your journal entries, and the things that are important to you will begin to stand out.
MAKE THE COMMITMENT
I use the word commit a lot. Commitment is staying loyal to what you said you would do after the mood in which you said it has passed. Deciding to commit is the most important thing you will ever do. No matter the path you choose, you have to commit, because there will be days when you won’t want to do it. There will be days when you couldn’t care less. Those are the days when your commitment has to override your feelings. Feelings are subject to change every day, sometimes multiple times a day! Staying committed is the most important thing you’ll ever do for yourself. Small changes add up to big results over time.
REDEFINE SUCCESS
How do you define success? Success means something different for everyone. In a world where skinniness is idealized, skinny used to be the measure of success for me. I have never been skinny, nor will I ever be skinny. And you know what? That’s okay. And if you are skinny, that is okay, too! You see, my measure of success has evolved over the years, thankfully. As an overweight kid, all I ever wanted was to fit in. When I had my first real success with weight loss, I thought success was about losing the weight. After losing and regaining weight so many times over the years, I realized that weight loss could not be the only way I measure success. When I lost weight, I still felt incomplete; I was never satisfied. I enjoyed the newfound attention, but I was counting on the weight loss to change me, to make me happy. It never made me happy or made me feel any more worthy. I’m sure age has a way of changing these feelings, but now I measure my success not by my weight, but by the quality of my life. Getting to this place has been so freeing!
FIND BALANCE
Throughout my life, I’ve been sick and I’ve been healthy. I’ve been morbidly obese and I’ve been at an average weight. But what I feel now is balance. That’s what was missing! I feel mor
e at peace with where I am physically and emotionally than I ever have before. Even though I have a lot of physical flaws and some loose skin, I am content. I am not perfect; I still have days when I look in the mirror and nothing satisfies me, and I can’t find anything to wear that I think looks good. Some days I feel a lot bigger than I really am. It’s a mental thing. I am a normal person and I still have struggles, but they do not define me. A clothing size does not define me. A number on a scale does not define me. I am so much more than that. You are so much more than that.
You will have a different why and a different goal than I do, but my hope is that you will be intentional and stay on the path to what you define as success, no matter how long it takes! Be willing to try and try again. Be willing to make the necessary tweaks to find the approach that works for your body. We are all unique individuals, and the same path will not work for everyone, but there is a path for you. Because of my struggles and successes, I now believe with my whole heart that if I can do it, anyone can! Your only limit is you.
Southern Keto Page 2
