Transition to a KETO LIfeStyle

This little chart now rules my life ... The Keto Food Pyramid otherwise known as "I think I may starve to death and hate my life" chart. 

I actually think I love it but  I'm still in my first week and am just getting over the "KETO Flu".

While adapting rather well I still have an incredibly strong urge to drop kick Finn's bagels through a window so it may not the best time for me to kick off this post.  But buckle up - because it's happening!!

Why KETO?  Especially since I have been an off and on vegetarian for most of my life. The primary components of KETO are Meat, Eggs, Nuts, Seeds & Healthy Fats. 

When I say I was a vegetarian, I became one around 12 - I wasn't just a chill vegetarian, early on, I was a super snarky / confrontational / & way judgmental vegetarian.  In High School I was fueled by two things: Hunger and Morrissey rage. 

Anyone that was unlucky enough to cross my path, minding their own business, nom nomming a burger - I'd just like to apologize for my behavior.  I actually slapped a burger out of someone's hand once.  Which now thinking back, the visual is heeelarious.  Best Ever!!  That said, to that person, I'm especially sorry.

While I ate incredibly well, I never quite felt great and I never looked entirely great either (super pale, often anemic) but I kept trying and trying.  Each failure or departure from a plant based diet came with a tremendous amount of guilt. 

My issue is and was against factory farming and what most animal endure as they navigate a miserable life met with unspeakable horror, suffering and cruelty.  I will never stop being a very vocal opponent against animal cruelty. 

I do however support local farmers and locally sourced meat and dairy.  It's expensive in comparison but it's worth it to me and that's how the transition to KETO is possible for ME.  

So, why KETO?
It's hard for me to drop weight like I could in my 20's and 30's ... I watch every single calorie that crosses my lips.  I count points, calories, weigh my food, deprive myself, beat myself up if I eat something I'm not supposed to and I'm still not where I'd like to be.  Maybe it's hormonal, maybe the calories are the wrong calories for me, maybe I wasn't eating enough, etc.  My "maybes" could go on forever ... 

When my dad got sick, I started to gain weight.   I had an insanely stressful job, I lived 2000 miles from home, and things weren't great in my own life.  For 2 years I was splitting my time between a job that I hated and my father's home in Chesapeake Va where I watched Cancer bring a titan to his knees. 

My stress levels remained at a constant 10 / 10 for an incredibly extended period of time which I can only imagine was creating a virtual endless supply of cortisol.  

KETO is my path forward. More precisely, it's my path BACK to me.

The more I learn about it, the more it makes sense to me: low carb, moderate proteins, high fat.  If you're not familiar with KETO you may think High Fat - that's the exact opposite of what we should do and it's not.  Our brains NEED Fat. 

Our brains thrive with the proper amount of fat.  It's a critical component that we so often drastically cut back when trying to lose weight.  If I were to sum up the approach: consume fat to burn fat.

I'm not talking about eating a stick of butter in preparation of bikini season - think more along the lines of eating steak with an smashed avocado, cooking your eggs in coconut oil, dressing your salad liberally with walnut oil - throw in some goat cheese, etc.

My breakfast today was two eggs cooked in coconut oil, and 2 slices of Morning Star "Bacon" otherwise known as "Faken" around here because it's fake bacon but it's super low in carb so it's perfect. 

It's all comes down to your "macros" or macronutrients.  My macros are as shown below:

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This is my meal composition - With a higher fat diet, I'm satiated with small meals of really healthy food & the steady introduction / combination of healthy fats.

I don't pay strict attention to the k/cal - I leverage Myfitnesspal Pro which allows me to enter my personal macro ranges and as long as I stick to the 90/102/17 combination - I'm good.

Lately that's been running about 1500 k/cal a day.  I happen to know my resting metabolic rate is 2000 k/cals a day so this places me in a healthy deficit.

I have lost 7 lbs this week - maybe a good bit of that is water weight but I drink about 80oz of water a day so I'm staying hydrated.  I did however have to add electrolytes to my daily supplements as I had a ROUGH 36 or so hours starting Tuesday evening that lasted well into the early morning on Thursday. 

One of my favorite people in the entire universe, LD and I were supposed to have a greatly anticipated lunch date this past Wednesday but I felt horrible and canceled.  She told me to add electrolytes and I should feel better so I did and I do.   

Week 1 is in the bag and AND I started a 60 day challenge at the gym this morning.  My amazing pilates instructor Alisa is my 60 day coach - looking forward to seeing where I land at the end of December.  

​Watch out neglected back half of my closet where all my awesome clothes live - I'll see you soon!!

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