If you are reading this, it's because you have asked me about keto and how I have made it work for me. My intnent is to properly organize my information better in the future. In the meantime, I am going to ramble a bunch of thoughts to you to get you started with understanding the ketogenic lifestlye.

Basically, keto is a low carb, adequate protein and high fat way of eating. It's not zero carb. You want to initially remember to stop eating grains, potatoes and sugar (GPS). Yes this means all grains. No oatmeal, no organic wheat...no grains! Remember you may at some point later choose to go back, but initially you want to get you body released of it's carb addiction. For those of you with a sweet tooth, you'll need to find a sugar substitute that you like that is zero calorie. Most keto followers have found that Stevia in the Raw, Truvia, Swerve and similar sugar substitutes to be quite sufficient in filing that void. I used to use Stevia all of the time in my iced tea. However, after having done this for a couple of years now, I actually don't sweeten anything anymore and prefer my tea unsweetened.

So let's say that you are able to stop eating GPS, what are you supposed to eat then? Fat! And lots of it. I know, seems contrary to what we have always been told. I didn't believe it until I started seeing the results on the scale, in my clothing and most importantly, in my bloodwork and labwork. I'm not saying you have to eat meat to do keto but I can tell you it would be far more difficult to commit to this lifestyle as a vegan or vegetarian. Since I do eat meat, my suggestions, options and opinions will come from the the meat-eaters viewpoint.

A typical day will include 3 eggs and 3 sausage patties for breakfast cooked in real butter. I have found Kerry Gold brand to be the best tasting and most satisfying butter. Use real butter. Do not use margarine or fake substitute. In general, you will not be buying anything anymore that says low-fat or no-fat. That's not a good choice. I will have this with some tea and/or water. If you are a coffee drinker, which I am not, many keto followers swear by something called Bullet Proof Coffee (BPC). BPC is basically coffee with heavy-whipping cream (HWC) and/or butter added to it. It's a more satisfying drink that adds fat to your daily intake which will keep you satisfied longer between meals. You will be amazed at how long you can go between meals once you get your body into ketosis. Speaking of which, it usually takes about 4 days to get your body switched off of burning carbs for fuel and turned on to burning fats. Once this happens, you will be using mostly fat for energy. This is how we then start to burn our excess fat from our bodies. Be aware that some people experience what they call a keto-flu in this first 4 days. I never had it. However, it is your body adjusting to a new process and is quite normal for most.

Back to more options to eat. I love hamburgers and eat almost daily some type of double cheeseburger with bacon. Add mayo and mustard. I splurge and have some ketchup which is bascially not keto approved but I make it work. I don't go crazy with it. I also have found Unwiches from Jimmy John's to be a great option. You can get lots of great veggies and fatty dressings to make the sandwiches satisfying without any bread. You can and should eat green leafy vegetables including spinach, kale, broccoli and similar complex carbs. You don't want to eat carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, squash and other types of vegetables. As for fruit, you will avoid most fruits. You can have limited amounts of fibrous berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. Absolutely no oranges, pineapples, bananas, etc. Even though these are natural sugars, they cause our insulin to spike and send our body the signal that we are burning carbs which means fat storage.

At the beginning of the lifestyle change, you will lose a lot of weight the first couple of weeks which is a good percentage of water weight that your body retains when it is carb laden. You will also feel less bloated because of this excess water weight. Keep your fluid (water) intake high. It's something you are going to need for digestion given the fact that your fiber intake will be reduced and you'll need to keep things moving. Water is your friend.

Snacks! What about them? Basically I snack on cheese. I have always been addicted to cheese and it turns out that cheese has zero carbs. Real cheese that is. We're not talking Kraft singles here. Buy real block cheddar, swiss, colby, etc. These are great options for extending your time between meals. I also like nuts but you have to be careful of which nuts you eat. All nuts have carbs in them but are great sources of quality fat and protein. Some of the best nuts you can eat are Walnuts, Pecans, Almonds and Macadamias. Cashews, pistachios and peanuts are higher in carb and lower in fat and therefore aren't great snacking options. Other things that I use to snack on are Fage Total yogurt. This is a full fat yogurt which has great fat and protein content and the lowest carb content of any yogurt I've come across. I also snack on Slim Jims and Hemp Seeds.

Here is a link to a great video which might reaffirm some of what I have already told you. LCHF is the shit

Here is a great group of keto people you can learn alot from on Facebook. There are lots of newbies and expereienced keto followers here. Ketogenic Success

I have so much more information that I can share but I am pressed for time right now. Please don't hesitate to hit me up with any specific questions you may have. Trust me when I tell you that I never thought I was morbidly obese. I knew I was heavy but my body fat percentage and bloodwork weren't lying. I started on November 2, 2015 at 334 pounds. I have been around 234 pounds now for a while and am now just in the overweight category. I have started strenght training and have begun exploring other fields which I may discuss with you at some point in the future. I will just leave right now by stating that I have never felt better since switching my way of life. I never feel awful after eating a meal. I am never actually truly hungry anymore. I sleep better. I don't snore anymore. Everything is better. I did switch to drinking whiskey and bourbon as they are zero calorie. Haven't had a beer in over two years. You can do this.

Food is medicine.

Pazera

P.S. I got started on keto from one of the best in the business Dr. Sarah Hallberg. She is part of the medical weight loss division at IU Arnett Health here in Lafayette. She has an unbelievable amount of great videos and information on YouTube. In addition to Dr. Hallberg, I have also begun following Dr. Jason Fung who has a lot of great information on intermittent fasting. It's not what you think it is. Don't let the word fasting scare you. It's where our bodies come from and what they are made to do. Ciao for now.