Keto Update

For those of you who were interested in my post regarding the Keto diet, here is a little update of how things went!

I made it to the three week point; I was able to ketosis the entire time, and in all honesty, I didn’t find it that hard. The only day I struggled was the one time I went on a socially-distanced coffee date with a friend, which for me really hammered home that the diet in the long term (in my opinion) isn’t super sustainable. It isn’t fun having to limit yourself to one or two menu items, and the temptation is so real! For the three weeks, being stuck at home anyway, it was a breeze, but I think it would have been a million times more difficult if I were in my regular day-to-day routine. The results, however, were pretty impressive!

In the three weeks I was on the diet, I lost a total of 4.7 lbs! Which, for me, being 5’9, ~130 lbs and very physically active is a pretty decent shift. And, now that I am on day five of returning to ‘normal’ (I already eat pretty low carb, but I’ve gone back to my usual ~60 carbs a day) and have only gained half a pound back, I can say confidently that it wasn’t just water weight loss. This is a decent drop for a diet that required no real extra “effort”, and was pretty easy to follow. That said, I have done the South Beach Diet a few times and had similar results, with a much less restrictive meal plan. I think in the long run, low-carb diets are great for weight loss – especially when you focus on healthy foods with low ‘net’ carbs like berries and quinoa – and its rarely a bad idea to cut down on your refined sugar intake. That said, moderation is key, and it’s important to understand that everyone’s body is different and responds to diets differently. Don’t get discouraged if what works for me doesn’t work for you!

Will I do it again? I think so, but not for a while. I found it to be a great way to kick-start fat loss and to curb sugar cravings, before easing back into a more sustainable healthy diet. I was surprised that the fruit and sugar cravings weren’t stronger (with PCOS they are often a real obstacle!), but I just really missed vegetables variety. I love a good veggies and dip snack, and I love cooking, so I prefer a diet thats a little more lenient. All in all though, I would say that my time on the keto diet was a positive experience! As always, let me know in the comments if you have any questions or comments; I’m happy to chat about it.