My Keto Recapitulation

Don't Blame The Butter for What The Bread Did!

Funny but true. Years back, while trying to lose weight, we cut back on calories and increased activities. It worked and we lost weight. But, in getting serious about eating healthier and keeping the weight off, we listened to the hype that fat is bad. Think, "Momma says fat is the devil!"

But, even as we cut out fat from our diet, purchasing low-fat foods, trimming the fat from meats, not frying foods if possible, and when we did, it was with Pam or something similar. Yes, we did a great job at cutting out fats and most days our fat grams were way under our daily goals.

So why did we stop losing weight? In fact, we not only stopped losing weight, we slowly gained, more and more. We blamed exercise since we were not as active, but we still tried to eat smart and keep calories down. Yet despite eating smaller portions and eating as lean as possible, we continued to gain weight.

In fact, I hit a new high while eating healthy. I had reprogrammed my brain to think fat was bad and the reason I was at my heaviest weight ever. I also was tired all the time, had little energy, lots of aches and pains, and my digestion was a nightmare. I knew sugar made everything worse, so I restricted sugar, but it only helped a little. I tried dieting and cutting back on calories by reducing fat and sugar, but it didn't help much. I would get unsatiable cravings and I was starving all the time.

Then, I came to realize that simple starches were as bad for me as sugar. I researched things like flour and realized that as we have advanced in technology, we have removed a lot of the good stuff from our foods, leaving only simple starches and empty calories.

I started removing starchy foods from my diet, and when I did consume starches, it was things like brown rice, potatoes, and whole grains. I felt better almost right away. But, I was still getting cravings and I had an over-active appetite. I continued to look at my diet and starches and found Keto. The more I researched it, the more sense it made; things start going the wrong way when I removed fats.

Growing up we consumed a lot of fat, most of my life I consumed a lot of fat, and for most of my life, I've been healthy and fit. Then, I put on a little extra weight as a result of not being nearly as active but still having the same appetite. Instead of cutting back a little on how much I ate, I cut out fats like they said I should, and things have spiraled out of control since.

Now, I have to rethink everything. I buy low-fat items without even thinking, it was supposed to be healthier. It's going to take a while to get rid of the low-fat way of thinking, but as we shop we are catching ourselves grabbing the light sour cream. We put it back and get regular. We look for lean cuts of meat, but then we catch ourselves and put back the skinless chicken breast and by wings instead.

Will I stay on Keto? Not likely. I will until I reach a healthier weight, but then I want some of my carbs back. Will I return to my former way of eating? Oh, hell no! I'll keep my fat intake up, for one, stuff just tastes better. For another, it's healthier. I'll balance it out more between carbs and fats, but the restriction will always be on the carbs, never on the fats again. Even after Keto, I know I will have to greatly restrict simple carbs from my diet, but fruits, potatoes, and all that good stuff will eventually start increasing as I reach a weight I am happy with and want to maintain. But, if I find myself gaining weight, feeling tired, or just plain hungry all the time, it's good by carbs, hello fats.

"Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J.