Taking A Deeper Look (at more than just weight)

For several years, I've posted occasional writings about the basics of the ketogenic protocol. "What is the Ketogenic Diet?" "Where is Ketosis and How Do I Get There?" and "How Many Grams of Protein Should I Eat?". Hopefully, the information and sharing of my experiences have been helpful and of use. I also wrote a bit ago about my realization that while the changes I have enjoyed have been life-altering, there is more for me. This space previously contained posts about the goings-on in my career as a Realtor®. Charts, trends, explanations of the procedures, and all that goes along with real estate transactions

Then I made some changes in my life. Mostly, I changed my thinking about and attitude towards food. I was at a point where my health was going to improve or was going to go downhill quickly. The changes—mainly laying off carbs and laying off excuses—started me on a personal and professional trajectory I could not have predicted. And I've never looked back.

How, more than 10 years after the morning I sat at our kitchen counter depressed and despairing of what I had done to my body and well-being, and 7 years after leaving the business of working with homebuyers and sellers in order to share information about how the ketogenic diet changed my life. I nervously launched "Go Keto with Casey" on this blog as a YouTube Channel, Facebook, and other media platforms. I wrote and talked about how others may be able to 'lose weight, improve their health, and regain control of their lives like I did.' (Those words are how I start every video I publish, still and to this day. Now it's time to weave "Beyond Keto with Casey" into the messaging.

I'm including aspects of the previous week's info here. As I've written before, there is more to all this than what a bathroom scale reads. Life consists of feelings and moods, activities—or lack thereof—and spirituality, whatever that looks like for us. To that end, here is last week's chart.

As always, I hope sharing that, for me, some days are more joyful than others, that weight fluctuates, and that I strive to get ahead of declining muscle mass will show others that being human is complex. (Squirrels don't have to deal with all this stuff, right?) I welcome thoughts on this approach.

There are adventures ahead for me. I intend to be as fit and at peace as possible for them. I hope you'll share how things are with you and how you're moving forward.

Here's to us!

The Next Thing (While Remaining with This Thing...)

credit:Thom Holmes @thomholmes/unsplash

It's been over ten years since I changed how I eat and, consequently, my life. While that is a long time, it has gone by in a trice. Blink, blink, done.

I now face a question that is the antithesis of the query that lingered in my brain when I was growing heavier, sadder, and more despairing. Back then, I wondered, "Ugh. What's next?" Now I am asking myself, "Whoopee! What's next!?". And while I continue to write and make videos about my experience with and understanding of the ketogenic protocol—and will continue to do so as long as anyone is interested—I’m excited about the idea of adding “Beyond Keto with Casey” to the repertoire.

So, then, dread. Now, curiosity.

Wow, that reads like melodrama, doesn't it? Had I really felt that gloomy? Did being obese, often the fattest person in the room, weigh that heavily on me—pun intended? 

Yes, it did. 

My state of mind on January 8th, 2014, and why I felt something had to change. On that day, I had long since given up on losing weight and getting "into shape" (I used to joke that I was in shape: round is a shape). And feeling better about myself was beyond the beyonds of possibility. But I was fifty-five and knew that my health was going to deteriorate if I didn't do something. The most significant risk to my health was type 2 diabetes. It was sure to be a point of discussion at my next annual checkup.

Fortunately, the changes I made starting that January day, following the ketogenic protocol, restored my health, fitness, and joie de vivre. Yay!

And so, here I am. To call this a crossroads feels trite. But it's apt. For several years, I've shared the life-changing experiences of morphing from a very overweight and overwrought person to someone who finds life not only bearable but enjoyable. I've done this by writing in this space, on my YouTube channel, and a private site with wonderful and supportive patrons on Patreon. It has been a privilege to do so, continues to be, and will continue as long as anyone cares to listen. But now, the time has come for me to shake things up. 

It's time to include sharing 'the next thing' with my ongoing experience with the ketogenic protocol, recognizing my past dysfunctional relationship with food, and connecting with others going through the same things.

What that thing will be is still a question. Due to my substantial weight loss in the last few years, I've been able to move about the world more easily and comfortably. And by "world," I mean primarily around our house and garden, with travel to the occasional low-carb/keto conference, a couple of cruises, parties with family and friends, and the like. Now I'm ready to concentrate on enjoying my new(ish) body and self-esteem and explore. Really explore. As in, get out of my lovely cocoon. Leave my comfy, familiar microcosm. And isn't that one of the reasons we want to feel better and stay healthy? To be able to do things we don't or can't do when we feel bad and unhealthy? There's no need to answer as I'll do it for you. It is!

the view from near one of our farms. (photo credit:casey durango 2023)

My Lovely Mate and I are uniquely positioned to have stomping grounds in Colombia, South America. We own a farm there. Two farms, actually. That sounds high-fallutin', but it isn't. What it is is a long story—two long stories. But that's for another day. Suffice it to say that I'm going to be traveling to parts South regularly. This is a huge deal and yet another story—namely, why I've been married to the guy for forty-three years and visited his homeland only a few months ago for the first time. That is a really l-o-n-g story.

Shrug. 

That was then. Now, I am in a place where I want to be in more places. Does that make sense? I love my home, my unkempt gardens, my chickens, and our routines. But it's time—perhaps past time—to have new exploits. But I no longer cotton to things like regret and second-guessing. As such, I won't dwell on the woulda-coulda-shoulda's. This is me now. And I'm okay with me, now. So onward I go. 

I'll keep you posted on how things go. To be clear, though, I'm not leaving my little corner of the universe where Go Keto with Casey tries to help those who may benefit from learning how food choices can improve our health and happiness better than most pills, injections, and potions. But I will share stories other than just recipes, weight fluctuations, and whether time-restricted eating is all that. (Spoiler: I don't think it is.)

I hope you'll stay tuned.