Keto and Age: Is it Ever Too Late?
/
"If you haven't lost weight by the time you reach [fill in the blank] years old, you almost certainly never will."
Well, crap. 😒
Read More
How to Start the Ketogenic Diet?
/As with nearly everything in life, the starting part can be the most intimidating. Filing your taxes, starting a retirement plan, having "the talk" with your adolescent children? All daunting to contemplate and easy to put off. And, by the way, that garage isn't going to clear itself out.
Fortunately, starting the ketogenic diet is much easier even though it may have a much greater impact on your life than just about anything else you've done.
So, how to start? Simple. The next time you eat something, leave off the carbs. That's it.
No special foods are required. No need to order supplements or tonics, pills, or potions. There aren't any shakes or oils or fancy devices that will help your body do what it was designed to do in the first place, namely, burn fat for fuel. (There are some tools that can help, but they aren't necessary for success)
You probably already have the food you should eat in your house. You also very probably have food you shouldn't eat there as well and ridding your pantry, cabinets, and fridge of those items may take some mental effort. But you can do it.
Look at this copyrighted Page 4 from Dr. Eric Westman. If it's not on that page, don't eat it. Period.
Again, starting is as straightforward as making sure your next meal or mouthful doesn't have carbs. Eat the hamburger, just don't eat the bun or fries. Enjoy your chuck roast but leave out the potatoes. Breakfast at your local diner? Sure! Eggs, sausage, bacon are all fine. Toast, biscuits, and hash browns aren't.
You needn't wait for next Monday to start, or next month. Tomorrow morning could find that you have already made the change if you just start with the next time you eat today. Right now. There's truly no reason to wait. And for some of us, no time to waste.
You want your carbohydrate intake to be 20g/day or fewer. And, following the food list noted above, that means that essentially all your carbs will come from vegetables, roughly 1 cup a day of non-starchy veggies, and about 2 cups a day of leafy greens. Those are maximum amounts. There are no minimum amount of veggies, which may come as a relief to some.
So there you are. How to start? By starting. It's what you don't do that's key here. Don't eat carbs. No bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruit. But you'll love the foods that are included. You may even find you feel like you're getting away with something, enjoying eating again after years of avoiding luscious meats, chicken with the skin, butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, cheese omelets and, my particular favorite, ribeye with a nice band of fat.
Go ahead. Don't wait. You've deprived yourself long enough.
Disclaimer: I’ve been fortunate to have had the time and resources to research the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). The information I share is based solely on my understanding of that research. We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths and there’s no substitute for each of us checking things out ourselves. And I’m not a medical professional in any way. Go Keto With Casey is not a medical site. “Duh,” you might say. But best to make it clear to all. I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Links in this post and all others may direct you to affiliate links, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through those links. Thanks!
January. The Cruelest Month? Or Just the Weirdest?
/Something weird is going on with me. Or inside me. Or maybe something is going on with the rest of the universe and it's just showing up on my scale. Because that's a thing, right? The universe conspires to consternate us, or at least me, and edge my weight up for no discernible reason. Again.
Don't misunderstand. I'm happy and content with my weight. Let me type that again. .... I'm happy and content with my weight. This is no small thing for a woman who has been unhappily overweight for over 30 years. But having started following the ketogenic diet and successfully losing more weight than I ever allowed myself to believe was possible, I'm in a good place.
My scale? It's in a weird place. Success of any sort is never without turns in the road, challenges and surprises. And even as my weight has come slowly, gradually and steadily down, it has ticked up, then down, then up, then lingered in one place. This is the life cycle of weight loss.
Over the last week or so, though, has been more 'not a straight downward trajectory' than usual. This got me to wondering. I'm in ketosis. My blood sugar is perfect. No foods not on the allowed list (except some ill-advised packets of cashews. Wrong, wrong, wrong.) But in general, I've been doing what I've done all along. So what gives?
Thank goodness I have what must be the longest running daily weight log in the surrounding seven counties. I looked back at the last time I had an unexplained weight gain after having reached a new low. Turns out it was this exact time last year. January. Could be a coinkeedink. Could be seasonal. Or could be the universe messing with me. 'Cause the universe has nothing better to do these days...
Moral of the story? If your weight loss or whatever goals you have are challenged, step back and analyze why. You owe it to yourself to not give up. Keep on keeping on, to cite a worn out phrase. Keep the faith, to repeat a more spiritual ad soulful one.
Now, roll tape...
Disclaimer: I’ve been fortunate to have had the time and resources to research the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). The information I share is based solely on my understanding of that research. We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths and there’s no substitute for each of us checking things out ourselves. And I’m not a medical professional in any way. Go Keto With Casey is not a medical site. “Duh,” you might say. But best to make it clear to all. I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Links in this post and all others may direct you to amazon.com, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through my affiliate links. Thanks!
How To Start the Ketogenic Diet
/Taking the first step in most of the changes in which we embark in life is often the most difficult - and scariest - part. And when that change involves something as fundamental as the way we eat, wrapped up in tradition, sentiment, comfort and, sadly, bad advice, it can be truly daunting.
Some are fortunate that a few tweaks of their lifelong habits suffice to achieve health and or weight goals. Others of us need to make more comprehensive changes. I certainly did. For me, the single most important change was eliminating carbohydrates from my diet. When I write eliminate, I mean no rice, wheat, soy. No crackers, chips, bread. No starchy vegetables, sweets or pasta. That sounds extreme to some. And it may be too far for some to go. But it has made all the difference in my life. Health, weight, lifting of depression. No more sore joints. And my brain returned. The fog lifted.
The inner changes for me have been as important as the exterior ones. But it's those changes visible to others that generate the most conversation.
"How have you lost so much weight?"
"By eating a whole lot of fat and almost no carbohydrates."
Once I'm asked how much exercise I've done to lose weight (almost none) and aren't I concerned that eating a high fat diet will give me a heart attack (no) questions will come about how to start the program.
The easiest answer is that the next meal you eat, leave off the carbs. Sounds simple. And it is. This is not say simple and easy are the same thing. At least, not a first. But it really is that straight forward. Then comes the question of what a carb is. That can be a bit trickier. This video is my attempt to explain. Being me, I ramble into other topics as well....
Disclaimer: I’ve been fortunate to have had the time and resources to research the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). The information I share is based solely on my understanding of that research. We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths and there’s no substitute for each of us checking things out ourselves. And I’m not a medical professional in any way. Go Keto With Casey is not a medical site. “Duh,” you might say. But best to make it clear to all. I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Links in this post and all others may direct you to amazon.com, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through my affiliate links. Thanks!
- Casey
