Neato Keto!

How do you know someone is on the Keto diet? They tell you! Yes, I have joined the ranks of people who are "doing Keto" and am loving it. Karl and I started doing it together in January and are reaping all the benefits toted by experts and enthusiasts--the weight and fat loss, clarity of mind, long-lasting energy, and disappearance of sugar cravings and feeling hungry all the time.

Keto goodness!

For those who aren't familiar with this diet, it is a high-fat diet. It is similar to the Atkins Diet, but different in that the main thing is the fat, followed by protein and veg. Most fruits are off limits because of the sugar content. And, of course, no processed foods, grains, legumes, and sugar. We will do some berries here and there, and tomato, but usually the quantities are small and we eat enough to get a variety of nutrients. There are variations on how much sugar people choose to eat. Karl and I are limiting our sugar to 25 grams of net carbs, which means, we take the total carbs of a particular item and subtract the fiber from it to get the number of net carbs. We don't look at calories (some of us, not me, do double workouts, so we need to make sure we're getting enough calories.) Oh yeah, because people ask, we do low carb alcohols like dry wine, prosecco, and spirits. Bye, bye beer.

Going Keto was quite easy for me because I was already gluten-free and used to not eating baked goods. What challenged me was the whole eating fat part. What I've come to see is that good sources of fat are actually good for the body and fuel the brain. Growing up believing fat was bad and carbs good, meant I had to change my mindset. But again, feeling good and seeing excess fat disappear from my body was motivation enough and now I enjoy the taste of fat.

While I recognize this diet isn't for everyone, for example, I have no idea how a vegetarian would survive on this diet, if you are thinking of giving Keto a try, let me share with you some things to watch out for. No doubt if you look on the internet, you'll see some downsides to eating high fat and low carb, which I'll address below, as well as comments like it is hard to stick to and not sustainable long term. While this might be the case, the benefits of losing fat--and we're talking the fat from around your organs--are huge for most people. There is enough research out there to support the dangers of fat around your middle, as well as the dangers of eating too much sugar, such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and reduced mental and brain functions. Also, the thing that really made me consider this diet is the idea that animals are fed high carb diets to fatten them up quickly and get them to market. Why am I surprised that I'm gaining weight on a high carb, low-fat diet? This is also the reason why Karl and I try to get meat from free-range animals, not those from a feedlot.

So, let me tell you what Karl and I have done to reduce and even combat some of the cons of the Keto diet. Some of the tips below are things we've discovered ourselves, while others were passed on to us by friends who began the Keto lifestyle 6 months before us. These tips have helped us immensely and have enabled us to continue down this path. Right now, we can't see why we would stop; We just feel too good.

Keto Breath

A common side effect of eating a high-fat, low carb diet is Keto breath and Keto breath is one sign that your body is burning fat for energy. Some say it has a sweet smell to it, but make no mistake, it is not sweet-smelling. If you don't have bad breath from burning fat, you'll probably have it from eating cheese, having food, such as meat, stuck between your teeth, or just having a dry mouth from not drinking enough water. Obviously, you can carry your toothbrush and floss around with you, but here are some alternative breath fresheners that are easy to carry and easy to use:

• Flavored Toothpicks - Get the food out from between your teeth with cinnamon or mint-flavored toothpicks. I don't have a particular brand I recommend, but there are a variety of flavors out there such as mint or cinnamon.
• Mouth Spray -  You can get natural flavored sprays, for example, peppermint from Herb Pharm. The peppermint one also has cinnamon and clove in it. The bottle is small and it is easy to carry around. 
• Lush Mouthwash Tabs - These little tablets are interesting. Just chew one in your mouth, take a swig of water, swish around, spit out, and rinse. These are made with sodium bicarbonate so they fizz up in your mouth. Lush has a few different flavors; I've used the Creme de Menthe ones and enjoyed the convenience of using and carrying them around, especially while traveling because the tabs aren't liquid. 
• Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers - These are the best if you like wearing something on your lips. They come in a variety of colors, are moisturizing, and have that menthol, tingly feeling. They have peppermint oil in them and actually help freshen your breath via your lips. 
• doTerra Peppermint Beadlets - I didn't know this existed until my hair stylist shared this tip. These are tiny little edible beads containing peppermint oil. You can chew these to freshen your mouth or swallow them to get at the contents of your stomach.
• Gum - Make sure your gum doesn't have artificial sweetener or sugar in it. There are keto-friendly gums made with natural sweeteners that don't spike your sugar levels. I've tried PUR and Spry brands of gum and liked them both.  

Breath fresheners that I like

Hunger Pangs

I no longer have hunger pangs like I did before Keto. Sometimes I even go several hours without eating, even after waking up, because I'm not hungry. While I am not intentionally fasting, some people combine intermittent fasting while on the Keto diet as a way to give their bodies a break and help with the weight loss. It seems to me fasting while on Keto should be much easier than fasting on a high carb diet because you'll run out of those fast-burning sugar carbs much faster than the slow-burning fat. In any case, if you feel hunger pangs while eating Keto, try these things:

• Drink water, tea, or coffee.
• Eat a high fat snack, for example, cheese, salami, avocado, celery with cream cheese, goat cheese, or almond butter, cucumber slices, and coconut yogurt.
• Wait for a few days after starting Keto to begin fasting; It takes people 2-5 days to get into ketosis (when your body has switched over to burning fat.)
• Use an app like My Fitness Pal to track your calories. If you work out a lot and you've gone light on the fat as you adjust to the diet, you might not be getting enough calories to keep full.

Some of our favorite snacks

Keto Flu

Another thing that can happen as your body goes from burning carbs to fat for energy is that you may experience what is called Keto Flu--It's a real thing and you feel...well, flu'ish. So, here's what's going on. As your body adjusts to low carbs and you burn fat, you may have sugar withdrawal symptoms. Plus, reducing sugar in your diet means that the bad bacteria in your gut, which fed on the sugar, will die off making you feel bad. Lastly, as you get into ketosis, your kidneys release stored water, sodium, and other minerals, such as potassium and magnesium. Low potassium and magnesium can lead to muscle weakness and cramps, among other things. The first Yoga class I went to after being in ketosis was actually quite painful. My hamstrings, my calves, the bottoms of my feet, and even my toes cramped up as we moved from Downward Dog to Cobra. Not fun! All the above means you feel crappy, sluggish, and tired.

Solution? Drink plenty of water and replenish your electrolytes! First a disclaimer. If you have any concerns about being on Keto, taking supplements, or about how you feel, always talk to your doctor. Having said that, here's what we did to combat Keto flu:

• Electrolytes - Most mornings, Karl and I have a glass of electrolyte. My favorite is the Ultima Replenisher powder, grape flavor, that you mix with water.  I don't always remember to do this, so we keep the electrolyte power on the kitchen counter so I see it when I go for my morning coffee. I also found the electrolyte to be extremely helpful the next morning after a late night and not enough sleep.
• Nu-Salt - This is a great source of potassium. This tastes like salt and claims to be a salt substitute with no sodium. I throw a dash into my electrolyte drink and a few dashes into food.  
• Trace Minerals Mega-Mag - This is liquid magnesium. I put a little into my electrolyte drink.

Supplements we use

Dehydration

So, I mentioned in the previous section about how when you are in ketosis, your kidneys will release excess sodium and water, making you become dehydrated if you don't replenish your water. I'm not a big water drinker unless I've just had a workout. Here are some things that help me drink more water:

• Water Bottles - I have several bright-colored, nice looking water bottles that I've sprinkled around the house. And I have one at work. Throughout the day, these bottles catch my eye and remind me to take a sip. 
• Reusable Straws - For some reason, I find drinking through a straw enjoyable. 
• Sparkling Water - We have a SodaStream that makes carbonated water. When I'm not thirsty, but I'm trying to drink more water, I'm able to sip on carbonated water more easily than regular water. You can also buy great flavored soda water that doesn't have any added sugar. Our favorites are La Croix and Waterloo
• Flavored Water - Add a few drops of lemon or lime juice or certain essential oils to your water to flavor it without sweetening it. 
• Reminders - Put reminders on your fridge, at your desk, on your calendar, or on your to-do list if you need help remembering to drink water. I use Todoist, which lets me create daily tasks that I can check off.
• Track your Water - If you are worried that you aren't getting enough water, track your water intake. You can do this by writing down how many glasses of water you drink per day and comparing this to a recommended amount of water for your weight. There are plenty of sites that tell you how much to drink. You can use an app like My Fitness Pal to record your water if you want to do it online. We also have the Eat Smart digital scale that measures your water percentage. I've looked online to see what range my water percentage should be so I can ensure I'm in a healthy range. It's neat to check this in the morning when you first get up to see if your water levels are ok.

Eating Out

We've discovered lots of tricks for eating out. Things like ordering burgers with bacon, cheese, and a lettuce wrap, ordering food without sauces or getting sauce on the side, ordering celery or cucumbers with guac, etc. One thing I've noticed is that if you tell a server you're doing Keto, there seems to be a 50/50 chance that the server knows what Keto is and will make suggestions for sides or substitutions. I've been surprised by how many people we've encountered that know about Keto. I also recently discovered that you can search on how to eat Keto at a particular restaurant and sometimes you'll find someone who has figured out what to order or how to order a meal that is Keto. For example, I was near a Panera Bread one time, so I googled to see what I should order there that is Keto and found an article outlining the options. Most of the time eating out means you are asking for changes or substitutions to a regular menu item. If you're ok with that, then you'll be fine.

Additionally, if you know you are going to get more carbs than usual, say, for a special occasion or event, then make sure you have more fiber in your diet. Fiber helps keep the excess sugar you eat from being absorbed quickly and thereby reduces sugar spikes For fiber, Karl and I add psyllium husk to smoothies and things we bake.

Bored with Keto

After several months of being on Keto, maybe you've run out of ideas for meals or are bored with the same old vegetables, what do you do? Well, if you look online for information on Keto, you'll see there is a plethora of support. You'll be surprised at all the Keto products, options, and ideas for keeping Keto "fresh." Here are some places to check out:

• Look on Pinterest - You'll find all sorts of recipe links here, which will lead you to others, and so on. Create a board and pin your favorite recipes to it so you can find them again. You can also share your favorite recipes with your friend.
• Search for Keto - If you have a favorite kitchen appliance, type Keto and then your kitchen appliance into the browser search. I love my Instant Pot and I now have some great cookbooks for making Keto meals in the Instant Pot.
• Check out Podcasts - Friends of ours love the podcast Two Keto Dudes, which is all about the ketogenic lifestyle. I'm sure there are others, but this one comes highly recommended.

Our Private Pinterest Keto Board

Naysayers

The last thing I want to say to someone who's thinking about trying this diet, is this. There will be people who will question your choices and even disagree with them. I say, keep going. Do your own research and make your own decision about whether Keto is right for you. 

When I started doing Keto, several people asked me why I was on a "diet" because to them I didn't need to lose weight. My answer to them was that you don't see or know, what I see and know about myself. You may not know if a person has a muffin top (love that word), rolls, spare tire, extra cushioning, etc. I mentioned earlier that Karl and I have a scale that measures water. Well, this same scale also measures fat, muscle, and bone. If you look online, you can find the recommended fat percentage for someone your age, height, and level of activity. Today, I'm at a healthy fat percentage, but I wasn't when I started in January. The scale helps keep me in check.

So, good luck to you. If you do try Keto, now you'll know what to watch out for. Feel free to share your successes with me!