Transitioning to Keto Lifestyle

This video was from a couple days ago. Please forgive the puffiness, It’s from my sinuses and C-PAP machine  and I wake up like that most days. I’ll be posting more on my transition, but this was where I started.

This is my tracking spreadsheet for the past three days.

Macro Tracking – KETO/LOW CARB
GOALS	1800			20	141	112
Date	Calories	Carbs/gm	Fiber/gm	Net Carbs/gm	Fat/gm	Protein/gm
Thursday, August 02, 2018	1154	13	5	8	92	67
Friday, August 03, 2018	1737	28	9	19	141	90
Saturday, August 04, 2018	2197	144	18	126	131	101

 

I went to JoAnn’s yesterday with a lady who wants me to do some sewing for her. While we were at the cutting table, the lady behind the counter was telling me about all kinds of wonderful fat bombs and other recipes she uses. She’s been doing Keto for a while. She ended up giving me the website, “wholesonmeyum.com” What a godsend!

The Universe is lining up behind me on this. I love it!

I have been following Dr. Ken Berry from the Berry Clinic in Camden, TN, and Dr. Eric Westman from the Duke University Clinic. They have the science and expertise to listen to. You can find them both on YouTube.

So what is this “Light Bulb” that went off?

1. With all the studies I’ve read and research I’ve done on Metabolic Syndrome, I’ve run across various diets and lifestyle changes that people try. I’ve read a LOT of white papers (clinical research papers in medicalese) from all over the world.
2. I had everything I needed. I would have to shop differently to get the right foods and clear out the cupboards, but the books and resources were already in place.
3. That I was a carb addict. Being in recovery gives me a window into addiction that many folks don’t have. For instance: Anything I am allergic to, I crave and am probably addicted to. So, as a carb addict, I am probably allergic to carbohydrates. Or at least they aren’t good for me. The same with corn and watermelon. Yes, I’m allergic to those foods, and yes, I crave them – whenever I’m around them I can’t stop. My behavior is the same with potato chips.
4. Next, the mechanism of insulin as a fat-storing hormone. I’ve run into studies that say that, but they didn’t say it in quite the same way, so I was able to “gloss over” it.
5. Finally, Dr. Mercola has a book out about turning your body into a fat-burning machine. I don’t remember the title just now, but I’ve read it.  I think it’s still on my bookshelf someplace. Very informative and helpful. But again, he didn’t go all the way and suggest a Keto Lifestyle.

---

The Journey

I saw a video that caught my eye.

Most diet plans can only “guarantee” a 45 pound loss. I need to lose a lot more than that. I hate the way I look and feel. I’m not sick, exactly, but I can’t do the things I love to do. I know that the only way to fix this is to fix me. And nobody can do it for me.  There isn’t a pill or drug that will change things. So when I saw that video of a woman who said she’d lost 90 pounds, I was interested. She extolled the Keto way of life, and went on to say that after a year, her total loss was 135 pounds. I don’t need to lose quite that much, but it caught my attention, anyway.

Later, I found Dr. Berry’s videos and his approach was very easy to follow. I checked him out, and he isn’t some “alternative medicine” guy, he’s mainstream medicine. His videos are short, informative, sometimes funny, and very real. I can sense the honesty in him.

Then, I found Dr. Westman. Watching that video brought tears to my eyes. It was all there. Everything. No videos, no fancy presentation, just him briefing his clinic patients on what to do and what to expect.  There was another video with a presentation at a medical conference that showed all the clinical results. I expected those kinds of results, based on past research, but to have them presented in such a place by a such a person, caught me by surprise. Again, I got tears in my eyes.

Why did I cry?

Because of all the wasted years. All the wasted tries. All the wasted money. Regrets over not doing this sooner.

---

I accept that this isn’t for everyone. It will never be for everyone. There are people I know who need carbs.

There are people in early recovery who need to learn how to do things healthy, happy and sane. They need carbs to replace the effects that alcohol has on the body, without using alcohol.

And then there are people like me, who have to go through all this crap so that I can share it with others when it comes time.

Here’s to your good life, friends.