TNC KETO
I've been on this KETO journey for 20 weeks today! This is the last comparison pic I did a couple of weeks ago. Pictures don't lie....KETO is amazing!! I stopped weighing myself back in January because the fluctuations were driving me crazy and I remembered someone saying when doing KETO to throw your scale away. That's good advice because this isn't a diet and these changes don't happen overnight! What do you think of my transformation thus far?
So I've had a few questions that have recurred over the past 5 months. I thought I would address them here.
1. Is KETO hard to do? Well, I say choose your hard! I think what is "harder" is trying to fit into jeans that won't button....or feeling cruddy every day. Or worse yet....beginning a diet and then quitting (the fear of failure as I have on so many other "diets"). The decision to go "KETO" has to be your own. It requires quite a commitment in terms of learning about it, cleaning out your pantry, buying appropriate foods, meal prep, grocery shopping, and not going off plan. I wouldn't say it's "hard". I would say that if this isn't your idea and you are wanting quick results this probably isn't for you. KETO is more about a lifestyle and not a diet. If you are committed and if you stick to the appropriate foods incredible things can happen!
2. Are you using KETO-inducing supplements or diet aids? NO!!! Again, my journey with KETO is not about a diet (or DIE with a T as I call it). I do use a very high quality, all natural vitamin/mineral supplement, but I've used it for over 3 years. I highly recommend you using a high quality supplement in order to get results and to ensure that your body isn't lacking in certain vitamins and minerals. I do attribute the system I am using for the success I am having. I do not have cravings and I never went through "KETO flu". I've hear horrific things about that and I'm glad I never went through it.
3. What is KETO exactly? Well, to me first of all.....KETO is a lifestyle. I don't plan to go back to the way I used to eat. I made this decision because of how amazing I feel on this KETO lifestyle. I feel lighter (less heavy in my gut), I sleep better, I have clearer thoughts, I have less aches and discomforts, and I have less inflammation in my body). KETO is focused on limiting your carb intake (and increasing your fat intake). It's as simple as that! I have followed Jimmy Moore and Maria Emmerich since I began and they are who I turn to for information and meal ideas/recipes. Maria also has a daily newsletter I am signed up and she offers meal planning on her website. Jimmy has the #1 low carb blog in the world. They are both extremely versed in KETO and partner up together frequently on books and such.
4. What do you eat on KETO? Here's what I eat: bacon, eggs, meat, cheese, heavy cream, asparagus, lettuce, real ranch dressing (that I make at home), blueberries, raspberries, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, and a small amount of onions. I count every single carb that goes into my mouth. The reason for limiting your carbs so much is so that your body can reach the state of ketosis (thus the name KETO). Ketosis is when your body is burning your stored fat for energy versus burning off the excess carbs you ingest. When you limit your carbs like you do when eating KETO your body has no choice, but to burn your stored fat. Also, when you are eating high amounts of fat (like you do on KETO) your brain operates at a higher level than when fats are limited. I have learned a lot about my body and why I didn't do well on low fat - no fat, calorie restricted diets in the past. My approach is keeping things as simple as I possibly can. I don't use a lot of fake things in my diet. What I mean is I don't eat processed foods (low carb options) from the store if I can help it. My purpose in doing this was to get healthier from a more natural approach. Processed foods are the opposite of where I want to go.
5. How do you stay motivated to continue this lifestyle? Well, for me it's all about how I feel. Yes, I do look better, but I haven't lost 50 pounds in 5 months so......haha. What I mean is the old diet mentality taught us that if you aren't losing weight on a scale that you aren't doing yourself any good. That's the mentality that I wanted to get away from. I am focused on eating real foods and knowing that changes are occurring, but positive, lasting change takes time. I also know that the time is going to pass anyway. If I don't hold myself accountable for my own health, who will? It was time for me to quit making excuses and make things happen. You can do this too, but again it has to be YOUR idea! I stay plugged in to KETO website and pages on Facebook. Speaking of that, I created my own for more support. You can join it too by going here: www.TNCKETO.com
Well, that's it for now! There are other questions that come in often. I will address those in my next update. I will tell you that for me KETO has been what I've been looking for my entire life (I just didn't know about it). I'm not saying it's for everyone. The only way you will know is to decide for yourself to give it a go, BUT you need to give this some time. One month isn't going to give you a good read on this lifestyle. That goes for anything new in your life in terms of health and wellness. You can't walk one day and be ready for a marathon. You can take a supplement and think you will be completely changed in one day or one week. Things like this take time. Is it worth the time? Well, go back and look at my picture above. I SAY YES!!!
~Cheyenne