SOOO happy to finally be out of the 200s again. I've been very disappointed in myself about breaking my self-promise to never get over 200 again. So, recommitting now, and feeling optimistic that I've finally found a way of eating that works for me!
So far, keto is really agreeing with me. It definitely seems like a more natural way to eat to me. I enjoy meals with more fat, and missed having the extra fat when I was trying to keep to ETP's low fat goals. I am so much more satiated eating this way. While on ETP and trying to hit my carb macros eating mainly fruit, I wanted to snack constantly. Now I barely feel the desire to snack at all since my meals are so much more satiating.
Since I started keto, I've been keeping my net carbs under 25 grams/day (averaging 21), and net carbs have been 4-5% of my macros. However, yesterday, I splurged a little. I fasted through breakfast, finally eating lunch around 11:30am (I was a little hungry toward the end, but tolerable). I made a steak curry for lunch, and had my customary snack of a couple tablespoons of SunButter when I got a little hungry in the afternoon. Then I brought the kids to Pancho Loco... I had 4 tortilla chips - I was pretty proud of that self control! And I got a chicken fajita with guac, and ate it our of the pan like I have been doing for years. And I had a small skinny margarita - I asked them not to put ANYTHING sweet in it because I brought a long a packet of True Lemonade to sweeten it up, which has very little carbs (and they're all natural agave and stevia). I only put in maybe 1/3 of the packet, and it was good! I won't lie - I missed my normal big 16oz Ultimate Margarita that's loaded with sugar and Grand Marnier, but I could definitely get used to this skinny margarita. Maybe the margarita stimulated my sweet tooth a little, because I also indulged in a little square of the Ikea Chocolat Mork bar - but I was satisfied after only 1 square! In the end, I had 44g net carbs (64 total), which was about 10% of my ~1900 calories (30% protein/60% fat). I was a little bummed that my keto stick right after dinner didn't show any ketones (must have been burning off that alcohol!), but it showed ketones again around 10pm and this morning. Phew.
I'm hoping that's a sign of a slightly higher tolerance for carbs for me! My hubby just shared an article by Chris Kresser stating that you probably don't need to be SO strict with the carbs - 10-15% (50-75 grams on a 2000 calorie diet) should still keep you in ketosis and losing weight. Chris's theory pretty much lines up with Mark Sisson's Carbohydrate Curb too. I think that's probably about where I fell back in late 2013/early 2014 when I was losing steadily. And this makes me feel better about enjoying some berries each day, and not having to swear off sweet potato fries forever!
I was looking back at my MFP history for the past year, and I definitely see some patterns here.
- From last April - May, I was following the Eat to Perform PFFL, when I was cutting back calories, but still eating over 100g of carbs most days.
- Then from May-October, I was eating my full TDEE according to my FitBit, eating upwards of 250-300g of processed and sugary carbs some days - I'm surprised I didn't gain more weight!
- Then from Nov-Dec, we took our big vacation, and the holidays hit. I was experimenting with adding more dairy into my diet, and eating lots of gluten-free backed goods - this lead to a 15 pound weight gain in only 2 months, although I figure about half of that was water gain from inflammation (my stomach was NOT happy about the dairy).
- So in January-March, I swore off the processed foods and sugar, and followed a Whole30 version of the ETP PFFL, eating over 100g of carbs/day mostly from fruit and sweet potatoes. And I was hungry, and wanting snacks all the time. Granted, I did lose some weight, but I think it was a lot of inflammation getting back in check.
- Finally, in April, I started keto, and have dropped 4 pounds in 10 days. Thinking I'll stick with this for a while!
I keep reading about how fabulous life will be once I'm keto-adapted (less hungry, more sustained energy in workouts, stead fat-loss, etc), but I'm a little afraid I might not get there. I just can't see myself maintaining less than 50g of carbs EVERY DAY forever! I have a conference in Washington DC next week (with a friend that I'm known to have a few drinks with), so I'm afraid I won't be able to find the right foods if they are providing meals for us. I also have a couple other celebratory occasions coming up (a birthday party, and a night out with my hubby). And then, at the end of May, a nice little getaway to Orlando with my hubby while he's at a conference (and I am totally having Mickey waffles, tapioca and all! Not to mention some vacation margaritas - and not the skinny ones!). But if I've learned anything on this journey, it's that there is no finish line. I might take a detour here and there to enjoy life's special moments, but I just need to get back on track right afterwards. Hopefully, if I stick with this long enough, I'll finally reach my goal weight and can be a little more lenient in maintenance.
My Food
4% Net Carbs / 32% Protein / 64% Fat
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