After constantly hearing about the keto diet and all the benefits it can bring, I decided to take a stab at it myself and see what kind of experience I would have and what results I would get as a beginner.

It was an interesting experience and one that I wanted to share with all of you in case you are considering giving it a try as well.

 

The Beginning

This is what I was looking to accomplish:

My Plan – 6 weeks

My Goal – Shred and increase muscle definition. I was not doing this for weight loss.

I started my keto journey in June. I was thinking this would be beneficial for bikini weather, and it was! But, vanity aside, I actually had a lot of positive outcomes. 

 

Positives

 

• Reduced sugar cravings – I have a terrible sweet tooth and I was concerned I would not be able to stay away from sugar. I was pleasantly surprised that those cravings actually went away within the first week of keto. You are allowed to have 85% or more dark chocolate, so that did help me survive. 

 

• Less hungry – These meals are high in fat which slows down the digestion. I was often only eating 2 meals per day and maybe a snack if I got hungry. There were days that I ate more, but the trend seemed to be twice per day.

 

• No afternoon slumps or cravings – I usually am hungry and craving “junk food” around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, especially when I am at work. I would also be happy to take a nap at this time if I was able. While on keto, this totally went away. I don’t believe I needed a nap in the middle of the day at all and I was also not hungry. This was great.

 

• Gas and bloating – I was not gassy or bloated after eating the keto meals. I attribute this to the low carb and sugar in the diet. I have noticed since this experience, having incorporated more carbs back into my diet, some of that gas and bloating have returned. 

 

• Less dry skin – I usually have really dry skin in the summer in the hot, dry environment I live in, but on keto, I didn’t seem to have this problem.  

 

• Less hair loss – I am at an age where I believe the hormones are starting to change in my body. I have been experiencing increased hair loss for a few years now and have panicked about it several times. I noticed on keto that it seemed like my hair was falling out less. Now, it was still falling out, but it seemed like the amounts were less. Needless to say, I was very excited about that. 

 

• Increased muscle definition – Though I was not trying to lose weight, I think on this diet it is inevitable. I did lose a few pounds. But, as was the goal, I also noticed an increase in muscle definition and overall firmness. I was very consistent with my workout regimen to see what would happen and the results were positive.

 

• Remembering dreams – This one seems unusual, but I did notice that I seemed to be remembering my dreams much more than I had been prior to starting the keto diet. I need to do more research to figure out if there is any relation to ketones, fats and dreams. I just thought this was interesting and wanted to share it. 

 

These were all really great experiences, but not everything on this diet was positive for me. I also had some personal challenges that I feel like I should share.

 

Challenges

 

• Tracking – This was a challenge for me. Tracking both your ketone levels and making sure the ratios of Fat, CHO and Protein were correct was not fun for me. I have never enjoyed tracking calories, and this is along the same lines as that. 

 

• Expense – This diet can be expensive if you are really trying to incorporate the highest quality foods possible. Also, just eating an increased amount of protein, which is often meat products, is more expensive no matter what diet you are on. Monitoring your ketones can also be expensive as the strips are not cheap. 

 

• Never hitting the super energized level – Although I was monitoring my ketones and following the diet pretty well, I never hit those recommended mmol levels of 1.8 – 3.0. I was in that range a few times, but not consistently. I did not seem to feel the high energy I have read about when you are at those levels. My average mmol level was 0.9 – 1.0. 

 

Though I did have some challenges, I think this diet just takes some practice and getting familiar with how your body reacts to and adjusts to the changes that are taking place internally. It also takes being consistent in your meal plan, so I highly recommend as a beginner, finding a meal plan you think you can follow, and stick with it.

 

Dare I Try Again?

Overall, I do feel like this is a great option for a temporary period of time. I am definitely planning to do this again…though this time it will be during the colder months as it was really, really hard not to have some of the amazing fruit that is available during the summer. Not only that, but I also went to see my parents a couple of times and they always had these yummy pastries or desserts around the house that I was not able to indulge in… that was sad.

 

 

I don’t think I would want to do this long term. I think this is something that will work for me if I incorporate it as a meal plan once per year for a couple of months. My goal for my next round is 8 weeks following a specific meal plan and doing it during the winter…after the holidays. We’ll see what happens.

 

I would love to hear from others that have experienced keto and if you had any similar experiences in your first stab at it. Leave me a comment below and let’s get into a conversation.