In fact, I've engaged on these practices without even realizing it. I've written opinion articles and they might come off as if I consider myself an expert on the matter, when I'm really not, I just write about what I think.
But in this modern times, everyone is a health coach, a political opinion savvy, an economy analyst, a seasoned chef and many more.
So, just to be clear, I'm not trying to come off as a Health expert by writing this article, the purpose of this blog post is to talk about the effect and results of the Ketogenic diet I did a month ago, gave it a rest and then started doing again a few days ago since my quarantine period started.
First of all, I'm a carnivore and I love eating everything I can get a hold of, call me a caveman if you may, I don't really mind. I know there are a lot of screwed up practices in the meat, dairy and agricultural industries but I'm not here to discuss them.
I like meat, pasta, fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy... I like it all and good food is one of the few things that truly satisfies me and brings ease to me.
That being said, I'm 31 years old and I've had a health problem for quite a few years where I can't process food the proper way, bringing my blood levels to places where they shouldn't be. I began taking some meds and they are definitely helping, but I also got some advice about changing my eating habits, which is how I found about the Paleo diet and the Keto diet; some people would call them a lifestyle and perhaps they would be right, I prefer to limit myself to think about them as diets and to engage with them on a temporary basis, not a long term committment. That's me, I can't help it, any long term thing gets a no-no from me.
Doing the Keto diet - Or as some may say, adopting the Keto life
After plenty of research, tons of articles read, tens of videos watched and second hand experiences told by some friends, I decided to do the Keto diet for ten days back in Februrary 1st this year.
First of all let me tell you a bit about The Keto diet. Broadly speaking and to avoid making this a post about what the diet is about, I'll brief it for you:
- You let go of the carbs. This means tortillas (I'm mexican), bread, pasta, rice, pancakes, oatmeal, quinoa and that sort of food.
- Say good bye to sugars. This means Fruits, candy, sodas, sweeteners (for coffee and the such) and everything sweet.
- No more vegetables that grow below the ground cause they have a lot of carbs: Potatoes, carrots and that sort.
Now for me, this represents a problem because I eat a lot of pasta, rice, beans and fruits. The good part is that the keto diet allows a lot of delicious meals that will allow you to keep a balanced nutritional diet without starving or suffering.
The whole point of this diet is to make your body stop receiving carbs and then, burning the fat in your body to obtain energy for on a daily basis, effectively allowing you to lose fat, weight and keep healthier blood levels such as tryglicerids, lypids, sugar and cholesterol.
All you have to do is increase your intake of good fats and protein.
Here's where it gets tricky because you have to be careful in not overdoing and at the same time, if you excercise like me, you have to keep your fat and protein intake at a high level to let your body keep building muscle while burning fats.
Avocado, olive oil, butter, eggs and some others contain good fats. This means that my morning coffee instead of having cream and sugar, has butter; I have to have for breakfast eggs with vegetables, cook them with butter and eat them with avocado on the side. I pretty much eat meat or tuna every day or almost every day. My vegetable intake is over the top, mostly with spinach, arugula, cactus (nopal, one of the best out there in Mexico), tomatoes and many more. I also increased how much fatty cheese I eat (thank god, I love cheese) like mozzarella and feta.
Pros and Cons I've experienced doing the Keto Diet
Once your body enters the state of Ketosis, you stop being hungry all the time and you can actually spend a lot of time (16 to 32 hours) in a state of complete fast, but to reach this state the first 2-3 days are a nightmare. I was hungry all the time and I was craving for pasta or a quesadilla, maybe even a sandwich, anything to feed my body and calm its carb craving.
I got headaches and I even got what its called The Keto flu which is nothing to worry about, it's just your body adapting to the new regime.
After those 2-3 days, I felt amazing. I started to see results starting on that day. My face was getting thiner already and I could feel more energic and had a sharper mind. This is the absence of carbs in your digestive process, letting your body digest faster, easier and more efficiently, leaving your blood and organism to dedicate itself to other tasks. I stopped getting tired after eating and overall, I raised my productivity.
Bear in mind that this is all my own experience and I'm speaking based on what happened to me during the first ten days I did keto. Right now I'm on day 2 of this new period and I'm not feeling tired, I don't have a headache and that flu? Nowhere to be found. Perhaps my body already knows whatsup and is not suffering that much.
Results after ten days of Keto and why I am doing it again
I began this diet weighting 86 kilos and feeling alright, but knowing I could feel better. I was already doing excercise and hitting the outdoor gym and playing voleyball. My blood levels were (finally) inside the safe measures regarding Tryglicerid, lypids, sugar and cholesterol, but they were still on the upper side of the spectrum.
After this diet, I was weighting 81 kilos and I felt even more energic, woke and alive. My blood levels - all of them - were in the middle of the spectrum, effectively putting me on the safe side of things.
What now?
My weight is 80 kilos and I feel great. I stopped doing this diet because I went to Germany and I coulnd't follow it as I wanted to, so I just gave myself some free weeks but now that I am quarantined and in Mexico, where healthy food is cheap compared to Europe, I decided to do it again.
Day 2 and it's all going nicely. I'll let you know how my progress goes! I have in mind doing it for 14 days and, if I haven't reached my goal of 75 kilos, I'll continue for one more week.
Wish me luck!