So, after my experience with Atkins, I started reading more about low carb and the ketogenic diet kept coming up. A friend at work had told me about it as well. So I decided to give it a go. I knew it had been used since the 1920s (and likely even before that) for children with epilepsy so, it had been around a long time. I also used to take anti-seizure medicine for headaches so I wondered if it would help reduce my headaches. It sounded similar to Atkins but with more fat. Luckily, I was somewhat familiar with reading food labels at this point. I quickly learned I needed to not just read the nutrition facts but also the ingredients list. Navigating the grocery store on my first few weeks of keto seemed stressful. I felt like I was trying to get through a mine field and it took forever. Every package and can I picked up had way more sugar and carbs in it than I thought it should. But that was the problem – packaged and canned food. I learned I needed to start eating REAL food. I now find myself almost exclusively shopping the perimeter of grocery stores – meat, produce, and dairy. Most people need to stay around 20 net carbs (carbs minus fiber) to be in a state of ketosis. This can feel very difficult to achieve when you are trying to do Keto in a Non Keto world. I swear it gets easier with time. Temptation is everywhere and always will be. You will have to accept that people will continue to eat sugar and junk food in front of you. People may look at you weird, judge you, or flat out tell you that keto is bad – because it is so misunderstood. You have to choose to have the willpower to do this for yourself and for your health. Cravings lessen with time as eating lots of healthy fat suppresses hunger. About two weeks in, I started feeling better in basically every way possible, I was hooked. I was sleeping better, had tons of energy, and fat seemed to be melting off my body. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. This way of eating has improved my health, well being, and mental state in so many ways. It is not only about weight loss, although it can be an effective tool for that. I no longer feel like that anxious girl unable to cope with life. 

What I love MOST about keto is you never have to go hungry. Like I said, I was a big time over-eater. {Raise your hand if you can relate}. I didn’t stop until I was miserably full. Carbs, sugar, and processed food really mess up your hunger signals and make you feel like you can’t stop. Fat and protein are satiating. You don’t have to eat tiny portions of food and starve yourself. You Can Eat Until You Are Full! Let me say it again for the people in the back….YOU CAN EAT UNTIL YOU ARE FULL! For the first time in years, I feel I have tamed the hunger monster. Yes, I do still get hungry, but it is different than when I was a carb eater. It is hard to explain. You will have to try it for yourself and let me know how you describe it.