Trey's Success on Keto
Last week I posted an incredible Keto Lasagna recipe.
First question for you is: Have you tried it?
AND
Second: What are your thoughts?
Good huh! And so easy. If you missed it, you can click here and check it out.
Today I want to talk about the Keto diet, because this recipe is keto friendly and some of you have asked, “What is the point in making lasagna if you do not have the noodles?” Old Amy would 1000 percent agree. It sounds kind of like coffee without the caffeine and I am in the camp of what’s the point if there is no caffeine? So, I totally understand if that is what you are thinking. If indeed that is what you are thinking, I would like to encourage you to, “Don’t knock it till you try it…” .Because….it is that good!
Why keto? And What is Keto?
Let’s discuss the What Keto is first.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate mainstream dietary therapy that in medicine is used mainly to treat hard-to-control epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.
Or for our purposes:
“Ketogenic” is a term for a low-carb diet (like the Atkins diet). The idea is for you to get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbohydrates. You cut back most on the carbs that are easy to digest, like sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread.
In a nutshell and pretty much how I understand it: VERY LOW to zero carbs (impossible unless you don’t eat). More than usual protein, high healthy fats, and tons of vegetables, but not just any veggies, only those lower in carbs. Yep…you heard me. Vegetables have a carb count! Wild I know and again this is why it is impossible not to incur carbs in a day…And fruit. You might as well hang fruit up because on this diet your body converts the natural sugar to a carb and fruits have a carb count. Blackberries in small amounts are safe we are finding, but again small amounts.
Let me repeat: this is my understanding of the keto diet.
So why would one do this diet? Simply put, to lose weight. Trey started this diet back in May and I am happy to report he is almost 30lbs if not more. Now, like any diet out there, it all depends on the individual. How strict you are, do you workout with it, sleep, DNA, where your starting point is versus someone else’s, and so many other factors. But, from what I have seen with Trey and my friend Cathy, it works if you do the plan. So in other words this is a good diet for male or female because from where I am sitting most diets work really quick and easy for males and honestly I don’t know the reason other than women’s bodies were made to hold fat for child bearing years and I guess that just never leaves us, but this diet works on females because I have seen it first hand in Cathy.
How it works:
When you eat less than 50 grams of carbs a day, your body eventually runs out of fuel (blood sugar) it can use quickly. This typically takes 3 to 4 days. Then you’ll start to break down protein and fat for energy, which can make you lose weight. This is called ketosis. In the beginning Trey literally peed on these sticks to ensure he was in ketosis. Any time he cheated he knew he would be thrown out of the fat burning stage of ketosis and it would take him 3 to 4 days to get back. These sticks were a huge incentive and really made him think twice before he cheated. If considering this diet, you might want to invest in these sticks to help you as well.
There is a wide range of food you can eat on Keto:
Fish and seafood, Low-carb veggies, cheese, avocados, chicken, eggs, nuts, seeds and healthy oils, plain greek yogurt and cottage cheese, and we have found all kinds of little snacks to help Trey get through times when he was starving.
Some of Trey’s snacks include: nuts, but not just any nuts. Almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, and walnuts are all lower in carbs than cashews. He loves Italian meats wrapped in mozzarella, and Mid-Day Squares are really helpful when he has an urge for sugar. He has also discovered Keto friendly cereal on amazon that helps with those urges.
Another little tip: This cookbook has been a lifesaver, 5 ingredient keto. Easy quick recipes that pretty much the whole family will enjoy.
So as you can see, Keto is doable and there are some rescue remedies when you are really fighting to stay on track, but one of his biggest secrets is: drink water and go for a walk and see if that urge passes. It usually does!
So if you are wanting to lose weight or thinking keto might be a solution for you, try it. You might want to talk to your doctor, but I can tell you I have learned that this particular diet can help with: Alzheimer’s (feeding the brain healthy fat), PTSD (same concept as Alzheimer’s), diabetes, may improve acne, may reduce risk of certain cancers, may improve heart health, can help if you suffer from PCOS. Again, this is just stuff I have found while researching the diet, but it never hurts to ask your doctor if you suffer from any of this. I wish I had fed my father more healthy fats, but you don’t know what you don’t know. So do some research, see if keto is for you and remember…
YOU ARE WORTHY!
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
XO,
Amy
aka~Worthy
